Photo By Jymi Bolden

Visual Fringe, Kabaka Oba

Back to Basics
Jeff Alt likes to hike.

"Hiking helps me realign with what's important," he says. "We are so inundated with commercialization, technology, stress and responsibility that we lose sight of our own priorities."

A Toledo native and Miami University grad who now calls Cincinnati home, Alt has been realigning his priorities for more than 20 years. His first exposure to hiking's addictive, soul-nourishing nature came at age 14 during a visit to The Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Gatlinburg, Tenn. In 1998, Alt hiked the Appalachian Trail in an effort to raise money for Sunshine Home, a facility for the disabled where his brother Aaron resides. The 147-day odyssey resulted in A Walk for Sunshine, a travelogue that revealed Alt's sensitivity to his surroundings.

Photo By Sara Beiting

Larry Gross

"I try to balance being descriptive enough to put you on the trail with me while also writing in a stress-free sort of nature style that reflects my state of mind as I'm living my adventure," he says.

Alt's latest book, A Hike for Mike, was borne amid tumult: His wife Beth's brother Mike committed suicide as a result of undetected depression. In an effort to raise awareness about this debilitating illness -- as well as to help his wife cope with the loss -- Alt turned to the healing powers of hiking. He and Beth ("a woman raised with the belief that vacations include hot showers, beaches and warm beds") traversed California's John Muir Trail, a 218-mile trek filled with moments both high and low.

"The hike helped us grow closer," he says. "There were no distractions, just Beth and I. No TV, no football games, no phone calls to interrupt our conversations. Walking together had a Tarzan and Jane romantic flair. We witnessed alpine glow sunsets each night; we took glacial lake dips to clean off."

Photo By Courtesy of Showbiz Players

Urinetown

Besides deepening the couple's bond, A Hike for Mike also raised awareness to the dangers of depression.

"With all this technology around, it's easy to forget that life comes down to basic needs," he says. "Sometimes the best medicine is the simple things that only nature can provide."

In celebration of National Trail Days, Jeff and Beth Alt appear at 2 p.m. Saturday at Borders Books in Tri-County. 513-671-5852. (See Literary.) -- JASON GARGANO

Photo By KSB Productions

Jeff Alt

WEDNESDAY 31
"There are 15 short stories," says local author Larry Gross, "really about ordinary people and their ordinary lives. But sometimes things happen in ordinary lives to change people to some degree." Gross is talking about Signed, Sealed and Delivered, his first collection of short stories, published late last year. And if there's one thing Gross understands, it's change. An amateur writer since grade school, and through both high school and college, Gross never took his writing too seriously. In 1997, he was diagnosed with diabetes and then lost his corporate job as a result of his illness. "I remember it was October 1997," he says, "and I said, 'You know, I'm going to have to start taking this seriously.' " Before long, Gross had rung the changes. By August 1999, he was working as an accountant for CityBeat by day and toiling away by lamplight as a writer by night. "I've been working on this book for about four years," he says. "I'm 52, and I'm getting started really late." Gross reads from and signs his collection 7 p.m. Wednesday at Sitwell's Coffee House in Clifton. 513-281-7487. (See Literary.)-- CHRIS KEMP

WEDNESDAY 31 THROUGH TUESDAY 06
The Cincinnati Fringe Festival continues to grow in its third year, offering a wider array of options for culture vultures who revel in the unique. The VISUAL FRINGE portion of the fest (curated by CityBeat art writer Jacquelyn Vaughn) appears in 17 galleries on and around Main Street, each of which will be open 5-8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and again June 7-10. Meanwhile, the first-ever CELLULOID FRINGE features five independent shorts that vary in tone and content. Jenise Treuting's documentary, Invitations and Ultimatums, looks at the U.S. invasion of Iraq through the eyes of an American living in Japan, a country that "bends over backwards to live up to U.S. expectations." April Martin and Barbara Wolf's Ebony & Ivory Productions offers up Kabaka Oba: A Life Not in Vain, a brief documentary on the life and death of the controversial rabble-rouser (pictured). On the other end of the spectrum is Love Me, Don't Sit on Me, an irony-laced love letter to furniture by local filmmakers Josh Flowers and Kendall Bruns. The final two films -- a pair of playful mockumentaries, Infamous: The Pelegrino Brothers and Hereafter -- come courtesy of local Dog Day Productions duo Michael Maney and Ryan Lewis. Celluloid Fringe screens at 8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at The Greenwich in Walnut Hills. www.cincyfringe.com. (See Onstage and Events and "On the Fringe" listings on page 43 for festival details.) -- JASON GARGANO

