Apr 27 Saturday
Blending true crime with memoir, Kristine S. Ervin tells a chilling and poignant story set in Oklahoma. She was just eight years old when her mother, Kathy Sue Engle, was abducted from a mall parking lot and murdered in an oil field. Decades later, "Rabbit Heart" re-examines the crime and provides insight not just into the hard facts of the case, but into the very nature of memory and justice. Full Circle is located at 1900 NW Expressway in Oklahoma City. Full Circle's website is https://fullcirclebooks.com, the phone number is (405) 842-2900.
Apr 30 Tuesday
This talk explores Ethiopian artist Gebre Kristos Desta's last work, made in Lawton Oklahoma. The familiar narrative of his life is that his time in Oklahoma was marred in tragedy, and that he died prematurely in 1981.This paper reveals new research into the immensely prolific time he spent in Lawton. At the very end of his life, Kristos was working on a riotously colorful mural depicting the rising sun. His last works in Oklahoma reveal an artist who was not wallowing in exile, but committed to the inspirational and redemptive potential of painting to the very end.
May 04 Saturday
The Oklahoma Historical Society will present “Perspectives in History,” the 2024 Oklahoma History Symposium, on Saturday, May 4, from 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. This one-day symposium offers scholars, historians, authors, and museum professionals a forum to share their work with history enthusiasts through presentations centered on topics in Oklahoma’s history. Professional development sessions will also be offered for museum professionals, volunteers and students.
Topics for the symposium include Oklahoma cemeteries, Asian Americans in Oklahoma, American Indian doughboys, archaeological investigations, calabooses, working with underrepresented communities, and more. A complete schedule, session descriptions, and registration details are available online at okhistory.org/symposium. The registration deadline is Friday, April 26.
The Oklahoma History Symposium is free and open to the public, but attendees must register online in advance. Registered participants are encouraged to join any or all sessions and meetings as they wish.
The keynote speaker is Edurne Pineda. She has been a Mexican diplomat for more than 25 years and specializes in consular affairs. She has been Head Consul of the new Consulate of Mexico office in Oklahoma City since late 2022. The consulate opened to the public in May 2023. Through cultural events, educational programs and diplomatic initiatives, the consulate celebrates our shared heritage and addresses the needs of the nearly half a million Mexican nationals residing in Oklahoma. These efforts preserve our historical connection by promoting mutual understanding, cooperation and respect between the people of Oklahoma and Mexico.
May 29 Wednesday
Magic City Books, Bob Dylan Center and Woody Guthrie Center co-present a conversation with professor and author Alice Randall on the occasion of her new book, “My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music’s Black Past, Present, and Future.” As the first Black woman to write a number-one song on the country charts — “XXXs and OOOs,” by Trisha Yearwood — Randall offers a lyrical and introspective account of her galvanizing presence within the world of country music as she searches for the roots of Black creativity and influence within the historically segregated genre. Randall will engage in a lively discussion with Magic City Books founder Jeff Martin and field questions from the audience. Copies of her book will be available for purchase at the Woody Guthrie Center at the event and Randall will sign books for purchasers.
“Alice’s unique position in Nashville, her family background, her talent for word craft and her insatiable thirst for the truth position her as a much-needed voice and perspective on this seminal and overlooked piece of American cultural history.”—Rhiannon Giddens, Pulitzer Prize and Grammy award-winning musical artist
Mar 12 Wednesday
Dope Poetry Night at the Ice Event Center Bar and Grill is every Wednesday night, hosted by PraVurb, J. Wiggins, and DJ D. Chappell. Show starts at 7:30 pm; Sign-ups begin at 7 pm, and the show begins at 8 pm. First 20 poets.
Come experience a place where you can be unapologetically you, a place where your voice and presence matter, a place where you’re accepted and loved, where smiles, laughter, thoughts, and feelings are shared, and it’s all free.
Mar 19 Wednesday
Mar 26 Wednesday
Apr 02 Wednesday
Apr 09 Wednesday
Apr 16 Wednesday