Essentials: Entertainment Picks June 5-11 

THURSDAY JUNE 5

Writers @ Work Conference
Writing is a lonely business. Hours and days spent isolated with a computer screen and the world inside your head can make it hard to remember that many, many others face the same struggles and challenges, whether that means making your work better or finding a way to get it out to readers. Celebrating its 30th year in 2014, Writers @ Work presents an annual conference filled with opportunities for writers to interact and take their work to the next level. Talented guest faculty will present specialized workshops in a variety of areas. Poet Ellen Bass will provide guidance in the art and inspiration of poetry, including feedback on work; Robin Hemley will explore the possibilities in literary nonfiction; novelist Lawrence Coates will help fiction writers hone specific pieces of work while also instructing in successful long-term processes. It’s an amazing opportunity for writers of all kinds to make the merely okay good, and make the good great. Additional guests will be on hand—including representatives from the publishing industry and literary journals—to read manuscripts and provide career recommendations, including an introduction to self-publishing by Ben Behunin. And the faculty read from their own work to provide even more inspiration. Attendees can lodge on-site, or register for event participation only. One long weekend could be the difference between that world of writing isolation and sharing it with the world. (Scott Renshaw)
Writers @ Work Conference @ Alta Lodge, 210 Little Cottonwood Canyon Road, Alta, 801-996-3313, through June 8, Thursday-Saturday 8 a.m.- 9:30 p.m., Sunday 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m., $690-$955, space limited. WritersAtWork.org

Salty Cricket Composers Collective: Melange 5.0
Salty Cricket Composers Collective, also known as SC3, has a valiant mission at its core: to push classical music beyond its own historical confinements into an exploratory present tense, before launching it into a bright and creative future. Of the several showcases they put on each year, the annual Melange production pushes those boundaries the farthest. Designed as a group featuring composers from Utah or with Utah ties, SC3 is filled with artists trying to push their own art form out of the stuffy environs typically associated with it by redefining the listening and creative sphere it inhabits. This edition of Melange will see composers performing mainly their own new works, some including instruments and pairings unusual for classical music (like a quartet for soprano, vibraphone, electric guitar and didgeridoo), plus multimedia performances. Just don’t be too surprised if a budding young composer takes center stage and whips out an iPhone to render an electronic sonata or suite. (Jacob Stringer)
Salty Cricket Composers Collective: Melange 5.0 @ Ladies Literary Club, 850 E. South Temple, 801-652-0737, June 5, 7:30 p.m., $10-$20. SaltyCricket.org

Morgan Donovan: Shower Stills
Morgan Donovan’s photographic series Shower Stills, currently at Finch Lane Gallery consists of actual-size, head-and-shoulder portraits of subjects created in a studio that have the illusion of not only nakedness, but of being washed clean, divested of all that is non-essential, emerging fresh, even reborn. The intimacy and simultaneous distance of the portraits recalls the work of noted American portraitist Chuck Close, but the effect is more naturalistic. It seems a fitting subject for the season that symbolizes renewal after a long cold winter. The illusion that these works create—in the subjects’ seemingly blank stares, or some kind of regained cleanliness, if only skin-deep—has to be read in the context of their gaze, which is always returning that of the viewers. Donovan will present a gallery talk during the June Gallery Stroll on Friday, June 20, at 7 p.m. Her work will be shown concurrently with Nancy Vorm’s mixed-media work and John Mack’s sculpture. (Brian Staker)
Morgan Donovan: Shower Stills @ Finch Lane Gallery, 54 Finch Lane. 801-596-5000, through June 20, Gallery Stroll June 20, 6 p.m., free. SLCgov.com/arts

FRIDAY JUNE 6

D-Day 70th Anniversary
On June 6, 1944, more than 156,000 Allied troops participated in the invasion of Normandy that began the push toward retaking the European theater of World War II from Germany; more than 2,500 Allied soldiers lost their lives in that critical operation. This year, on the 70th anniversary of the day that changed the course of the war in Europe, Fort Douglas Military Museum will host several free events commemorating its significance. The morning begins with a convoy of restored World War II-era military vehicles to the museum, which will be on display from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The main program in the afternoon includes presentation of colors and recognition of local D-Day veterans, a historical lecture and a re-enactment featuring period-accurate weapons. Then learn even more beginning at 5:30 p.m. with a screening of the epic 1962 feature film The Longest Day, starring John Wayne, which looks at the events of D-Day from both the Allied and German perspective. (Scott Renshaw)
D-Day 70th Anniversary @ Fort Douglas Military Museum, 32 Potter St., University of Utah, 801-581-1251, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; 3 p.m.-9 p.m., free. FortDouglas.org

SB Dance: The Pushers
Many of us are born in a closet of some sort—sexuality, gender, religion. For Stephen Brown, founder and artistic director of SB Dance, that closet was a kind of artistic one. And his coming out just happened to be in New York during the height of what was then called “the gay cancer.” SB Dance’s new evening-length production The Pushers is about that specific time in history. Combining dance pieces with personal stories told by Brown himself—because, as he puts it, he personally knows half his audience, so there was no way he’d hire an actor to do it—the performance explores ideas as varied as finding your artistic voice and fighting for gay rights. “People laugh, and it’s funny as hell, personal and poignant, but then it’s funny again. It’s not going to be some AIDS death march,” Brown says. “This piece is far more narrative than most of my past work, in the way that there are characters and things happen to them—less abstract, more concrete. It is told from my point of view, but a better word for it would be ‘emotional.’ … You really care about these people.” Far be it from SB Dance to do something too somber, so The Pushers is designed to be part party, part performance. There will be a social bar open beforehand, and the show is designed to sneak up on you, with the reception blending into the actual performance. Brown says The Pushers is a show for Pride, with a celebratory mood designed to get the audience to participate. (Jacob Stringer)
SB Dance: The Pushers @ Rose Wagner Center, 138 W. 300 South, 801-355-2787, June 6, 7, 13 & 14, 8 p.m., June 15, 4 p.m., $20. SBDance.com

