February 12-18, 2004

mixpicks

All Heart

by Tricia Ferdinand

For a holiday that is supposedly linked to a history of persecution and death, Valentine's Day seems a bit overrated. Don't get me wrong. I adore chocolate, and I'm all for holidays with the possibility of getting showered with gifts. The problem is that the focus of what should be a beautiful holiday seems lost in the sea of flowers. But don't despair. There are still plenty of interesting things you can do to celebrate the holiday of love, with or without a sweetie of your own.

French is not the only language of love. In fact, picture a Latin hottie whispering poetry in your ear. Palabras de Amor/Words of Love is an evening of Latino poetry at Asociaciín de Músicos Latino Americanos (ALMA), where you can experience precisely this (well, not the whispering-in-your-ear part), featuring poets such as Lucas Rivera, Juan Gutiérrez and Julia Lípez. If you like both music and poetry, you'll enjoy spending Valentine's Day at Longwood Gardens with Po/Jazz Connection: A Romance of Spoken Word and Jazz, with featured poet Lamont "Napalm" Dixon.

Hagley Museum and Library offers the chance to celebrate Valentine's Day the Victorian way during Victorine's Valentine Day. Listen as "Victorine," a character based on the daughter of the DuPont Company's founder, tells love stories from the 19th century; you can then complete the experience by making Victorian valentines. The Hawthorne Cultural Center presents a Valentine's Day Waist Party featuring DJ music and dance for boys and girls ages 12 to 16, where the admission fee is a penny for every inch of your waist measurement. Meet someone new during 103.9 FM The Beat's Single in the City program, and maybe if you're lucky, someday you can be wed at Reading Terminal Market (this year, by Judge Richard B. Klein). Choose wisely, and be sure to enjoy!

Palabras de Amor/Words of Love, Fri., Feb. 13, 7:30 p.m., $5, AMLA, 2726 N. Sixth St., 215-223-3060. Po/Jazz Connection: A Romance of Spoken Word and Jazz, Sat., Feb. 14, 2:30 p.m., $2-$12, Longwood Gardens, Route 1, Kennett Square, 610-388-1000. Victorine’s Valentine Day, Sat., Feb. 14, 12:30-4 p.m., $4-$11, Hagley Museum and Library, Route 141, Wilmington, Del., 302-658-2400. Valentine’s Day Waist Party, Fri., Feb. 13, 5-10 p.m., 1 cent per inch of waist size, Hawthorne Cultural Center, 1200 Carpenter St., 215-685-1848. Single in the City, Fri., Feb. 13, 9 p.m.-2 a.m., African American Museum, Seventh and Arch sts., 215-574-0380. Wed on Valentine’s Day, Sat., Feb. 14, 11 a.m., Reading Terminal Market, 12th and Arch sts., 215-922-2317.

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