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Today’s Email Announcements

HBF Visiting Writer Series Begins March 3 at App State

Four programs are scheduled for the spring Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series at Appalachian State University beginning with poet Ed Madden March 3. Other writers are poet and Charlotte Observer book review writer and editor Dannye Romine Powell on March 31, travel and adventure writers Peter Fish and Leigh Ann Henion on April 7, and poet, memoirist and social justice activist Luis Rodriguez on April 28. Book sales and signing will follow each event

All readings will be presented free of charge at 7:30 p.m. in Plemmons Student Union. Craft talks by the authors will precede each reading. Free parking is available after 5:30 p.m. in the College Street parking deck.

Ed Madden

Madden is an associate professor of English and interim director of women’s and gender studies at the University of South Carolina. His poetry collections include “Nest,” “Prodigal: Variations,” “Signals,” “My Father’s House” and “Ark.” His poems have appeared in many journals and anthologies, including Best New Poets 2007, The Book of Irish American Poetry from the Eighteenth Century to the Present (Notre Dame) and The Southern Poetry Anthology: South Carolina (Texas Review Press).  

Madden will give a craft talk “Public Voice, Public Work” March 3 at 2 p.m. in the student union’s Table Rock Room. His reading also will be in the Table Rock Room.

Dannye Romine Powell

Powell has published three collections of poetry (University of Arkansas Press), two of which have won the Brockman-Campbell Award for the best book of poetry published by a North Carolinian, and the non-fiction book “Parting the Curtains: Interviews with Southern Writers.”  She has won fellowships in poetry from the National Endowment for the Arts and the North Carolina Arts Council.

Powell will present the craft talk “The Art and Craftiness of the Literary Interview” March 31 at 3:30 p.m. in Plemmons Student Union’s Table Rock Room. Her reading will follow at 7:30 p.m., also in Table Rock Room. Her visit to campus is part of the annual Juanita Tobin Memorial Reading. Tobin, who lived in Blowing Rock, was a member of the High Country Writers Club and a mentor to area writers.

Peter Fish and Leigh Ann Henion

Fish is a former travel writer and editor for Sunset Magazine. In 2014, he won a Lowell Thomas Award for environmental journalism. He co-authored the 2007 publication “California Wine Country: A Sunset Field Guide.” Henion is the New York Times best-selling author of “Phenomenal: A Hesitant Adventurer’s Search for Wonder in the Natural World.” Her essays and articles have appeared in Smithsonian, Orion and The Washington Post Magazine, among other publications. She also has a Lowell Thomas Award.

Fish and Henion will present the craft talk “Travel Writing” April 7 at 2 p.m. in Plemmons Student Union’s Table Rock Room. They will read from their work beginning at 7:30 p.m. in Table Rock Room.

Luis Rodriguez

Rodriguez’s poetry collections include “The Concrete River,” “Poems Across the Pavement,” and “Trochemoche.” His best-selling memoir is titled “Always Running, La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A.” His latest book is the sequel “It Calls You Back: An Odyssey Through Love, Addiction, Revolutions, and Healing.”

Rodriguez will present a talk for area middle school youth April 28 beginning at 3:30 p.m. in Blue Ridge Ballroom. The public also is invited to attend. His reading will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the student union’s Blue Ridge Ballroom. His campus visit is also co-sponsored by Appalachian’s Diversity Series, which is a part of the Office of Multicultural Student Development, the GEAR UP office on campus and the Western Youth Network.

About the Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series

The visiting writers series is named in honor of Hughlene Bostian Frank (class of 1968). Frank is a member of the Appalachian State University Foundation Board, a 2013 Appalachian Alumni Association Outstanding Service award recipient, past member of Appalachian’s Board of Trustees and generous supporter of the university.

The 2015-16 Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series is supported by the Appalachian State University Foundation, Appalachian’s Office of Academic Affairs, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of English, the Office of Multicultural Student Development, the university’s Common Reading Program, the University Bookstore, Belk Library and Information Commons and the Appalachian Journal.

Business sponsors are The Gideon Ridge Inn, the New Public House & Hotel and The Red Onion Restaurant. Community sponsors include John and the late Margie Idol, Paul and Judy Tobin, Alice Naylor and Thomas McLaughlin.

