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February: 10 free things to do at Emory

Free events on campus this month include a Feb. 23 reading by poet Richard Blanco, who gained recognition after reading his poem “One Today” at President Obama’s second inauguration.

February is filled with events for music, art, poetry, books, films and more.  Here are 10 free things to do this month, just a few among many more Emory events and opportunities.


1. Sing and eat, then sing some more.

Everyone is invited to the annual Emory Sacred Harp Sing, held this year on Saturday, Feb. 9, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Cannon Chapel Sanctuary. The free, participatory event features a cappella shape-note singing from 10 a.m. to noon, followed by a potluck “Dinner on the Grounds” from noon to 1 p.m., and more singing from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. No prior experience necessary and hymnals will be provided.

2. Experience poetry at three different special events.

On Saturday, Feb. 9, the ASL Poetry Slam: Flying Words Project will be held in Room 208 of White Hall from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Peter Cook and Kenny Lerner of the Flying Words Project and local Atlanta Deaf artists Brian Leffler, Angelo Butler and Jethro Wooddall will perform their work in American Sign Language.  Refreshments will be provided at this free and open to the public event. 

"An Evening with Natasha Trethewey, Former U.S. Poet Laureate" is planned for Thursday, Feb. 21, at 7:30 p.m. in Williams Hall of Oxford College. Trethewey taught at Emory for 15 years and was the Robert W. Woodruff Professor of English and Creative Writing. In 2012, she was selected as the 19th Poet Laureate and was asked to serve a second term in 2014. The event is free and open to the public but seating will be limited. 

Then on Saturday, Feb. 23, Richard Blanco will give a free poetry reading at 4 p.m. at the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts.  While the event is free, seating will be limited. Books and a limited-edition broadside will be for sale at the reading, with a signing immediately after.  Blanco gained recognition after reading his poem “One Today” at the second inauguration of President Barack Obama in 2013.

3. View a new theology exhibition.

“The Materiality of Devotion: From Manuscript to Print,” which opened in mid-January at the Pitts Theology Library, displays a variety of objects, texts and images that supported devotional practices in the medieval and early modern world. The exhibition features the library’s medieval manuscripts and its early print collection, as well as materials loaned by the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library and the Michael C. Carlos Museum.

All are invited to view the exhibition any time the library is open. Tours can also be arranged by contacting Anne Marie McLean.  

4. Enjoy free classic films.

Screening this month from Emory Cinematheque’s “Glorious Color” series exploring color in films are two special films, “An American in Paris” (1951) with Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron on Feb. 13 and “All That Heaven Allows” (1955) with Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson on Feb. 20. On Feb. 27, there will be a special screening of a classic film to showcase a vintage IB Tech print, title to be announced. All the screenings are on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. in Room 208 of White Hall and are free and open to the public.

5. Gain important information on heart disease.

Alvaro Alonso, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Rollins School of Public Health, will talk about factors that increase heart disease in a community and how clinical studies work to identify facets that raise the risk of heart diseases plus present clinical studies people can enroll in. RSVP to hear him on Wednesday, Feb. 13, 3 p.m. in the Whitehead Auditorium in the Whitehead Biomedical Research Building.  Light refreshments will be served.  The presentation is free and open to the public. 

6. Note some musical synergies between jazz and classical.

ECMSA: Jazz Meets Classics – Impressions and Reflections brings together pianist Julie Coucheron, the Vega String Quartet and the Gary Motley Trio on Saturday, Feb. 16, at 8 p.m. to explore the relationships and connections among the music of Debussy, Ravel and original jazz. This free concert is at 8 p.m. in Emerson Concert Hall of the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts.

7. Hear some new electronic and acoustic music.

Inside Out: New Electro/Acoustic Works, new pieces composed by visiting assistant professor Adam Mirza, will be performed by a quartet on Wednesday, Feb. 20, at 8 p.m. in Emerson Concert Hall of the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts. The concert is free and open to the public.

8. Learn about a satirical print artist’s influences in his work.

Print artist Tom Hück’s residency on campus features a number of events but this Creativity Conversation with him is free. Hück and Andi McKenzie, curator of works on paper for the Carlos Museum, will discuss the influences in his work of satirists like Hogarth, Daumier and R. Crumb and his inspiration from German woodcut artists of the Northern Renaissance, Albrecht Dürer and Martin Schongauer. The conversation is Saturday, Feb. 23, at 4 p.m. in Ackerman Hall of the Carlos Museum.

9. Peruse books and related items for sale.

The Pitts Theology Library Annual Book Sale is Tuesday, Feb. 26, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Pitts Library Lecture Hall. Admission is free but bring cash as that is the only form of payment accepted for any of the over 5,000 items available for purchase. This event is open to the public and features a vast array of subjects, from science and technology to sacred texts to multi-volume commentaries.

10. Take a WaterHub tour.

Tours of Emory’s national award-winning, one-of-a-kind on-site water recycling system are back on after the break. Schedule a free tour with trained undergraduate and graduate students to see this amazing system situated on either side of Peavine Drive. Even if you are unable to visit during the regularly-scheduled tour times, you can submit a request for one.


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