Tucson's thriving poetry scene adds another accolade as TC Tolbert, the town's poet laureate, receives the Academy of American Poets $100,000 Laureate Fellowship.

Tolbert is a lecturer at the University of Arizona and is one of 13 poets nationwide to be honored with this fellowship.

"I'm absolutely humbled by this award and deeply grateful that the committee recognizes the necessity of amplifying the many voices of Tucson's trans, non-binary, and queer communities," said Tolbert, who identifies as trans and genderqueer.

The Academy of American Poets was founded in 1934 and works to champion poets, poetry and the work of poetry organizations. The Laureate Fellowship is a new award and this year reflects the theme of Poetry and Democracy.

"By supporting poets laureate at the state and local level, we hope to ensure that more people become acquainted with poets and poetry where they live and have an opportunity to benefit from innovative and groundbreaking programming close to home," said Michael Jacobs, chairman of the Academy of American Poets.

Tolbert already has plans to put the fellowship money to good use, and will conduct a series of workshops for primarily youth trans, non-binary, and queer, or TNBQ groups. The money will also go towards creating a series of public installations highlighting TNBQ and LGBTQ+ voices and issues across Tucson.

Tolbert earned a master's degree in creative writing with a specialization in poetry from the UA in 2005 and is the author of Gephyromania and four chapbooks of poetry.

"This is a fantastic honor for TC, who's one of our very favorite MFA alumni for both the quality of their work, as well as the attention to the local that's been a huge part of TC's presence and ethos as a teacher, writer, poet laureate and citizen," said Ander Monson, director of the UA Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing. "This honor is well deserved, very gratifying and not in the least surprising."

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Tucson Poetry Festival:

Poetry is everywhere this week! Along with the announcement of TC Tolbert's award, the Tucson Poetry Festival is taking place around town this weekend. Founded in 1981, the Tucson Poetry Festival works to celebrate, expand and create an audience for contemporary poetry in Tucson. Throughout a series of events, both local and visiting poets will share their work with the community. Find a full list of events on their website here.

Special events not to miss:

Kick-Off Reading for the 36th Annual Tucson Poetry Festival - This event will take place Thursday, April 25 at the Steinfeld Warehouse Community Arts Center. Local poets Kristen Nelson and Aura Valdes will read from their work and start off the festival for the year. 6:30 p.m. Donations requested. Details here.

Poetry Party - Want to celebrate poetry with a side of fun? Party at Cafe Passe Friday night (April 26) and try the festival's signature cocktail "The Gesture." Ten percent of bar sales will go towards the festival fund for next year, so have a drink and help the festival as well! Sounds like a win-win. 9 p.m. Details here.

Finale Reading for the 36th Annual Tucson Poetry Festival - Although the finale reading, this isn't quite the last event for the festival but it's still one you won't want to miss. Head on over to Solar Culture on Saturday night to hear from national poets Angel Dominguez, Michael Klein, Baruch Porras-Hernandez, and 2018 National Student Poet Heather Laurel Jensen. 6:30 p.m. Donations requested. Details here.

Tucson Poetry Festival Presents: Community Open Mic - Now this one is, for real, the last event of the festival. So you had a busy weekend and you didn't make it to the other events, well there is still time! Fill your Sunday evening with poetry at Owl's Club, and if you are feeling brave, read one of your own poems! Sign-up opens at 6:30 p.m. reading starts at 7 p.m. Readings are limited to 2 to 3 minutes each. Details here.

They say the circus arrives without warning, but what happens when the circus blows its top?

That’s exactly what happens in Quirkus Circus & the Missing Ringmaster, a new addition to the family series at Live Theatre Workshop.

The show attempts the impossible, seeking to create a storyline that can be enjoyed by the youngest members of the audience while also entertaining adults. And while it has moments of perfectly walking this tightrope, it also comes dangerously close to toppling in others.

Under the direction of Kristian Kissel, the players seamlessly mix their interactions with one another and the audience. The choreography and sets are simple but add just enough flourish to take the audience to the big top.

Quirkus Circus is an excellent way to introduce young children to theater. Running at just 45 minutes, it’s participatory, light and overall highly enjoyable.

