SUNDAY, JAN. 27 2013 >>>

1. Willian Hellman's The Children's Hour is a long play, close to three hours, and its first hour is depressingly boring. Yet it's easy to see how its daring, few-holds-barred script was a Broadway sensation in 1934 - so much so, in fact, that New York state authorities were willing to forgo a ban on one of its key themes. Two headmistresses who own and operate a private boarding school are accused of having "unlawful sexual conduct," with, as you might expect, disastrous effects on their lives. The catch is they're accused by a student, Mary Tilford, known to have a shaky regard for the truth. There's every reason to believe Mary's lying, and her rich, influential grandmother overreacting, until another student, Rosalie Wells, corroborates her story. The Lakewood Playhouse stages the production at 2 p.m. Afterward, Alec and Gabi Clayton from PFLAG Olympia will host a post-play discussion. Read Christian Carvajal's review of The Children's Hour in the Weekly Volcano's Arts Section.

2. A large percentage of people get married at some point during their lives. Some people, like Newt Gingrich for instance, do it several times. Hopefully soon it will be legal for gay folks to marry too. The fact is, weddings are a big part of our existence. All the more reason to check out the sixth annual South Sound Wedding Show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Centralia's Great Wolf Lodge. Expect everything from wedding gown and tuxedo models to dancing demonstrations. Pro Tip: If you're South Sound Wedding Show date ditches you for one of the Great Wolf water slides, he's probably not the one. 

3. Everyone likes a good joke and being in on the joke is certainly better than BEING the joke. Well, usually. Certainly, people that take themselves too seriously are a drag and theater people who take themselves too seriously are often insufferable. Thankfully, Tacoma Musical Playhouse not only likes a good joke, with their latest production - The Musical of Musicals, the Musical! by Eric Rockwell and Joanne Bogart - they ARE the joke. TMP's cast embraces the self-deprecating lyrics and dialogue and camps it up for the audience. The production hits the stage at 2 p.m.

4. Best-selling author Darren Shan will read from and sign copies of his new book Zom-B Underground at 3 p.m. inside King's Books. After a zombie outbreak in the UK, B wakes up in a military complex with no memory of the last few months. B has to piece together the new world and find some allies. 

5. Traditions Cafe in Olympia hosts a benefit show for Out of the Woods Family Shelter featuring Back Porch Swing, appetizers, desserts and more at 7 p.m.

LINK: Sunday, Jan. 27 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

BOOK PARTY >>>

Marissa Meyer is a YA author from Tacoma and a Pacific Lutheran University graduate. She's a fan of Firefly. She wrote Sailor Moon fan fiction for 10 years. Cinder, the first book in her Lunar Chronicles, is about an android Cinderella in futuristic China was on the New York Times Best Seller list.

In short, she is one of the lucky few whose love of sci-fi and all things nerdy has paid off.

Tuesday, Feb. 5, Scarlet, the second book in the Lunar Chronicles, will debut with a book signing at Garfield Book Company in Tacoma. Meyer's hope for the event is that it goes beyond a simple book signing and ventures into the realm of a party. Her Cinder launch was filled with red shoes. She hopes people will get into the Scarlet spirit and wear a red scarf.

"We're going to have a swag table," Meyer says. "I'll have lots of Lunar Chronicles goodies - some pens, some temporary tattoos, bookmarks, stickers and everything. I've invited other local authors to bring swag, too. A swag buffet!"

Meyer will read or speak before the signing frenzy. Also expect tasty refreshments, a raffle and prizes and giveaways.

"There's a place down in Olympia called Wolf Haven, where I did some of my research," she says. "They're a nonprofit that focuses on breeding and education about wolves. I'm hoping to have the raffle proceeds go to supporting Wolf Haven. We're going to have three gift baskets for prizes - each one will have a copy of Cinder and Scarlet. One will have a space theme, and one will have a Paris theme since Scarlet is set in France, and one will have an Asian theme since Cinder is in China."

If you can't make the Garfield Book Company event, there will be a second Scarlet launch and party Feb. 21 at King's Books.

