Jean Trounstine

Big Commitment
Is marriage still a worthwhile endeavor? Was it ever? The recently published Why I'm Still Married: Women Write Their Hearts Out on Love, Loss, Sex and Who Does the Dishes says yes.

The brainchild of editors Karen Propp and JEAN TROUNSTINE, the book gathers essays by 24 female writers who bravely and incisively dissect what it is that compels them to marry, and stay married. Written by everyone from the well-known (Erica Jong, ZZ Packer) to the less so, the essays, though varied in content and delivery, convey one common thread: at base, we long for companionship, for someone with which we can share experiences and navigate the complexities of being alive in our world today.

The project started almost as a coincidence."Karen and I met at a reading and went across the street to have coffee and chat," says Trounstine, a Cincinnati native who now lives in Boston. "I pulled out my computer to show Karen an essay I was working on. She looked and said, 'I can't believe it. I have an essay also called 'Why I'm Still Married.' We thought if we were interested in this subject -- why is this so in an age when women have so many choices, do we still choose marriage and stay married or keep coming back to marriage. We found other women writers were also fascinated to explore this question on the page."

And explore they did. "We expected to find out about marriage -- how independence and dependence find a quirky balance in the 21st century that's far different from our parents," she says. "It's not uncommon for people in our book to get married more than once -- we keep coming back until we get it right. With (an) over 50 percent divorce rate, it seems that we still hold fast to what I call, 'The hand across the abyss,' that takes us through tough times. Most of the women in the book answered our call to write about challenges and weren't afraid to 'write their hearts out.' "

Trounstine appears at 7 p.m. Thursday at Joseph-Beth Booksellers. 513-396-8960. (See Literary.) -- JASON GARGANO

Genders

WEDNESDAY 24
Women want him. Men want to be him. And if you're on his bad side, the best plan is to leave the country. Fast. Who is this man of mystery? Jack Reacher, of course, the star of LEE CHILD's novel The Hard Way. An English-born former television writer, Child bought $6 worth of paper and pencils and wrote Killing Floor, the first Jack Reacher novel and the best investment he ever made. The Hard Way is Child's 10th book, and once again he delivers a delicately crafted mystery that roars by at blistering speeds. A former Army cop, Reacher is enlisted to solve a kidnapping, but those concerned are never quite what they seem. Beautiful women and submachine guns are involved. Child signs and reads from his novel at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Joseph-Beth Booksellers. 513-396-8960. (See Literary.) -- JESSICA ARRIENS

FRIDAY 26
Are you eager for the 2006 Cincinnati Fringe Festival -- 130 productions, seven venues, 12 days -- to get started? The first day of the celebration of off-kilter, cutting-edge theater and other arts is still a week away, but you can check out the TEASE PARTY on Main Street in Over-the-Rhine Friday evening. For a $5 admission fee, you'll have access to Mr. Pitiful's, Kaldi's and the InkTank office, where DJ Pillo and Barnyard Burlesque will tantalize your ears and eyes with belly dancing, tapas, body shots and Mehndi body painting. The organizers hope to arouse Cincinnatians' hedonistic side, they say. Uh, I hope we have one. www.cincyfringe.com. (See Events.) -- RICK PENDER

FRIDAY 26
When you head down to this month's Final Friday Gallery Walk on Main Street, make sure you turn the corner and take in the visual feast at the ART ACADEMY OF CINCINNATI (1212 Jackson St.). This exhibition, Cincinnati Community Education Faculty Show, features local favorites like sculptor Rhonda Gushee. You'll also find work from one of Cincinnati's premier portrait painters, Carin Hebenstreit, as well as new pieces from photographer Paula Norton, among others. A wide range of talent, subject matter and media will be on view, so don't miss this opportunity to see work by amazingly talented, versatile artists and educators. Opening reception: 6-9 p.m. Continues through June 23. 513-562-8748. (See Art.) -- JACQUELYN VAUGHN

FRIDAY 26 SATURDAY 27
This year's MAY FESTIVAL concludes with a pair of highly anticipated pieces. Friday night's performance is a first-ever semi-staged concert version of Mozart's magnificent (if lesser known) opera, The Abduction from the Seraglio, completing Maestro James Conlon's bow to the composer on the 250th anniversary of his birth. The production features several guest soloists making their May Festival debuts: bass Morris Robinson, sopranos Mary Dunleavy and Amanda Pabyan and tenors Matthew Garrett and Matthias Klink. Renowned actor Michael York will both narrate and play the crucial role of the Pasha Selim. The festival closes out Saturday with the moving Haydn oratorio, The Creation, performed in its entirety for just the seventh time in the May Festival's 133-year history. Conlon cites the traditional Saturday night finale of the May Festival Chorus, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the audience joining in to sing Handel's Halleleujah Chorus as a highlight. "It's an old tradition and the audience loves it," Conlon says. "Everybody stands up, we turn the lights on them and they sing it all together. It's a thrilling moment." 513-381-3300. (See Onstage.) -- BRIAN BAKER

CCM

FRIDAY 26 SATURDAY 27
Where would ballet be today without George Balanchine? The Russian émigré who has been credited with revolutionizing American ballet has graced the dance world with an extensive and wide-ranging repertoire, and for the first time ever UC's COLLEGE-CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC is presenting a Balanchine work. It's one of the legendary choreographer's early compositions, Serenade from 1935, set to fellow Russian Tchaikovsky's Serenade in C major. It also happens to be the first piece he choreographed in the U.S. and is considered a milestone of ballet's waltz into the modern era. CCM is taking all the steps to get it right: They've hired an official Balanchine repetiteur, Bart Cook, to stage the work and to ensure the work's artistic integrity is upheld. It's a technically challenging work for the students, featuring 17 dancers in non-stop motion, including a sizable chunk of corps work. But according to Dance Division Head Shellie Cash, it's a labor of love. Rounded out by CCM faculty member Michael Tevlin's The Firebird set to Stravinsky, the show promises to be an engaging one for audiences as well as the dancers. Balanchine must be smiling somewhere ... 513-556-4183. (See Onstage.) -- JULIE MULLINS

SUNDAY 28
Close your eyes and let GHOSTMAN & SANDMAN, GENDERS and GIRL TALK lead you on a tour of your subconscious mind as the three bands hypnotize and enthrall audience members Sunday night at The Comet. Start off your musical journey by sampling the sensual sounds of Ghostman Sandman's Surf Rock, then follow along with the perplexing and enigmatic stage show of the Detroit duo Genders. The labyrinth of their "sinuous hypnobeats," along with trance-inducing vocal moanings and wailings, will leave you wondering just who and where you are. No worries, though: The "non-stop celebration of pop and excess" of Girl Talk (aka Gregg Gillis) will bring you back to reality. Dance it all away as he plays continuous ADD-indulgent mixes of trans-decade Top 40 hits. It's time to lay down your beach blanket and dip your toes into the rhythm. 513-541-8900. (See Music.) -- MAIJA ZUMMO