Enjoy an intimate evening of literature and music during the second Brucemore Arts Share on May 14 at 7:00 p.m. The event continues the tradition started by Brucemore’s second family, the Douglases, who frequently entertained guests and celebrated local artists in the Mansion’s Great Hall. Graduate students from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Andres Carlstein and Anna Morrison, will read original fiction and poetry. Doctoral candidates at the University of Iowa, Akilah Bryant and Jessica Altfillisch, will follow with a flute and viola duo.  A light reception will be held after the hour-long program. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets purchased in advance are $7 per adult and $5 per Brucemore member or student.  All tickets at the door (if available) are $10. Space is limited; purchase tickets by visiting www.brucemore.org or calling (319) 362-7375. This performance is made possible by a Better Futures for Iowans grant through The University of Iowa’s Office of the Provost.

Andrés Carlstein is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Iowa and the author of Odyssey to Ushuaia, a Motorcycling Adventure from New York to Tierra del Fuego. He is a 2012 MacDowell Colony Fellow and Yaddo Residency Fellow, and his short stories have been finalists for the 2013 Doug Fir Fiction Prize and the 2013 Gertrude Stein Fiction Award. Carlstein holds a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where he was an Arts Fellow. He lives in Iowa City and is working on a novel.

Julia Anna Morrison is a second-year Master of Fine Arts candidate at the Iowa Writers' Workshop from Atlanta, Georgia.  She teaches creative writing to undergraduates at the University of Iowa.  Julia's work has recently appeared in Redivider and Gulf Coast.

A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Akilah Bryant is a flute performer, teacher, and clinician currently living in Iowa City. In 2012, Akilah received the prestigious Dean’s Graduate Research Fellowship from the University of Iowa, where she is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Performance and Pedagogy. She also holds degrees from the University of Michigan and the University of Alabama. In addition to extensive performing throughout Alabama and the Midwest, Akilah has been the recipient of many awards including those from the Nelson Hauenstein Memorial Fellowship, the National Federation of Music Clubs, the Josie Etta Daley Memorial Fund, Tuesday Musicale, and the Birmingham Music Clubs Guild.

Violist Jessica Altfillisch is a doctoral candidate at the University of Iowa and Director of the CR Suzuki Academy, LLC, a violin and viola school in Cedar Rapids. Jessica has served as resident violist in the Aiyanna Piano Quartet, the University of Iowa Center for New Music Ensemble, and is currently violist of the Lierre Duo. As an undergraduate at the University of Northern Iowa, Jessica performed with the Northern Iowa Chamber Orchestra in Moscow and St. Petersburg. She finished her undergraduate studies at the University of Kansas, and has since appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in throughout the Midwest. Jessica has also played professionally as a member of the Des Moines, Dubuque, Waterloo/Cedar Falls, and Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestras.

About Arts Share

Arts Share continues The University of Iowa's long tradition of sharing creative resources from the Division of Performing Arts (music, dance, theater), the School of Art and Art History, and the Writers' Workshop. Arts Share aims to strengthen the arts in underserved areas, reaching out to provide access to life-enriching arts experiences throughout Iowa. Through this program, artists have traveled as far as Council Bluffs, Sioux City, Buffalo Center, Keokuk, and Lamoni to present interactive performances, workshops, readings, residencies, master classes, and more.

About Brucemore

Experience Brucemore, an unparalleled blend of tradition and culture, located at 2160 Linden Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At the heart of the historic 26-acre estate stands a nineteenth-century mansion filled with the stories of three Cedar Rapids families.  Concerts, theater, programs, and tours enliven the site and celebrate the heritage of a community.  For more information, call (319) 362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org.