JACK MCCARTHY, THE STANDUP POET, AT SWEDENBORG HALL JULY 31

National poetry phenomenon Jack McCarthy will appear for one night only on Saturday, July 31 from 7 to 8 pm at Swedenborg Hall, 1531 Tyler Avenue in University Heights. The reading is free but donations to the church are gladly accepted.

Jack calls himself a "standup poetry guy." Others have called him "legend." The Boston Phoenix named him "Best Standup Poet," The Boston Globe said, "In the poetry world, he's a rock star." Stephen Dobyns calls him, "one of the wonders of contemporary poetry."

He's an engaging minor character in the film "Slamnation", was a semifinalist for the Individual Slam Championship in 2000, and won the haiku championship at the Individual World Poetry Slam in 2007.

His work is done in competition by high school students in several states, including Texas (Texas!), and has been published in numerous magazines, including The Worcester Review, Rattle, and World Literature Today, and appears in such anthologies as "The Spoken Word Revolution," "The Spoken Word Revolution Redux," and the "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Slam Poetry." (The adjective "Complete" is thought to modify the noun "Guide," not the noun "Idiot's.")

Now living in Everett, Washington, he brings books and CDs to his readings, on the off-chance that someone might want to take some of him home. His website is www.standupoet.net.

SUMMER IN THE PARK CONCERTS

The University Heights Community Development Corporation (UHCDC) Annual Free Concerts will be scheduled again for the 14th Year at the Trolley Barn Park in the 1900 block of Adams Avenue. This year we have selected four new bands plus our long time favorite, Sue Palmer.

Here is the line up for our five concerts:

July 9: The Corvettes, doing Doo-Wop and Motown favorites

July 16:  West of 5 dishing out the 70’s to now rock

July 23: Three-Chord Justice twanging out country classics for those who like their western ditties sung by a great female vocalist

July 30: Len Rainey and the Midnight Players jazz and blues

August 6: the one and only Sue Palmer, her keyboard and her Motel Swing Orchestra to put that final touch to another great series of performers, getting the crowd jumpin’ and jivin’ to boogie woogie and swing tunes.

You can donate now to another UHCDC summer event or sign up to be a band or all-series co-sponsor or just to show your support with whatever donation you would like to make. Please click here to download the donation form. The UHCDC is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit public benefit corporation and if you have any questions, please call the UHCDC office at (619) 297-3166.

YOUR INPUT IS NEEDED!

The City of San Diego is embarking on an update to the 1988 Uptown Community Plan concurrently with updates to the community plans for Golden Hill and North Park, which is expected to take 2 to 3 years to complete.

Community input is needed, especially because the city's focus is shifting from how to develop vacant land to how to design infill development in existing communities, such as University Heights.

The University Heights Community Development Corporation is actively participating in the plan update process and would like your input on plan issues such as provision of public services, public transit, and historic preservation. Your responses are completely anonymous and confidential and will be presented as part of an aggregate during the plan update process. To take the survey, please click here.

For more information on the city's plan update process, visit the City of San Diego website.