Quirkus Circus & the Missing Ringmaster is playing at Live Theatre Workshop on Sundays at 12:30 p.m. through June 9. You can buy tickets on their website, www.livetheatreworkshop.org, or by calling the box office at (520) 327-4242.

Find the rest of the review at TamingOfTheReview.com.

Comedy on a roll with popcorn

When David Pike took over operations at the Screening Room last year, he says, “Booking comedy was only a matter of finding the right person. After that it was mostly about who you know.” The right person turned out to be Marcus Raymond Gallegos. An actor and recent graduate of the UA School of Journalism, Gallegos started doing standup at Laff’s open mics before he was old enough to drink. In a meeting last June, Pike gave Gallegos a monthly slot on the second Wednesday. Thus began the reboot of comedy at the Screening Room.

For a few months in 2016, the theater hosted comedy five nights a week. That ended with a large gap in the comedy scene as management changed and work was done on the building. Pike began his own programming last May. He’ll celebrate the anniversary early next month with merch and special events, including a Cinco de Mayo comedy night. Tell us more! “It’s a secret,” Pike says. On May 9, though, standup comedians perform sets between shorts at Reel Tucson–Comedy. It’s a special edition of the monthly filmmakers’ showcase hosted by drag queens Zoey Ruby Bernard and Mary Jane.

Pike recently moved Gallegos’ showcase from the second Wednesday to a Friday or Saturday. Good news for the show’s status, but hard on fans. The exact date will change every month.

Meanwhile, Pike’s “who you know” angle landed the venue two shows with big production values for local comedy: Rich Gary’s Battle at the Roast Room and Keep Tucson Sketchy, a sketch comedy show. Both take full advantage of the venue’s deep stage and wide screen. Gary came to Pike’s attention through Frank Powers, whom Pike knew from multiple shows at The Screening Room. “Frank knows everybody,” Pike says. Yes. Yes he does. 

Hosted by Powers, Gary’s Battle at the Roast Room won the most buzz of any show in the recent CATcomedy520 LOL Crawl. The popular event repeats at the Screening Room at 8 p.m., Saturday, April 27. Sixteen comedians face off in a bracketed competition to determine who can snap the hardest. The audience keeps its own brackets; judges are comedians Rebecca Tingley, Jade Silence and Collin Chomiak. They determine the winners in each face-off. Comedians Cindell Hanson and Autumn Horvat offer color commentary between brackets. Andrew Applepie deejays. 

Contestants are reigning champion Monte Benjamin, Lex Schau, David Ross, Cody Stucki, Kathie Hedrick, Julian “Jules” Moreno, Alex Kack, Danyella Renae, Jack Fletcher, Roxy Merrari, Jeremy Segal, Joel Martin, Paul Fox, Harjap “Logan” Khangura and Daniel Villa. Tickets are $5 via battleattheroastroom5.eventbrite.com.

Keep Tucson Sketchy returns to The Screening Room on Saturday, May 18, with all new sketches, videos and sets projected on the big screen. Follow Keep Tucson Sketchy on Facebook for details as they are available.

So it’s a couple days late, my dude. Chillax, OK?

Roxy Merrari and Comedy at the Wench host a 420 comedy showcase on Monday, April 22. Take your time, but the show starts at 8. Requested donation is $5 at the door or via Venmo @comedyathewench. Tucson’s undisputed comedy king Pauly Casillas headlines. Nicole Riesgo, Marcus Gallegos, Julian “Jules” Moreno, Valdez Rene and Danyella Renae round out the bill.Tony Bruhn hosts. Vapen CBD will be on hand with swag.

Romo does Che’s. What?

Thursday, April 18 at 9 p.m., Steve Romo hosts the first known comedy show at Che’s Lounge. Incredibly, it’s free. Jericho Davidson tops a bill that includes some of Tucson’s best: Alex Kack, Rory Monserat, Leslie Barton, Matt Ziemak and Roxy Merrari, plus special guest Joe Tullar. Paul Jenkins provides live piano fills.n

Meanwhile, across the river ….

