Treat your senses to a delectable journey through the tantalizing worlds of chocolate and wine!
Join us for a captivating discussion where we'll unwrap the rich histories of these beloved treasures and discover the secrets to savoring each exquisite sip and sumptuous bite to the fullest. Lisa Cooper Holmes of Haute Chocolate will be your guide, sharing the key to perfect pairings and the science of enhancing flavors. But it's not just talk - we'll tantalize your palate with samples that'll awaken your appreciation for the finer things in life. Get ready for an evening of pure, unadulterated indulgence!
Featured Panel
Lisa Cooper Holmes, Haute Chocolate
Location
Clifton Cultural Arts Center
3412 Clifton Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45220
LISA COOPER HOLMES is the Proprietor, Queen, and “Choco Boss” of the fabulous Haute Chocolate in downtown Montgomery. Lisa’s journey into chocolate began in 1979 here in Cincinnati, when her quests to make the perfect brownie and to put a unique spin on chocolate truffles converged. Thus began her chocolate boutique in Cincinnati, opening with just two products: brownies and truffles. Lisa and her elves have been tempting Cincinnatians for more than 30 years, marketing over 60 unique products of her exquisite creation throughout the country. For those who inquire, the logo for Haute Chocolate features a pig – named Reginald. He was inspired by the “truffle pigs” in Europe who sniff out the best truffles for culinary preparation.
Since 1987, Cincinnati has seen tremendous growth in salsa music from the days of the Havana Martini Club featuring a salsa band every Sunday evening to the twenty-two weeks of Salsa on the Square during the summer months.
But, how did salsa music evolve? How did it get to Cincinnati?
This workshop will time-travel back to Cuba, the origins of salsa music. It will visit and explore the evolution of salsa music through each decade from the 1920s to the 2000s and its arrival in Cincinnati. We’ll listen to music from the 1930s during the rhumba era, the mambo craze of the 1950s, boogaloo of the 1960s in New York City, and finally the salsa explosion of the 1970s.
If you want, come with your dancing shoes!
Age: Adults (18+)
Session: One Time Workshop, meets on April 27, 2024
Instructor: Victor Vélez
Cost: Free! Suggested donation of $10 per student.
Class Location: CCAC's new home (3412 Clifton Ave)
Victor Vélez, a native of Puerto Rico, grew up in New York City and now lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. His creative talents are expressed through multiple artistic disciplines as a writer, poet, photographer, and musician. Victor studied Communication Arts at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, New York and began his writing career as a freelance writer in the early 1980s.
Victor’s published work includesA Quest for Answers: A Personal Journey(2003), Salsa on the Square: A Summer of Photos (2010) celebrating the annual summer salsa series on Cincinnati’s Fountain Square,Donde Esta, Señor? (Where Are You, Lord?) written in Spanish, and most recently, the suspense thriller Triduum of All Hallows (2022). He is the author of five poetry books.
Prepare to journey behind the scenes of America's power hub as we sit down with the remarkable Michael Collins, once a reporter for the Cincinnati Post and The Kentucky Post and now USA Today's White House correspondent.
In this engaging expert panel discussion, we'll delve into the inner workings of the White House press room, uncovering the intricate dance of reporters, officials, and the President. Gain insights into the highs and lows of traveling with the Commander-in-Chief and breaking world-changing news.
Hailing from Whitesburg, Kentucky, Michael's journey to the heart of political journalism – covering one presidential funeral, two papal visits, six inaugurations, and 15 White House Correspondent Dinners, as well as riding on Air Force One eight times and taking 55 (and counting) COVID tests – is an inspiring tale in itself.
Join us for an enlightening evening as we unravel the stories behind the headlines and the incredible career of a journalist who brings the White House to the world.
Featured Panelist
Michael Collins, USA Today White House correspondent
Panel facilitated by Maryanne Zeleznik, Cincinnati Public Radio’s Vice President of News and 'Morning Edition' Host
Location
Clifton Cultural Arts Center
3412 Clifton Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45220
Michael Collins is a White House correspondent for USA Today. He has been a Washington-based reporter for over 20 years, first with Scripps Howard News Service, where he covered Congress and other issues for Scripps' papers in Ohio, Kentucky, California, and Tennessee. He has been with USA Today for eight years and covered the White House for the past five years. As a White House correspondent, he has reported from France, Italy, Poland, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Before arriving in the nation’s capital, Collins was a reporter for The Cincinnati Post and its sister paper, The Kentucky Post in Covington. He spent five years in Frankfort, Ky., as The Kentucky Post’s state capital bureau chief, where he covered the governor and the legislature. He also served as night city editor and editorial writer. A native of Whitesburg, Ky., he is a 1984 graduate of Western Kentucky University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and served as editor of the student newspaper, the College Heights Herald. He is a member of the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame and the recipient of the 2019 College Heights Herald Award for outstanding contributions in journalism.
