Calendar of Events

An exploration of artificial intelligence led by Knoxville Entrepreneur Patrick Hunt
Thursdays in May | Noon | East Tennessee History Center

Patrick Hunt, Chief Evangelist for Lirio
Age Group: Teens, Adults

Self-driving cars. ChatGPT. Cancer detection. Smart speakers. Robots in manufacturing… and even in our homes. AI is seemingly everywhere these days. So what does the average human need to know about the artificial intelligence that is quickly becoming part of our everyday lives? Join us for the latest in our lunch and learn series “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the AI Galaxy” With apologies to Douglas Adams, Knoxville entrepreneur and Lirio Chief Evangelist Patrick Hunt will do what he does best: translating complex technical concepts into easily digestible, bite-sized nuggets of helpful information.

In this four-part series, Patrick will review:
+ A working definition of artificial intelligence, a brief history of the technology and science behind it, and various types of AI and the use cases to which they typically apply.
+ A more detailed look at some of the most common uses of AI that impact East Tennesseans, and a few organizations in the region innovating and deploying AI solutions in the public and private sectors.
+ An examination of some of the ethical, legal, regulatory, and other issues that arise in AI applications, including concepts like the black box and explainable AI.
+ The possible scenarios of how AI will evolve beyond what we can currently see in front of us, and some of the key questions that future generations will likely have to grapple with.

https://www.knoxcountylibrary.org/event/hitchhikers-guide-ai-galaxy-2

The Tennessee Stage Company opens it’s thirty-third season with a new program: Knoxville Shakespeare “On The Hill”. In collaboration with the Mabry-Hazen House Historic Home we will present the History play Richard II. One of Shakespeare’s most beautifully written plays it tells the story of the dethroning of King Richard II by Henry Bolingbroke, who would become King Henry IV. The play will be presented on the grounds of the historic house museum. Evelyn Hazen, the last of the Mabry-Hazen family to live in the house was very fond of Shakespeare’s works and Richard II was her favorite play. Attendees are encourages to bring lawn chairs, picnic blankets and other ways to enjoy this open air show. Refreshments and light concessions will be available for purchase. General admission is $15 per person, and $50 for a group of four tickets. Special pricing is available for people who live in zip codes 37915 and 37916. For this special pricing, visit Mabry-Hazen House or the ticket box with proof of residence. For general admission tickets, visit Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/knoxville-shakespeare-on-the-hill-richard-ii-tickets-530693958917

May 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14
7:30 pm nightly outdoors at the Mabry-Hazen House Historic Hoe
2:00 pm 0n Sundays

“Richard II” is the haunting story of usurpation of the throne of England by Henry Bolingbroke – soon to be Henry IV – from Richard II. What is the divine right of King’s and when does it end? When is power usurped and when is it gathered up and wielded properly? And who is to say which King is the true and proper King? “let us sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of the death of king’s”.

Mabry-Hazen House, 1711 Dandridge Avenue, Knoxville, TN, 37915. Information: 865-522-8661 or www.mabryhazen.com
Tennessee Stage Company: 865-546-4280, https://tennesseestage.com/, https://www.facebook.com/TNStageCo

ADAM DOLEAC
Thursday, May 4 | 8PM

Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information/tickets: 865-522-0832, https://knoxbijou.org/

May 04, 2023 6:00pm - 8:00pm

This annual event celebrates the life of Sarah Jane Hardrath Kramer and her passion for the visual arts and learning, and recognizes her many years of tireless, enthusiastic, and dedicated service to the Dulin Gallery of Art and the Knoxville Museum of Art. The fund established by Sarah’s family, friends, and others committed to the arts supports lectures by a prominent artist, art historian, art educator, or expert in a related field. We hope that all who attend will share in Sarah’s love for the arts and for the museum.

