Rolling Laundry Organizer

Sonora Review Community Reading Series

Connecting the Community

Sonora Review Community Reading Series

9 p.m., Wednesday, July 13

Plush, 340 E. Sixth St

798-1298; www.plushtucson.com ; www.sonorareview.com

Sonora Review , the University of Arizona's graduate-student-run literary journal, has been around for more than 30 years. And through those three decades, the journal has kept up with the times: Not only does it have a print component, but it also touts a stellar blog, a website and, now, a community-reading series.

"We wanted to get Sonora more active in Tucson; it's a way for the university to connect with the community," said Nancy Powaga, co-editor-in-chief.

The kickoff of the Community Reading Series will spotlight three unique voices: Joshua Marie Wilkinson, Daisy Pitkin and Jamison Crabtree.

Wilkinson is a renowned poet and an incoming professor at the UA's creative-writing program. Powaga said the reading is both a "welcome for Josh and a welcome for Sonora . It's sort of a big welcome party for everyone."

Pitkin, a nonfiction MFA candidate, will wow with her lyrical and experimental prose, which delves into topics like her experience as a union organizer for industrial laundry facilities: "Every time we rest our elbows on a cloth table covering ... we come indirectly into contact with a group of workers somewhere nearby," she writes.

Crabtree, an MFA alum and the poetry editor for Tucson's Spork Press, will read from his poems, including "Lament for Freddy Krueger." In this poem, he writes, "You, who replaced his fingers / with razors, will injure / whatever you try to protect / unless you are very, very careful."

After the readings, two great local bands, Brass Tax and Havarti Orchestra, will perform.

Sonora plans three more events this year, including a Day of the Dead reading.

"There are a lot of talented writers in Tucson, and more keep coming in," said Crabtree.

Admission is free. —A.L.

Learning From a Master

West African Dance Party

8 to 11 p.m., Saturday, July 9

The Movement Shala, 435 E. Ninth St.

490-7875; www.themovementshala.org

If you've ever wanted to learn West African dance, now's your chance to groove with the best.

Abdoulaye Camara, an internationally known dancer and drummer from Guinea, will lead a West African Dance Party at the Movement Shala this weekend.

humble hostess: My Newly Organized Gift and Craft Closet

I have this little closet under the stairs in my basement.  It's plain and awkwardly shaped but it's one of my favorite places in the house.  The moment we moved in I declared it my gift and craft closet but for months it's been filled with boxes and random items.  Until now.  I finally had enough with the mess and took a couple hours to organize the closet.  It only took a little time and less than $20.

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