A&E

Award-winning poet shares experience of oppression

One afternoon, award-winning writer Toi Derricotte and her mother went through her mother's homage to her ancestors, a memoir that had been 15 years in the making. Her mother died three days later.

Artist puts purchases on display in gallery

As a graduate student, Kate Bingaman kept all her receipts. In fact, she even took photographs of items she purchased, all the way down to a pack of gum. But it wasn't because she's a stickler for balancing her checkbook; it's because she's an artist.

Boxcar Books marks 4th year with charity auction

With the beginning of the new semester, students typically spend several hundred dollars on textbooks. While many students might dread this task, not all members of society, like prisoners, have the opportunity to learn through literature.

IU performers explore new frontiers by performing pieces

The Indiana University Departments of Kinesiology and Theatre and Drama unite this Thursday and Friday at the Ruth N. Halls Theatre to present "New Frontiers/Contemporary Traditions," a performance in its fourth year of production. The performance is open to the public and will consist of various forms of art including music, dance and video sequences performed by student dance groups.

Remembers his dream

As the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. draws near, opportunities around Bloomington and the campus abound, especially with regards to the arts.

"Our Town" comes to B-Town

Premiering in New York back in 1938, "Our Town" by Thornton Wilder is still running today. The play, which also won a Pulitzer Prize in 1938 according to www.pulitzer.org, revolves around the lives of two families in a small New Hampshire town. The audience will see the blood, sweat and tears of the characters' lives pour out to them in a simplified -- yet funny and touching -- manner. "Our Town" is playing this Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. with a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. at Buskirk-Chumley Theater. The general admission price is $18, $15 for seniors (62 and older) and $13 for students with identification. There is also a special for the Saturday matinee where children under 16 pay only $8 with the supervision of an adult.

Madonna, Gwen Stefani and the spirit of Latin in 2006

Award-winning poet to share struggles in a 'white world'

Award-winning poet and author Toi Derricotte will share her experiences as a black woman living in a society where racism and sexism exist at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center Grand Hall. The Office of Vice President of Academic Support and Diversity, the department of English, and the MFA Creative Writing Program are all sponsoring the event, according to a press release.

Students can develop new painting skills with art group

The Bloomington Watercolor Society's savings are so small, treasurer Carol Rhodes has to add up the numbers in her check book to remember if there is $437 or $439 in the club's bank account (it turns out to be $439).

Howard Stern returns to airwaves with promise of strippers, moderate cursing

NEW YORK -- Howard Stern began his new satellite radio show Monday by putting to rest rumors that he got married to his longtime girlfriend, model Beth Ostrosky. "I am not married. It's a nice feeling that we get along great. We're very happy and I don't want to (blank) it up," said Stern, who is finally free of government decency laws on Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. Stern has promised everything from stripper poles to live sex on his new show.

IU Auditorium offers eclectic season

The IU Auditorium has something for everyone, from dog lovers to Scottish bagpipe fans this spring. Students can obtain tickets for all shows at discounted rates with a student ID at the box office inside the auditorium or online at www.iuauditorium.com.

'Phantom' outlasts 'Cats' as Broadway's longest-running

NEW YORK -- Broadway has a new long-run champion: "The Phantom of the Opera." Andrew Lloyd Webber's lushly romantic musical about a haunted, disfigured composer pining for a beautiful young soprano in the Paris Opera House, was set to surpass "Cats" Monday as the longest-running show in Broadway history.

Classic All-American muscle cars make thundering comeback at Detroit auto

DETROIT -- Automakers will be flexing some muscle at this year's North American International Auto Show, with a slew of performance cars that harken back to the V-8-charged glory days of the 1960s and early '70s.

Utah theater balks at 'Brokeback Mountain'

SALT LAKE CITY -- A movie theater owned by Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller abruptly changed its screening plans and decided not to show the film "Brokeback Mountain." The film, an R-rated Western gay romance story, was supposed to open Friday at the Megaplex at Jordan Commons in Sandy, a suburb of Salt Lake City. Instead it was pulled from the schedule.

Auditions this week for student performers

Student singers, dancers and instrumentalists can audition for performing groups on campus this week.

Non-graded art classes offered

For the student interested in exploring his or her artistic side, taking a beginning art class through IU for a grade can seem a little daunting. Fortunately, less than 10 minutes from the Sample Gates, the emerging or even the experienced artist may be able to find a friendly and casual venue for creative catharsis in Bloomington's John Waldron Arts Center. Classes in acting and dance begin in early January and are open to the public.

Jon Stewart slated to host 2006 Academy Awards

LOS ANGELES -- First music. Now movies. Jon Stewart, who worked the Grammys in 2001 and 2002, was tapped Thursday to host the 2006 Oscars.

Local artist brings craft of clay to kids

Karen Green Stone didn't always plan to be a potter. In fact, she had no history with clay until she substituted for an art teacher in 1975. Now she teaches "The Science of Art" at the John Waldron Arts Center, 122 S. Walnut St., and creates her functional pottery. "What it is is looking at the materials we use as artists and where they come from," Green Stone said about her class. "It's a way to introduce children to the natural world."

Museum showcases rare money

WASHINGTON -- As long as there's been money, there have been counterfeiters. An exhibit at the National Museum of American History reinforces that axiom. The oldest piece in the display is a 1690 two-shilling bill from Massachusetts. A counterfeiter good with a pen changed its value to 20 shillings.

Exhibits to test limits of art in communist Cuba

HAVANA -- Sensuality pervades the streets of Havana. A short stroll finds sultry young men scouting new sex partners outside a major movie house and Lycra-clad women tossing saucy suggestions to foreign tourists. The promise of sex is simply part of the landscape in tropical Cuba, carried along on languid sea breezes and the primal pounding of drums. But is communist Cuba ready for Robert Mapplethorpe?