Press Picks

thursday
september 29
Banned Books Week It's winding to a close -- have you read a banned book today? This week? Well, most people who read have read a banned book at some time or other. An astonishing number of books have been banned by some library or school. The Library of Congress, the American Library Association and the American Booksellers Association urge everyone to read a banned book. We would like to remind you, however, that having made some petty little banned list is no sign of a book's quality. Wanking dreck is as likely to be banned as anything else. Pulp romance paperbacks have been banned as "pornographic." Reasons for banning books vary. Dallas ISD school libraries attempted to ban All the King's Men in 1974. One wonders if their objection might have had something to do with the touchy subject of assassinations. Visit your local library, borrow a banned book from a neighbor or buy one.

Doherty Library book sale Guess what. If you are looking to buy a banned book, the Doherty Library at the University of St. Thomas might well have some good ones available cheap. Hardbound books, $1; paperbacks a mere 50 cents. Oh, what a giveaway! The finest in philosophy and theology -- isn't it about time you got a new copy of Husserl's Ideas? Christmas is just around the corner; stuff those stockings with theology -- you can't have too many anti-Pelagian writings. Collect the whole set (On Nature & Grace, On the Proceedings of Pelagius, On the Predestination of the Saints, and On the Gift of Perseverance) or stock up on Agatha Christie mysteries. The University of St. Thomas is only offering bargains, they're not judging anyone's choices. Four exciting days beginning at 8 a.m. Doherty Library, 1100 West Main, 525-3886.

Resurrection: Myth or Reality? Hear an author speak. The Foundation for Contemporary Theology presents Episcopal Bishop John D. Spong. The Foundation is a group that would appreciate Augustine as a party animal. (Ever read about his raucous school days? Toga party? Heck, he was from Carthage!) The Bishop, while his life and times are less tempestuous, says he would also look to the scriptures and documents, rather than prevailing cultural mores, for his theology. The lectures on his book take place over two days. This evening he presents "Jewish View of the Easter Story"; tomorrow he presents "The Drama of the Birth of Christianity" and gives a special noontime lecture for the clergy and special guests. Those interested in attending Spong's talk, "Was Judas a Legendary Creation of the Early Church to Shift the Blame for Jesus' Death from Romans to Jews?" should call the foundation. Tonight's lecture, 7:30 p.m. The Adam's Mark Hotel, 2900 Briar Park at Westheimer, 666-0051. $10.

friday
september 30
Aladdin and his Magic Lamp A lavish musicale with women in harem pants and men in turbans. Glittery and festive. Fun for the whole family. Rain or shine! 8 p.m. Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, 2003 Lake Robbins Drive, 364-3010. $5.

Songs of Experience Choreographer Priscilla Nathan-Murphy dances in Charmaine Locke's multimedia theater piece about life, all of life, life from the micro to the macro. Songs and percussion are elements, along with dance, of this "journey through life." Sarah Irwin, Nathan-Murphy and Penny Tschirhart all play the parts of dancers; Charmaine Locke plays the part of a performance/visual artist. Typecasting? Or casting to type? Masks were created by Pat St. John Danko. Songs of Experience premieres tonight and has another performance Saturday. 8 p.m. Surls and Locke Studios, Splendora, one hour north of Houston. For directions, call (713) 592-0425. $9, $7 artists, $5 seniors & students.

Hugh Moffatt Moffatt is a Nashville singer/songwriter -- and Rice graduate -- who's known in certain cliques as a songwriters' songwriter, and would just as soon be known to the general public as a singer. He has penned tunes for Ronnie Milsap, Dolly Parton and Johnny Rodriguez and also for ne'er-do-wells such as Bobby Bare. Moffatt has toured the world and now here he is back in Texas. This show is cheap, cheap, cheap because the folks at the Brazos "don't like to drive our dinner crowd out." 9 p.m. Brazos Bottom Bar & Grill, 7010 FM 762, Richmond, 341-5210. $3. (A reminder for those who forgot last time: if you have to park on the road, and you probably will, be sure that no tires are on the pavement and your parking lights are on. At the Brazos, officers of the law keep taking the stage to explain that this is what it takes to avoid being towed.)

saturday
october 1
American History through the Collector's Eye The Bayou Bend Lecture Series has five talks today at the Museum of Fine Arts. There will be a lunch break. "Ima Hogg: Profile of a Multifaceted Collector" is the topic at 10 a.m.; "Ima Hogg: The Collector in Her Garden" is set at 11 a.m.; "Alice Morse Earle and the Culture of Collecting" comes next at 1:30 p.m.; "Objects as Intimates: Women, Collecting and Context in the 20th Century" is presented at 2:30 p.m.; "Buying and Selling Half a Century Ago" nearly finishes the day at 3:30 p.m.; and then come closing remarks by David B. Warren, director of Bayou Bend. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. MFA, 1001 Bissonnet, 526-1361. Free.