The indefatigable Mo Urban has started yet another show and it looks like it’s here to stay. The third BlackRock Brewery Showcase happens on Friday, April 19 at 7 p.m.; free. Pauly Casillas headlines; the rest of the bill includes Matt Ziemak, Bridgitte Thum, Joe Tullar, Steena Salido, Jana Gojic and Megan Gossen. 

All Over the Place!

 Some comedy fans first drop in on an open mic for the free entertainment and drink specials. As they come more regularly, they learn to watch how a joke gets crafted and polished over time.

They trade snaps about how it might have landed better or what kind of future they see for a comic. Eventually they can enjoy watching people grow enough to start getting local showcase bookings. Who doesn’t love saying “I told you so”?

Maybe it’s like watching minor-league baseball? We honestly wouldn’t know. But in just the last six months, Tucson has sprouted several new playing fields for stand-up comedians at every level. Almost every night, our comics have a chance at bat, and sometimes get to play away venues.

Vail has been home to monthly Vail Laughs clean comedy shows for a few years already. But last month, Tucson comic Paul Fox introduced an over-21 showcase series at The Spotted Bull Eatery and Bar, 13005 E. Benson Highway. His next showcase there is at 7 p.m., Saturday, April 13. The lineup includes Roxy Merrari, who hosts the weekly Comedy at the Wench series; local touring professional Ali Musa; and Roy Lee Reynolds. Admission is $3.

With his comedy-business partner Jules Moreno, Reynolds is a kind of Johnny Appleseed of Tucson comedy. The pair blazed a trail to Benson in August with a monthly series at Riverside Inn Saloon, and they continue to take shows to Cilantro’s in Douglas about every other month. Lately Reynolds has helped organize and run an almost monthly Sunday open mic at the Music Box Pub, 6951 E. 22nd Street. It’s a natural, he says, because nine Tucson comics live within walking distance.

In the Fourth Avenue area, thick as it already is with comedy, Joel Martin has launched a combination showcase and open mic in the spacious beer garden of Corbett Brewery, 309 E Seventh Street. The show, Good Enough Comedy, starts at 9:30 every Wednesday night. The crowd swells with a pack of hardcore comedy lovers around 10 p.m. That’s when Mo Urban’s long-running 7:30 pm Wednesday open mic at Café Passé lets out. It’s around the corner at 414 N. Fourth Ave.

Monday has open mic fans scrambling for their Ubers. After Merrari’s three-year-old, 7 p.m. mic at Surly Wench Pub, 424 N. Fourth Ave., they dash to a mic recently started by Stephanie Lyonga at Putney’s Pitstop Sports Bar and Grill, 6070 N. Oracle Road. Show time is 8 p.m. After a long break from comedy, Lyonga’s working on new material every week and that alone is worth the drive.

Farther north, fans find Dave Margolis’ new Monday showcase and mic at Casa Marana Craft Beer and Wine, 8225 N Courtney Page Way, suite 191. The show, called Casa de Comedy, starts at 7 p.m. This week’s guests are Ron B. Rown, Drake Horner, Chris Quinn, Paul Lucie, Emma Stephens and Danny Keaton.

Meanwhile ...

Let's also celebrate the long-running pinnacle of Tucson’s open mic scene, Laffs Comedy Caffé (8 p.m., Thursdays, 2900 E. Broadway Blvd). Saving the best for last, we welcome the already famous Patton Oswalt this weekend. (8 p.m. Sunday, April 14, foxtucson.com, $39.50 to $75).

Ron Campbell, an animator known for his work on The Beatles' Yellow Submarine, Scooby Doo, the Smurfs, Rugrats, Winnie the Pooh, Flintstones and more, will be exhibiting and presenting at Arizona Picture & Frame Gallery from Monday, April 8 to Wednesday, April 10.


This is a great opportunity to capture a piece of childhood, as all artworks are available to purchase. Campbell's work has become iconic in the pop and psychedelic art world over multiple decades, even influencing Disney and Nickelodeon animation.

Campbell will showcase his original Beatles cartoon paintings and make original "remarques" for customers who purchase any of his art work. Ron will also feature other artwork based on his 50-year career in cartoons.   
Campbell exhibits at Arizona Picture & Frame Gallery, 4523 E. Speedway Blvd. From 2 - 6 p.m., Monday, April 8; 4 - 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 9; 4 - 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 10. Free admission.

