"Hornswoggled," a piece by Shaun Roberts, is among the work on display at the Henry Art Gallery in its Master of Fine Arts and Master of Design exhibit, running though June 17. To its left is "Troubadour," also by Roberts.

Peter Kelley

Every spring, students graduating with masters degrees in art and design exhibit work in an eclectic, fun, even challenging show at the Henry Art Gallery. And each year the artists owe thanks to Jim Rittimann, Henry head preparator and exhibition designer, who selects the pieces and makes sure they're installed to their best advantage.

The 2012 Master of Fine Arts and Master of Design Thesis Exhibition runs from May 26 through June 17 with a public opening 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, May 25.

Music abounds on campus, too as spring quarter winds down. There's jazz, guitar, the Chamber Singers, University Choirs, plus percussionists riff on Led Zeppelin and the Steel Drum Band takes on "Yesterday" — hmm, well played, School of Music.

Wind Ensemble, symphonic, concert, and campus bands, 7:30 p.m., May 24. The combined bands present works including "Morning Star" by David Maslanka, "Concerto for Cello and Wind Instruments" by Jacques Ibert, "Danzon" by Leonard Bernstein, "Colonial Song" by Percy Grainger, and "Outdoor Overture" by Aaron Copland. Meany Hall. Tickets are $10-$15. 206-543-4880.

"The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," May 24 to June 3. The Undergraduate Theater Society presents this popular musical comedy about six young people struggling to find their place in the world despite overbearing parents. In the Hutchinson Hall Cabaret Theater. Tickets are $5-$10.

2012 Master of Fine Arts / Master of Design Thesis Exhibition, May 26 – June 17. From the School of Art. Students presenting work are Caitlin Berndt, Byung Cho, Lyndsey Colburn, Tamblyn Gawley, Hilary Gray, Hannah O'Gorman, Amy Keeling, Sergei Larionov, Snehai Mantri, Adam Matthew, Dan Ostrowski, Shaun Roberts, Andrew Salituri, Steve Sewell, Anthony Sonnenberg and Rodrigo Valenzuela. Public opening 7-9 p.m. May 25, RSVP online.

Guitar Ensemble, 7:30 p.m. May 26. Students of Michael Partington present a diverse program of music in Brechemin Auditorium from North and South America, Armenia, Bulgaria, Cuba, England, Japan, Java and Serbia for two, three and four guitars, plus solo guitar with percussion, flute and voice. Tickets are $5. 206-685-8384.

School of Art exhibits by graduating students:
Painting and drawing MFAs, May 28 to June 2. Work by Tamblyn Gawley and Shaun Roberts, Sandpoint Gallery. Reception 6-8 p.m., May 28.
Art by Adam Matthew, May 29 to June 2. Master of fine arts student from the 3D4M (3-Dimensional Forum) program, in the Ceramic and Metal Arts Building. Reception is 6-8 p.m., May 29.
Interdisciplinary Visual Arts, May 30. Student work and presentations, 3-5 p.m., Room 204 of the Art Building.

Percussion Ensemble: "World Percussion Bash," 7:30 p.m., May 29. The Percussion Ensemble shares the stage with the Steel Drum Ensemble and the Husky Drum Line. Program highlights will include "Bonham for Seven Percussionists and Drum Set Soloist," based on classic beat patterns used by drummer John Bonham on Led Zeppelin recordings, featuring drummer Thomas Campbell. Also, the Steel Drum Band plays the Lennon and McCartney's "Yesterday" (worth the price of admission alone, in this Art Roundup's view) and the drum line will play cadences used in its work with the Husky Marching Band. In Meany Studio Theater. Tickets are $10-$15. 206-543-4880.

The Percussion Ensemble will perform May 29 in Meany Studio Theater.

Joanne de Pue

Chamber Singers, "The Artist’s Voice," 7:30 p.m., May 29. The group, under the direction of Geoffrey Boers, presents a concert exploring the wide range of sounds made by the human voice. Program selections include "In Lumine" by UW composer Huck Hodge and "Pericolose-un giorno-bellezze," by UW composer Richard Karpen, featuring soprano Maria Mannisto. Tickets are $10-$15. 206-543-4880.

Studio Jazz Ensemble and Modern Band, 7:30 p.m., May 30. These two School of Music groups present their year-end concert in the Meany Studio Theater. It's an evening of big band jazz and original modern jazz compositions. Tickets are $10-$15. 206-543-4880.

University Choirs: "UW Sings," 7:30 p.m., May 31. The University Singers, Women's Choir, and Men’s Glee Club present their popular year-end concert in Meany Hall. Program highlights include the Women's Choir performing "Every Time I Feel the Spirit," with UW instrumentalists; the University Singers performing "Come Travel With Me" and the Men's Glee Club singing "Ol' Man River," by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II. Tickets are $10-$15. 206-543-4880.

Mark Lanegan

A walk past Ninth and James unleashes memories and visions for composer/singer Mark Lanegan in “Harborview Hospital.”  His song is on the recently released album, Blues Funeral.

Lanegan lived for a time on Seattle’s First Hill, site of the University of Washington-operated hospital.  It’s hard to say how much of his mystical lyrics arose from his own experiences or the universality of any troubled soul seeking mercy, acceptance and solace.

Lanegan’s deep-in-the-chest baritone is a rough patch of road. It’s the voice of a tough guy fallen on hard times. The song's persona judges himself harshly:  “All around this place, I was a sad disgrace.”   What percolates in his mind while stopping outside the hospital lifts and sinks him.  Either way is “beautiful and still.”

Formerly a member of “Screaming Trees,” he is the lead singer of the Mark Lanegan Band. He grew up in Ellensburg, Wash., and makes his home in Los Angeles. He is now on a North American performance tour.

View the KEXP video premiere of the 4AD session of “Harborview Hospital.”

Here are the lyrics, copyright Mark Lanegan Band, all rights reserved.

The UW Gospel Choir, directed by Phyllis Byrdwell, will perform May 21 in Meany Hall.

Gary Louie

It's a whirlwind of a week for campus arts. Drama and dance team for the continuing Masters of Fine Arts Dance Concert, graduating School of Art students show their talents and the Undergraduate Theater Society opens a musical comedy.

The School of Music offers evenings with the University Chorale, ethnomusicology students and the Voice Division, plus a combined band concert and more — and the powerful UW Gospel Choir, more than a 100 voices strong.

Director Phyllis Byrdwell says, "I try to show my students that gospel didn't just come out of the cosmos some place — it's a relationship to a culture. And we talk a little about that culture, so they know how to deliver whatever it is we're doing." It's rousing, swaying, hand-clapping stuff, but Byrdwell says she adds "some very lovely ballads" as well.

To quote Groucho Marx, there are more arts events on campus this week "than you could shake a stick at — if that's your idea of a good time."