Maryanne Zeleznik came to 91.7 WVXU in 2005 from WNKU where she served as News and Public Affairs Director for 20 years. At WVXU, she is responsible for all news and public affairs programming, hosts Morning Edition Monday through Friday, and fills in to host Cincinnati Edition.
Maryanne has won numerous regional and national journalism awards including the Leo C. Lee Award for significant contributions to public radio news from the Public Radio News Directors Incorporated, as well as awards from Ohio Associated Press, Ohio Society of Professional Journalists, and the Cincinnati Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. She was named Best Talk Show Host in Cincinnati in 2017 by CityBeat readers. In 2016, The Salesian Guild honored her as Distinguished Communicator of the year.
She lives in Fort Thomas with her husband, daughter and their dog Zoe.
In this art class for the preschool set (ages 2-4), we will read and explore a different picture book each week and then make our own art inspired by the story using a variety of materials. Dress to allow for a mess! Grownups must stay with their young artists during the class. Space is limited: registration is required to reserve your seat!View and register for upcoming Art + Tales events by clicking here.
Ages: 2-4 with an adult
Session: May 21, 2024
Instructor: Kelli Gleiner
Cost: Free, suggested $5 per class donation
Class Size: maximum of 12 children registered per program day
Class Location: CCAC's new home (3412 Clifton Avenue)
How to Register: enter donation amount in the box below, then hit "donate"! Registration closes prior to the program. If you do not see a "donate" option, the program is full!
Kelli Gleiner
Kelli is an author, fiber artist, and art educator in Cincinnati, Ohio. She holds a BFA in drawing and painting from Bowling Green State University. She’s taught art in the public and private sectors, made a lot of coffee, stayed home with a little human, wrote grants for a nonprofit, and coordinated events for the best children’s bookstore in the world, all while making art.
Her two board books, Cheer Up, Monster and A Day With Monster, feature a quirky felted monster/abominable snowman friend that was popular on her (now defunct) Etsy site, and are available now from blue manatee press.
An inspirational story of a boy who loved the stars so much, he decided to catch one of his very own. The beautifully illustrated, original debut picture book from shining talent Oliver Jeffers. There once was a boy who loved stars so much that he wished he had one of his very own. Every night he watched the stars in the sky from his bedroom window and dreamed of how he could be their friend and how they could play hide-and-go-seek together. So, one day, he decided to set about catching a star of his very own…
In this art class for the preschool set (ages 2-4), we will read and explore a different picture book each week and then make our own art inspired by the story using a variety of materials. Dress to allow for a mess! Grownups must stay with their young artists during the class. Space is limited: registration is required to reserve your seat!View and register for upcoming Art + Tales events by clicking here.
Ages: 2-4 with an adult
Session: May 14, 2024
Instructor: Kelli Gleiner
Cost: Free, suggested $5 per class donation
Class Size: maximum of 12 children registered per program day
Class Location: CCAC's new home (3412 Clifton Avenue)
How to Register: enter donation amount in the box below, then hit "donate"! Registration closes prior to the program. If you do not see a "donate" option, the program is full!
Kelli Gleiner
Kelli is an author, fiber artist, and art educator in Cincinnati, Ohio. She holds a BFA in drawing and painting from Bowling Green State University. She’s taught art in the public and private sectors, made a lot of coffee, stayed home with a little human, wrote grants for a nonprofit, and coordinated events for the best children’s bookstore in the world, all while making art.
Her two board books, Cheer Up, Monster and A Day With Monster, feature a quirky felted monster/abominable snowman friend that was popular on her (now defunct) Etsy site, and are available now from blue manatee press.
With perfect comic pacing, Greg Pizzoli introduces us to one funny crocodile who has one big fear: swallowing a watermelon seed. What will he do when his greatest fear is realized? Will vines sprout out his ears? Will his skin turn pink? This crocodile has a wild imagination that kids will love.