GARFIELD BOOK COMPANY, TUESDAY, FEB. 5 7-10 P.M., 208 GARFIELD ST., TACOMA,253.535.7665

THURSDAY, JAN. 24 2013 >>>

1. Remember that time in high school when your parents went away? You know, plot line of every teenage movie ever made - except this time, you blew up the house. Standing in the ashes as your parents roll up, what do you do? Say it with us now - iiiiiimprovise. Take notes Thursday, Jan. 24 at the Washington Center while watching the best and blithest live comedians and next time you're in a lose-lose situation, you'll wondrously make screams turn to laughter. On the main stage, Ryan Stiles, Greg Proops, Joel Murray and Jeff Davis star in Whose Live Anyway? - 90 minutes of improvised comedy and song made up before your eyes from your suggestions. In the black box, the Center's Comedy in the Box series features the best from the Seattle Comedy Competition. Both begin at 7:30 p.m., which is not funny. Read Sean Contris' interview with Ryan Stiles in the Weekly Volcano's Arts section.

2. Alec Clayton, author of The Backside of Nowhere and art critic for the Weekly Volcano, recently published Return to Freedom, which begins where Backside left off - the day of the hurricane that wiped out the little bayou village of Freedom, Miss. Teenage hoodlums, who looted an electronics store during a flash flood many years ago, are now adults - one with an alcoholic wife and three teenage children, the other an evangelical preacher - living in the same condo overlooking the bay with an unicycle-riding street performer and single mother who owns a diner. Their lives are as stormy as the hurricane from which they are still recovering. Hear Clayton and local actors Luke Amundson, Michael O'Hara, Sharry O'Hare, Samantha Camp, and Jenifer Rifenbery read scenes from Clayton's new book at 7 p.m. inside King's Books. Discussion and book signing will follow.

3. Against a background of a long drawn-out war and a counter-culture of free love, cross-dressing, and pastoral lyricism, the 1660s look a lot like the 1960s in Or, a neo-Restoration comedy at 8 p.m. inside Harlequin Productions in Olympia.

4. Blending many of the principles of traditional bluegrass and Americana roots, Barleywine Revue supplies a contemporary flavor to their music by playing primarily original tunes. Expect the fiddles, banjos and voices to fire up at 9 p.m. inside The Swiss. Warning: The Tacoma Runners are using The Swiss as their base tonight. Expect to see a mass reflector vest hoedown.

5. Blues dancing derives from the so-called "Black vernacular" of Southern dance styles and includes such moves as the Lindy and the irresistibly named "Funky Butt." Worst case scenario: you have two left feet but get to listen to Nina Simone. Check out OlyBlues Dance at 9 p.m. inside the Eagles Ballroom.

LINK: Thursday, Jan. 23 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

WEDENSDAY, JAN. 23 2013 >>>

1. Judging by the looks of John and Sherry Petersik of Young House Love blog fame, this annual prompt for spring cleaning - the Tacoma Home & Garden Show - is aiming for the young market. The Petersiks are one of those likable young couples that drives you nuts. Not only are they hopelessly photogenic (and charmingly self-deprecating) but they've managed to turn their love of fixing up their old house into a bankable career. If you're mad about keeping up with the Young Joneses, then this congregation of 750 trendy exhibitors will inflame those covetous inclinations from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Tacoma Dome. The popular Vintage Market returns this year as repurposed and shabby-chic items for the garden and home are spotlighted by more than 20 local vendors.

2. It's a busy day for O'Laughlin Trade Shows - the juggernaut behind today's Tacoma Home & Garden Show at the Tacoma Dome, AND the 26th annual Washington Sportsmen's Show and Sport Fishing Boat Show at the Puyallup Fairgrounds. Wednesday through Sunday, the Washington Sportsmen's Show will offer the best in dudes wearing flannel and exaggerated fishing stories. But, best of all, check out what's billed as the "one-of-a-kind" indoor "Steelhead River." It's hard to go wrong with an indoor river.Check it from noon to 8 p.m.

