Fairy Tale Review Celebrates at the Poetry Center
Pistol lessons in a mini-mall and a fairy princess queen
Kate Bernheimer, editor of Fairy Tale Review, reflects on her time under the tutelage of Joy Williams (left) and interviews Lydia Millet about her new novel. To celebrate the 30th Anniversary Edition of Williams' The Changeling and the publication of Millet's How the Dead Dream, The Poetry Center & Fairy Tale Review host a reading with the authors on Thursday, May 15th at 8:00 p.m. in the Dorothy Rubel Room.

Read Kate's reflection and interview

"I Sees That Mr. Bones"
A John Berryman Discussion Group
University of Arizona MFA candidate in poetry Joel Arthur will lead a discussion on the poetry of John Berryman on Saturday, May 3 at 11 a.m. at the Poetry Center. Berryman is one of the most innovative poets of the last century, his work culminating in The Dream Songs (published with an introduction by recent Poetry Center guest W.S. Merwin), which is a syntactically and psychologically complex sequence of sonnet-like poems in which he introduces the alter-egos Henry and Mister Bones. Berryman received the Pulitzer Prize for 77 Dream Songs in 1964 and was a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets from 1968 until his tragic death by suicide in 1972. Joel Arthur's insights into and his passion for Berryman's work will make this a lively and enriching discussion.

Listen to Berryman read "Dream Song 1" at poets.org

Destination: A Poetry and Art Summer Adventure for Teens
June 16-20, 2008, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. daily
This summer, the UA Museum of Art & Archive of Visual Art (UAMA & AVA) and The Poetry Center invite teens, ages 13-18, to spend mornings at UAMA & AVA exploring place and space through observation and creation of artwork and then travel to the Poetry Center for an afternoon exploring landscapes through language. Participants will sketch, paint, and print visual art, will draft original poems, will combine words and images to create prints, and will display and perform their work for family and friends. Enrollment is limited to 15 participants, so act quick!

More about the camp

Creative Writing Classes & Workshops
Summer '08 schedule announced
Throughout the calendar year the Poetry Center offers non-credit creative writing workshops as well as classes and seminars on poetics, poetry movements, and individual poets. Taught by visiting and local writers, including University of Arizona faculty, these courses strengthen our literary community and provide a rich opportunity for creative and intellectual exchange. This summer's class schedule boasts a wide range of topics that include formal experimentation, Surrealist writing, desert paradox, and plein-air writing on Mount Lemmon, plus an in-depth discussion on the poetic complexities of J.M. Coetzee's novel Foe.

More about CWCW Summer '08 offerings

Summer 08 Humanities Seminars
Serious pursuit of intellectual stimulation and enrichment
This Summer the Humanities Seminars Program presents American Pulp Fictions with Associate Professor of Astronomy Richard Poss and The Amazing Architecture of Ancient Rome with Regents Professor of Classics David Soren. American Pulp Fictions will explore cultural and political subtexts, gender relations, religious experience and transcendence alongside plot development, story-board design, color harmony, and visual symbolism. In The Amazing Architecture of Ancient Rome join University of Arizona 5 Star Teaching Award winner David Soren for a personal tour through the most innovative architectural accomplishments of ancient Rome, some of them discovered by Dr. Soren himself in his field work in Italy. These classes will take place in the Dorothy Rubel Room in the Helen S. Schaefer Building. For more information contact Kerstin Miller at (520) 626-7845.

More about the Seminars

Intern Spotlight: A Conversation with Randii Valdez
by Debby Jo Blank
Intern Randii Valdez helps to shore-up publicity, to coordinate events, and more. Randii is a poet, a musician and a visual artist, and she isn't afraid to add an extra vowel to her name. Learn about Randii, who keeps the Poetry Center moviing and shakiing.

Read the interview | Learn about internship opportunities

Art Installations at the Poetry Center
Students respond to the building and the books on the shelves
If you've come by the Helen S. Schaefer Building recently you've noticed the installation of numerous works of art inside and outside of the Poetry Center. These vibrant mixed media pieces were created by 17 University of Arizona students enrolled in the Combining Media class taught by Barbara Penn, the current Chair of the 2D Studio Division of Painting, Drawing and Printmaking of the School of Art. The collection ranges from paintings, collage, fiber, glass, sculpture, video and includes a web site.

Read the article

Visual Poetry
An Exhibition at the Conceptual Poetry Symposium
What would a Conceptual Poetry Symposium be without a nod to Vispo - the visual poetry movement that seems to be exponentially expanding its definition by constantly incorporating new, or if not new, at least more types of media, including digital, video, film, sculpture, typography, theater and book/e-zine arts? Some exciting work will be on display at the Poetry Center during the symposium including this piece, "Device for Making Words" by landscape poet Peter Ciccariello.

More about the exhibition

YouTube Challenge
Videographer Jonathan VanBallenberghe built this YouTube video for the Conceptual Poetry and Its Others Symposium. We are struck by the endless possibilities of the form, and so have decided to create a challenge for you, the audience, to create your own video. Your video should answer the question "What is conceptual poetry?" The only constraint is that somewhere in the video this text should be included: "Conceptual Poetry and Its Others. May 29-31, 2008. www.poetrycenter.arizona.edu." Upload a video to YouTube by May 21 and let us know about it. Top videos will be featured on the Conceptual Poetry webpage (and may be screened at the Symposium) and the winner will receive a $150 dollar cash prize (or a $200 dollar gift certificate), provided by Book Stop Used Books, Tucson's oldest bookseller.

See the video | More about the challenge