Parking is free on campus after 5 p.m. The Library Parking Deck on College Street, which opens to the general public after 5:30 p.m., is recommended. To reach Plemmons Student Union, cross College Street and follow the walkway between the chiller plant and the University Bookstore, passing the University Post Office and entering Plemmons Student Union on the second floor.

For further parking information or a map, see http://parking.appstate.edu or call the Parking and Traffic Office 828- 262-2878.

For further information on the spring season, call 828-262-2871 or seewww.visitingwriters.appstate.edu. To receive Appalachian’s “This Week in the Arts” announcements by email, contact arts-events@appstate.edu.

App Symphony Orchestra to Reprise Feb. 14 Show on Feb. 26

The Appalachian Symphony Orchestra will reprise its Feb. 14 concert with a repeat performance Feb. 26 as part of the part of the Western Regional Honors Orchestra clinic hosted at Appalachian State University.

The 8 p.m. concert will be presented in the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts. Admission is free.

The concert will feature works by Edward Elgar, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Verdi and Giordano. Performing with the orchestra will be the winners of the Hayes School of Music’s annual concerto/aria competition.

Watauga Soil and Water to Meet Feb. 24 in Boone

The Watauga Soil and Water Conservation District Board will hold its regular Board meeting Wednesday February 24, 2016 at 8:00 am at the Soil & Water Office located at 971 West King Street, Boone NC 28607.The public is invited to attend.”

ASU Kicks Off “Theatre in Our Schools” Month in March

The Appalachian State University Department of Theatre and Dance is hosting a day of theatre workshops to celebrate the start of Theatre in Our Schools (TIOS) month in March. On Saturday, Feb. 27, from 12:30 to 9:30 p.m., high school students and teachers from across the region will gather in Chapell Wilson Hall for theatre workshop sessions that target a variety of interests and ability levels, taught by professionals with graduate level training in theatre.

The daylong celebration of the art form concludes in Valborg Theatre with an evening performance of Bruce Norris’ “Clybourne Park,” recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in Drama, Tony Award for Best Play, and England’s Olivier Award for Outstanding Play.

The all-inclusive cost is $10 per participant. For more information and to register, visit the Department of Theatre and Dance website at www.theatreanddance.appstate.edu. Teachers who have questions or want to bring groups of students should contact Gordon Hensley at 828-262-7521 or hensleyg@appstate.edu.

Theatre in Our Schools (TIOS) is a month-long national event reaching thousands of students, educators, actors, musicians, administrators and arts supporters to increase public awareness of the broad social impacts of youth theatre. TIOS month features performances, classroom activities, student playwriting and video contests, and regional conferences designed to spread the word about the powerful effects theatre has on youth development. The American Alliance for Theatre and Education and The Educational Theatre Association jointly promote TIOS.

The coordinator for Appalachian’s TIOS celebration is Professor Gordon Hensley, theatre education academic program director.  Hensley said, “This is our fourth year providing this program for high school students who are interested in theatre. I’m particularly excited about this year’s expanded program, which includes an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at our production process, four interactive workshops led by theatre professionals, and a performance of ‘Clybourne Park.’”

A B.S. graduate of Appalachian with an MFA in theatre education from Arizona State University, Hensley said, “Our TIOS day is like no other program I’ve seen before. It has the feel of a one-day theatre festival; high school students and their teachers love it.”

According to a January 2016 article in American Theatre, it is likely that an estimated 50 million people attend one of more than 37,000 school theatre performances annually. TIOS is an opportunity to inform them and millions more that the pleasure they get from seeing a show on stage is just one of many benefits that school theatre brings to all involved.

Broadway star Kelli O’Hara is national spokesperson for the TIOS campaign. Winner of a 2015 Tony Award for her work in “The King and I,” O’Hara will be actively promoting TIOS. She said, “Education is the most essential tool we can use in order to lead a full and passionate life. Fortunately, I was given a great arts education where my dream was supported and shaped by a drama teacher who taught me what it meant to love art, to embrace differences, to break down walls of insecurity, and to grow as an actress and as a person.”