This year’s speaker is a recent addition to the KMA Collection and a featured artist in the Tennessee Triennial. New Jersey based artist, Willie Cole is a contemporary sculptor, printmaker, and conceptual artist known for his innovative and unorthodox arrangements of disparate elements inspired by African and African-American histories and traditions. Cole is a nationally recognized artist whose work has exhibited in many museums including the Museum of Modern Art, NY, Bronx Museum of Art, and the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University; he is represented by Alexander and Bonin Gallery (NYC), Maus Contemporary Gallery (Alabama), Gavlak Gallery (Los Angeles/Florida), and Kavi Gupta Gallery (Chicago).

Free and open to the public! Reservations are requested—no promo code required. https://knoxart.org/kma_events/sarah-jane-hardrath-kramer-lecture-with-artist-willie-cole/

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park, Knoxville, TN 37916. Hours: Tu-Sa 10-5, Su 1-5. Information: 865-525-6101, www.knoxart.org. Admission and parking are free.

Celebrating their third season singing together. For this concert, we’ll be singing a couple of Broadway songs you’ll recognize, a little James Taylor, Cat Stevens, Andy Williams, Peter, Paul and Mary, Carpenters, Cole Porter, Louie Armstrong, a couple of folk songs, and of course, we’ll add others in as we go!

Our concert begins at 6:30pm, and a Reception will follow.
Central Bearden Baptist Church
https://www.alztennessee.org/help/living-with-alzheimers/hearts-sing-chorus

Join us on May 4, 2023, 5:00-7:00PM, for a truly unique experience at the historic Blount Mansion, 200 West Hill Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902. Art in the Garden is an exclusive fundraising event that will benefit the Women's Fund of East Tennessee, while providing attendees with the opportunity to explore a beautiful outdoor setting.

This evening of beauty and culture will feature some of East Tennessee's most talented artists with signature pieces for sale. While appreciating the local talent and artwork, guests will be able to partake in food and refreshments throughout the evening.

Reserve your tickets now at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/arts-in-the-garden-tickets-546156307217 Hurry! Don't miss your chance to be part of this memorable event and support a great cause. See you there!

www.womensfundetn.org

THURSDAY AT 7 PM – 10 PM
Monthly!

Bring an instrument to play or just come and listen! Folked up free-for-all in the round.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1213080076290781/1213080099624112/

The Authors Guild of Tennessee (AGT) will hold its monthly meeting on Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 11:00 am at the Faith Lutheran Church, 225 Jamestown Blvd. in Farragut.
Social time and book exchange begins at 10:30.

Published authors are invited to attend. AGT is now accepting applications for associate membership from authors who have written a book but are not yet published. Serious authors only. In the event of inclement weather, check the AGT Website for updates and information: www.authorsguildoftn.org.

Knoxville Writers' Guild will meet on Thursday, May 4, 2023, 7:00-8:00 PM at
Addison's Bookshop and Event Center, 126 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN.

The May 4 meeting of the Knoxville Writers Guild will feature a program by Terry Shaw and Brad Lifford on their new book, East Tennessee Garden Stories: Sharing Knowledge, Celebrating Heritage, and Building Community. They are cofounders of Howling Hills Publishing, a new press that publishes nonfiction books from Greater Appalachia. The pair will be joined by photographer Kelly Norrell and poet Linda Parsons. The speakers will share their perspectives on Garden Stories.

Shaw and Lifford have decades of experience as newspaper and magazine journalists. Shaw, a past Guild president, is also a published novelist. Norrell strives to capture the human spirit in her photography. Her favorite images include first-graders releasing butterflies they raised from eggs and a young woman who grew up in poverty posing in front of the assisted living center where she became director. Parsons, also an editor, essayist, and playwright, will release Valediction, her sixth collection, in June.

www.KnoxvilleWritersGuild.org

“FROGS AND TOADS IN THE TENNESSEE VALLEY” VIRTUAL PROGRAM MAY 4

Did you know that frogs and toads cannot live in fouled water? There are 15 species of frogs and toads in the Tennessee Valley. In each case, the males croon to attract the females, but each species calls at a different time of the year and from different locations. You often do not see them because they are camouflaged to blend into their watery places, but you certainly hear them. And the more the better. Join the UT Arboretum Society via Zoom on Thursday, May 4th, 7pm EDT as Michelle Campanis, education coordinator at the University of Tennessee Arboretum, and naturalist Stephen Lyn Bales give us an overview of frogs and toads in East Tennessee.

