What's On PERFORMANCES / LECTURES / EVENTS Jan. 28-Feb. 10 Editor's Pick for This Issue What's On WXPN Readers' Best: Movies that melt our hearts Thursday, Feb. 11 READINGS MONIQUE GORDON: The Philadelphia native reads selections of her poetry. 4:30 p.m. at the Penn Bookstore, 3601 Walnut St. TALKS ED SHOCKLEY: The playwright and author gives a lecture and demonstration on African American theater aesthetics. 7 p.m. at the Kelly Writers House, 3805 Locust Walk. Info for all Writers House events: visit the Writers House Web site or call 573-WRIT. DANCE ARTS HOUSE DANCE COMPANY: 8 p.m. at the Harold Prince Theatre, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St. Tickets $5. Additional performances Feb. 12-13. Friday, Feb. 12 FILM Slammin' Poetry as contact sport? As practiced by champion poetry slammers, like Taylor Mali, it comes pretty darn close. Paul Devlin's feature film "SlamNation," being shown locally for the first time at International House Feb. 12-18, captures the cutthroat intensity of the championship poetry slam circuit as it follows contestants to the National Poetry Slam in Portland, Oregon. Put on your shoulder pads and see Friday, Feb. 12. "SLAMNATION": Sports documentarian Paul Devlin brings his Emmy-winning approach to coverage of a most unusual sport - the poetry slam. 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. at International House, 3701 Chestnut St. Tickets $6.50, students/seniors/International House members $5.50. Additional screenings Feb. 13, 14, 17 and 18. READINGS CAVE CANEM: Faculty and fellows of the workshop and retreat for African-American poets, including Afro-American Studies Program Director Herman Beavers, stage a benefit reading to fund scholarships for participants. 7 p.m. in the South American Room, International House, 3701 Chestnut St. Tickets $10. SPORTS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Penn vs. Brown. 7 p.m. at the Palestra, 33rd St. below Walnut. Tickets/info for all Palestra events: 898-6151. DANCE ARTS HOUSE DANCE COMPANY: See Thursday, Feb. 11. Saturday, Feb. 13 FILM "SLAM": Marc Levin's "drama verité" chronicles the making of a poet-prophet behind prison bars. 6:30 p.m. at International House, 3701 Chestnut St. Tickets $6.50, students/seniors/International House members $5.50. Additional screenings Feb. 14 and 18. "SLAMNATION": See Friday, Feb. 12. 8:30 p.m. at International House. SPORTS MEN'S SQUASH: Penn meets Harvard. 11 a.m. at Ringe Squash Courts, 33rd St. between Hutchinson Gym and Franklin Field. WOMEN'S SQUASH: Penn meets Harvard. 1:30 p.m. at Ringe Squash Courts. WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Against Yale. 7 p.m. at the Palestra. DANCE ARTS HOUSE DANCE COMPANY: See Thursday, Feb. 11. Sunday, Feb. 14 SPORTS MEN'S SQUASH: Penn vs. Dartmouth. 11 a.m. at Ringe Squash Courts. WOMEN'S SQUASH: Penn vs. Dartmouth. 1:30 p.m. at Ringe Squash Courts. FILM "SLAMNATION": See Friday, Feb. 12. 6:30 p.m. at International House. "SLAM": See Saturday, Feb. 13. 8:30 p.m. at International House. MUSIC DEBI SMITH: Celebrate Valentine's Day with one of the "Four Bitchin' Babes" at the Cherry Tree Music Co-op. 7:30 p.m. at the St. Mary's Church parish hall, 3916 Locust Walk. Tickets $11 in advance, $14 at the door. Info: 386-1640. GO FOR BAROQUE: Members of the Amherst College early music faculty present a concert of baroque and Renaissance music. 8 p.m. at the Cathedral Church of the Savior, 38th and Chestnut streets. Admission $8, PennCard holders free. Info: visit the Music Department Web site or call 898-6244. Monday, Feb. 15 TALKS "BRIDGE ACROSS BROKEN TIME": Professor Vera Schwarcz of Wesleyan University, a China scholar and daughter of Holocaust survivors, talks about the transmission of cultural memory in Chinese and Jewish culture. 