Jazz Innovations II, 7:30 p.m., May 17. Student ensembles pay homage to the icons of jazz and break new ground with original progressive jazz compositions in Brechemin Auditorium. Tickets are $5, cash or check at the door.

The JACK Quartet will perform May 18 in the Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse.

The JACK Quartet, 7:30 p.m., May 18. The critically acclaimed Boston group presents works by UW composers Joel-François Durand, Huck Hodge, Richard Karpen and Juan Pampin at the Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse. Tickets are $12-$20.

Henry Art Gallery, free admission, May 18. Free in honor of Art Museum Day and International Museum Day. Of course the Henry is always free for UW faculty, staff and students, but here's a day to bring along some guests. Share your experiences on paper or via hashtag #ArtMuseumDay.

"Collaborations," MFA Dance Concert, through May 20. What's the difference between performance art and the art of performance? Discover the unique blend that master of fine arts candidates from UW dance and drama design programs create for the annual MFA Dance Concert. It's a collaborative concoction that melds physical movement and dramatic expression. Watch a video about the performance, too. Meany Hall. Tickets are $10-$16.

Ethnomusicology Student Association Concert, 7:30 p.m., May 18. The School of Music's Ethnomusicology Student Association presents its annual concert of music from around the world, in Brechemin Auditorium. The program includes student performances of Bengali and Middle Eastern songs, Irish music from the group Fields under Clover, the Mariachi Quinto Sol de UW, the UW Trinidadian Steel Pan Ensemble, and more. Tickets are $5, cash or check at the door.

The School of Music's Voice Division Recital will be May 21 in Brechemin Auditorium.

Voice Division Recital, 7:30 p.m., May 21. The School of Music Voice Division Recital for spring quarter is a performance of Puccini's one-act opera "Suor Angelica," in Brechemin Auditorium, directed by Thomas Harper. Tickets are $5, cash or check at the door. 206-685-8384.

UW Gospel Choir, 7:30 p.m., May 21. The choir presents songs of praise, jubilation and other expressions of the gospel tradition in Meany Hall. Selections include "In The Holy Place," "Come Before His Presence With Thanksgiving," "Total Praise," "Hallelujah Anyhow" and "Prayer of Jabez." Tickets are $10-$15.

School of Art exhibits by graduating students:
Painting and drawing MFAs, May 21-26. Work by Caity Berndt, Lyndsey Colburn and Hannah O'Gorman, Sandpoint Gallery. Reception 6-8 p.m., May 21.
Painting and drawing BFAs, May 22-June 1 in the Jacob Lawrence Gallery. Reception 4-7 p.m., May 22.
Art by Anthony Sonnenberg, May 22-26. From the 3D4M (3-Dimensional Forum) program, in the Ceramic and Metal Arts Building. Reception is 6-8 p.m., May 22.
Alley Art Party, 6-9 p.m. May 24. A one-night installation of work by Interdisciplinary Visual Arts students just outside Cafe Allegro.

GhostWorks Studio presentation, 2:30-5:30 p.m., May 21. A cross-disciplinary undergraduate studio offered to architecture and interaction design students under the direction of Rob Corser, assistant professor of architecture; and Tad Hirsch, assistant professor of art. Students will discuss creating interactive media installations this summer in a former U.S. Forest Service station in Twisp, Wash. Event is in the Gould Hall court.

UW Contemporary Group, 7:30 p.m., May 23. Music students and faculty artists perform new music selections in the Meany Studio Theater. The program includes George Crumb's "Black Angels" for string quartet and electronics, performed by the Oceana Quartet; John Cage's "First Construction in Metal" for percussion ensemble; and "Pools of Shadow from an Older Sky," for bent piano, computer-realized sound, and video projection, composed and performed by Huck Hodge. Tickets are $10-$15. 206-543-4880.

The University Chorale, 7:30 p.m., May 23. The chorale presents "Songs of Mercy and Exaltation," in Meany Hall, featuring works by Vaughan Williams, Bruckner, Byrd, Barber, Betinis and East. Tickets are $10-$15. 206-543-4880.

The UW Symphonic Band.

Wind Ensemble, symphonic, concert, and campus bands, 7:30 p.m., May 24. The combined bands present works including "Morning Star" by David Maslanka, "Concerto for Cello and Wind Instruments" by Jacques Ibert, "Danzon" by Leonard Bernstein, "Colonial Song" by Percy Grainger, and "Outdoor Overture" by Aaron Copland. Meany Hall. Tickets are $10-$15. 206-543-4880.

"The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," May 24 to June 3. The Undergraduate Theater Society presents this popular musical comedy about six young people struggling to find their place in the world despite overbearing parents. In the Hutchinson Hall Cabaret Theater. Tickets are $5-$10.

Next week: MFA students show off at the Henry.

It's a week of variety in UW arts, with the annual master of fine arts dance concert, improvisational jazz from the School of Music's continuing IMPfest IV, digital art, a visiting playwright and the two-day "Queering the Art Museum" symposium at the Henry Art Gallery and in Tacoma.

Museology graduate student Erin Bailey, co-organizer of "Queering the Art Museum," said the event — which includes speakers, tours and more — should be of interest to straight folks and allies, too. "We are talking about incorporating queer culture into the museum as is. This incorporation has to be thoughtful for queer cultures and comfortable enough for non-queer cultures to understand the content."

You can almost hear the marble-voiced announcer intone, "A very special Arts Roundup ripped from the headlines!" Or not — we're just improvising this jazz.

Introdans, May 10-12. One of the three biggest dance companies in the Netherlands, Introdans celebrates its 40th anniversary with an international tour that includes the first performances in the U.S of its full repertory company. Meany Hall. Presented by the UW World Series. Tickets are $20-$42.

"Queering the Art Museum," May 11-12. How can museums better address, engage, and integrate queer culture? UW graduate students Erin Bailey (museology) and Nicole Robert (gender, women and sexuality studies) present a two-day symposium to explore such questions at the Henry Art Gallery and the Tacoma Art Museum through lectures, performances, tours and community conversations. Keynote is 6:30 p.m. (reception at 5:30 p.m.) May 11 at the Henry: "How Did We Get Here? Current Practices in Queer Engagement and Exhibiting in Art Museums." Learn more online through the Simpson Center or the Henry. Free for UW students, faculty and staff, $10 for Henry members, $20 for general admission.

Ralph Alessi

IMPfest IV through May 12. The School of Music's Jazz Studies Program and Improvised Music Project present an annual festival that pairs local up-and-coming avant-garde music visionaries with some of the world’s top performers in a series of concerts at the Glenn Hughes Penthouse Theater.
7:30 p.m. May 10: Ralph Alessi with UW Jazz Students; Smallface; Sequoia Ensemble. Donation only.
7:30 p.m. May 11: Mallethead Series/IMPfest IV: Ted Poor, Tom Collier and Dan Dean with UW Jazz Students; Operation ID. $10 general, $5 for students and seniors.
7:30 p.m. May 12: Vu-Karpen Project, Chemical Clock. Donation only.

