The arts for free (as they always should be)

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

By Ben Cannon

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-As we move beyond the ides of April, also known as National Poetry Month, it’s time to start thinking about queuing up for tickets to hear Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver, who will visit the valley in May.

With a published career spanning more than 40 years, Oliver, a charitable and avid observer of the natural world, has been compared to Whitman and Thoreau. She has sold out large venues in major cities across the United States. Seeing her on May 8 at Walk Festival Hall in Teton Village will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many in the valley.

Beginning at 10 a.m. on April 23 at the Teton County Public Library, library staff will give free tickets for the Oliver reading to library card holders or area residents with a valid identification card.

Oliver’s upcoming visit is part of the Teton County Library Foundation’s ‘Page to the Podium’ series, which has brought literary heavyweights like best-selling author Michael Chabon, also a Pulitzer Prize winner, and former National Poet Laureate Billy Collins. Tickets to the Oliver event are expected to go quickly. Cardholders may have someone pick up a ticket in their proxy, as long as a Teton County Library card is shown. Limit one ticket per cardholder. Call 733-2164 for more information.

Also next week, Dancers’ Workshop is offering free adult classes. As part of the free demo week, workshop teachers will offer instruction at no charge in ballet, flamenco, tap, hip-hop, yoga, Pilates, Tae Kwon Do and more. Next week’s East Coast Swing workshop, a regular class that meets Wednesday from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., is also free. Call 733-6398 for more information.

In other news, this week marks the Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum??s Annual Spring Potluck Dinner. The public is invited to attend a dinner featuring a talk by Craig Strubel, director of the Western Center for Historic Preservation, at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Senior Center of Jackson Hole. The Western Center, based out of the historic White Grass Ranch in Grand Teton National Park, is devoted to preserving pioneer and other historical structures in the Tetons and beyond.

The group touts itself as “one of the friendliest in town” and asks only that participants bring a dish, table service and a curiosity about Jackson Hole history. Newcomers are encouraged to attend. Call Karen Reinhart at 733-9605 for more information.
PERMALINK:
The arts for free (as they always should be) | Planet JH News Article: General Music Arts and Culture

Leave a Comment