4:30 p.m. in the History Lounge, Room 329A, 3401 Walnut St. Tuesday, Feb. 16 READINGS ANTI-VIOLENCE READING: In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Kelly Writers House hosts a reading of writings by King and others focusing on anti-violence and anti-imperialist ideas. 7 p.m. at the Kelly Writers House. Wednesday, Feb. 17 SPORTS GYMNASTICS: Penn, West Chester and Ursinus meet. 6 p.m. at Hutchinson Gym, 33rd St. next to the Palestra. FILM "SLAMNATION": See Friday, Feb. 12. 6:30 p.m. at International House. Presented in conjunction with the Kelly Writers House's "Speakeasy" open-mike performance series (below). READINGS OPEN-MIKE NIGHT: You've seen the movie (above), now experience it live at "Speakeasy: Poetry, Prose and Anything Goes." 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. at the Kelly Writers House, 3805 Locust Walk. Thursday, Feb. 18 * denotes "Go West! Go International! 3rd Thursday" events PERFORMANCE GERD STERN: The poet and multimedia artist presents "Take the No Out of Now." 5 p.m. at the Kelly Writers House; dinner follows. RSVP required for dinner: 573-WRIT. * SPECIAL EVENTS A NIGHT IN CHINA: Ring in the Chinese New Year with Chinese food, music and fun in the University of Pennsylvania Museum's Chinese Rotunda. 4:30 to 8 p.m. at the Museum, 33rd and Spruce streets. Admission $2.50, students/seniors $1.25, Museum members/PennCard holders/children under 6 free. Info: 898-4890. * TALKS FORUM KICKOFF: National Endowment for the Humanities Chairman William R. Ferris (Gr'69) delivers the keynote address at the launch of the Penn Humanities Forum. 4:30 p.m. in Room 200, College Hall, Locust Walk between 34th and 36th streets. THE ART OF GETTING OVER: Steve Powers, a.k.a. ESPO, presents his unique vision of public art. 6 p.m. at the Institute of Contemporary Art, 118 S. 36th St. Admission $3, students/seniors/artists $2, ICA members/PennCard holders/children under 12 free. Info: 898-7108. * FILM "SLAM": See Saturday, Feb. 13. 6:30 p.m. at International House. * KOREAN FILM SERIES: This week: "Black Republic" (1990), directed by Park Kwang-Su. In Korean with English subtitles. 7 p.m. in Room B-21, Stiteler Hall, 208 S. 37th St. "SLAMNATION": See Friday, Feb. 12. 8:30 p.m. at International House. * READINGS POETRY OPEN MIKE: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority hosts a reading open to all. 8 p.m. at the Kelly Writers House. * THEATER "TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA": Written by William Shakespeare, presented by the Theatre Arts Program. 8 p.m. in the Studio Theatre, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St. Tickets $5. Additional performances Feb. 19-20 and Feb. 25-27. Friday, Feb. 19 EXHIBITS BLOOMING ART: "Four Seasons of the Morris Arboretum" by watercolorist Delphine Poussot depicts the garden's trees and plants throughout the year. Opening reception: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Upper Gallery, Widener Center, Morris Arboretum, 100 Northwestern Ave., Chestnut Hill. Reservations: 247-5777, ext. 168. Exhibit runs through July 1. SPORTS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Penn takes on Harvard. 7 p.m. at the Palestra. FILM INDIAN CINEMA JUBILEE: The Neighborhood Film/ Video Project presents some of the best of nearly 50 years of Indian cinema. Tonight: "Flames of the Sun" (Ramesh Sippy, 1975). 7:30 p.m. at International House, 3701 Chestnut St. Tickets $6.50, students/seniors/International House members $5.50. Festival continues through March 4. MUSIC "THE TWAIN SHALL MEET": The Penn Glee Club's 137th production offers its trademark mix of music and mirth. 