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Ants, prairie poetry, and the effects of fire will all be discussed at the ninth Northern Illinois Prairie Workshop. Jointly hosted by the North Branch Prairie Project, the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, and Northeastern Illinois University, the all-day affair offers 41 presentations. Registration begins at 7:30 AM at the university, 5500 N. Saint Louis. Admission, including lunch, is $18, $12 for students with IDs. For details call 869-5966.
The Dance Theatre of Harlem, Alvin Ailey’s American Dance Theater, and the Joseph Holmes Dance Theatre were all founded by blacks, began with mostly black companies, and continue to focus on works by black choreographers. “But they do have their differences,” says Randy Duncan, the artistic director of the Holmes troupe and the 1988 recipient of the Ruth Page Award for Outstanding Choreographer. Duncan will show films of the three companies and tallk more about them at a 3 PM lecture, Black Classics, at the DuSable Museum, 740 E. 56th Place. Duncan’s presentation is $4; $3 for members, seniors, and $2 for children Call 947-0600.
Election judges, the Republican and Democratic folks who take your ballot and stuff it in the box, aren’t unpaid volunteers. The Board of Election Commissioners, which uses about 20,000 judges per election, pays $60 to each judge; those that attend a training session get an extra $20. This year the board is particularly in need of people. You need only be a registered voter to apply. The workday at the polls runs from 6 AM to 7 PM. For details call 269-7984.
The editor of the MARCH/Abrazo Press chapbook series and of the University of Illinois’ Ecos magazine, Carlos Cumpian is known for spending a lot of time and energy promoting Latino writers. His current project, a 35-year survey of Latino literature in Illinois, is a massive undertaking. Yet Cumpian also finds time to write poems in English and Spanish that deal with his Chicano identity and social and ecological concerns. Cumpian, who helps organize a lot of readings around town, doesn’t often perform, but tonight he’ll appear with Tony Fitzpatrick and Los Angeles performance artist La Loca at 8 at Lower Links, 954 W. Newport. There’s a $3 cover. Call 248-5238.