Cookbook swap/recipe exchange, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., May 13. Bring your gently-used cookbooks and cherished recipes to the Burke Museum. Find a good home for your castoff cookbooks and meet fellow foodies, and leave with inspiration. Plus, in honor of Mother’s Day, there’s a unique Burke gift for every mother. Free with museum admission.

Meet playwright Joshua Sobol / play reading, 7 p.m., May 15. A reading of Sobol's play "The Night of the Twentieth" by School of Drama students and faculty, followed by a conversation with Sobol. At the Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse. Free but reservations required; RSVP online by May 11 or call 206-221-6797.

Angela Hewitt

Pianist Angela Hewitt, 8 p.m., May 15. Hewitt has established herself as one of the world’s most respected pianists. London's Sunday Times calls her 10-year project to record all the major keyboard works of Bach “one of the record glories of our age.” Her repertoire also includes the works of Beethoven, Schumann, Messiaen, Ravel, Chopin, Couperin, Rameau, and Chabrier. Her appearance at Meany Hall will be her fourth in the President's Piano Series, presented by the UW World Series. Tickets are $20-$42.

"Collaborations," MFA Dance Concert, May 16-20. What's the difference between performance art and the art of performance? Discover the unique blend that master of fine arts candidates from UW dance and drama design programs create for the annual MFA Dance Concert. It's a collaborative concoction that melds physical movement and dramatic expression. Watch a video about the performance, too. Meany Hall. Tickets are $10-$16.

The School of Music presents Jazz Innovations I and II, May 16-17 in Brechemin Auditorium.

Joanne de Pue

Jazz Innovations I and II, 7:30 p.m., May 16, 17. Student ensembles pay homage to the icons of jazz and break new ground with original progressive jazz compositions in two consecutive nights of performances in Brechemin Auditorium. Programs include works by Thelonious Monk and Ralph Alessi, plus selections from the great American songbook and original works by Thomas Campbell and Colin Moen. See program details for program I and II online. Tickets are $5, cash or check at the door.

Exhibit: “Rain and Flow,” through June 9. UW oceanographer Neil Banas is exhibiting colorful abstract digital photos and images that combine nature, technology and science at Blindfold Gallery. While the exhibit includes photos, such as one taken from an airplane window over Uzbekistan, the more unusual items are computer generated. In “Rain,” the image of many small blue lines appears floral at a distance but close up looks a bit like a topographical map of mountains. Opening reception 6-9 p.m. May 9.

Student recitals: The School of Music also has several student recitals in coming days. Learn more online.

Continuing: Who's Who: Founding Faces of the UW @ OUGL, through June 1. Portraits of key people in UW history. Many campus buildings bear their names, but most people know nothing about who these people were. The exhibit at Odegaard library was curated by Jennifer Henneman, art history doctoral student, supervised by Jacob Lawrence Gallery Director Kris Anderson.

Next week: The Gospel Choir, 100 voices strong.

"Mountain/lake," one of the many images on view at the Hall Health Art Walk, 5:30 to 7 p.m. on May 3.

Charles Sleicher

Ladies and gentlemen, the Harry James Orchestra — directed by the UW's own Fred Radke — is coming on Monday, May 7, to fill Meany Hall with the big band sound that made it the country's top band during World War II.

It's the top of a busy week in the arts that also features 70-some UW-related artists showing work in the Hall Health Art Walk, new School of Art exhibits, the final concert in the Mallethead percussion series and a new play being read by School of Drama instructors.

Harry James gave Frank Sinatra his big band start, married Betty Grable and was one of the finest jazz trumpeters around. Radke, reached on the phone between gigs, said the music is "part of Americana" and that the evening will include "a mix of famous blockbusters Harry made famous and some more jazz-flavored things." The orchestra will be joined by vocalist Gina Funes, also a School of Music faculty member.

Still undecided about the big band event of the season? Aw, don't be that way — they'll play a Gershwin medley. This Arts Roundup just loves a Gershwin tune — how about you?

Hall Health Artwalk, 5:30-7 p.m. May 3. The first open, public event showing the collection of more than 70 art works on loan from UW students and employees. Some of the artists will be present to discuss their work. The display of art “is much more than just making our newly remodeled building look nice. It has been shown that art can promote patient healing,” says Mark Shaw, director of health promotion and chair of the committee that created the collection. Artists take note: There's also a call for art under way for the 2012-13 school year.

"White Rabbit, Red Rabbit," 7:30 p.m. May 3-6. This original play is by Iranian citizen Nassim Soleimanpour, who was denied a passport for refusing to serve in his country's armed forces. The script is read cold every night by a new actor, including School of Drama instructors Richard Sloniker on May 3 and Mark Jenkins on May 5. Presented by the Undergraduate Theatre Society and the Foundation for International Understanding Through Students at the Ethnic Cultural Theatre May 3-4 and Hutchinson Hall's Cabaret Theater May 5-6. $5 admission will go to charity.

Geography Department Reel-to-Reel Series, 2:30 p.m., May 7, 21.The Geography Department's Reel-to-Reel film series will continue with screenings from 2:30 to 4:20 p.m. on May 7 and 21, both in Allen Auditorium.
May 7: "The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces," a film by urban advocate William H. Whyte about the open spaces of cities and why some of them work for people while others don’t.
May 21: "The Garden," about a 14-acre community garden in South Central Los Angeles under threat by development.

The Harry James Orchestra, directed by Fred Radke and featuring vocalist Gina Funes, will play Meany Hall on May 7.

Fred Radke and the Harry James Orchestra, 7:30 p.m. May 7. "Fred Radke is a living link to the Golden Age of Big Band," notes from the School of Music say. "A professional musician since age 15, Radke was hired by the great bandleader Harry James in the late 1960s to perform in his orchestra, and he worked under James for more than a decade. Since 1989, he has carried on the legacy as director of the Harry James Orchestra, touring with a 16-member group of top-notch big band players paying tribute to one of the legends of the swing era." He'll be joined by fellow UW faculty member vocalist Gina Funes at Meany Hall. Admission is free, though tickets are required.

"The Illusion," through May 6. The School of Drama's play by Pierre Corneille, adapted by Tony Kushner, continues at the Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse. The play features students in the Professional Actor Training Program. Tickets are $10.

"Star Ship X," by Nichole Baker, is one of the 3D4M works on display at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery.