8 p.m. in Zellerbach Theatre, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St. Tickets $8, students $6. Tickets: 898-6533. Additional performance Feb. 20. PERFORMANCE BLOOMERS: Penn's all-female comedy troupe takes the stage at 8 p.m. at the Iron Gate Theatre, 3700 Chestnut St. Tickets $5. Additional performance Feb. 20. THEATER "TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA": See Thursday, Feb. 18. Saturday, Feb. 20 Hop to it It's time to welcome the Year of the Rabbit at the University of Pennsylvania Museum. The Museum's 18th annual Chinese New Year celebration includes cooking and vegetable-carving demonstrations, traditional Chinese dances performed by the Jade River Dancers, feng shui, t'ai chi and qi gong instruction, calligraphy and watercolor workshops, music performances, activities for children, and topping it all off, the annual Lion Dance (above) and Firecracker Parade, performed this year by Chinatown's Philadelphia Sons. See Saturday, Feb. 20. SPECIAL EVENTS CHINESE NEW YEAR: The University of Pennsylvania Museum welcomes the Year of the Rabbit with performances, games, workshops, and more. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Museum. Admission $5, students/seniors $2.50, Museum members/PennCard holders/ children under 6 free. SPORTS MEN'S SWIMMING: Penn takes on Harvard. Noon at Sheerr Pool, Gimbel Gym, 37th and Walnut streets. WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Penn vs. Dartmouth. 7 p.m. at the Palestra. FILM INDIAN CINEMA JUBILEE: See Friday, Feb. 19. Today: "Master, Mistress, Servant" (Guru Dutt, 1962) at 3:30 p.m. and "The Jewel of Shiva" (Kasinadhuri Vishwanath, 1979) at 7 p.m. TALKS PYRAMID NEWS: Zahi Hawass (G'83,Gr'87), Egyptian undersecretary of state for the Giza monuments, speaks on "Recent Discoveries around the Pyramids of Giza." 6 p.m. in Harrison Auditorium, University of Pennsylvania Museum. Tickets $15, Museum members/ PennCard holders $10. Tickets/ info: 898-4890. MUSIC "THE TWAIN SHALL MEET": See Friday, Feb. 19. PERFORMANCE BLOOMERS: See Friday, Feb. 19. THEATER "TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA": See Thursday, Feb. 18. Sunday, Feb. 21 SPORTS WRESTLING: Penn, Princeton and George Mason meet. 1 p.m. at the Palestra. FILM INDIAN CINEMA JUBILEE: See Friday, Feb. 19. Today: "Mind of Clay" (Mani Kaul, 1984) at 3 p.m., "The Cloud-Capped Star" (Ritwik Ghatak, 1960) at 5 p.m. and "The Dispossessed" (Govindan Aravindan, 1990) at 8 p.m. MUSIC BROADSIDE ELECTRIC: The Cherry Tree Music Co-op welcomes the juiced-up Anglo-Celtic folk band to Philadelphia. 7:30 p.m. at the St. Mary's Church parish hall, 3916 Locust Walk. Tickets $11 in advance, $14 at the door. Info: 386-1640. Monday, Feb. 22 TALKS THEY HAD THE LOOK: Yang Lu of Princeton University speaks on "Body Matters: Appearance, Virtue and Career in Medieval China." 4:30 p.m. in Room 109, Annenberg School for Communication, 3620 Walnut St. Info: visit the Center for East Asian Studies Web site or call 573-4203. Tuesday, Feb. 23 TALKS ALMODOVAR IN DETAIL: The "Talking Film" series takes a closer look at the Spanish filmmaker by focusing on scenes from his films. 7 p.m. at the Kelly Writers House. Wednesday, Feb. 24 FILM INDIAN CINEMA JUBILEE: See Friday, Feb. 19. Tonight: "Flames of the Sun" at 7 p.m. READINGS MWATUBU OKANTAH: The author of "Cheikh Anta Diop: Poem for the Living," the first epic poem published by an African American, reads from his work. 7 p.m. at the Kelly Writers House.

Front page for this issue | Pennsylvania Current home page