THURSDAY 01
You won't have to hold it much longer, as Showbiz Players will present the show with the title that turns people off -- and music that makes you want to get up and go. It's URINETOWN, which was nominated for 10 Tony Awards back in 2001 (it earned top honors for best score and best book). In the not-too-distant future, a severe water shortage makes private toilets unthinkable. The corrupt UrineGood Company charges people for the "privilege to pee," while a small group of rebels fight for the right to "pee for free." Not only is this a funny story, it's the kind of show musical theater lovers flock to -- full of loving parodies of other shows you'll recognize, including West Side Story, Les Mis and The Sound of Music. At Xavier's Gallagher Student Center Theatre starting Thursday. 513-981-7888. (See Onstage.) -- RICK PENDER

THURSDAY 01
You might not know the "modelizer" (man who only dates models), but you've definitely run into a "toxic bachelor." This week's your chance to meet the woman responsible for those classifications, as former New York City club queen and best-selling author of Sex and the City fame CANDACE BUSHNELL takes the Aronoff stage. "Sex and the City," the last session in the Smart Talk Women's Lecture Series, brings the Carrie Bradshaw alter ego out from behind the scenes for a peek into the life of the writer who not only recently released her fourth book, Lipstick Jungle, but a live Sirius radio talk show, Sex, Success and Sensibility. Is Cincinnati finally fabulous? If questions arise about "fashionistas" or the "glitterati," well, no. 513-621-2787. (See Events.) -- JESSICA CANTERBURY

SATURDAY 03
As the Clifton Heights/University Heights area around UC gets a retail upgrade, the neglected "Short Vine" area nearby in Corryville gets an injection of creative energy from the organizers of the GO!GLOW SHOW. Showcasing the "digital arts" of various local artists, Saturday's four-hour event will feature design art displays from students in UC's DAAP program as well as video artists from Lightborne and Big Bang. The artists' work will be projected onto several video screens, which can be viewed outside (a huge screen will be hung in the 2600 block of Vine Street), and at four of the area's music venues and restaurants. Those venues will also present solid local music lineups. At Top Cat's, catch Culture Queer and The Sundresses (dance troupe Barnyard Burlesque also performs); Sohio, The Minni Thins and Campfire Crush play the Holy Grail; Daniel's will have The Stardevils and Buckra; and Martino's hosts Goodnight Satellite, The Chocolate Horse and The Hiders. Bluegrass act the Mt. Pleasant String Band will provide music outside. A $5 admission fee gets you into each of the musical showcases. shortvine.org/ GoGlow. (See Music or Events.) -- MIKE BREEN

FRIDAY 02 SATURDAY 03 SUNDAY 04
No doubt about it, it's officially summer. A mark of summer in these parts is the arrival the SUMMERFAIR art festival at Coney Island. Now in its 38th year, this event is bigger than ever. Starting at 2 p.m., check out 300 national, regional and Canadian artists and craftsman selling their work and doing live demonstrations. As a part of the newest section, Youth Arts Fest, children will have the opportunity to do hands-on crafts. Admission to the festival is only $9 (free for children 12 and under) and parking is free. 2-8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. 513-531-0050. (See Arts.) -- JACQUELYN VAUGHN