Nichole Baker

3D4M exhibit, through May 18. Showing work by graduating bachelor of fine arts students from the 3D4M (3-Dimensional Forum): ceramics/glass/sculpture program in the Jacob Lawrence Gallery. Exhibit reception is 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, May 8.
Kohler Arts/Industry Residency: Two Perspectives, 7:30 p.m. May 10: School of Art faculty Amie McNeel and Timea Tihanyi discuss their experiences at the Kohler Co. Factory in Wisconsin last autumn. Henry Art Gallery. Free with museum admission.

Ted Poor with Tom Collier and Dan Dean, 7:30 p.m. May 11. The School of Music and the Improvised Music Project Festival present a performance in the Glenn Hughes Penthouse Theater by guest drummer Ted Poor, known for his work with trumpeter Cuong Vu, in concert with Tom Collier, chair of percussion studies, bassist Dan Dean and students from the UW Jazz Studies Program. It's the final installment of this year’s Mallethead Series. The Seattle group Operation ID, whose five members have strong ties to the UW Jazz Studies Program, opens with a set of its self-christened "bionic synth-pop." Tickets are $5-$10, cash or check at the door.

• Next week: "Queering the Art Museum," with the Simpson Center.

Grammy-nominated fiddler, vocalist, accordionist and songwriter Cedric Watson and his band Bijou Creole will perform April 28 in Meany Hall.

UW World Series

The week in UW arts starts strong and just keeps getting better here in the sunny heart of spring quarter. An undergraduate has written a rock musical just to make folks happy and an "all-powerful sorcerer" helps along the plot of the School of Drama's continuing production, "The Illusion."

Plus, Cedric Watson and Bijou Creole conjure zydeco and Cajun rhythms, the University Symphony features violinist Elisa Barston and UW voice students, Hall Health holds an art walk and a lot more. This all-powerful Arts Roundup just loves zydeco and home-made musicals. Et toi?

School of Music: Student recitals, April 28-May 3. Five students are giving free recitals in Brechemin Auditorium in coming days. Megan Bledsoe, harp, a doctoral recital, 1 p.m. April 28; Yesol Im, Violin, a junior recital, 4:30 p.m. April 29; Graeme Smith, harp, a junior recital, 7:30 p.m. April 29; Lauren Vander Lind, cello, a junior recital, 7:30 p.m. May 1; Katherine Isbill, flute, a doctoral recital, 7:30 p.m. May 3.

"The Illusion," through May 6. The School of Drama presents this play by Pierre Corneille, adapted by Tony Kushner, at the Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse. The play features students in the Professional Actor Training Program. Production notes ask, "Is the play reality once removed, or is reality the play itself? Test your wits along with Plato in this tale about a father's love for his son and the complications of romantic love as revealed by an all-powerful sorcerer." Last preview is April 26; the show formally opens on April 27. Tickets are $10.

Curran Foster

"For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky," 7:30 p.m. April 26-29. An original rock musical about two friends wanting to transcend "the inane complexities of their social environment," written by Curran Foster, a School of Drama undergraduate. Foster writes the project began as rebuttal to current musical theater trends, "where most musicals are either wildly inaccessible, or simply a satire of the genre itself … I mostly wanted to create something totally new that expresses my musical and artistic vision, and makes people happy." Foster was given a $4,000 Mary Gates Leadership Scholarship to produce the musical, which plays in the Hutchinson Hall Cabaret Theater. Learn more on Facebook. Tickets are $5.

Cedric Watson and Bijou Creole, 8 p.m. April 28. Watson is a Grammy-nominated fiddler, vocalist, accordionist and songwriter who plays old-school zydeco styles, original material and Creole traditions. The New York Times wrote that Watson "reconfigures new and old Cajun music with guts and smarts. He plays fiddle and two-row button accordion and often sings in old Cajun French, like a revivalist, but his band, Bijou Creole, switches among vintage Cajun rhythms, New Orleans second-line beats and rock." Presented at Meany Hall by the UW World Series. Tickets are $20-$30. 206-543-4880.

Naomi Shiga and Jonathan Wohlers

UW School of Music

Naomi Shiga and Jonathan Wohlers, 3 p.m. April 29. These duo organists will present a concert of solo and duo works for organ featuring music by W.A. Mozart and from the German Romantic movement. The concert, in Kane Hall's Walker-Ames Room, is part of the 20^th Anniversary Littlefield Organ Series. Tickets are $15, cash or check at the door. 206-685-8384.

University Symphony, 7:30 p.m. April 30. Jonathan Pasternack will conduct the symphony in a performance of works by Wagner, Berg, and Ravel in Meany Hall. Selections include "Good Friday Spell Music" from "Parsifal," by Wagner; "Violin Concerto" (featuring Elisa Barston, violin) by Alban Berg; and Ravel's "L'Enfant et les Sortileges," featuring students from the UW Voice program. Tickets are $10-$15. 206-543-4880.

Burke Trivia Night, 8 p.m. May 3. Natural science, teamwork and beer make a great combination at the Burke Museum's monthly trivia night at the College Inn Pub. Teams are limited to six players, and the cost is $5 per team. (And just think: On other worlds the dinosaurs might be the ones playing guessing games, and drinking really big beers.) Also: Admission's free May 3 (the first Thursday of the month) and the Burke's open until 8 p.m.

"Happy Goose Family Strolling Through Gas Works Park," one of the images on display at the Hall Health Artwalk on May 3.

Yen-Chen Chiu

Hall Health Artwalk, 5:30-7 p.m. May 3. The first open, public event showing the collection of more than 70 objects of art on loan from UW students and employees. Some of the artists will be present to discuss their work. The display of art “is much more than just making our newly remodeled building look nice. It has been shown that art can promote patient healing,” says Mark Shaw, director of health promotion and chair of the committee that created the collection. Artists take note: There's also a call for art under way for the 2012-13 school year.

"White Rabbit, Red Rabbit," 7:30 p.m. May 3-6. An original play by Iranian citizen Nassim Soleimanpour, who was denied a passport for refusing to serve in his country's armed forces. Performed by a different actor every night. Presented by the Undergraduate Theatre Society and FIUTS at the Ethnic Cultural Theatre May 3-4 and Hutchinson Hall's Cabaret Theater May 5-6 — and performed by a different actor each night. $5 admission will go to charity.

• Next week: Fred Radke and the Golden Age of Swing.

David Shields

In October 2011, former University of Washington student Jeff Ragsdale, living in New York, had hit a low point — his stand-up comedy and acting career had stalled, he had been through a bad breakup and he was living in a cheap rented room. Despondent, Ragsdale posted a flyer around the city that said, "If anyone wants to talk about anything, call me. (347) 469-3173."

To his surprise he got about 100 calls and texts the first day alone, and they kept on coming, finally numbering in the thousands. In time he brought the messages to the attention of his former teacher, UW English Professor David Shields. From that came the book "One Lonely Guy," edited by Ragdsale, Shields and Michael Logan of Seattle.

What attracted you to this project? When Jeff Ragsdale contacted you about the responses he'd received to his note, what made you want to know more and work with the material?

