Calendar of Events

Come sing shape note music from East Tennessee's own seven shape song book "The New Harp of Columbia."
Free, all are welcome, no experience required and loaner books are available.
Sunday, Nov. 12, 6:30-8:00PM at the Laurel Theater, 1538 Laurel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37916.
Please visit www.oldharp.org for more information or call Claudia Dean at 865 673 5822.

Each Second Sunday of the month at 2pm, docents offer free guided tours of Higher Ground, Currents, and traveling exhibitions to the public. In order to reach a broader audience the KMA offers Spanish speaking tours once a month at 3pm. From 1-4pm there will also be art activities for all ages!

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park Dr, Knoxville, TN 37916. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10AM-5PM, Sunday, 1-5PM. Information: 865-525-6101, www.knoxart.org

SMBS Sponsored Concert with James Armstrong, International Headliner
Sunday, November 12 at 8 PM
Door Admission - $10 at Barley's Taproom, 128 W. Broadway, Maryville, TN

Guitarist, singer and songwriter James Armstrong was born to play the blues. His mother was a blues singer. His father played jazz guitar. Born in Los Angeles, California, Armstrong formed his first band in the seventh grade and by the age of 17 he was touring the country. Today he travels the world and continues to infuse his voice and guitar playing with his unique personality and seasoned skills. Over the years Armstrong has performed in many countries including North America, Europe, Scandinavia, Asia and the Middle East. He has worked beside Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, Keb Mo, Chaka Khan, Coco Montoya, Walter Trout, Tommy Castro, Roy Brown, Shemekia Copeland, Charlie Musselwhite, Ricky Lee Jones, Joe Louis Walker, Mitch Mitchell (Jimi Hendrix’s drummer), Peter Tork (The Monkees), and Jan & Dean, just to name a few. Seen live, Armstrong has a confident stage presence that combines grace with mischief. Few blues artists know how to play the crowd as James can, shifting dynamics from a whisper to a growl. Wherever he travels around the world his magnetism continues to hush a noisy rabble or entice a crowd to follow him out into the street or down the length of a beach. He will be debuting the new CD “Blues Been Good To Me” @ Don Odell Legends on October 4th, Palmer MA.

Smoky Mountain Blues Society: http://smokymountainblues.org/wp/

Faculty recital; featuring Schubert's Song Cycle "Die Winterreise"

Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall, Natalie L. Haslam Music Center

Unless otherwise noted, concerts are FREE and open to the public. The Natalie Haslam Music Center is located at 1741 Volunteer Blvd on the UT campus, and the Alumni Memorial Building is located at 1408 Middle Drive on the UT campus. *For individual or small group performances, please check the web site or call the day of the event for updates or cancellations: 865-974-5678, www.music.utk.edu/events

A Panel of Authors, Moderated by Julia Watts

Edited by Julia Watts and Larry Smith, Unbroken Circle is an anthology highlighting people and stories from the American South. Participating authors include Knoxvillians Julia Watts, L. Mahayla Smith, Melanie Haws, Tom Ray, David Hunter, and from Memphis, Charles Dodd White. Presented by the Friends of the Knox County Public Library.

East Tennessee Historical Society, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Museum hours: M-F 9-4, Sa 10-4, Su 1-5. Information: 865-215-8824, www.easttnhistory.org

When Julia Watts and her co-editor Larry Smith chose Unbroken Circle: Stories of Cultural Diversity in the South as the title of their anthology, they were connecting to the Southern musical classic “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” The stories in Unbroken Circle challenge stereotypes and show that the people of the South are as varied as the region’s landscape. They reflect a region of racial, religious, and gender diversity as well as a range of age and economic status.

Watts, a 2017 inductee into the Friends of Literacy’s East Tennessee Writers Hall of Fame, and six of the contributors to Unbroken Circle will appear at an event on Sunday, November 12, at 2 p.m. at the East Tennessee History Center. The event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Friends of the Knox County Public Library, the Knox County Public Library, and the East Tennessee Historical Society.

The six contributors to be present at the event include poet and author James E. Cherry; Mahayla Smith, past recipient of the Knoxville Writers Guild award for both short fiction and creative nonfiction; debut author Melanie Haws; Tom Ray, author whose recent short story Thumbing to Morristown was published on FICTION on the WEB, the oldest short story website; David Hunter, author and editorial page columnist for the Knoxville News-Sentinel for 27 years; and Charles Dodson White, author and himself co-editor of two Appalachian anthologies.

Copies of Unbroken Circle and of the individual authors’ books will be available for purchase (cash or check only) after the event. http://www.knoxfriends.org/news-events/unbroken-circle/

Knoxville’s history is America’s history, and the Vietnam War is a prime example. Thousands of young men and women from East Tennessee volunteered or were drafted to serve in the war. Hundreds of them never returned. The foundations of democracy were tested on the streets of Knoxville as East Tennesseans opposed to the war clashed with those who supported U.S. policy. It culminated in a confrontation between protesters and President Richard Nixon during a Billy Graham evangelical crusade at Neyland Stadium that made headlines all over the world. Knox County Public Library is pleased to present The Vietnam War: East Tennessee, a documentary trilogy on Sunday, November 12, at 2:00 pm at Lawson McGhee Library. Each film in the trilogy is 30 minutes long. Admission is free.