Hatrobot: Illustrations by Chris Bodily
The Utah Pride Festival has a wide array of exciting activities, but don’t overlook the booths displaying wonderful arts and crafts. Of 16 local artists exhibiting in the Art Zone near the walkway between The Leonardo and the Main Library, especially noteworthy is Ogden illustrator Chris Bodily.
Going by the nickname “Hatrobot” on Facebook and other social media, Bodily is best known for work that represents animals in a whimsical yet slightly alarming style, influenced by manga comics. Represented by the Hive Gallery in Layton, he will present posters and prints at the festival.
Bodily’s work has been featured on the cover of Salt Lake City Weekly, SLUG Magazine and Utah Stories, and his 2013 exhibit at Stoneground restaurant was awarded an Arty for Best Print Show by City Weekly. Recently, he got a gig painting wall murals for the Reddit headquarters in Salt Lake City. His work is so assertive because it comes from an affection for the line and a solid basis in sketching. From there, the work flies into an extravagant exploration of where those lines can go, and what they can depict—often humorous, sometimes turbulent and maybe even both at the same time. It’s almost like he shakes his pen and sketches fall out. Their exuberance is perfect for the season and a wonderful addition to Utah Pride Fest. (Brian Staker)
Hatrobot: Illustrations by Chris Bodily @ Utah Pride Festival, Washington Square & Library Square, 200 E. 400 South, 801-539-8800, June 6-7, Saturday 3 p.m.-11 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-7 p.m. $8 per day in advance, $10 at the gate. Hatrobot.com

SATURDAY JUNE 7

Utah Pride Festival & Parade
It’s been an extraordinary year for the LGBT community in Utah and around the country, with a landmark court ruling allowing same-sex marriage in the state for the first time ever, and an ongoing legal battle that could change marriage equality forever. Recognition of those key events is a central part of this year’s Utah Pride Festival & Parade. While events begin on Thursday with an interfaith religious service at Wasatch Presbyterian Church, the party starts on Saturday with events including a 5K, transgender rally & march and the first day of events at the Washington Square festival grounds, with entertainment including DJs, dancing, live bands and headliner Betty Who. But the centerpiece is the annual Pride Parade on Sunday down 200 South from 400 East to the Salt Palace led by a group of very special grand marshals who happen to be three couples at the center of the current legal fight for marriage equality: Laurie Wood & Kody Patridge, Moudi Sbeity & Derek Kitchen, and Kate Call & Karen Archer. Watch for City Weekly’s own parade entry among those representing many organizations and businesses showing their support, then head to the festival grounds for more food and music, featuring headliner Steve Grand. Join in the optimism that the next 12 months might turn out to be even more extraordinary. (Scott Renshaw)
Utah Pride Festival & Parade @ Washington Square, 200 E. 400 South, June 7, 3-11 p.m. & June 8, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., $8 per day in advance, $10 at the gate. Utah Pride Parade @ 200 South between 400 East & West Temple, 10 a.m. UtahPrideFestival.org

SUNDAY JUNE 8

Urban Flea Market
On the second Sunday of every month, the Urban Flea Market takes over the parking lot at 600 South and Main Street, with rows of people waiting to make a deal. This market works on the buy/sell/trade mentality—which means if you didn’t bring money or set up a booth, no problem. Bring some goodies of your own from home, and you might be able to trade them for something awesome. Yes, awesome: This isn’t a market where people just bring boxes they’ve found in the attic in hopes that someone will haul it off. You’ll find real collectable and vintage items, many still functioning; the owners just have no use for them. It’s a great place to find a steal. (Gavin Sheehan)
Urban Flea Market @ 600 S. Main, June 8, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., free. FleaMarketSLC.com

WEDNESDAY JUNE 11

Alex Beam: American Crucifixion
In his new book, American Crucifixion, Alex Beam tells tale of the creation of Mormonism and the critical moment that was the martyrdom of its founder, Joseph Smith. According to Beam, the story of the foundation of a homegrown religion turning into one the world’s fastest-growing faiths is a purely American story. It’s important to note that the historical narrative Beam explores is not that of a prophet, but of a man—someone who went from water-divining and treasure-hunting to translating found golden plates, creating a new religion and secretly marrying dozens of young women, all propelled by “holy revelation.” Beam presents Smith’s story as that of an American Icarus who flew far too close to the sun and ended up crashing back down to earth at the hands of an angry mob in Carthage, Ill., in 1844. Beam writes how the charismatic prophet’s embrace of polygamy divided the fledgling religion in two, and ended up being the catalyst for Smith’s eventual death. (Jacob Stringer)
Alex Beam: American Crucifixion @ The King’s English Bookshop, 1511 S. 1500 East, 801-484-9100, June 11, 7 p.m., free. KingsEnglish.com