I had kept in touch with Jeff over the years; I knew he was always up to interesting projects. Still, I resisted for as long as I possibly could. I kept saying no, I'm too busy, I don't have time, but Jeff kept sending me the most amazing transcriptions of phone calls and texts that he had received. At a certain point, I just couldn't say no. The material was simply too interesting; it spoke too deeply to the culture.

"One Lonely Guy," by Jeff Ragsdale, David Shields and Michael Logan, published by Amazon.com.

As I explained to our editor at one point: "What I love about the book (and I can say this because it’s less anything any of us did, and it’s more the voices that came in on Jeff's cell phone) is what it tells us about what it’s like to live in America right now. I can't think of a book that evokes more specifically how people talk now (the new words and phrases and sayings are extraordinary — it’s a virtual Roget’s of contemporary slang); how much they/we hunger for connection to themselves/ourselves, to each other, to a larger community; how energized and enervated they are/we are by Big Media and digital culture; how confusing love is in a 24/7 porn environment; and how baffling transcendence is — how fame or brief flickers of fame seem to beckon out of every internet portal. This book is a remarkable document of contemporary existence.”

By what general criteria did you decide on which messages to include in the book? What sort of things got left out?

One of the other co-authors of the book, Michael Logan, and I went through hundreds and hundreds of passages that Jeff sent to us. Perhaps thousands of passages. Our only criterion was, "Do we love the passage?" Is there some humor or pathos or insight peeking out of the passage somewhere? Also, Michael and I and Jeff were building a book with an undeniable thematic weave: The book begins with the flyer, then returns to "Childhood," comes forward to "Love Sucks" and "Love Really Sucks," opens out into "Problems," then "Solutions," then "No God Created This Mess." We needed hundreds of passages to build all the thematic threads.

This is compelling reading, but often in a dark, voyeuristic way. What sort of reactions have you heard from readers?

I've found that people tend to love the book or not like it at all. Some people seem to just instinctively get what a complete portrait it is of contemporary existence. Others dismiss the book as some sort of random and/or salacious gathering.

In "Reality Hunger" you speak of "deforming the medium in order to say what has never been said before … which is the mark of great writing." Does that apply to this work? Do you consider this "writing" at all? Or is it something different?

It would be rather vainglorious of me to say that this is a great book, but I love this book a lot. It clearly is an attempt to deform the medium as a way to say what has never been said before. As to whether it's writing or not, I love the collage nature of this project, which is a perfect expression of my aesthetic, and I’d even go so far as to say it’s an apt metaphor for any writer’s artistic process.

When you’re dealing with such a massive amount of material, you perforce ask yourself, "Isn’t this what all writing is, more or less —taking the raw data of the world and editing it, framing it, thematizing it, running your voice and vision over it?"

What you’re doing is just as much an act of writing, in a way, as it is an act of editing. Multiply the thousands of passages we perused by a very large number — a trillion, say — and you have the whole of a person’s experience (thoughts, anecdotes, misremembered song lyrics, etc.), which he or she then “edits” into art.

Are there future incarnations of this material in mind or planned — on stage or film?

There has been quite a lot of interest from film and television companies, but of course nothing definite as yet.

• Read/watch more about "One Lonely Guy" in The New Yorker, Book Forum, and The Huffington Post.

The new First-Class Forever stamp bearing the likeness of former UW faculty member Theodore Roethke.

John Deakin

Poet and former University of Washington faculty member Theodore Roethke is one of 10 poets from the 20th century being honored by the U.S. Postal Service with a new first-class stamp.

The Postal Service rolled out the new stamps Saturday, April 21, at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, held at the University of Southern California. The ceremony included a reading of Roethke’s poem “The Waking.”

Roethke, considered among the great American poets of his generation, taught at the UW from 1947 until his death in 1963. His book "The Waking: Poems 1933-1953" received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1954. His next volume, "Words for the Wind," published in 1958, earned the National Book Award and the Bollingen Prize for Poetry.

Roethke is in rare company in the new stamp release, flanked by fellow Pulitzer Prize winners and even United States poets laureate. Others depicted in the stamp series are Joseph Brodsky, Gwendolyn Brooks, ee cummings, Robert Hayden, Denise Levertov, Sylvia Plath, Wallace Stevens, William Carlos Williams and Elizabeth Bishop. Bishop also was a visiting professor at the UW in 1966 and again in 1973.

The UW English Department remembers Roethke with its annual Theodore Roethke Memorial Poetry Reading, which has attracted an array of talents through the years. These include Robert Lowell (1965), Archibald MacLeish (1967), Robert Penn Warren (1968), Bishop (1974), Gary Snyder (1976), Richard Hugo (1977), W.S. Merwin (1983), Carolyn Kizer (1985), Seamus Heaney (1987), Levertov (1990), Robert Bly (2007) and the UW's own David Wagoner (1973) and Colleen J. McElroy (1999).

US Postal Service

This year's reading, the 49^th, will feature poet and UW faculty member Heather McHugh and will be held at 8 p.m. Thursday, May 17, in 130 Kane Hall.

Wagoner, now a UW professor emeritus of English, was a student, friend and colleague of Roethke. He wrote of Roethke in March in the Australian magazine "The Cordite Review."

"Poets in the northwest part of this country once were a rare breed, strictly local and unknown. They scarcely existed till the arrival of Theodore Roethke who, as a kind of midwestern savage, had been winning prizes in the more lofty literary East, began teaching at the University of Washington in Seattle in 1947.  His English Department chairman at that time told him, 'Ted, it's all yours.  There isn't another poet for 500 miles in any direction who's publishing in national magazines.'"

Wagoner goes on to say that he and other students of Roethke's became teachers themselves, and followed one of Roethke's "basic principles of the craft: the effort to unify sound, rhythm, and meaning, to treat them as equally important insofar as it was possible in any and every poem."

The Postal Service says the sheet of 20th century poets is the largest group of authors honored together in its history. The stamp sheets bear photographs of the poets — Roethke's was taken in London by John Deakin — as well as a line of poetry from each of the honored writers.

Roethke was born May 25, 1908, in Saginaw, Mich., to a family well known in the flower business, and his poetry often included references to flowers, plants and greenhouses. His boyhood home in Saginaw has been preserved by the Friends of Theodore Roethke Foundation and is listed as a National Literary Landmark.

The Postal Service says customers may view the stamps honoring poet, and other stamps, on Facebook, through Twitter @USPSstamps or on its website "Beyond the Perf," which provides background on stamp subjects and other philatelic news. The stamps honoring twentieth century poets may be purchased at post offices nationwide, or online.

Bring your family: Sebastian Tramon, a UW graduate student in environmental and forest sciences, watches a performance with Pascual and Aila.

