photography by jamie harmon
The festival will feature a spoken word performance by Nubia Yasin, who will read from her collection of poetry The Blood and Body.
Literature Is Liberating Festival
Crosstown Concourse, 1350 Concourse
Saturday, February 4, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Well, there goes the first month of 2023, and already I’m tired, so why don’t you just fill in the blanks, Mad-Libs style, this week for “Five Things To Do” while I let my brain take a rest? It’s really not that hard; in fact, you could even say it’s [adjective], easier to complete than your [holiday] resolutions to [verb] more and [verb] less, not to mention your goal to finally read The [adjective] [noun] and [number] [noun (probably a plural noun, unless you’re a weirdo who chose the number “one” for the previous blank)] by [person]. It’s been on your shelf for far too long, hasn’t it? It’s a shame then that I’m about to get you inspired to read even more books with this [noun] of an event: Memphis’ inaugural Literature Is Liberating Festival.
The free festival seeks to uplift Black voices in literature with vendors, author discussions by Nubia Yasin and Michelle Duster, book signings, an African-American literary panel with professors, youth story hours with Ali Manning and librarians, crafts, Indie Memphis screenings, a pop-up performance by Hattiloo Theatre, and more. Find the full schedule here.
Photography courtesy Collage Dance Collective
Rise
Cannon Center For The Performing Arts, 255 N. Main
Saturday – Sunday, February 4 – 5
My three biggest flaws, selected from a total of [number (Don’t choose a number too high now.)] flaws, are my inability to [verb], my insistence that I can [verb] when I can’t, and my [noun] addiction. But what I can do and what I will do is recommend [noun plural (Don’t you dare say “things,” you cheat.)] to do in [place (If you say Memphis, you’re no fun at Mad-Libs.)] this weekend. And one of those things is, of course, to see Collage Dance’s Rise, Kevin Thomas’ hallmark ballet set to Dr. King’s final public speech.
Tickets are available online and start at $10. Performances are Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
photography courtesy urevbu contemporary
Exhibition Opening Party: “As It Is, As It Could Be”
Urevbu Contemporary, 410 S. Main
Saturday, February 4, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
If I could paint, I’d have a gallery of paintings of [noun plural], but alas, all I have to show of any semblance of artistic talent is a doodle of a [noun] that I did when I was supposed to be [verb-ing]. Don’t tell [person]. If you do, you’ll never get to see my [adjective (Be creative here, flex those vocabularic, encyclopedic, thesaurocious muscles.)] doodles, much less have the honor of displaying [adverb] them in your home. If, however, you’d like to take in the wonders of professional art, you’ll have to check out Urevbu’s latest exhibition which opened this week.
The exhibition, “As It Is, As It Could Be,” features work by Ethiopian artist Dereje Demissie, whose richly colorful paintings explore history, memory, and humanity’s place in the natural, physical, and cultural landscapes. The paintings will remain on display through February 28th.
All are invited to the exhibit’s opening party for early drinks and great company. RSVP here.
Photography by Marius Masalar on Unsplash
Honey Music Festival
Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center, 3800 Central Ave.
Sunday, February 5, 1 – 4 p.m.
They tell me, “Sing us a song, you’re the [noun] man.” They say they’re all in the mood for a(n) [noun], but that’s a lot of pressure for a(n) [self-deprecating adjective] soul like myself. And I just can’t — truly can’t — let down all these [noun plural (I’ll give you bonus points if we chose the same word. Mine was “geese.”)]. Instead, I’ll have to turn those ears towards the inaugural Honey Music Festival, celebrating the grand opening of the Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center at the University of Memphis.
The festival will feature an incredibly diverse lineup of performances, interactive concerts, special guest appearances, and educational musical activities. Guests can meet everyone’s favorite tiger, Pouncer; enjoy hot chocolate and cookies; and learn about different instruments in the Music Petting Zoo — all for free.
Comedian Poundcake: 10 Hilarious Commandments
The Halloran Centre, 225 S. Main
Saturday, February 4, 7 p.m.
Ever heard about what happened when [person] and [person] walked into a(n) [place]? Well, [punchline]. Ha! Get it? You don’t? Too bad, you’re the one who came up with the punchline, not me. If you want better jokes about [noun plural] or [noun plural], you’ll have to turn your attention to Comedian Poundcake, who is coming to Memphis for his annual birthday comedy show.
Demario “Comedian Poundcake” Hollowell grew up in the Raleigh neighborhood in Memphis, graduating from Raleigh-Egypt High School, and says he never imagined making a living from comedy. Now, though, he has proven himself otherwise and has even received a proclamation from the State of Tennessee and recognition from Memphis-Shelby County Schools for continued success in his professional endeavors and support of MSCS.
Tickets ($55-$75) can be purchased online.