3. Vaughn Sherman's career as a fisheries biologist in the Pacific Northwest was cut short when he was recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency. Such is life. At 7 p.m. inside the Wheelock Library, Sherman will read and sign his book Sea Travels - Memoirs of 20th Century Master Mariner, the autobiography of Sherman's uncle, J. Holger Christensen.

4. There's a public program tonight at the newly opened Science Dome at Pierce College. At 7:15 p.m. an interactive tour of our current night sky will be explored followed by the 25 minute fulldome movie, Two Small Pieces of Glass, a story about telescopes, Galilean Moons, Saturn's rings and spiral structure of galaxies set to music by the London Symphony Orchestra.

5. The Northern Pacific Coffee Company is the quintessential college hangout. Located on Parkland's Garfield Street - one block away from Pacific Lutheran University - this coffee shop hosts an open mic every Wednesday at 8 p.m. Though much more casual than the other open mics I've mentioned, I have seen incredible talent the last six years. The NPCC also has resident musicians throughout the week that perform traditional jazz music for the regulars. And much like the Antique Sandwich Company, the NPCC features a great selection of food and beverage options.

LINK: Wednesday, Jan. 23 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SATURDAY, JAN. 19 2013 >>>

1. Charlyne Yi (who you may know from movies like Knocked Up and her own quasi-documentary Paper Heart) will perform drop by the Olympia all-ages venue Northern at 9 p.m. Yi, a resident of the out-of-control great Los Angeles indie comedy scene, is a true original. Bizarre, hilarious, and utterly unique, Charlyne Yi's music finds itself somewhere between performance art, anti-folk and sketch comedy.

2. The Museum of Glass opens "Northwest Artists Collect" exhibition today from a run through October 2013. Organized by Museum of Glass in conjunction with interns (interns rule!) from University of Washington, Tacoma, the collection offers a glimpse into the world of Pacific Northwest glass artists Martin Blank, Joseph Gregory Rossano, Richard Royal, Ginny Ruffner, Preston Singletary, Cappy Thompson and Dick Weiss through their personal collections and the role that collecting plays in inspiring and influencing artists and their work. Check it out from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

3. They're coming at you - all the bird in Tacoma are about to home in on your head and then tear your eyes out. Yes, it's that scary. The Broadway Center presents the 1963 Hitchcock classic The Birds at 3 p.m. inside the Theatre on the Square. The film focuses on the residents of Bodega Bay as they are confronted with a malicious, full-scale attack by birds of all shapes and sizes. Interesting film fact: Having failed to make Vera Miles (The Wrong Man, Psycho) the next Grace Kelly, Alfred Hitchcock turned to Tippi Hedren, whom he discovered in a diet drink commercial. Hedren starred in The Birds and then alongside Sean Connery in Marnie, but the real career went to her daughter, Melanie Griffith.

4. Alec Clayton, author of The Backside of Nowhere and art critic for the Weekly Volcano, recently published Return to Freedom, which begins where Backside left off - the day of the hurricane that wiped out the little bayou village of Freedom, Miss. Clayton and local actors Pug Bujeaud, Michael Christopher, Heather Christopher, Jennie Jenks and Christine Goode will read scenes from Clayton's new book at 3 p.m. inside Orca Books. Discussion and book signing will follow.

5. In Olympia, the King's birthday has become synonymous with one man: Robert Washington - one of the world's top Elvis impersonators (see the film Almost Elvis) ... and a guy who just happens to be black. To some this is controversial. To Washington, it's simply his calling. "I don't really think about it. I'm not going to let my color prevent me from being the best," Washington told the Weekly Volcano in 2004. At 7:30 p.m. Washington will be back in Oly for the Elvis Birthday Bash. In addition to Washington's performance, there will a screening of the documentary, Almost Elvis, which follows contenders, including Washington, on their quest to be crowned "King" at the World Championships.

