Rock, Roll and Write—The idea behind the First Fiction Tour is to bring a little rock and roll glam to a staged literary event. Think of it as Lollapalooza for the writerly crowd. The 2005 version of the tour comes to the St. Clair Winery & Bistro (901 Rio Grande NW) this Wednesday, Oct. 26, at 8 p.m. It features three first-time authors, all of whom have a flair for live performance. Lisa Selin Davis is the author of Belly, a novel about an ex-con druggie gambler named William “Belly” O'Leary. Karen Olsson is the author of Waterloo, which tells the tale of a thirtysomething guy who's trying to make sense of a screwed up love life in Austin, Texas. Finally, Victoria Vinton is the author of The Jungle Law, a fictionalized account of Rudyard Kipling's life after he moved to Vermont in 1892. Numerous food and drink specials will be available, so come on down, stuff yourself, get a good buzz going and give a listen to the future of American literature. For more information, call 344-8139.
Culture Shock
PEN Pals—The New Mexico chapter of PEN dishes out its 2005 literary awards this Saturday, Oct. 22, with a ceremony in the La Fonda Hotel's La Terraza Room in Santa Fe. For 25 bucks you can schmooze and booze with the hottest literary acts in the state, and they've even thrown in some hor d’oeuvres to sweeten the deal. The shortlist for poetry is made up of Kay Barnes (Mortal Means), Lise Goett (Waiting for the Paraclete) and Frederick Turner (Paradise). For nonfiction, it's Malka Drucker (White Fire), Carroll Pickett (Within These Walls) and Diane Thiel (The White Horse). For fiction, it's Rudolfo Anaya (Serafina's Stories), Rod Davis (Corina's Way) and Lisa Lenard-Cook (Dissonance). The awards ceremony will include a talk by Donald Lamm, former chairman of W.W. Norton and Company. Tickets will be available at the door. For details, call (505) 982-4168.
Culture Shock
Trio—The Masley Art Gallery on the UNM campus will host an exhibit of work by three UNM graduate art students—Ann Bromberg, Justin Lehman and Rick Ybarbo. The show opens this Friday, Oct. 21, with a reception from 2 to 4 p.m. The show will remain on display through Nov. 18. 277-4112.
