University of Missouri-St. Louis, Division of Continuing Education

Masterful Storyteller: Richard Burgin

Richard Burgin reads from his latest book Shadow Traffic, named by The Huffington Post as one of the most anticipated books of fall 2011. In Shadow Traffic the five-time Pushcart Prize winner gives us his most incisive, witty and daring collection yet, as he explores the mysteries of love and identity, ambition and crime, and our ceaseless, if ambivalent, quest for truth. Publishers Weekly writes, “Burgin deftly exposes his characters' most sacredly held fears with a tenderness that makes the reader exalt in their small triumphs.” Burgin is founder and editor of the literary journal Boulevard and professor of Communication and English at St. Louis University.

The Might Have Been: A Reading

Joseph M. Schuster reads from and discusses his novel, The Might Have Been (Ballantine Books, March 2012). Chair of the Department of Communications and Journalism at Webster University, Schuster has published short fiction in the Iowa Review, Kenyon Review, and Missouri Review, among other literary journals.

A Collage of Pecha Kucha: Working Globally to Eliminate Extreme Poverty

Daniel B. Oerther, the Mathes Chair of Environmental Engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology, shares vignettes of his global work in eliminating extreme poverty, ensuring universal access to water and sanitation, and combating the obesity epidemic. Bring your cell phones for audience participation through SMS texting.

Bjorn Ranheim, Saint Louis Symphony Cellist: A Life of Musical Adventures

Bjorn Ranheim not only plays his cello in the Saint Louis Symphony but travels far and wide performing as chamber musician, soloist, and principal cellist of music festivals in the western United States. An avid proponent of new music, Bjorn has premiered many works by living composers, a process he finds fascinating. He will describe his upbringing in a musical family in Minnesota, the path that led him to St. Louis, and a career that keeps him busy both in and outside of the orchestra. He will also perform sections from the Bach 3rd Suite for Unaccompanied Cello, which he recently recorded on the AAM Recordings label.

The Irish Song Tradition

Julie Henigan, an expert on traditional Irish music and culture, performs a selection of items from the Irish song tradition, some unaccompanied and others accompanied on guitar and fiddle. A prize-winning singer and a fluent Irish speaker, she performs in English and Irish-Gaelic, illustrating a variety of traditional genres – from songs of love, emigration and parting to the flowery effusions of the "hedge schoolmaster" poets. Henigan will describe the rich historical and social contexts from which the songs sprang and the communities where they’re sung to this day. She’ll encourage the audience to join in on a chorus or two – be prepared to learn a word or two of Gaelic!

Poetry and the Body
 
Members of the Faculty of Languages and Cultures, in the UMSL Department of Anthropology, Sociology & Languages, share international perspectives on the poetics of “bodies” in Chinese, French, German, Greek, Japanese, Latin, and Spanish, along with translations in English. This annual event is in recognition of National Foreign Language Week.

Glimpses: Art and Poetry

Vivian Gutierrez, visual artist and writer, describes the art and poetic verses in her new book, Glimpses. Presenting a series of poems that take you through her spiritual quest, Gutierrez reflects her perspective on women’s inner strengths. She was born in Nicaragua, and has lived and worked in Costa Rica and Mexico. Gutierrez currently resides with her family in the United States.

Modern American Dance Company (MADCO) 35th Anniversary Season Preview

MADCO is proud to be the Professional Dance Company in Residence at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. Explore the Touhill and visit the company behind the scenes in the Whitaker Rehearsal Hall where MADCO develops new work and practices daily.  Engage in conversation with Artistic Director Stacy West and experience the excitement of seeing dancers perform in a close-up, informal setting. You won't want to miss this sneak peek of the company’s 35th Anniversary Concert to be held at the Touhill’s Lee Theater March 29–31, 2012.

Location: Whitaker Rehearsal Hall, Touhill (park in Lot K on West Drive). 

No program. Spring Break.

Poems and Parables

Jeff Friedman, whom Bob Holman has called “the funniest poet in PoBiz,” kicks off our recognition of National Poetry Month by reading poems from his most recent collection, Working in Flour, and selections from his new manuscript of parables, fables, tales and comic sketches. Gerald Stern writes, “Jeff Friedman is a great liar and an even greater comedian … He can’t fool me though, he’s a true poet.”

The Library of Dreams

Howard Schwartz continues our celebration of National Poetry Month by reading from his book Breathing in the Dark, published earlier this year, and from his newest poems, many of which were inspired by dreams. He is the author of three more books of poems, Vessels, Gathering the Sparks, and Sleepwalking Beneath the Stars. Schwartz’s book Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism won the National Jewish Book Award in 2005. 

A Brief Survey of Chair Design from the St. Louis Art Museum Decorative Arts Collection

Terry Suhre provides an illustrated analysis of chair design as represented in the St. Louis Art Museum Decorative Arts Collection. Suhre is director of Gallery 210 and research professor of art at UMSL.

"Over the last 150 years the evolution of the chair has paralleled developments in architecture and technology and reflected the changing needs and concerns of society to such an extent that it can be seen to encapsulate the history of design" (1000 Chairs; Taschen 25).

Location: Gallery 210, Telecommunity Center (west of the North Campus MetroLink stop – park in MSC Garage North).

Dance, Race, and Class: Gitana Productions Preview

Cecilia Nadal, founder and executive director of Gitana Productions, and cast members of “Muddy River” discuss how we can explore race and class relations through dance, and they give us an inside view of their May dance production. 

The Harlem Renaissance: 1890-1940

Bobby Norfolk, internationally known story performer and teaching artist, celebrates the artistic achievements of the African American community that exploded out of the Harlem sector of Manhattan in the early 1900s. Recreating literature, music and poetry by such legends as Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes, and Zora Neal Hurston, Norfolk brings to life the excitement of the cultural awakening that was the Harlem Renaissance. We also preview the 2012 St. Louis Storytelling Festival, which runs May 2–5, 2012.