Mary Levin/U of Washington

News and Information's photographer Mary Levin has been capturing performers and festival goers. Look for a slide show of highlights next week. In the meantime, enjoy this handful of snapshots from the festivities.

The events are part of UW's 150^th anniversary celebration.

HuskyFest events are open to the public – and most are free – with events Saturday, April 21, especially designed for the general public including parents of UW students, youngsters and campus neighbors.

Check the event website for advice about getting to campus and a list of event sponsors.

UW Today preview: Get your Husky Fest on

Husky Fest event, information

UW Today arts preview: HuskyFest2012 the big Dawg in arts this week

Learning: Find out about units on campus with hands-on activities and quizzes, such as the Social Work Wheel of Justice. Graduate student Carlo Quedado poses questions from one of the categories to Dongnghi Lee and Courtney Chai, as they attempt to win a prize.

Mary Levin/U of Washington

Music and art: A member of the UW student group Oceana Quartet during a Friday performance. Behind her is one of the art installations, this one called Crystalline Growths, on display in the tent pavilion on Red Square.

Mary Levin/U of Washington

The Oceana Quartet, winners of the 2011 UW Strings and Piano Chamber Ensemble Competition, kicks off HuskyFest with a performance featuring the combined talents of UW students Emily Choi and Rochelle Nguyen (violins), Romaric Pokorny (viola) and Sonja Myklebust (cello) Thursday, April 19 in the pavilion.

Joanne de Pue

HuskyFest 2012 is the big Dawg this week in the arts, with an extraordinary assortment of music, exhibits, open houses and much more across campus, running Thursday through Saturday, April 19-21. It's a party for the whole UW and the public. The arts will shine, and with a little luck, maybe the sun will, too.

President Michael Young and the Husky Marching Band will be on hand for the HuskyFest2012 kickoff at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 19, in the pavilion on Red Square.

Take a look through the Dean's Showcase for information on arts items throughout HuskyFest212 — music, drama, video and film, art, readings and a whole lot more. And read the UW Today story with more information on these events.

But even after HuskyFest ends, arts events continue throughout a busy week. Here's a look.

Student artist Elizabeth Larson at work in her studio. Larson's work will be among those features in an exhibit this week at the Sandpoint Gallery.

Doug Manelski

School of Art exhibits. Two new exhibits opening during this busy week that also includes the School of Art’s open house, 1-5 p.m. Saturday, April 21, as part of HuskyFest.
Painting + Drawing BFA/BA: Selected works by students receiving a BFA or a BA with specialization  in painting and drawing. Through April 28 in the Sandpoint Gallery Building. Reception 6-8 p.m. April 19, in the gallery.
IVA Juried Show: Selected works by graduating students from the Interdisciplinary Visual Arts Program. Through May 4 at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery. Reception 4-7 p.m. April 24, in the gallery.

Specimen drawing at the Burke. April 22. Join artist Jocelyn Curry at the Burke Museum for a day of studying the structures of the living by way of sketchpad and pencils. Sponsored by the North Cascades Institute. Tuition is $95. Learn more and register.

Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Bands "Spotlight!" 7:30 p.m. April 23. The UW Wind Ensemble, Symphonic, and Campus Bands will perform selections for wind band ensembles, including "Shadows of Sirius," by Joel Puckett, featuring faculty artist Donna Shin, flute, and other works. This concert also features winners of the UW wind bands 2012 concerto competition. Meany Hall. Tickets are $10-$15. 206-543-4880.

DXARTS Ensemble concert: "Southern Exchange," 7:30 p.m. April 25. The Center for Digital Arts and Experimental Media, called DXARTS for short, presents an evening of 3D digital music by Argentine Composers Oscar Pablo Di Liscia, Fernando Lopez-Lezcano and Juan Pampin. Meany Hall, tickets are $10-$15. 206-543-4880.

A sketch for the character Matamore in the School of Drama's production "The Illusion," opening this week at the Jones Playhouse.

Linnaea Boone Wilson

"The Illusion," April 25-May 6. The School of Drama presents this play by Pierre Corneille, freely adapted by Tony Kushner, at the Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse. The play features students in the Professional Actor Training Program and is directed by MFA directing candidate Andrew McGinn. Production notes, ask, "Is the play reality once removed, or is reality the play itself? Test your wits along with Plato in this tale about a father's love for his son and the complications of romantic love as revealed by an all-powerful sorcerer." Previews are at 7:30 p.m. April 25 and 26; show formally opens on April 27. Tickets are $10-$20.

Ethnomusicology Visiting Artist Recital, 7:30 p.m., April 24. The School of Music's Ethnomusicology Division presents a concert by visiting artists Homayoun Sakhi and Salar Nader. A member of one of Afghanistan's leading musical families, Homayoun Sakhi is a virtuoso performer of the rabāb (short-necked lute) and heir to a musical lineage that began in the 1860s. In this special guest artist concert, he will perform Afghan traditional music and innovative new works on the rabāb joined by noted percussionist Salar Nader, tabla. Meany Hall. Tickets are $12-$20. 206-543-4880.

"The Brink: Andrew Dadson," through July 22. The Henry Art Gallery presents the first solo museum exhibition of this year's Brink Award recipient. The Brink is a biennial award that spotlights the work of an artist residing in Washington, Oregon or British Columbia. Notes from the Henry state, "Dadson utilizes the very materiality of thick layers of paint — applied to multiple canvases standing on the floor and leaning on the wall and each other — to reinforce his allegorical interest in boundaries. Dadson asserts that 'Everything has boundaries; the delimitations between such can be static and opaque or permeable and imagined. In my practice, I search for the spaces and opportunity to then question where such boundaries begin and end.'"

The Solaris Vocal Ensemble, a new contemporary choral group founded by Giselle Wyers, assistant professor of music, will perform Aptil 14 at Bastyr University Chapel in Kenmore.

With the weather by turns lovely and lousy, it certainly feels like spring on the UW campus and there are many arts events to enjoy. The School of Music presents visiting artists, student recitals and Saxophone Night.

Plus, an exhibit at the Jacob Lawrence Gallery, the Chunky Move dance troupe and the Undergraduate Theater Society continues its production of “Mr. Marmalade.”

Oh, and save some time next weekend, because the UW continues its 150^th anniversary with a wealth of activities called HuskyFest 2012, April 19-21.

Brechemin Piano Series, 7:30 p.m. April 12. School of Music students will perform works for piano in Brechemin Auditorium. Tickets are $5, cash or check at the door. 206-685-8384.

Chunky Move dance troupe: "Connected," 8 p.m. April 12-14. Founded in 1995, this Australian dance troupe has earned a reputation for producing a distinct yet unpredictable brand of genre-defying performance. The company seeks to redefine contemporary dance within an ever-evolving Australian culture. In "Connected," the work the company will perform at Meany Hall, Chunky Move teams up with California artist Reuben Margolin. The result is an animation of both body and machine. Presented by the UW World Series. Tickets are $20-$39, by phone at 206-543-4880, online or at the UW Arts Ticket Office.