Sculpture Resource Center artist Joshua Woodhall says he’s been doing art ever since he had the motor skills for it. He has this memory of checking out a library book in middle school and drawing something lewd on its pages.

“The silly librarian took it all over looking for who drew it,” he says. “Everybody got to see my boob drawing.”

This weekend, Tucsonans will have their own chance to see Woodhall’s erotic pieces at the ninth annual Tucson Erotica opening reception at the Sculpture Resource Center, 640 N. Stone Ave., 7 to 11 p.m. on Saturday, April 6. Past iterations of the festival have included pieces ranging from traditional nudes to the type of sculpture you really can’t resist walking around to see from every angle to arguably over-the-top depictions of orgies. But that’s the thing: Nothing is over-the-top at this sex-positive festival. This year, the event will include literary art for the first time as well.

Event organizer Inna Rohr met two burlesque performers at last year’s event, and was so impressed by their sexual energy that she created a series of paintings featuring them.

“They were both really strong an powerful, and the had this absolutely magnificent presence about them,” she says. “The series addresses same-sex relationships and intimacy and how it doesn’t matter who you are because love is still love.”

This is Rohr’s fifth year being involved with the festival. Last year, her featured pieces were playfully positioned bananas and donuts. But she spent much of her last year traveling the world, including visiting family in Estonia. In some places she visited, same-sex relationships aren’t yet normalized.

“The work I was inspired to do there inspired some conversations, and inspired some mind changing,” she said. “That was a cool conversation to have… It’s such a beautiful thing to be in love and to express your feelings and to be okay with it and not worry about what other people would think.”

The cover art she created for the festival also features two women. One of them (the one holding the whip), who goes by the stage name Fiametta Mink, is in charge of organizing the performers for this year’s event. Mink didn’t find her way to burlesque until her 40s, and she said last year’s Tucson Erotica was a particularly good place to perform – she and the other dancers weren’t on a stage, so they were practically face-to-face with audience members who were as respectful as they were enthused.

Hot on the spiked heels of Taco Sauce’s debut release, Original Hot—a freewheeling retro hell ride that navigates a few of the pitfalls faced by Generation Y-ers, including dating app hookups and the manipulative psychology of gaslighting—XOXO caught up with frontwoman Gabi Montoya to pick her brain. Saucy? Si señora, just like a worn pair of glitter splatter ankle boots.

Ok. Let’s start with “Swipe Left.” What is the backstory to that song?

I wrote “Swipe Left” a few years ago when I was single and doing the whole Tinder online dating thing. I was both amused and frustrated with how ridiculous it was. Most profiles were making stupid demands like, “you have to like this and if you don't, swipe left.” And, of course, the unsolicited nudes that Tinder is famous for.

What does the release of Original Hot mean to you?

Mostly, it means finally giving our friends and fans what they've been asking for at every show. It's really exciting because we built a big local following way faster than we could have imagined. Many people who came to our shows assumed we were already a well-established band. So, we finally get to use the momentum we gained over the last year and get our music into the hands of our fans. It's just so mind-blowing that we actually have people who have been waiting for this. We're really grateful.

What adjectives best describe your live performances?

Our live performances are engaging, surprising, sexy and oftentimes, pretty silly. Me and [bassist] Isabella [Rodriquez] enjoy teasing each other and making witty banter on stage.

Taco Sauce… Hmm. So, where did the name come from?

The name for the band was a combination of ideas. I like the word “saucy.” We thought something about tacos or Mexican food or Chicano culture would be fitting. And, very Tucson. Also, I think the name appeals to dirty minds, considering we're an all-woman band with queer members.

What about “Gaslight.” What was the inspiration there?

“Gaslight” came from reflection upon relationships with men in which I wasn’t, umm, shall we say, ‘satisfied.’ I realized that it’s still a very common tactic for men to blame women for aspects of their relationship that they're not happy about; essentially, gaslighting women into believing that the woman is the problem or the problem is all in her head.

Is Original Hot self-released or on a label?

Original Hot is self-released. The tracks were recorded at three different studios to help us experiment with finding our sound.

