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On the road again? RIVERBANK POETRY PROJECT's forthcoming season is more a nod to Jack Kerouac than Willie Nelson. Well, at least to Kerouac's poetic contemporaries. The Beat Generation's quest for illumination and spontaneity in the 1950s has long left its footprints on today's society. Gordon Ball, this season's poet-in-residence, might be the most noteworthy beat of Riverbank's schedule with his special program on Nov. 11 highlighting his friendship with Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, his 29 years of photographing the movement and, of course, some poetry. But to begin, Riverbank sets things to music Wednesday at the Fitton Center for the Arts in Hamilton with a drum circle courtesy of Pete Davidson and open mic readings featuring accompaniment from piano and guitar. With a new (and did I mention free?) program on the second Tuesday of each month, Riverbank turns the beat around all season long. For those interested in sharing their work on the open mic, sign-in happens at 6:30 p.m. Those in search of more information on Riverbank Poetry Project need only wait until next week for CityBeat's fifth annual Literary Issue. 513-863-8873. ...
There's an opal in the local literary scene, and her name is SHEILA WILLIAMS. Her second novel, The Shade of My Own Tree, is a serious cool breeze, a voyage of self-discovery after ages of being repressed. After 15 years of abuse, Opal Sullivan strikes out on her own, embracing a dilapidated house as a metaphor for her own worn existence. Williams will discuss the colorful cast of characters who populate her novel of renewal with an appearance at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Joseph-Beth Booksellers. 513-396-8960.