Kevin Warner, chair of Appalachian’s Department of Theatre and Dance, said, “The theatre education and outreach components of our department serve an important role in providing teachers and students in the region with additional skills with which to both teach and experience the art of theatre.” A lifelong educator and the former program director for North Carolina’s A+ Schools Program, Warner said he believes that, “Theatre education reminds all of us of the power of the arts to transform individual lives and whole communities through the development of critical thinking and self-expression, and the thoughtful exploration of a multitude of issues through the merging of movement, literature, voice and design.”

One teacher attending Appalachian’s event is Allison Shaw, theatre arts instructor at Highland School of Technology in Gaston County, who said, “My first time attending TIOS at App State, I brought two students with me – one who had been doing theatre since she was born and another who had only taken a theatre arts class. They both had an exceptional time and it was a great experience for both of them to take classes led by college-level instructors.” Already registered for the upcoming event, Shaw said, “I cannot wait to bring more students to TIOS this year, and hope that this event inspires them and nurtures their passion for the incredible art of theatre.”

Hensley stresses that you do not have to be a “theatre person” to attend. Teachers may arrange for professional development or continuing education credits with prior approval from their local educational agencies. The event is nearing capacity, so participants are advised to register soon.

Underwriting for the event is provided by the Department of Theatre and Dance, along with support from the College of Fine and Applied Arts.

About Chappell Wilson Hall and Valborg Theatre

Chapell Wilson Hall and Valborg Theatre are located on campus on Howard Street in Boone.  The theatre entrance faces the back of the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts on King Street.  Parking for this event is available free of charge on the weekend in faculty/staff lots and in the College Street parking deck near Belk Library and Information Commons.

About the Department of Theatre and Dance

The Department of Theatre and Dance is housed in the College of Fine and Applied Arts. Its mission is to provide liberal arts educational opportunities including B.A. degrees in dance studies and theatre arts. The department also values the opportunity to offer coursework for integrated learning through the arts to the general university student population. Vital to the support of this mission is a dynamic co-curricular production program that provides exemplary theatre and dance experiences to departmental students, the university community and the region. The departmental philosophy is to support the university’s liberal arts environment through a balanced and integrated emphasis on teaching, creative activity, scholarship and service.

Weekly Events at Lost Province Brewing Co.

Monday February 15

Family Night-Buy any regularly priced pizza and receive one free kid’s meal.

Wednesday February 17

½ Off Beer and Wine Specials.

7pm-9pm Trivia Night: Beginning at 7pm, Lost Province will be hosting Trivia Night with John Fortenberry. Compete on your own or on a team! The competition gets started at 7pm so come a little early for a pizza and a pint and get your seat!

Thursday February 18

$3.00 Thursday-$3.00 pints on all Lost Province brewed beers (except high gravity).

College Night: Thursday nights are now College Night. We will be featuring local talent from area college students. Don’t miss out on great food and drink specials as well as up and coming talent.

7:00pm-10:00pm Live Music: Carly Witt. Sponsored by Split Rail Records, Carly Witt is a 19 year old singer/songwriter from Crozet, Virginia. Currently studying in the mountains of Boone, North Carolina at Appalachian State, she writes songs about her experiences, thoughts, and pretty much any idea that just comes to mind.

Friday February 19

Tapped at 5pm, we feature something fun and new every Friday. Get it while it lasts; there is only a limited amount!

7:30pm-Closing Live Music: The Djangovers. The Djangovers, formerly The Hot Club of Lenoir (HCOL), features some of the best musicians the area has to offer. Steeped in the Americana tradition mixed with Manouche Swing flavors and modern styles, the HCOL is a family friendly musical group of amazing talent.

Saturday February 20

7:30pm-Closing Live Music: Klee and Mike. The Klee & Mike Show is an acoustic duo featuring Klee Liles on guitar and vocals and Michael Robertson on percussion and vocals. Having played together for over 20 years, Klee and Michael have a built a huge repertoire of pop/rock songs ranging from well-known to obscure, from both artists you know and love and performers you may not know quite as well.

Sunday February 21

Lost Province Sunday: Residents of “The Lost Province” (Watauga, Ashe, Avery and Alleghany) receive 10% off food with verification of residency.