PLUS: Willy Wonka, Stunt Dog Experience and Caspar Babypants in our Weekend Hustle

LINK: Saturday, Jan. 19 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SOTA INTERN REPORT >>>

Bonjour! My name is Mckenna. I'm interning at the Weekly Volcano for the next three weeks - specifically Jan. 14-31. In that time I will be covering things such as events, restaurants, pass times and the must sees in Puyallup. But before I go on blogging I wanted to formally introduce myself to you.

I am 16 years young, I attend the Tacoma School of the Arts, where all the aspiring artists go, and I am a vocal major - although my true passion is writing. I like things such as hanging out at sushi bars while watching reruns of Doctor Who on my phone and bicycling at night in Paris. I am also a book harlot. I go to bed every night with a different book. Of course, my favorite book series of all time would be Harry Potter, but the Night World series is a close second. Haven't read Night World? I would highly recommend it if you're a fan of supernatural romance or cheesy sob stories.

I live in Puyallup, the South Hill area. I'm also am an avid bus rider. I have an hour-long bus ride everyday to and from school. During my bus rides I meet many types of people and let me tell you, bus people are fun. Many people shy away from buses because they don't like the idea of sitting in a vehicle full of random strangers, but I have found that you meet really amazing people while on the bus. I can recall one time while sitting in the back - the place with the best view - and watching a guy board the bus. This guy looked like your average Joe - blue beanie hat, a sweater, khaki pants and he took the front handicapped seat. Since the bus was so crowded I practically had people sitting on my lap. He was carrying a large bag and from what I saw he looked like he had a seriously rough day and was looking forward to getting home. That said, when the bus pulled up to a stop and a bunch of little old ladies hopped on, he shot up out of his seat to let them sit. It made me smile since I have seen plenty of people do the opposite. Not only that, but this stranger made a bunch of other younger people stand up for them! In all, bus people are cool.

On that note, in my blog I also hope to share cool bus stories and people's opinions on the bus cuts. Because as I described, most buses are crowded enough, and with Prop 1 rejected, it's going to get a whole lot worse for us bus lovers.

I hope that you enjoy my blog while I am here and that I can share my love for Puyallup to you all by talking about some of my most favorite places to visit and see. It is a great town with lots to offer.

LATE CHRISTMAS BOOK >>>

If I had planned on recommending a book for art lovers for Christmas I would recommend the one that was given to me: Jackson Pollock: Works from the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and from European Collections by Volkmar Essers.

If you're a Pollock fan you're probably thinking you already know all about him and you've seen just about all of his paintings - in reproduction if not in the original. Besides, all those drip paintings look alike.

Wrong. I've seen only a handful of his original works, but I have seen a lot in reproduction. I've watched the famous Jackson Pollock film by Hans Namuth and the movie with Ed Harris. I've also thumbed through stacks of books about Pollock, and I read Jackson Pollock: An American Saga, the biography by Steven Naifeh and Gregory Smith, which is generally acknowledged as the authoritative biography.  But there were paintings reproduced in the modest-sized hardback book that I had never seen. Especially a lot of very interesting pictures of some of his early paintings that were heavily influenced by American Indian art, Surrealism and the psychoanalytic writings of Sigmund Freud and C.J. Jung.

The text is slim but well written with most of the essential information you might want and the most important quotes from Pollock's interviews. The most famous of his quotes was when he talked about why he prefers painting on raw canvas on the floor. "On the floor I am more at ease, I feel nearer, more a part of the painting, since this way I can walk around in it, work from the four sides and be literally ‘in' the painting."

The idea of being in the painting had huge reverberations throughout the art world for years to come. He also talked about how he starts a painting without any clear idea of where he's going - a getting acquainted period - and how he then responds to the painting in a kind of artistic give-and-take. The perfect description of what was called action painting or gestural abstraction, two common synonyms for a branch of Abstract Expressionism that put great emphasis on energy and gesture.

It's been more than half a century since Pollock's heyday, but his impact on modern art has not waned in the least.