Ade Suparman

Ethnomusicology visiting artist recital, 7:30 p.m., April 13. Visiting Artist Ade Suparman, instrumentalist and composer of Sundanese music, will perform music of West Java, Indonesia. Tickets are $15, cash or check at the door.

"Mr. Marmalade," Undergraduate Theater Society, 7:30 p.m. April 12-15. He's a violent, conniving, addicted character — but he's an imaginary creation from the mind of a 4-year-old girl. In this black comedy directed by Mary Hubert, a girl navigates friends both real and imagined as she goes through the hilarious and traumatic experience of growing up. Charles Isherwood of The New York Times wrote of the play, "With imaginary friends like Mr. Marmalade, the creepy title character in a new play by Noah Haidle, what 4-year-old needs enemies?" Hutchinson Cabaret Theater. Tickets are $5-$10.

Photomedia BFA exhibit, through April 21. Spring quarter is a busy time at the School of Art because of all the graduation shows. Just now, students the Photomedia BFA Program are showing their work in the Jacob Lawrence Gallery. Check the school’s full events calendar online.

Solaris Vocal Ensemble, 7:30 p.m. April 14. The School of Music presents the debut performance of the Solaris Vocal Ensemble, a new contemporary choral group founded by assistant professor Giselle Wyers with support from the UW Royalty Research Fund.  The group will perform world premieres of newly commissioned works by noted American composers Meredith Monk, Anne Le Baron, Ingram Marshall, and Frances White. At Bastyr University Chapel, 14500 Juanita Drive NE, in Kenmore. Tickets are $10-$15, 206-685-8384.

Students of Michael Brockman will perform classical, modern and jazz works for saxophone at Saxophone Night, April 18 in Brechemin Auditorium.

Student recital: Colleen McElroy, flute, 7:30 p.m. April 16. A junior recital in Brechemin Auditorium. No charge.

Emerson String Quartet, 8 p.m. April 16. The quartet has been anchoring the International Chamber Music Series since 1988 when it made its Seattle debut on the Meany stage where they return this week. The New Yorker wrote, “The four minds play upon each other, and upon the work, in perfect harmony.” Tickets are $36.

Saxophone Night, 7:30 p.m. April 18. Students of Michael Brockman will perform classical works from the French conservatory tradition, modern works for saxophone and electronic accompaniment, and jazz in Brechemin Auditorium. Tickets are $5 cash or check at the door. 206-685-8384.

The Chunky Move dance troupe will perform at Meany Hall April 12-14, presented by the UW World Series.

It's a busy time for the arts, with dance, music and drama all featured as springtime takes hold of the UW campus. Student musicians and actors showcase their talents and a well-regarded dance troupe stops by to perform.

Plus, the Undergraduate Theater Society has a new production in the Hutchinson Hall Cabaret Theater, the Seattle Opera Young Artists perform in Meany Hall and the Burke Museum offers trivia with a beer chaser.

"Mr. Marmalade," Undergraduate Theater Society, 7:30 p.m. April 5-15. He's a violent, conniving, addicted character — but he's an imaginary creation from the mind of a 4-year-old girl. In this black comedy directed by Mary Hubert, a girl navigates friends both real and imagined as she goes through the hilarious and traumatic experience of growing up. Charles Isherwood of The New York Times wrote of the play, "With imaginary friends like Mr. Marmalade, the creepy title character in a new play by Noah Haidle, what 4-year-old needs enemies?" Performances April 5-8, 11-15, Hutchinson Cabaret Theater. Tickets are $5-$10.

Dinosaurs and beer? It's the Burke Museum's monthly trivia night at the College Inn.

Burke Trivia Night, 8 p.m. April 5. Natural science, teamwork, and beer make a great combination at the Burke Museum's monthly pub quiz for science buffs, culture gurus and museum lovers. Bring your friends to the College Inn Pub and test your knowledge of the natural world. Compete with other teams for drink vouchers and other prizes. Teams are limited to six players, and the cost is $5 per team.

School of Music: Student recitals, April 7, 8. Three students are giving free recitals in Brechemin Auditorium in coming days.
Alyssa Sibbers, oboe, a junior recital, 4:30 p.m. April 7.
Brooks Tran, piano, a masters recital, 7:30 p.m., April 7.
Thomas Lee, piano, a doctoral recital, 4:30 p.m., April 8.

"Don Pasquale," through April 7. When scheming Dr. Malatesta arranges for the rich, elderly Don Pasquale to marry his nephew’s girlfriend, the two-faced Norina, you can be sure that wedded bliss is not in store. Donizetti’s last masterpiece unfolds with gorgeous melodies as we laugh at the declining fortunes of Pasquale and cheer for the inevitable triumph of the young lovers. Seattle Opera Young Artists perform this beautiful score in Italian, with English subtitle at Meany Hall. Remaining performances are at 7:30 p.m. April 6 and 7, and at 2 p.m. April 1. Tickets are $20/$55, 206-389-7676 or 800-426-1619.

Bernadene Blaha

Pianist Bernadene Blaha, 2 p.m. April 8. The School of Music presents Blaha, of the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music, for a recital of works by Chopin, Mendelssohn, Schubert, and Gershwin/Wild in Brechemin Auditorium. She also will conduct a master class for UW piano students in the auditorium at 1:30 p.m. April 7. Tickets for the recital are $15, cash or check at the door. 206-685-8384.

Members of the 2012 class of the UW Professional Actor Training Program will perform April 9 in the Hughes Penthouse Theater.

School of Drama Showcase, 8 p.m. April 9. Members of the UW Professional Actor Training Program's 2012 graduating class will show their talents in this annual program. They'll take these same performances on the road to New York and Los Angeles as they prepare to enter the world of professional theater. At the Hughes Penthouse Theatre, reception at 7 p.m. Free but limited availability; reserve in advance online, using password: glenn 1940/. 206-221-6797.

Chunky Move dance troupe: "Connected," 8 p.m. April 12-14. Founded in 1995, this Australian dance troupe has earned a reputation for producing a distinct yet unpredictable brand of genre-defying performance. The company seeks to redefine contemporary dance within an ever-evolving Australian culture. In "Connected," the work the company will perform at Meany Hall, Chunky Move teams up with California artist Reuben Margolin. The result is an animation of both body and machine. Presented by the UW World Series. Tickets are $20-$39, by phone at 206-543-4880, online or at the UW Arts Ticket Office.

Hazard Adams

You look at your dog, and she gazes back lovingly, as if you hung the moon just for her to howl at on summer evenings. Her tail thumps the floor as you praise her, and she seems on the very brink of speech.

