Spring and ARt in in the Air!

Finally we're in to more normal spring temperatures. Although those who come here from the northern climes revel in the high 90s, it's a little scary for those of us who will still be here in June. This weekend is the University of Tucson Festival of Books and the organizers have drawn some pretty big names. If you're a writer or a reader, you should find something or someone in the lineup to suit you. My pick would be Billy Collins, former US Poet Laureate and if you're one of those people who just doesn't "get" poetry, consider this Collins poem, Introduction to Poetry

I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,

or walk inside the poem's room
and feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author's name on the shore.

But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.

There's too much going on there to list here but you can find it all here.

Tucson artists will be opening their studios this weekend. These are all over the greater Tucson area (a few in my neck of the woods) so your best bet would be to download the map, choose an area and hit the road or look through the listing and visit those that catch your eye. Either way you can't go wrong. Tucson Open Studio

Oro Valley on the far NW side of Tucson will be hosting the Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Festival with music, food and art at the PCC Northwest Campus.

Attendees will be treated to live music and performing arts entertainment including jazz guitarist Dan Griffin, the Amelia Dahl Jazz Quartet, the Tucson Chinese Council performing the Lion Dance, American standards with Joe Bourne, bluegrass and fiddle with Peter 'Doc' Rolland, Latin and Irish music from the Street Minstrels, folk music with Amber Norgaard, flamenco guitar with Jon Banuelos and blues and boogie woogie with internationally acclaimed Mr. Boogie Woogie

Singing Winds Bookstore is having a quilt class on Sunday. Now, the quilt class is probably full or you may not be into quilts but tuck away the name Singing Winds Bookstore and visit there sometime. If you appreciate unique, this is a place for you.

Patagonia is also having an art walk this weekend. The thing about an art walk in Patagonia is, you could actually walk to most of the galleries. And if you've never visited Patagonia, this would be a good excuse and a beautiful drive.

Patagonia is one of my most favorite places in SEAZ, another is Arivaca-and this is the weekend for the Arivaca Chili Cook-Off. It's Saturday and the info is here. Again it's a good excuse for a beautiful drive-if you need that.

Whatever you do, have a great weekend.