Oral traditions
Like your entertainment heavy on the words, light on the music? Some of Tulsa's best spoken-word performers will be featured in a special show next week at Harwelden, 2210 S. Main St.

Nancy Harris, Tom Henry, Mingo Glass and Sheri Booth will rattle of some of their best performance poems and spoken songs.

This is a really cool experience, highly recommended for those seeking to broaden their cultural horizons in the new year. Harris is a both a commanding and nuturing presence on stage. She co-wrote one of her signature tunes, "Oklahoma Turnpike," with singer-songwriter Henry. The two of them will be cracking some new material at this show -- including an untitled piece Harris said "feels like Spain meets Russia in the wintertime" -- and some old faves -- like "White Room, which Harris said "sounds like Peter Gabriel meets Alice Cooper."

They hit the stage at 8 p.m. Wednesday. The venue's posh but free. Give it a whirl.

Once again, this show is sponsored by the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa and the Oklahoma Arts Council, as well as the S.W.O.T. team (Spoken Word of Tulsa).-- T.C.