So, if you didn't get this book for Christmas, maybe you can buy it for yourself. It retails for $30 but copies are available from Amazon from $9.60 to $12.99. Not bad for an outstanding art book. It is a catalog book first published on the occasion of a noted exhibition at the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Düsseldorf, Germany. It presents important paintings from that exhibition as well as graphic works from the New York Museum of Modern Art and from several European collections. The writeris curator at the museum Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Düsseldorf.

LINK: South Sound art reviews by Alec Clayton

THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT'S UP THIS WEEKEND >>>

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Cloudy, hi 44, lo 38

Saturday: Partly sunny with a shower, hi 43, lo 34

Sunday: Partly sunny, hi 40, lo 32

>>> FRIDAY, DEC. 28: BRIDLE SHOW

I read that it takes an average of two hours to create one inch of horsehair hitching, the art of twisting and knotting horse tail hairs in to intricate and detailed patterns and designs, often in the form of wearable art, horse bridles or decoration.

The process is so tedious and time consuming, that most of the folks still producing this fine art are found in prison, where, for many, there is no end to the hours in a day. While a handful of prisons have adopted the art, specifically, state prisoners in Deer Lodge, Mont. (MSP) have garnished praise for their craftsmanship and dedication to keeping the art alive.

This Friday, local artist Lisa Kinoshita presents Bridle Show at Fulcrum Gallery, where she will discuss her experience with the inmates of MSP and share the meticulous process of horsehair hitching which passed through more than a century of inmates. Prisoners are allowed to sell their art in the gift shop, often bringing in thousands of dollars while preserving the craft and providing a sense of self-worth.

"Hitching inside prison is a very special privilege, and inmates have to buy their own materials and do it in their limited free time, after their chores," explains Kinoshita. "The administrative staff says it helps calm the atmosphere, reduce tension and build inmates' self-confidence. I was very impressed by the fortitude of the artists I met."

Kinoshita has also done collaboration work with a few of the prisoners and has taken up the art of leather working as a parallel to the hitching.

"I had wanted to learn hitching, but eventually realized that - short of committing a serious crime in Montana - it would take too long for me to really learn the craft," she says. "So, I took up leather working instead - I'm a scant beginner - which also has centuries of history behind it, and is madly beautiful. The bridle in the show took 450 ft. of kangaroo leather to make, and I can't wait to start the next piece." - Nikki McCoy

• Fulcrum Gallery, 5 p.m., free, 1308 S. MLK Way, Tacoma
  

>>> FRIDAY, DEC. 28: IMMIGRANT PILGRIM

"Amocat is a great spot to see music because they have a room that's isolated from the rest of the venue that has great acoustics, tons of places to sit and it's right in front of a storefront window so people look in as performers are playing. They don't host a lot of music but when they do, they do it very well." This is the praise that Patrick Galactic gives the venue space where he and Chris Nunley will play Friday evening as Immigrant Pilgrim, where the two incorporate acoustic guitar with electro beats and atmosphere. "It's a lush sound, haunted almost," says Galactic. Adam Hendricks, a veteran singer-songwriter will be opening the show with his distinct brand of psychedelic folk-blues and handcrafted ales will be flowing all night. The show is free and all ages. - NM

• Amocat Cafe, 5:30 p.m., free, 625 St. Helen's Ave, Tacoma, 253.242.3370

>>> FRIDAY. DEC. 28-TUESDAY, JAN. 1: MODEL TRAIN FESTIVAL

There are some hobbies better kept to yourself. You know, the ones you do alone in your basement late at night. And then there are some truly cool hobbies, like model railroads. These should be celebrated and dragged out in the open for all to admire. This is why the Model Train Festival, downtown Tacoma's biggest model railroad exposition (taking into account, of course, the relatively small size of the subjects at hand because they are, of course, models), is being held through Jan. 1, instead of like, a half hour. This gives you plenty of time to enjoy every floor of the Washington State History Museum filled with operating modular layouts. — Weekly Volcano

• Washington State History Museum, through Jan. 1, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, 1911 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.3500
  