Kiss a toad. And find a prince? You do not have to kiss one to find out! All calling frogs and toads are princes because they are environmental indicators. The more of them you hear the healthier the water quality around you.

Join us via Zoom for this First Thursday Nature Supper Club presentation hosted by the UT Arboretum Society. Watch this virtual presentation from the comfort of your own home. You do not even have to put on your shoes and leave home. But you may want to open a window to listen for frogs.

The program is free, but registration is required to receive your Zoom link and the recording. Closed captions are available. Register at www.utarboretumsociety.org

To contact Stephen Lyn Bales or buy one of his UT Press books, email him at hellostephenlyn@gmail.com

Thursday May 4, 4-7 p.m.

Plus a VERY special raffle benefiting neglected and abused horses in East Tennessee.

Join us for a cocktail and some after-hours shopping

We thought the best way to jump into the season would be to showcase some of Aleksandr Cherepov's gorgeous equine-inspired art. And what better timing than Derby week? We'll have complimentary Mint Juleps, special discounts on our gift shop items and a raffle with a great cause!

All items in our Gift Shop will be 15% off during our Derby Happy Hour. If you wear your Derby hat, we'll make it a 20% discount!

4313 Papermill Drive, Knoxville, Tn 37909
https://www.littleriverartists.com/gallery-4

Union Ave Books is excited to present an author event with Matthew Vollmer & his newest title ALL OF US TOGETHER IN THE END. This event will take place on May 23, 2023 at 6 pm at Union Ave Books.

While this is a free event, we ask that you register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/an-author-event-featuring-matthew-vollmer-ticket for your spot.

Matthew Vollmer is the author of two short-story collections as well as three collections of essays. He was the editor of A Book of Uncommon Prayer, which collects invocations from over 60 acclaimed and emerging authors, and served as co-editor of Fakes: An Anthology of Pseudo-Interviews, Faux-Lectures, Quasi-Letters, "Found" Texts, and Other Fraudulent Artifacts. His work has appeared in venues such as Paris Review, Glimmer Train, Ploughshares, Tin House, Oxford American, The Sun, The Pushcart Prize anthology, and Best American Essays. He teaches in the English Department at Virginia Tech and lives in Blacksburg, VA.

All Of Us Together in the End is a lyrical examination of transformation after loss, by a writer the New York Times calls “irresistible” and “utterly convincing.”

Vollmer’s family memoir shimmers with wonder and enchantment and begins with the death of his mother from early-onset Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Soon after, flashing lights and floating orbs appear in the woods surrounding his family’s home in rural North Carolina, where his widowed father lives. Formative memories of having been raised in the Seventh-day Adventist church resurge in Vollmer’s mind, hastening self-reexamination and reckoning.

He corresponds with a retired geology professor about “ghost lights,” which supposedly occur more in North Carolina than any other American state. He scrolls TikTok. He contacts an eccentric shaman who lives in Spain to have transcendental psychotherapy administered over Zoom. And then Jolene emerges, a woman endeared for decades to Vollmer’s father, holding secrets to their family’s past. Amidst the turmoil and loneliness of the pandemic, All of Us Together in the End is a poignant and often humorous investigation into belief set in a time where it seems people will believe anything. It is an elegiac affirmation of the awesome, strange, otherworldly ways our loved ones remain alive to us, even when they are out of reach.

Union Ave Books, 517 Union Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-951-2180, www.unionavebooks.com