Monday February 6, 2012: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

Session 2 of this UMS Night School series will feature discussions of the January performances of "Einstein on the Beach" and The Hamburg Symphony Orchestra. The 60-minute introduction portion of this event will center on two upcoming UMS Renegade events:

The Tallis Scholars, scheduled to perform on February 16 at St. Francis Of Assisi Church, have established themselves as the leading exponents of Renaissance sacred music throughout the world.

Random Dance, appearing February 18 at the Power Center, is famous for incorporating animation, digital film, 3-D architecture, electronic sound, and virtual dancers into the live choreography.

This series is hosted by Prof. Mark Clague, Associate Professor of Musicology and Director of Research at the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance.

Are you a fiction writer? Have you ever wondered about the writing techniques of a journalist? Well, now is your chance to get your questions about journalism answered! 826michigan’s “How to Write Like I Do” writing workshops presents: The Reported Imagination: Journalism Techniques for Fiction Writers. Heading up this workshop is none other than V.V. Ganeshananthan, Zell Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Michigan and author of the critically acclaimed 2008 novel, Love Marriage. Topics of discussion will include how fiction writers can use journalism techniques, such as interviewing and arduous editing, in their craft.

This fun event is for adults only, and takes place on Saturday, February 4th from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 826michigan. Participants will be treated to Zingerman’s coffee and pastries.

Cost for this event is $25 per participant. However, 826Michigan is running a Bring-a-Friend special that allows you to purchase two tickets for $40! All proceeds from the event go to support 826michigan’s free creative writing program for youth ages 6-18 in Washtenaw County. So, get out your pen and paper or computer, and come join V.V. Ganeshananthan in a discussion about incorporating journalism techniques in your fiction writing!

Date: February 4, 2012
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Place: 826michigan
115 East Liberty Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Cost: $25 for 1 person
$40 for 2 people (the Bring-a-Friend special)
Tickets: www.brownpapertickets.com

Friday, February 3, 2012: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

Join Ann Arbor Film Festival executive director, Donald Harrison, and other voices from the Festival's past, this Friday evening as we celebrate the Festival's 50th anniversary with the launch the Ann Arbor Film Festival Archive. On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the AAFF, Donald will present some behind-the-scenes stories from the longest-running independent and experimental film festival in North America. AADL staff will also offer a sneak peek into Ann Arbor Film Festival Archive, which launches that night. This website will provide access to historical Festival programs, flyers, posters, photographs, articles from the Ann Arbor News and Ann Arbor Sun, and other documents from the Festival's past. Light refreshments will be served.

Are you in the market for a preschool? Are you looking for a good place to start your search? Then you should come to the Preschool Expo on January 29th! What is the Preschool Expo? It’s an event that brings representatives from many area preschools to one location, on one date. That way, it’s easy to gather information on preschools and talk with the representatives in order to find a good fit for your child! This free event is co-sponsored by the Ann Arbor District Library, Washtenaw Success by Six, Child Care Network, and U-M Work/Life Resource Center. Come explore your options at the Preschool Expo!

Date: Sunday, January 29th
Time: 1:00 – 4:00p.m.
Place: Palmer Commons on the U-M Campus
100 Washtenaw Ave.
(Located at the intersection of Central and Medical Campuses)
Parking: Free parking available in the structure across the street from Palmer Commons

Have you heard about the Thurston Chess Tournament? It's happening on January 21 for students in Ann Arbor in grades K-8. Ray Garrison, is the tournament director, who also teaches classes for many players in the area. Space is limited to the first 120 players, so don't wait. For more information call 734-663-6326 or email jeffalson@sbcglobal.net

Visit the website: www.ThurstonChess.com for more information.
You can also meet up at the Traverwood branch for some practice games at a monthly event called 'Chesstastic,' which is coming up on January 15, Sunday, from 1-4pm.

Do you like old movies? Do you sing along with musicals in your living room? Well, if you have been bitten by the holiday spirit bug, and answered “yes” to the previous two questions, then the Michigan Theater has the event for you! On Sunday, November 27th, at 4:00 p.m., the Michigan Theater will have the event, “Irving Berlin’s Sing-a-Long White Christmas.” Yes, you can sing along with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen in the pernially popular 1954 musical, “White Christmas,” with music by Irving Berlin. Lyrics will be provided on the big screen, and good bags will be provided too! If you were wondering what to do after the turkey and Black Friday shopping madness, you have found your answer.

Cost is $15 for adults
$12 for children, students (with i.d.), seniors, and U.S. veterans
$10 for Michigan Theater Members

If you're a Beatles fan old enough to have owned the 'White' album and fondly recall playing it backwards listening to "Turn me on, dead man" -- as well as other clues that Paul McCartney was dead -- you have Fred LaBour to thank, and you can do so at The Ark on Monday, December 5. LaBour, bassist for the fun retro-cowboy band Riders in the Sky, was a U-M student back in October of 1969 when he wrote a satirical review of the Beatles' "Abbey Road" album for the Michigan Daily that began with the headline, "McCartney dead; new evidence brought to light." In his review, LaBour invented several clues that McCartney had died and was replaced by a double named William Campbell, thereby fueling an urban legend that quickly swept America. The Ann Arbor News covered the hoax a week later in October 1969, and Alan Glenn, chronicler of Ann Arbor in the 1960s, wrote about the story in 2009.

Riders in the Sky will appear at the Ark on Monday, December 5, in which LaBour (as his stage alter ego, "Too Slim") plays a mean double bass.

If you're looking for something fun to see this weekend Nov. 18-20, check out Into the Woods at Skyline High School. With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, this show is sure to be delightful. If you go, keep an eye out for Prince Charming -- who has a roving eye -- and the witch who raps. Sounds like great fun!

Every Wednesday this Fall, Ann Arbor's historical landmark, the Kempf House Museum, hosts a noon lecture series that delves into fascinating pieces of Michigan history.

The Wednesday lecture on October 19 is titled I'm Still Here, Acts Two and Three and features "Theatre Historian J. B. Harris, who continues his research for his planned book on the surviving opera houses of Michigan by telling us about the Tibbits Theater in Coldwater, and the Calumet theatre in Calumet."

The following Wednesday lecture is titled Lodi Township, Past, Present and Future and features "preservationists Margaret Canham and Wayne Clements, who have long had an interest in Lodi Township history, and will update us on efforts towards restoring the cemetery and the original Township Hall. The latter is reputedly the third oldest in Michigan."

Kempf House Museum is located at 312 S. Division Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104. Admission is $1.00 for members, and $2.00 for non-members.

Daniel Okrent -- who went to U-M and worked on the Michigan Daily -- will speak about "Death of the Book -- and Other Good News" 4-5:30 pm Thursday Oct. 6 at U-M Hatcher Graduate Library Gallery. Okrent is perhaps best known as the first public editor at The New York Times, but he first spent more than 25 years in magazine and book publishing. The digital revolution may turn out to be as beneficial to the world of words as the printing press, Okrent says. His books include Great Fortune: The Epic of Rockefeller Center, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in history.