>>> FRIDAY. DEC. 28-SUNDAY, DEC. 30: A CHRISTMAS SURVIVAL GUIDE

After 17 years of Stardust holiday schmaltz-fests, Harlequin director Linda Whitney outsourced her holiday revue-writing to James Hindman and Ray Roderick of Miracle or 2 Productions, authors of 2003's A Christmas Survival Guide. From a critical standpoint, it's a welcome change; especially since this anthology's aimed squarely at cynical adults weary of the hustle, bustle, and rabid commercialism of 21st-century holidays. It plays to the Whitneys' principal strengths: live pop music, technical design and intelligence (in no particular order). It also introduces diminutive spitfire Amy Shephard, newly returned from grad school at Exeter, to the Harlequin stage, where she joins revue regulars Antonía Darlene and Christian Doyle. — Christian Carvajal

Read Christian Carvajal's full review of A Christmas Survival Guide in the Weekly Volcano's Arts section.

• Harlequin Productions, through Dec. 30, 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, $25-$38, 202 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia, 360.786.0151
  

>>> SATURDAY. DEC. 29: COMIC BOOKS SIGNING

Nerdy Stuffs is just that. It's store full of nerdy stuff, especially comic books. Join other nerds for Nerdy Stuff's first-ever comic book signing. Dang, I just wrote "nerd" four times. Make that five. Anyway, this Saturday, Tim Seeley - creator of Image Comics hit, Hack/Slash, as well as co-contributor of many others including GI Joe, Love Bunny and Mr. Hell - will be in-store for a signing and meet and greet. Also present will be Chuck Messinger, author of Stink, and local writer Marie Frances, who wrote the successful Night Hawk. Steve Frank, who wrote the horror cult comic, Zombies Vs. Cheerleaders and Nathan "Rock" Quarry, famed UFC and MMA Fighter and creator of Zombie Cage Fighter will also be there. A Q & A will be available for all the nerdy fans as well as special signed prints. - NM

• Nerdy Stuffs, 1-4 p.m., free admission, 115 176th St., Spanaway, 253.267.1850

>>> SATURDAY, DEC. 29: RETRO SKATE NIGHT

Go old school in Puyallup Saturday at another Retro Skate Night at Tiffany's Skate Inn. Retro is all the rage these days, from Atari to tube socks, and Retro Skate Nights at Tiffany's - featuring tunes from the '70s, '80s and '90s - are probably better than both of those things. Get funky from 7:30 - 10:30 p.m. — WV

• Tiffany's Skate Inn, 7-10 p.m., $7, 113 N Meridian, Puyallup, 253.848.1153

WHAT SOME OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS ARE UP TO

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL Theater Critic
My only plans this weekend are to read, hit the gym (to burn all those holiday carbs), and spend some gift card money. Thanks, Santa!

ALEC CLAYTON Arts Critic
I think I'm going to try and set a record for sleeping.

NIKKI MCCOY Feature Writer
A little reading, a lot of writing and a possible stop by the Pig Bar Saturday night to see the Illustrious Danny play. Oh, and a coin toss to see whether we should put my cat down because he keeps pissing on my bed, the crotchety old man orange tabby that he is.

JOSH RIZEBERG Music Columnist
Friday, Beanz & Rize will be guests on Screwed Loose Radio, a successful syndicated hip-hop show put-on by Diggs Bozon. The show is on NWCZradio.com & gojuiceradio.com. Just to make sure ya know, Beanz & Rize is my new hip-hop group with MC Coo Beanz. Our self-titled album is out now on bandcamp and we have three sweet videos on YouTube. Get-hip! Have a good weekend Family!

JACKIE FENDER Food Writer
Nothing interesting here. Serving up breakfast goodies over the weekend, sleeping, reading and writing. Riveting I know.

JOANN VARNELL Theater Critic
Friday and Saturday, the husband, two year old and I will be DRIVING home from Denver. Hopefully the boy will do as well on his drive TO Denver as he does home. A highlight along the way will be to stop at a gas station outside of Twin Falls to pet the alpacas and buy more chips and snacks. Sunday we will go to church and then do N O T H I N G the rest of the day (well, other than watch football).

