Comfort Mood: Songs of Sentiment

The Grand Valley State University Art Gallery will host “Comfort Mood: Songs of Sentiment” at 7 p.m. on Nov. 16 in the Performing Arts Center Art Gallery, Room 1121.

The show will feature music of love and nostalgia by Strauss, Grieg, Duparc, Fauré and Liszt. There will be pieces for cello and voice by Rachmaninoff and Previn. Performers include soprano Jessica Louise Coe, pianist Brendan Hollins and cellist Kevin Flynn.

The event is free and open to the public. To find out more, visit www.gvsu.edu/artgallery.

Documentary Screening: “What is Philanthropy?”

At noon on Nov. 17, the Bike Factory in the Johnson Center for Philanthropy will host a screening of the documentary “What is Philanthropy?”

“What is Philanthropy?” aims to enhance the viewers’ understanding of the concept of giving and its role in their lives and in society. The film takes a holistic view of philanthropy by presenting its historical context with contemporary issues and including various perspectives from a wide variety of stakeholders.

The film was an official selection for four film festivals in 2014 and was nominated for an Eclipse Award for best documentary in West Michigan in 2015.

Coffee, tea and water will be provided, but attendees should bring a lunch. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.bit.ly/1Nytsmu.

Evening of Song with Caitlin Cusack

Caitlin Cusack, a GVSU alumna, will provide an evening of song with Brendan Hollins on piano and featuring Sarah Dowell on violin. The concert will take place at 7 p.m. on Nov. 17 in the Performing Arts Center Art Gallery.

They will perform the “Alphabet City Cycle” by Georgia Stitt and Marcy Heisle as well as pieces by Kurt Weill, Maury Yeston, Maltby & Shire and others.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, go to www.gvsu.edu/artgallery

Season Premiere of “Twisting Fate”

The mythology club has partnered with Grand Rapids Community Television to host a viewing of the season premiere of “Twisting Fate” on Nov. 18 in Room 2270 of the Kirkhof Center at 8 p.m.

“Twisting Fate” is a television show that explores the impact that mythology still has on modern life and on humanity. The show follows Fate, a power in the world greater than the gods of Mount Olympus. The story follows the struggle between Fate and the gods.

The figures of mythology have been trapped in mortal bodies and are doomed to repeat their mistakes in a never-ending cycle of reincarnation for all eternity. Hayden, the hero, is the only one with the power to break the curse and free the gods. He can only do this by “Twisting Fate.”

The event is free and open to the public. Contact the mythology club president and “Twisting Fate” director Natalie Pacholke at [email protected] or [email protected] for questions or information about joining the club.

Stoic Week

GVSU is participating in a week-long exploration of stoicism. Lectures will take place on Nov. 16, Nov. 18 and Nov. 20 at 1 p.m. in Au Sable Room 2120. The week will conclude with a lecture at 4 p.m. on Nov. 20 in the Mackinac Hall BLL 110 Caseroom.

The community is invited to attend lectures to adopt the stoic practice of “exercitatio” as a means to consider the practical implications of stoic ethics in the modern world, to explore the foundations of stoic cognitive resilience and to participate in mindfulness practice.

The events are hosted by the department of classics with the support of CLAS, the Dean of Students, Brooks College, the Honors College, the Dean of Libraries and the department of philosophy.

For more information, look online at www.gvsu.edu/classics.

Visiting Writers Series: Nina McConigley

The visiting writers series will bring in author Nina McConigley for a craft-talk and reading on Nov. 17 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. McConigley will speak with GVSU students in Kirkhof Center Room 2215. At 6 p.m., she will hold a reading and a book-signing in the Cook-DeWitt Center.

She is the author of the story collection “Cowboys and East Indians,” which won the 2014 PEN Open Book Award and a High Plains Book Award. She has been a fellow at the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize and for “The Best New American Voices.” She teaches at the University of Wyoming and at the MFA program at the Warren Wilson Program for Writers.

The event is free and open to the public. To learn more, visit www.gvsu.edu/writing.

Twilight: Los Angeles:,1992

The Grand Valley State University Theatre program is performing its last showing of “Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992” this weekend.

Award-winning playwright and actress Anna Deavere Smith conducted more than 300 interviews in the nine months that followed the riots and protests in Los Angeles after the four LA Police Department officers charged with assaulting Rodney King were found innocent.

“Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992” is playing at the Louis Armstrong Theatre, located in the Performing Arts Center on the Allendale Campus, on Nov. 22 starting at 2 p.m. Tickets are all general admission seating, with $1 extra at the door, and are $12 for adults and $10 for seniors, faculty, alumni and staff. Student and group tickets are $6.

Contact Michael Mueller at [email protected] with any questions or for more information.