The writings of Edward Abbey stand at the center of the literature of the modern Southwest. Desert Solitaire, his best-known book, influenced dozens of other books about our region. The Brave Cowboy touched off a wave of novels that put the western in the context of the post–World War II West. And The Monkey Wrench Gang, a inspired a political movement. We’ll read and discuss these three books and their place in Southwestern writing today.

Caves and rock shelters preserve some of the most spectacular and important archaeological discoveries including spectacular cave paintings and elaborate burial sites. Embark on an exploration of human prehistory and consider how humans have interacted with these deep, dark places for millions of years.

Stories have the power to evoke emotion, deepen understanding, reveal new perspectives — and transform the writer. Explore various narrative techniques, strategies, and structures in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, tiny stories, and hybrids. Examine plot, subtext, point of view, dramatization, conventions and experimentation as you connect memory and imagination in this multi-genre writing workshop.

Dive into the dramatic world of William Shakespeare by exploring his most iconic heroes and villains. Through close readings, discussions, and performance-based activities, consider what makes a hero heroic, a villain villainous, and how Shakespeare blurs the lines between the two. Ideal for literature lovers, theater enthusiasts, and anyone interested in timeless tales of power, ambition, and human nature.

Celebrate the composers and lyricists whose collective genius created the Golden Age of the American Musical Theatre and The Great American Songbook. We’ll trace the musical evolution of Jewish tunesmiths who fused African American and Jewish music into the soundtrack of the American dream and took us Over the Rainbow with songs that are still sung and played a hundred years later – our greatest cultural export.

Celebrate the composers and lyricists whose collective genius created the Golden Age of the American Musical Theatre and The Great American Songbook. We’ll trace the musical evolution of Jewish tunesmiths who fused African American and Jewish music into the soundtrack of the American dream and took us Over the Rainbow with songs that are still sung and played a hundred years later – our greatest cultural export.

Celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of two legends. Miles Davis and John Coltrane, both born in 1926, made indelible marks on American Jazz. Join Tucson Jazz Festival Executive Director Khris Dodge for an in-depth survey of their music, their influence, their innovation and their lasting legacy through an entertaining blend of lecture, video clips and live performance.

The instability of Rococo Europe after the violent French Revolution and the devastating Napoleonic wars resulted in the exploration of intense and passionate emotion, creating what we call Romanticism. Examine the work of visual artists David, Gericault, Delacroix, Turner and Constable, and the music of Beethoven, Berlioz and Chopin who provided the dramatic underscoring to illuminate this remarkable period.

Take your seat in the Century Room, Tucson’s only dedicated jazz club, and enjoy a special performance for The Learning Curve presented by local jazz musicians. Hosted by Khris Dodge, this afternoon session will be the perfect way to continue your journey into jazz and prepare to ring in the New Year in style.