So, is there an album release party on the horizon?

Isabella and I are currently planning a summer tour. Our original drummer [Dessa Keys] left the band a few months ago. Now, Gaby Lisk is acting as our drummer. So, we're just trying to reorganize and figure out who we want to be going forward. We feel more free to do what we want. We aren't going to do a release party per se. But, we'll definitely treat all of our upcoming shows as a celebration of this new release.

There you have it.

Taco Sauce's debut EP, Original Hot, is now available for streaming on Spotify. Or purchase at tacosauceband.bandcamp.com

Internet Sensational Grandma

“Granny gone viral” is Jeanne Robertson’s handle these days. That’s what a TV station dubbed her a decade ago when her collection of humorous, slice-of-life observations first blew up the internet. Just last Monday, her YouTube channel logged its 67 millionth view.

The stylish, 6’2” former Miss Congeniality brings her class act to the Fox Tucson Theatre at 7 p.m., Friday, March 29.

“I was in my 60s when I embraced the internet,” she says. Now 75, she says she owes her continuing success online, and in her theater show, to “clean, family appropriate stories that are humorous.”

Don’t call her a comedian. She may crack up a crowd, but until the internet found her, she had never stepped foot in a comedy venue. She’s plied her humor as a corporate guest speaker and, for a time, even presided over the National Speaker’s Association. She says that in the corporate world, the word “comedian” scares them to death.”

Her day job is not motivational training or workshops. She swoops in to break up an eight-hour drag of conference sessions with a rib shaking luncheon or dinner talk, dressed in spike heels and pearls.

Most often, she says, her stories show how humor can be an essential skill for sanity and success—“to look for the humor in everyday situations, to laugh at yourself and to influence the people around you to keep a sense of humor.”

And how does she find humor in everyday life? “I have made it a priority to look for humor every day. I get up around 5 a.m. and start looking for speech material. I believe people find pretty much what they’re looking for. There are people who never try to find the humor. Everything is negative. Maybe they just never enjoy what they do.”

But finding the humor is just a start. The homey, hilarious stories Robertson crafts around her finds are what’s propelled her to influencer status on the internet and turned a popular convention presenter into a “humorist” selling out packed houses.

Fun With Conspiracy Theories

Tin Foil Hat with Sam Tripoli comes to 191 Toole at 8 p.m., Saturday, March 29. In a world where daily headlines can’t possibly be real, conspiracy theories are almost comic relief. The Tin Foil Hat podcast gives our blown minds permission to laugh at the genuinely ludicrous. 

Son of Phoenix Makes Good

Phoenician-gone-good Michael Longfellow heads a bill that includes frequent local headliners at the next Brew Ha Ha Showcase at Borderlands Brewing Company at 8 p.m. Monday, March 18.

Raised in Phoenix, Longfellow formerly appeared regularly at Tempe Improv standup shows. Now he lives the comedy life in L.A, where he’s been chosen as one of TBS’ Comics To Watch, done a standup set on CONAN and can now be seen on Hidden America with Jonah Ray. 

Matt Ziemak and Rory Monserrat host. Mo Urban, Josiah Osego and Tony Chavira round out the bill. Urban teaches standup comedy at the Tucson Improv Movement (TIM) and produces the popular local comedy shows The Dating Game and C*nts Being C*nts Talking about C*nts. Tickets are $5 at the door or in advance via squareup.com. Food is available from Blacktop Grill. 

Wish we had more room to talk about…

Every time we see The Belle of Tombstone is a delight. It’s a throwback to the forgotten era in which the Gaslight and Pinnacle Peak have their roots, when westerns dominated screens large and small, the bad guys wore black hats and the heroes rode white horses. The Belle of Tombstone is all that, covered in music and amazing puns. Visit gaslighttheatre.com for reservations and more information. It closes March 31.

Another perennial favorite, amazon drag queen Tempest du Jour, holds forth with her ever hilarious, inter-active Retro Game Show at 6 p.m., Saturday, March 16, at Club Congress. This month’s send up is The Wheel of Missfortune. Admission is $10, but we recommend reserving for the splash zone, $12 via hotelcongress.com

There’s so much comedy coming up we need this head start.