With bold color and beautiful sense of design, Greg Pizzoli's picture book debut takes this familiar childhood worry and gives us a true gem in the vein of I Want My Hat Back and Not a Box.
In this art class for the preschool set (ages 2-4), we will read and explore a different picture book each week and then make our own art inspired by the story using a variety of materials. Dress to allow for a mess! Grownups must stay with their young artists during the class. Space is limited: registration is required to reserve your seat!View and register for upcoming Art + Tales events by clicking here.
Ages: 2-4 with an adult
Session: May 7, 2024
Instructor: Kelli Gleiner
Cost: Free, suggested $5 per class donation
Class Size: maximum of 12 children registered per program day
Class Location: CCAC's new home (3412 Clifton Avenue)
How to Register: enter donation amount in the box below, then hit "donate"! Registration closes prior to the program. If you do not see a "donate" option, the program is full!
Kelli Gleiner
Kelli is an author, fiber artist, and art educator in Cincinnati, Ohio. She holds a BFA in drawing and painting from Bowling Green State University. She’s taught art in the public and private sectors, made a lot of coffee, stayed home with a little human, wrote grants for a nonprofit, and coordinated events for the best children’s bookstore in the world, all while making art.
Her two board books, Cheer Up, Monster and A Day With Monster, feature a quirky felted monster/abominable snowman friend that was popular on her (now defunct) Etsy site, and are available now from blue manatee press.
Spare, rhythmic text and pairs of simple circular shapes convey opposite relationships in the arc of a day in this very simple concept book.
Dots here, dots there, you can see dots everywhere! Some are loud, and some are quiet. Some are happy, and some are sad. Some dots even taste yummy, while others taste bad.
Graphic designer Patricia Intriago sets bold, circular shapes against a stark white background to emphasize opposite dot relationships.
In this art class for the preschool set (ages 2-4), we will read and explore a different picture book each week and then make our own art inspired by the story using a variety of materials. Dress to allow for a mess! Grownups must stay with their young artists during the class. Space is limited: registration is required to reserve your seat!View and register for upcoming Art + Tales events by clicking here.
Ages: 2-4 with an adult
Session: April 30, 2024
Instructor: Kelli Gleiner
Cost: Free, suggested $5 per class donation
Class Size: maximum of 12 children registered per program day
Class Location: CCAC's new home (3412 Clifton Avenue)
How to Register: enter donation amount in the box below, then hit "donate"! Registration closes prior to the program. If you do not see a "donate" option, the program is full!
Kelli Gleiner
Kelli is an author, fiber artist, and art educator in Cincinnati, Ohio. She holds a BFA in drawing and painting from Bowling Green State University. She’s taught art in the public and private sectors, made a lot of coffee, stayed home with a little human, wrote grants for a nonprofit, and coordinated events for the best children’s bookstore in the world, all while making art.
Her two board books, Cheer Up, Monster and A Day With Monster, feature a quirky felted monster/abominable snowman friend that was popular on her (now defunct) Etsy site, and are available now from blue manatee press.
From the acclaimed author/artist of Beyond the Pond and Rulers of the Playground comes a breathtaking new book with a powerful message about the environment, perfect for fans of Peter Brown’s The Curious Garden and Kadir Nelson’s If You Plant a Seed.
Each day, the big trucks go to work. They scoop and hoist and push.
But when Digger discovers something growing in the rubble, he sets in motion a series of events that will change him, and the city, forever.
In this art class for the preschool set (ages 2-4), we will read and explore a different picture book each week and then make our own art inspired by the story using a variety of materials. Dress to allow for a mess! Grownups must stay with their young artists during the class. Space is limited: registration is required to reserve your seat!View and register for upcoming Art + Tales events by clicking here.
Ages: 2-4 with an adult
Session: April 16, 2024
Instructor: Kelli Gleiner
Cost: Free, suggested $5 per class donation
Class Size: maximum of 12 children registered per program day
Class Location: CCAC's new home (3412 Clifton Avenue)
How to Register: enter donation amount in the box below, then hit "donate"! Registration closes prior to the program. If you do not see a "donate" option, the program is full!
Kelli Gleiner
Kelli is an author, fiber artist, and art educator in Cincinnati, Ohio. She holds a BFA in drawing and painting from Bowling Green State University. She’s taught art in the public and private sectors, made a lot of coffee, stayed home with a little human, wrote grants for a nonprofit, and coordinated events for the best children’s bookstore in the world, all while making art.
