Arts and Humanities

This week on our new audio diary series “The Big Break,” Louisville Ballet trainee Claire Horrocks experiences her first full production, while Actors Theatre apprentice Samantha Beach tries to figure out how to set good artistic habits for her future. Kentucky Opera studio artist Brad Raymond reflects on his most recent show, "The Prodigal Son."

Learn more about our audio diarists, who report in every Thursday about what it's like to work in a professional performing arts company.

Gwenda Bond’s debut young adult novel “Blackwood” (Strange Chemistry) revisits one of America’s most enduring mysteries. On modern-day Roanoke Island, 114 people disappear – the same number that vanished from the island's lost colony in the 16th century. Two misfit teens, Miranda (daughter of the town drunk) and Phillips (who hears the voices of the dead) team up to solve both mysteries in order to bring back their missing neighbors.

The annual Writer's Block Festival is Saturday, with workshops, panel discussions and readings for writers and readers scheduled in and around the Green Building (732 E. Market St.) and the Cressman Center (100 E. Main St.). Produced by Louisville Literary Arts, the event also features a print fair in the Green Building (through 4 p.m.) with exhibits by local and regional small presses and literary journals. 

A juried art show featuring visually impaired artists opens Thursday at the Galt House Hotel. Sponsored by the American Printing House for the Blind, APH Insights 2012  features 82 works (out of more than 400 submitted) by artists from across the country, ranging from professional artists to senior citizens and students.

A variety of media, including painting, sculpture and photography, is represented. Winners in nine categories have been selected by a panel of Louisville judges to be honored in a ceremony Friday. Artists will greet visitors Friday 4:15-5 p.m.