We love discovering new comedy, but never more than when it’s an underground favorite that’s been packing alternative halls for years. It made our day when we discovered Matt Kearney’s ongoing comedy series at the Viscount Suites Hotel, 4855 E Broadway Blvd. Apparently, we are the last to know.  

At 9 p.m., Friday, March 29, Kearney and his crew invite you to LOL Comedy Jam, with headliner A.G. White and host Rob Rodriguez. White hails from East New York—that place Brooklyn folks warn others about. He says his was “that one white family that will never move out of the ’hood.” Fellow Brooklyn comic Barry Ribs, Tucsonan Pablo Pugh and Phoenician Tommy Black round out the bill. ν

Tickets are $15 in advance via grownsexy.ticketleap.com/lol-comedy-jam, or $20 at the door. VIP and group rates are available. 

Louisville, KY-based band Small Time Napoleon is headed to SXSW with a couple of guitars, a stand-up bass, a drumset and lots of accolades from their home state in tow. With influences ranging Tom Waits to Elvis Costello and Paul Simon, the band serves up a unique mix of sounds they like to describe as "jazz-ish." Vocalist and guitarist Jeff Thomas answered some questions in advance of the band's performance in Austin.

Is this your first year at SXSW? What are you most excited for?

We've never been to Texas, let alone SXSW. So we're super excited to check out the musical landscape of that area of the country along with the vibe of the festival as a whole.

What sparks your creativity? Is it a place? A person? A specific type of sandwich? (Your answer is not limited to those options)

Creativity can come somewhat randomly, but most often from life events. They seem to lead to the best tunes for us, anyways. We have songs about close family deaths, relationships being built and lost and other random life events. Writing about what you know almost always seems to be the best practice.

You describe yourself as a "jazz-ish" band. Do you specifically work to make music that can't be pigeonholed into one category, or do you just make what sounds came to you and worry about what to call it later?

We describe ourselves as jazz-ish because jazz can be such a divisive word. If you're into jazz, calling ourselves jazz might disappoint you because we write tunes with pop influences. If you hate jazz, calling ourselves a jazz band might turn you off before you listen. We've found that our jazz influences help us stand out against other bands who play similar pop-influenced tunes. Hopefully we live in the sweet spot between "too jazzy for mainstream" and "not jazz enough for those seeking something new/different."

What is your favorite song of yours, and why? What song of yours would you recommend people listen to first, and why? If these are different songs, why?

I polled the band and everyone has a different answer for this question.

• Dave, our bassist, best likes a tune called "Tower Song" off our first EP. Tower Song is primarily in 5/4, but mixes in 4/4 and 6/4 throughout. It's easy to make mixed meter stuff sound ham-fisted, but in the case of "Tower" it serves the song. It's easy to not even realize the tune is jumping back and forth from time signature to time signature.
• Zack, our drummer, cited "Me and Mary Magdalene" (from our full-length LP) as his favorite. It starts off as a low ballad, just acoustic and voice, and continues to build into an extremely hard-hitting and wild tune.
• Dan, one of our singer/guitarists, said he enjoyed "Maybe," also off the full length, as his favorite. "Maybe" is a multi-part tune that shifts between fermata style sections, funk, and rock. Lyrically, it's somewhat cheeky, all while remaining approachable.
• Jeff, vocals/guitar, really likes a tune of ours called "High Wire," off our most recent EP, Too Big To Fail. It has a really laid-back feel to it. Lyrically, it's simultaneously about a poker game and a bar fight. Its also a story song that prequels a tune called "Boring Little Play" from our LP.

If you're going to listen to us for the first time, I would suggest "Sucker for a Tomboy." Its an upbeat, approachable tune with cryptic lyrics worth exploring.

Do you have and your other band members have day jobs? If you do, what are they and what drives you to do music as well?

We each have day jobs. Dan works in IT, Dave is a title abstractor, Zack works for the University of Louisville's medical department and Jeff is a front-end developer. I don't think any of us could imagine a world in which music wasn't a part of our lives. In that way, we don't have a choice not to be musicians.

Small Time Napoleon's SXSW set is Thursday, March 14 in The Elephant Room, 315 Congress Ave.