Versify—2002 National Poetry Slam team champion Blair will make an appearance at the Blue Dragon Coffeehouse (1517 Girard NE) during the Collage of Verse Poetry Slam on Friday, Nov. 25. He of the Single Name is the poetry editor of The Furnace Magazine and is also a poetry instructor in the Detroit public school system. Blair has performed his spectacular live verse all over the world, and we're very lucky doggies to have him here in Albuquerque for an evening. A host of local slammers will be poeticizing into the Blue Dragon mic as well. Show starts at 7 p.m. 268-5159.

Book Reviews

Pearls of the Antilles

Haiti and Cuba have competing claims to the title "Pearl of the Antilles," explains Emmanuelle Sainte, co-founder of a Pan-African artist collective of (roughly) the same name that opened its doors on the east end of Nob Hill eight months ago. Sainte, along with partner Ken Smith, thought the moniker Pearls of the Antilles would be perfect for their collective. The name not only exudes a certain poetic exoticism, but it's also a fine symbol for the complex history of African peoples, a history that's brought so many descendents of Africa to the New World.