Her two board books, Cheer Up, Monster and A Day With Monster, feature a quirky felted monster/abominable snowman friend that was popular on her (now defunct) Etsy site, and are available now from blue manatee press.
In this art class for the preschool set (ages 2-4), we will read and explore a different picture book each week and then make our own art inspired by the story using a variety of materials. Dress to allow for a mess! Grownups must stay with their young artists during the class. Space is limited: registration is required to reserve your seat!View and register for upcoming Art + Tales events by clicking here.
Ages: 2-4 with an adult
Session: April 9, 2024
Instructor: Kelli Gleiner
Cost: Free, suggested $5 per class donation
Class Size: maximum of 12 children registered per program day
Class Location: CCAC's new home (3412 Clifton Avenue)
How to Register: enter donation amount in the box below, then hit "donate"! Registration closes prior to the program. If you do not see a "donate" option, the program is full!
Kelli Gleiner
Kelli is an author, fiber artist, and art educator in Cincinnati, Ohio. She holds a BFA in drawing and painting from Bowling Green State University. She’s taught art in the public and private sectors, made a lot of coffee, stayed home with a little human, wrote grants for a nonprofit, and coordinated events for the best children’s bookstore in the world, all while making art.
Her two board books, Cheer Up, Monster and A Day With Monster, feature a quirky felted monster/abominable snowman friend that was popular on her (now defunct) Etsy site, and are available now from blue manatee press.
In this art class for the preschool set (ages 2-4), we will read and explore a different picture book each week and then make our own art inspired by the story using a variety of materials. Dress to allow for a mess! Grownups must stay with their young artists during the class. Space is limited: registration is required to reserve your seat!View and register for upcoming Art + Tales events by clicking here.
Ages: 2-4 with an adult
Session: April 2, 2024
Instructor: Kelli Gleiner
Cost: Free, suggested $5 per class donation
Class Size: maximum of 12 children registered per program day
Class Location: CCAC's new home (3412 Clifton Avenue)
How to Register: enter donation amount in the box below, then hit "donate"! Registration closes prior to the program. If you do not see a "donate" option, the program is full!
Kelli Gleiner
Kelli is an author, fiber artist, and art educator in Cincinnati, Ohio. She holds a BFA in drawing and painting from Bowling Green State University. She’s taught art in the public and private sectors, made a lot of coffee, stayed home with a little human, wrote grants for a nonprofit, and coordinated events for the best children’s bookstore in the world, all while making art.
Her two board books, Cheer Up, Monster and A Day With Monster, feature a quirky felted monster/abominable snowman friend that was popular on her (now defunct) Etsy site, and are available now from blue manatee press.
Meet a winning, winsome inchworm, proud of his ability to measure anything under the sun, from a robin's tail to a toucan's beak. When a hungry nightingale threatens to eat him for breakfast unless he can measure her song, the inchworm calls on his craft and skill to creatively solve the dilemma.
In this art class for the preschool set (ages 2-4), we will read and explore a different picture book each week and then make our own art inspired by the story using a variety of materials. Dress to allow for a mess! Grownups must stay with their young artists during the class. Space is limited: registration is required to reserve your seat!View and register for upcoming Art + Tales events by clicking here.
Ages: 2-4 with an adult
Session: January 9, 2024
Instructor: Kelli Gleiner
Cost: Free, suggested $5 per class donation
Class Size: maximum of 8 children registered per program day
Class Location: The Upside Brew (329 Ludlow Avenue)
How to Register: enter donation amount in the box below, then hit "donate"! Registration closes prior to the program. If you do not see a "donate" option, the program is full!
Kelli Gleiner
Kelli is an author, fiber artist, and art educator in Cincinnati, Ohio. She holds a BFA in drawing and painting from Bowling Green State University. She’s taught art in the public and private sectors, made a lot of coffee, stayed home with a little human, wrote grants for a nonprofit, and coordinated events for the best children’s bookstore in the world, all while making art.
Her two board books, Cheer Up, Monster and A Day With Monster, feature a quirky felted monster/abominable snowman friend that was popular on her (now defunct) Etsy site, and are available now from blue manatee press.