NIC LEONARD Music Writer
Unfortunately all I'm doing this weekend is working.

ROCKFORD ROWLEY All-Ages Music Columnist
This weekend a friend and I will be apartment hunting in downtown Tacoma. Hoping for hardwood floors and a great view! And I will of course be sniffing out some good live music in north end.

LINK: Even more local events that we recommend

LINK: Comprehensive South Sound Arts & Entertainment Calendar

Reading Like A Writer

In my Christmas stocking was one of the better gifts I've received. It was a copy of On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King. It's true; writers want to read about writing. The only thing that could have made this gift better would be a chance to discuss it with other writers.

Perhaps that wish will come true; a new book club was formed two weeks ago in Tacoma that aims to read a variety of books on writing.

The Reading Like a Writer Book Club — currently sits eight members and plans to meet up every two weeks — will hold its first meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan 2 at founder Sue Pivetta's house in Old Town.

Pivetta started the group to go beyond the typical writing critiques of grammar and punctuation. 

Good writing, she says, "Is not about mechanics, it's more about the language."

This is the concept of the first book to be discussed, Reading Like A Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them, by Francine Prose. The premise is an exploration of the techniques of writing style hidden in the dialogue of books we read, or more specifically, some of the books that Prose admires.

While Pivetta says the group will collectively choose future books — with King's book in the running — the lean will be toward classics, such as The Elements of Style by Stunk and White.

For more information, or to join the group, visit the Reading Like a Writer Book Club Meetup page.

A TOURIST GUIDE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR >>>

By all appearances Sean Alexander is obsessed with drawing. He was a Foundation of Art Award nominee in 2008 and again in 2011. He is the former owner of the Helm Gallery. His work has been shown in many venues from galleries to books. One of his drawings can be seen in the current Foundation of Art exhibition at B2 Gallery, and lots of them can be seen in the new South Sound User's Guide, edited by Ken Miller and illustrated and designed by Alexander.

The cover illustration for the book is the South Sound's most visible icon - Mount Rainier. Most visible when it's out, that is. But on the South Sound User's Guide it is always out. It's a strong image. The mountain appears to be surrounded by low-lying clouds. Or it could be interpreted as rising out of water, which is, of course, inaccurate; but it makes for a nice image. Countless tiny vertical lines in the foreground could be seen as evergreen trees seen from a great distance or as fields of grass. Similar lines radiating from all directions indicate the rays of a glorious sun. The lines also look like swarms of sperm swimming toward an egg.  A similar radiating sun can be seen in many of his drawings.

The back cover features a drawing of an old style train in solid black with white lines. The background images and the wheels reverse that image with black on white. It's a cropped section of a larger drawing that appears in the section on Old Town Tacoma. Here again we see the ever-present mountain and the same sky.

The drawings throughout are playful and delightful, very much like children's book illustrations, with strong black and white contrasts and fine line work. His drawings illustrate scenes from all around the South Sound and nicely capture the flavor of the area.

Among my favorite drawings are:

The Elliot Air airplane on page ii of the introduction, executed with the same white-on-black line work as the Old Town train drawing.

The Bob's Java Jive drawing on page 8.

The Kiera's Kitchen duck on page 17 - love the flat duckbill.

The silly musical note illustrating Vicci Martinez' favorite live music spots in Tacoma on page 57.

The elegant little rat with his bow tie sitting on a slice of cheese on page 61.

The State Capitol drawing on page 139. Here the radiating lines from the sun are bolder, as is the heavy outline around the top part of the building. These stronger lines convey the largeness and importance of the Capitol.

Batdorf & Bronson's dancing goats in the Port of Olympia section on page 151.

The South Sound User's Guide is unique to the area and nicely different than any other travel guide. It is available at Kings Books and Orca Books and other venues throughout the area.

Full disclosure: I am one of many contributing writers, as are other Weekly Volcano scribes, and our publisher/editor, Ron Swarner, wrote the introduction.