Author: Liam Otten

In American Romances, her 13th book and first collection of essays, Rebecca Brown bobs and weaves though 300 years of American history, mixing social and literary critique with pop culture, autobiography, playful fantasy and misremembered movie plots, riffing on the stories we tell and the stories we don’t. At 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, Brown will read from her work as part of The Writing Program’s fall Reading Series.

Distinguished Visiting Scholar Jock Soto leads a master class for advanced ballet students Oct. 26 in the Annelise Mertz Dance Studio in Mallinckrodt Student Center. Soto, an internationally acclaimed former principal dancer for the New York City Ballet, was in residence with the Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences Oct. 23-30.

Ekphrasis is the literary description of a visual work of art. It is also a key apporach underlying the poetry of Cole Swensen, a former National Book Award nominee and Guggenheim Fellow. In each of her 14 collections, Swensen selects a single theme or subject, generally drawn from the arts or history, then explores it through her own writing process. At 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, the poet will read from her work for as part of the Writing Program’s fall Reading Series.

From gleaming skyscrapers to humble market stalls, modern India is a world of crowded contradiction, a world of iPhones and ancient gods, of rickshaws and SUVs, of causal corruption and slumdog millionaires. In The Guru of Chai —  presented Nov. 4 and 5 as part of the Edison Ovations Series — Jacob Rajan, co-founder of New Zealand’s India Ink Theatre Company, gives voice to the world’s largest democracy through a series of indelible characters: the poor chaiwallah (tea seller), the lovelorn policeman, the protection racketeers, the abandoned girl whose singing stops crowds in their tracks.

A string quartet from the St. Louis Symphony will join pianist Seth Carlin, professor of music in Arts & Sciences, and mezzo-soprano Debra Hillabrand, teacher of applied music, for a free concert featuring the music of Johannes Brahms (1833-97). Sponsored by the Department of Music and the St. Louis Symphony Community Partnership program, the performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall.

Visiting choreographer Ting-Ting Chang (in black, second from the front) leads a master class in modern dance for the Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences Oct. 4 in the Ann W. Olin Women’s Building. Chang, artistic director of the company DreamDance, was in residence with the PAD Oct. 2-7. In addition to leading master classes, she worked with students to set a piece for Kinetic Field Work, the 2011 Washington University Dance Theatre concert, which takes place Dec. 2-4 in Edison Theatre.

At the age of five, Jock Soto watched a performance of George Balanchine’s Jewels on television and began studying ballet soon thereafter. Later, in a professional career that would stretch 24 years, Soto danced dozens of principal roles — many of which he originated — with the New York City Ballet. At 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, Soto, a Distinguished Visiting Scholar in the Performing Arts Department, will introduce a public screening of Water Flowing Together, a documentary film about his remarkable life.

What can art learn from ecology? It’s a question posed both implicitly and explicitly by visionary artist Tomás Saraceno, whose plans for an airborne city render obsolete the very idea of “environmental footprint.” At 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum will present “A Sustainable Future,” an interdisciplinary panel discussion held in conjunction with the exhibition Tomás Saraceno: Cloud Specific.

Ten cutting-edge Sukkahs by architects and designers from around the nation were installed Oct. 17, just south of the Ann W. Olin Women’s Building. The projects, which remain on view through Saturday, Oct. 22, are winners of Sukkah City STL, an ambitious contemporary design competition that challenged participants to reimagine the traditional Jewish Sukkah through the lens of contemporary art and architecture

Patrick Henry Academy is an historic elementary school located in St. Louis’ Columbus Square neighborhood. Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church and School is a longtime Hyde Park anchor. Last summer, students and faculty in the Sam Fox School completed design/build projects at both locations under the auspices of CityStudioSTL, a new program offering community engagement and architectural outreach projects throughout the St. Louis area. On Oct. 19, visiting artist Theaster Gates Jr., who led the Hyde Park project, will discuss his work in a public lecture.