BOOKS & AUTHORS
Banned Book Week
It’s Banned Book Week, and what better way to celebrate it than with P.O.W. poetry? Join Magers and Quinn tonight — along with bookstores across the country — for readings from the University of Iowa’s Poems From Guantanamo: The Detainees Speak. This collection brings together 22 poems — originally written in toothpaste, scratched onto foam drinking cups with pebbles, and furtively handed to attorneys — by 17 detainees. “Since 2002, at least 775 men have been held in the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. According to Department of Defense data, fewer than half of them are accused of committing any hostile act against the United States or its allies. In hundreds of cases, even the circumstances of their initial detainment are questionable.” The fact that they were able to create poetry within these confounds and these circumstances certainly merits a listen.
7:30 p.m., Magers & Quinn Booksellers, 3038 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-822-4611.
A Three Dog Life
“This is the one thing that stays the same: my husband got hurt. Everything else changes. A grandson needs me and then he doesn’t. My children are close then one drifts away. I smoke and don’t smoke… The clock ticks, the seasons shift, the night sky rearranges itself, but my husband remains constant, his injuries are permanent.” Abigail Thomas’ 2006 memoir, A Three Dog Life, chronicles her efforts to care for her husband following a tragic accident that resulted in severe brain damage, total memory loss, fits of rage, terrors, and hallucinations. It’s not easy deciding to institutionalize the man you love. And Thomas’ memoir delves deep into the guilt and the grief she suffered trying to move on with her life. This isn’t just a touching tale of woe, however; it’s a beautifully written one as well. A Three Dog Life was selected as one of the Best Books of 2006 by both the L.A. Times and the Washington Post. Thomas has authored several book, and teaches fiction writing at The New School in New York. She’ll be discussing her book this afternoon and signing copies following the discussion.
2 p.m., University of Minnesota Bookstore, Coffman Memorial Union, 300 Washington Ave. S.E., Minneapolis; 612-626-0559; free.
LECTURE
Changing Hearts and Minds about Animals
Apparently, it’s not just Banned Book Week; it’s also Veg Week. I guess that means no piggly-wiggly tonight, folks. Veg Week kicks off today with a presentation by animal activist and Farm Sanctuary president, Gene Baur. As part of this evening’s lecture, “Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals,” Baur will share stories of Farm Sanctuary’s rescued animals, to show how “farm animals — like all animals — have feelings and can respond to kindness.” Stick around after the presentation for a catered reception and a chance to speak with Baur one-on-one.
7 p.m., Coffman Theater, University of Minnesota, 300 Washington Ave. S.E., Minneapolis; 612-626-5785; free.
MUSIC
Suzanne Vega
Vega is deservedly getting the best reviews of her career for Beauty & Crime, her tip of the beret to New York City, her home since childhood and also the site of September 11th, her dead brother’s apartment, and sidewalks full of poets and fashion models. Vega gathers it all up — Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner, and Edith Wharton are in there, too — and winnows it down to 11 songs that come in under 40 minutes. She exacts such a detailed mixture of art (the naked sentiments in her cool, lofty lyrics, the seamless physical and emotional backdrop of NYC) and craft (the immaculate production, sophisticated arrangements, prim intonation) that the entire disc feels as much like scrimshaw as music: a small but potent treasure. –Britt Robson
7 p.m., Varsity Theater, 1308 Fourth St. S.E., Minneapolis; 612-604-0222; $37.
Deerhoof
In May of 1996, Deerhoof took on singer Satomi Matsuzaki, who had moved to San Francisco to study film, and went on their first tour with her singing into a strange microphone composed of paper maché and Walkman headphones. That’s probably the best story I can tell to somehow describe their style. Deerhoof is difficult to categorize (and these days, that’s a good thing). Rolling Stone has written quite a bit about them this year, featuring them as the “Breaking” band in their January issue. And The New York Times called them “one of the most original rock bands to have come along in the last decade.” Greg Saunier’s power percussion and John Dietrich’s complex guitar work provide a most unique sound for Matsuzaki’s surreal voice.
8 p.m., McGuire Theater, Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-375-7600; $16 (members $13).
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