Named an NPR Best Book of the Year and Junior Library Guild Selection, Flashlight by Lizi Boyd is a wordless storybook with stunning illustrations that aims to lighten the fear of the dark and the noises that come with it.
" Flashlight allows readers to experience the wonder and excitement of nighttime exploration in the woods and wordlessly entices readers to explore the hidden nature outside their own homes."— The Busy Librarian
Inside the tent it's cozy, but what is going on outside? Is it dark? Is it scary? Not if you have your trusty flashlight!
In this charming story, told solely through images, artist Lizi Boyd offers an enchanting exploration of night, nature, and the nocturnal world. One boy's camping adventure gets even better when he shines a light into the shadows and finds all sorts of nighttime creatures, fascinating insects, plants, trees, and streams—all brilliantly illuminated in the beam of his flashlight.
In this art class for the preschool set (ages 2-4), we will read and explore a different picture book each week and then make our own art inspired by the story using a variety of materials. Dress to allow for a mess! Grownups must stay with their young artists during the class. Space is limited: registration is required to reserve your seat!View and register for upcoming Art + Tales events by clicking here.
Ages: 2-4 with an adult
Session: January 2, 2024
Instructor: Kelli Gleiner
Cost: Free, suggested $5 per class donation
Class Size: maximum of 8 children registered per program day
Class Location: The Upside Brew (329 Ludlow Avenue)
How to Register: enter donation amount in the box below, then hit "donate"! Registration closes prior to the program. If you do not see a "donate" option, the program is full!
Kelli Gleiner
Kelli is an author, fiber artist, and art educator in Cincinnati, Ohio. She holds a BFA in drawing and painting from Bowling Green State University. She’s taught art in the public and private sectors, made a lot of coffee, stayed home with a little human, wrote grants for a nonprofit, and coordinated events for the best children’s bookstore in the world, all while making art.
Her two board books, Cheer Up, Monster and A Day With Monster, feature a quirky felted monster/abominable snowman friend that was popular on her (now defunct) Etsy site, and are available now from blue manatee press.
Snow is a 1998 New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year and a 1999 Caldecott Honor Book.
"It's snowing, said boy with dog."It's only a snowflake," said grandfather with beard.
No one thinks one or two snowflakes will amount to anything. Not the man with the hat or the lady with the umbrella. Not even the television or the radio forecasters. But one boy and his dog have faith that the snow will amount to something spectacular, and when flakes start to swirl down on the city, they are also the only ones who know how to truly enjoy it.
Uri Shulevitz' playful depiction of a snowy day and the transformation of a city is perfectly captured in simple, poetic text and lively watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations.
LISA COOPER HOLMES is the Proprietor, Queen, and “Choco Boss” of the fabulous Haute Chocolate in downtown Montgomery. Lisa’s journey into chocolate began in 1979 here in Cincinnati, when her quests to make the perfect brownie and to put a unique spin on chocolate truffles converged. Thus began her chocolate boutique in Cincinnati, opening with just two products: brownies and truffles. Lisa and her elves have been tempting Cincinnatians for more than 30 years, marketing over 60 unique products of her exquisite creation throughout the country. For those who inquire, the logo for Haute Chocolate features a pig – named Reginald. He was inspired by the “truffle pigs” in Europe who sniff out the best truffles for culinary preparation.
Michael Collins is a White House correspondent for USA Today. He has been a Washington-based reporter for over 20 years, first with Scripps Howard News Service, where he covered Congress and other issues for Scripps' papers in Ohio, Kentucky, California, and Tennessee. He has been with USA Today for eight years and covered the White House for the past five years. As a White House correspondent, he has reported from France, Italy, Poland, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Before arriving in the nation’s capital, Collins was a reporter for The Cincinnati Post and its sister paper, The Kentucky Post in Covington. He spent five years in Frankfort, Ky., as The Kentucky Post’s state capital bureau chief, where he covered the governor and the legislature. He also served as night city editor and editorial writer. A native of Whitesburg, Ky., he is a 1984 graduate of Western Kentucky University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and served as editor of the student newspaper, the College Heights Herald. He is a member of the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame and the recipient of the 2019 College Heights Herald Award for outstanding contributions in journalism.
Maryanne Zeleznik came to 91.7 WVXU in 2005 from WNKU where she served as News and Public Affairs Director for 20 years. At WVXU, she is responsible for all news and public affairs programming, hosts 
