Forest Park Forever’s Hiram Leffingwell Awards Luncheon

I became a lady who lunches today as the Women’s Committee of Forest Park Forever celebrated their annual “hat luncheon,” to raise money for park maintenance and education programs….held at the World’s Fair Pavilion in St. Louis’ Forest Park. The World’s Fair Pavillion turned 100 today. I wore my frog-lotus puppet on the brim of…

“Bonneville”—Great American roadtrip film for gals of a certain age

On a girls night out Rebecca and I wound our way through St. Louis’ Central West End…now sampling gelato at the new store where last year Ben and Jerry’s stood; now eating Vietnamese crepes at my favorite snack shop; and now…checking out the films at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel and finding that “Bonneville” started…

St. Louis Poet Karen Smead Mondale: “He would tell you he never was an artist.”

I first met KAREN SMEAD MONDALE, long-time community activist and retired educator, last fall at a Duff’s River Styx poetry reading. She read at Duff’s this week as part of Loosely Identified, a St. Louis women’s poetry workshop, while I was on my Nashville audiobook recording trip, so I missed that treat. Karen Mondale at…

“Harlem Duet” sings: St. Louis Black Rep Company stages Djanet Sears’ award-winning play: power dynamics of interracial love spanning three eras

Ruth-Miriam Garnett and I have great “bumping into each other” luck. I first met Ruth at the St. Louis Poetry Center gala last fall. Subsequently, we’ve magically bumped into each other 1) on the metro platform at the Central West End; 2) at Wole Soyinka’s talk at the Black Rep with her friend Lavelle Wilkins-Chin;…

Salon 53 bronze sponsor for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Dance St. Louis Ballet Ball

Freida Wheaton gets around. She’s a board member of Dance St. Louis and a member of the Ballet Ball Committee. Freida’s fun and saavy. She assembled a group of friends and supporters to join her at table #33. Freida, Salon 53 and friends provided Bronze Sponsorship to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Alvin Ailey…

Soyinka in St. Louis Conversation at Black Rep

Wole Soyinka HOMEWORK LINKS 1) Hear Soyinka’s rolling baritone, relaxed, just chatting, sharing wisdom First, let me give you a link to a 1998 conversation between Harry Kreisler and Wole Soyinka that took place in Berkeley, California as part of the “Conversations with History” series. What is said is still fresh today, AND you’ll get…

Soyinka’s “The Lion & The Jewel” brings total art to Edison Theatre, Washington University, St. Louis

“The Lion and the Jewel” written by Wole Soyinka, directed by Ron Himes and presented by the Washington University Performing Arts Department, opened tonightat Washington University’s Edison Theatre in St Louis, Missouri. The play continues through April 27th. The Washington University Performing Arts Department describes the dance-drama cum social satire like this:Wole Soyinka, Nobel Laureate…

Mandel’s “Audition Piece” at First Run Theatre—two weekends in April, St. Louis

Gerry Mandel’s “Audition Piece” won First Run Theatre’s 2008 6th Annual Reading Festival (four plays out of nine chosen for production). Now “Audition Piece,” directed by Marc Macormic, will grace the First Run Theatre stage April 18-20, and 25-27 (Friday and Saturday nights, and Sunday matinees) at the 233 N. New Ballas Road, DeSmet High…

Riehlife Bonus Poem of the Day: Freida L. Wheaton’s “Saint Louis Summer of 2006”

Photo from www.moonraker.com I met Freida L. Wheaton in 2005 at an African American Art Collectors forum at the St. Louis Art Musem. Mother was alive then, still kicking and needing care. I’d gone off on this huge adventure to the big city and it was on that day I met Freida, in all her…