Wednesday • 12
Arab American Women: Past, Present and Future
ISSUES & LEARNING
Since 1987, Alternatives For Girls (AFG), a nonprofit organization from southwest Detroit, has provided counseling, vocational guidance and support for high-risk girls and young women. This week, AFG teams up with the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) for an event that focuses specifically on young women from the Arab community. This event includes a panel discussion moderated by ACCESS chief financial officer Maha Freij and a tour of the Arab American National Museum. 5-7:30 p.m. Arab American National Museum, 13624 Michigan Ave., Dearborn; 313-361-4000, ext. 230.
Wednesday • 12
Steel Magnolias
THEATER
You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and, damn it ... you’ll start laughing again. Robert Harling’s much-loved play, Steel Magnolias (which also became a hit movie in 1989), comes to Meadow Brook Theatre this week. Set in a beauty parlor in a small Louisiana town, this fun tale uncovers the magic of friendship, the strength of sisterhood and the fragility of life. Runs Wednesdays through Sundays until Nov. 6 at the Meadow Brook Theatre on the campus of Oakland University, 220 Squirrel Rd., Rochester Hills; 248-377-3300.
Friday • 14
Sol, Luna y Tierra
ART
The Sol, Luna y Tierra exhibit at the Creative Arts Center in Pontiac will feature works by Chicano and Latino artists this month. In addition to the multimedia offerings, opening night will feature flamenco music, dance duo Alquimia Humana and a special Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) installation from artists Vito Valdez and Mary Laredo Herbeck. 7:30 p.m. 47 Williams St., Pontiac; 248-333-7849.
Friday • 14
SSM
MUSIC
Local rock ’n’ roll dudes John Syzmanski (aka Johnny Hentch), Dave Shettler (former Sights, current Shanks) and Marty Morris (The Cyril Lords) have come together in the grand tradition of last-name themed bands. Syzmanski, Shettler and Morris (also known as SSM), don’t pine like Emerson, Lake and Palmer, and they certainly don’t jam like Martin, Medeski and Woods — they just rock, Detroit-style. Celebrate the release of their new CD at the Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-833-9700. With Tyvek.
Friday-Saturday • 14-15
Boogie Woogie Festival
MUSIC
Enjoy two days of pulse-propelling fun at the Motor City Boogie Woogie & Blues Fest this weekend. Friday night welcomes boogie-woogie performances from Canadian keyboardists Michael Kaeshammer and Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne, and Saturday brings blues performances from Tito Jackson (yes, that Tito), the Phantom Blues Band, Kenny Neal and others. Doors open at 7 p.m. both nights. Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak; 248-399-2980.
Saturday • 15
The Seventh Show
ART
It’s lucky number seven for the 101up Gallery in the Cass Corridor this week. The latest exhibit, The Seventh Show, will feature artworks by past and present College for Creative Studies (CCS) faculty. As former CCS students, gallery co-owners Mark Sengbusch and Greg Frederick are excited about displaying the works of their former professors, as they were “inspired and pushed by their professors to expand their visions and promote the continuation of creative endeavors.” Reception begins at 6 p.m. 4470 Second Ave., Detroit; 313-415-6364. Closes Nov. 11.
Saturday • 15
The Free Store
COMMUNITY
Times are tough, and the generous folks at the Free Store in Detroit sympathize. The Free Store works much like any other store, except there’s no money exchanged. Its goal is “to help provide a way for these people to obtain what they need, and to remove the burden of excess for those who have more than they need. We also want to open up dialog between the various members of Detroit’s community and to create a place where all are accepted and valued.” It makes no profit, has no employees and won’t turn anyone away. Got stuff to spare? Take it down to Saturday’s Free Store. Need a little help? Go take a look. At the First Unitarian-Universalist Church, 4605 Cass Ave., Detroit. Call Cathleen at 734-326-5879 or visit geocities.com/freedetroit2005.
Saturday • 15
Teens of Comedy
COMEDY
Given the lasciviousness of the stand-up comedy scene, one might think that youngsters have no place in the biz. But with the recent emergence of adolescent jokesters like Lil J.J., it may be time to rethink. At 13, Lil J.J. beat out thousands of other comedians on BET’s Coming to the Stage comedy special, and has since appeared on The Tonight Show and Showtime at the Apollo. This week, Lil J.J. is joined by other teen funnyboys Brandon T. Jackson, Cary Fernandez, Isiah Kelly and Juan Garcia, for Teens of Comedy, a one-night offering of adolescent humor. 7 p.m. Music Hall, 350 Madison Ave, Detroit; 313-963-7622.
Ongoing
Soapboxers and Saboteurs: 100 Years of Wobbly Solidarity
ISSUES & LEARNING
Though it peaked in the 1920s, the International Workers of the World, aka the Wobblies, still have followers, fans, buffs and fellow travelers. For the centennial of the IWW’s founding, the University of Michigan’s Labadie Collection of Social Protest is displaying original letters, posters, photographs and other memorabilia in Soapboxers and Saboteurs: 100 Years of Wobbly Solidarity. Ann Feeney, who continues the IWW protest-through-song tradition, performs (she’ll no doubt include her class-struggle classic “War on the Workers”), and Joyce Kornbluh, author of Rebel Voices: An IWW Anthology, will speak at a special reception and viewing. 7 p.m. in the Special Collections Library Reading Room, seventh floor of the Hatcher Graduate Library on U-M’s central campus. 734-764-9377. Exhibit closes Nov. 26.
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