In the fall of 2016, Buck Kahler of Nolpix Media was working as an intern at East Tennessee PBS. When he heard about Ken Burns's challenge to PBS affiliate stations to create a 30 minute local documentary tie-in for Burns's & Lynn Novick's The Vietnam War, he immediately began developing episode ideas. Kahler said, "Working on a project in conjunction with Ken Burns would be a dream come true. As a combat veteran I wanted to work with other veterans." Along with Land Grant Films, a non-profit documentary project at the University of Tennessee's School of Journalism, East Tennessee PBS won a WETA grant for the development of the mini-series, The Vietnam War: East Tennessee.

The first film, A True American, follows the Vietnam War experiences of five African American soldiers from East Tennessee. The second film, A Sense of Revolution, was partially funded with a Humanities Tennessee grant due to its focus on national and local social unrest during during the civil rights and Vietnam War era. Finally, in Generations, we see Vietnam Veterans paired up with modern war veterans for powerful discussions about their war experiences, and their post-war lives. Local actor Steve Dupree narrates all three films. Locales include Knoxville College, The University of Tennessee, UT Gardens, and Helen Ross McNabb Military Services Facility.

A discussion with the filmmakers will follow the screening.

Info: Knox County Public Library, (865) 215-8767

Sundress Academy for the Arts is pleased to welcome Jasmine An, Penny Guisinger, and Denton Loving for the November installment of our reading series. The reading will take place 2-4 p.m. Sunday, November 12, at Hexagon Brewing Co., located at 1002 Dutch Valley Dr STE 101, Knoxville, TN 37918. The Sundress Reading Series is free and open to the public.

Jasmine An comes from the Midwest. She has also lived in Chiang Mai, Thailand, studying language, urban development and climate change, and blacksmithing. Her chapbook, Naming the No-Name Woman, won the 2015 Two Sylvias Press Chapbook Prize and her next, Monkey Was Here, is forthcoming in early 2018. Denton Loving is the author of the poetry collection Crimes Against Birds (Main Street Rag). He is also the editor of Seeking Its Own Level: an anthology of writings about water (MotesBooks). He teaches at Lincoln Memorial University, where he cofounded the annual Mountain Heritage Literary Festival and drafthorse: the literary journal of work and no work.

The Sundress Reading Series is an award-winning literary reading series that is held monthly at 2 p.m. at Hexagon Brewing Co. just outside of downtown Knoxville. EMAIL: safta@sundresspublications.com FACEBOOK: SundressAcademyfortheArts PHONE: (865) 560-6106 TWITTER: @SundressPub

Santa’s Wonderland returns to Bass Pro Shops and Knoxville-area families are invited to enjoy this magical Christmas village offering free photos with Santa and free family holiday activities including fun crafts and games.

Features include rustic Christmas cabins, holiday characters and live elves set amongst a dazzling backdrop of snow-covered hills and illuminated Christmas trees. The Santa’s Wonderland Christmas village offers remote control trucks, laser/ foam toy arcade, Lincoln Logs building area and much more. Kids can also spend time at one of the activity tables where they can write a letter to Santa, color and do fun crafts, all for free.

Families can enjoy the wonder of Christmas inside Bass Pro Shops with Santa’s Wonderland through December 24 including free photos with Santa. Guests can schedule their Santa time using the free Bass Pass system. Visit the Bass Pass Ticket Depot located at the entrance of Santa’s Wonderland to pick up a time-stamped pass.

Santa’s arrival coincides with Veteran’s Day and the start of a holiday round up program where customers can help support service members, military families and veterans through a donation program. Bass Pro Shops will donate 100 percent of customer contributions to USO Care Packages, which are shipped directly to active service members overseas, and AMVETS.

3629 Outdoor Sportsman Pl, Kodak, TN 37764. For hours and details visit www.BassPro.com/Santa.

The holiday season is coming up fast! If you're looking for a unique Christmas gift, look no further than my kiln opening and pottery sale. See the new handcrafted pots and animal sculptures that come out! In addition to the kiln, visit my new gallery and newly remodeled studio for an expanded selection of mugs, serving bowls, vases, and other functional pieces that will help you set your table for Thanksgiving dinner.

Kiln Opening Dates:
Saturday, November 11th, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday, November 12th, noon to 4 p.m.

My studio and kiln are located at 6319 Tazewell Pike, Knoxville, TN 37918. http://www.facebook.com/peterrosepottery

Handmade Textiles - Just in time for holiday gifts!
https://www.shopfolk.org/

Glowing Body, 711 Irwin Street, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-545-4088, www.glowingbody.net

A free weekend of concerts, master classes, and events for flute players of all ages and skill levels!

Grammy Award-winning flutist Molly Barth headlines the 4th Annual Smoky Mountain Flute Invitational.

Participants will attend master classes and concerts featuring notable guest artists such as UT flute professor Shelley Binder, Valdosta State University flute professor Elizabeth Goode, UT alumnus Micah Layne, Burkart representative Ethan Lin-Schwartz, and J.L. Smith representative Alex Xeros. Friends from Flute World, J.L. Smith, and Burkart-Phelan, Inc. will also be on site exhibiting all things flute-related including flutes, piccolos, sheet music, and accessories. For more information, go to http://www.music.utk.edu/smokymtnflute/index.php.

Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall, Natalie L. Haslam Music Center

Unless otherwise noted, concerts are FREE and open to the public. The Natalie Haslam Music Center is located at 1741 Volunteer Blvd on the UT campus, and the Alumni Memorial Building is located at 1408 Middle Drive on the UT campus. *For individual or small group performances, please check the web site or call the day of the event for updates or cancellations: 865-974-5678, www.music.utk.edu/events