But — if she could talk, what would she say? In all honesty, might she have a few complaints?

A new book by Hazard Adams, UW professor emeritus of comparative literature, explores this scenario as the dogs of the fictitious Hilltown, a pleasant Puget Sound college community, give voice to resist the town’s first-ever leash law. “The Day the Dogs Talked,” a modern fable with illustrations by Dana Sullivan, was published in late 2011.

Having found their voices (they always could talk, but simply chose not to), the canines express a number of concerns — about leashes, muzzles, tail-cropping, surgical debarking, cages, electrified fences, dry kibble, revolving doors and more.

Dana Sullivan

“This is the most comic novel I’ve done, but it’s also serious,” Adams said. “My publisher thinks it’s a political novel.” The book doesn’t comment on politics as such, Adams said, “but I think what the dogs do ends up being a kind of parody of what human beings do. To some extent, it’s about politics in a small town and the dogs intervening with their insistence on changing certain laws.”

One Amazon.com reader commented, “’The Day the Dogs Talked’ is no more a story about talking dogs than ‘Gulliver's Travels’ is a story about tiny people. Just as Swift was commenting on the politics of his day, so is Adams commenting on the politics and culture of ours.”

Adams is a serious scholar of Yeats, Blake and Joyce with dozens of books to his credit, including scholarly and critical works, fiction and poetry. He came to the UW in 1977 from the University of California, Irvine, where he was chairman of the English department and, later, vice chancellor of academic affairs.

He said the idea for this latest book came as he read about the work of Canadian psychologist Stanley Coren, who ranked dog breeds by intelligence. (Border Collies are at the top, followed by Poodles. “I don’t like Poodles very much but I like Poodles better than what I see people do to them,” he said.) Coren’s work got Adams thinking about what various breeds might say if given the floor, so to speak.

"The Day the Dogs Talked" was illustrated by Dana Sullivan.

And speak they do in Hilltown, debating their uprising in a canine convocation in a store parking lot, with much dog-booing at the limiting idea of “breeds.”  Finally, like true college-town dogs, they form committees (giving them the more acceptably doglike name of packs), draw up demands and take them to the Hilltown City Council.

A Husky addresses the crowd, cribbing liberally from human oratory: “Ask not what we should do to each other, but what we as an infinite pack can do for all of us. I have long had a dream! If we speak out … we shall speak for what is right and just for dogs of all breeds, so that true dogdom will not perish from the earth.”

The story does not stop when the last dog has finally returned to his native language of barks, growls and whines. The reader sees the incident studied at first, then slowly forgotten as the years go by. Did the dogs really talk that day?

In Adams’ Hilltown, fact and fiction get mixed up. Take the old story of the college’s two statues — one of its founder and another of the school mascot, a Malamute. “It is said that when the college’s team won a championship, the founder’s statue walked over to the Malamute’s and they shook hand and paw,” Adams wrote.

He added, “History turns quickly into myth in Hilltown, or does myth turn into history?”

“The Day the Dogs Talked” is available at the University Book Store, Amazon.com and though its publisher, booktrope.

"An Adirondack Lake," an oil on canvas by Winslow Homer, 1870. From the Henry Art Gallery's Horace C. Henry Collection.

Winslow Homer

Arts events have slowed some this week, with students trading paintbrushes and play scripts for textbooks as the quarter ends. But there’s still much to see, as the arts never sleep at the UW. They may doze, but they do not sleep.

The Burke Museum has discussions of food as its “Hungry Planet” exhibit continues and musical performances by visiting artists include Indian classical music and a Seattle Symphony bassist’s guest recital.

The Henry Art Gallery remains busy with several ongoing exhibits. Among these is "Pollen and Paint: Laib, Homer, and the Natural World," where Winslow Homer’s 1870 oil "An Adirondack Lake" is juxtaposed with Wolfgang Laib’s intriguing "Pollen from Hazelnut" from 1995-96. The two are 125 years apart in years and even further in style but they say a lot about the breadth of the Henry’s collections.

This Arts Roundup likes the touches of light in Homer’s scene and how the horizon brightens slightly as we follow the boatman’s gaze to the right. And asks, for what, or whom, does he wait?

Alain de Botton, 7:30 p.m., March 16. Seattle Arts and Lectures presents the philosopher and best-selling author at Meany Hall.  His books include "Essays in Love," "How Proust Can Change Your Life" and "The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work." His new book is "Religion for Atheists: A Non-believer’s Guide of the Uses of Religion." Tickets are available online or by calling 206-621-2230.

Shahid Parvez

Sitar concert by Shahid Parvez, 7:30 p.m. March 17. Parvez will play the sitar and Ravi Albright the tabla in this concert of North Indian classical music in Brechemin Auditorium. Tickets are $20, $10 for students. For more information, contact Ramesh Gangolli, 206-525-7728 or gangolli@uw.edu.

Jordan Anderson, 6 p.m., March 18. A principal bass with the Seattle Symphony, Anderson will give a guest recital in Brechemin Auditorium. The concert is free.

3 Orchestras Concert, March 18. Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras present classical music performed by some of Seattle’s finest student musicians, from 7 to 17 years of age, at Meany Hall. Tickets are $15-$40, available at 206-362-2300 or on the day of the show, starting at 1:30 p.m.

The Burke Museum will host talks about food sponsored by PCC Natural Markets on March 18 and 24.

PCC Natural Markets

Burke Museum PCC Talks, March 18, 24. The Burke Museum, together with PCC Natural Markets, is hosting 30-minute talks about hot topics in food, relating to its exhibit, Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, which runs through June 10.

• "The Diabesity Epidemic," with Leika Suzumura, 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. March 18, at the Burke. Obesity and diabetes are rapidly increasing, but we have the opportunity with every meal to literally eat our way to health. Learn simple choices you can make to nurture/foster your well-being. Two 30-minute  presentations.
  
  
• “Turkish Cuisine with Sureyya Gokeri,” 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. March 24. Turkish food is a unique blend of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines, offering an abundance of locally produced fresh foods due to a pleasant climate and rich soil. Join instructor Sureyya Gokeri for quick cooking techniques as she demonstrates her recipe, Muceddere (Turkish brown lentil pilaf with caramelized onions and spices).

Other continuing events:

Ceramic arts juried exhibition, through March 31. The Jacob Lawrence Gallery, Room 132 in the Art Building, is partnering with the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts to present this annual show, which ties in with council’s annual conference. The organization will be meeting in Seattle from March 28 to 31. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 4 p.m.

3D4M faculty exhibition, through April 1. Faculty artists from the 3D4M program — which is short for 3-Dimensional Forum — are exhibiting their work at the Traver Gallery-Seattle, 110 Union Street, #200. Exhibiting are Doug Jeck, Ami Laird McNeel, Akio Takamori, Jamie Walker and Mark Zirpel.