A week of events in Cambridge, Somerville: Impeachment, sacred spaces, Jelly comedy
Monday
“The Amorous Heart: An Unconventional History of Love” with Marilyn Yalom from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at The Harvard Coop, 1400 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square. Free.
Scholar Marilyn Yalom explains the history of the two-lobed heart symbol from scripture and tapestry to T-shirts and text messages, shedding light on how we have expressed love since antiquity. Information is here.
Tuesday
“To End a Presidency: The Power of Impeachment” with Laurence Tribe and Joshua Matz from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, but limited, seating.
Constitutional scholar and Harvard professor Laurence Tribe and attorney, publisher and author Joshua Matz talk through the co-written “To End a Presidency: The Power of Impeachment,” a book on a topic likely to be on many people’s minds. Attendance is first-come, first-served, with access to the lecture hall beginning at 6 p.m. Information is here.
Wednesday
Skip the Small Talk from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square, Somerville. Admission is $10 for this 21-plus event.
Forget the dumb small talk that comes from meeting new people and – thanks to provided cards with “big talk” conversational questions – get right to the kinds of conversations you have late at night where for some reason, you feel safe talking about the things you actually care about. There’s a discounted pizza delivery planned for early in the evening. Information is here.
https://youtu.be/QAhTMkXAPUk
Malcolm Mooney and Herbcraft from 8 to 11 p.m. at First Church Somerville UCC, 89 College Ave., between Davis and Powder House squares in Somerville. Tickets are $12 (or $13.41 with the online service fee).
Malcolm Mooney, original vocalist for German krautrock band Can (of “Vitamin C” fame) and then of the band Tenth Planet, alights for a show of psychedelia and musical art with the similarly aligned Portland, Maine, band Herbcraft. Information is here.
Sip N Spin from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at The Independent, 75 Union Square, Somerville. Free.
Customers sticking around after these weekly themed tastings – this week it’s stuff from the Zero Gravity Craft Brewery in Burlington, Vermont – get to DJ for the crowd for 15 to 20 minutes, with no musical stylings discouraged. Information is here.
Thursday
Boston’s Hidden Sacred Spaces from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mt Auburn St., West Cambridge. Free.
Sacred spaces such as chapels, meditation spaces and prayer rooms are hidden throughout the region, just out of view, some designed by well-known architects and others created informally by people seeking a small retreat. Sociologist Wendy Cadge, architectural historian Alice Friedman and photographer Randall Armor have documented more than 60 in and around Greater Boston in municipal buildings, shopping malls, military installations, schools and universities, health care organizations, prisons, mental health centers, cemeteries, senior living communities and rehabilitation centers. Information is here.
Jelly: Women in Comedy Night from 9:30 to 11 p.m. at ImprovBoston, 40 Prospect St., Central Square. Tickets are $10.
The Jelly show puts the spotlight on Boston’s funniest women, whether veterans and or new talent. This month’s guests are Jessicalee Skary, Bodega, Tooky Kavanagh and Zenobia Del Mar (pictured), with host Reece Cotton. Information is here.
Friday
Campfire. Festival runs through Monday – 6 p.m. to midnight today; noon to midnight Saturday and Sunday; and noon to 11 p.m. Monday at Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square. Tickets are $10 for daily passes or $25 for a weekend pass.
Passim’s twice-a-year homegrown festival of Americana, bluegrass, blues, Celtic, country, folk and related musical styles runs throughout the long Memorial Day weekend with dozens of musical acts. Originally just a way to fill a bad booking weekend in 1998, the festival now competes with the rock- and pop-focused Boston Calling across the river. The distressingly punctuated Campfire. aims to develop talent and celebrate the local music scene, with organizers saying shows can blur the line between performer and audience member – just like might happen sitting around an actual campfire, strumming a guitar or two. The all-ages event, now in its 20th year, has a full schedule here.
Fresh Dance Friday with ProviDance Project from 4 to 5 p.m. Friday at Green Street Studios, 185 Green St., Central Square. Free.
This informal, family-friendly performance series gives local artists the chance to show work in progress and hear audience feedback. ProviDance is Massachusetts dance artists and teachers Angela Cole and Ellen Oliver. Information is here.
Graffiti Alley Cypher from 8 to 10 p.m. in Graffiti Alley, across from Pearl Street on Massachusetts Avenue, Central Square. Free.
Local hip-hop artists perform for the public in Central Square’s most colorful and iconic location. Information is here.
Saturday
Campfire. Festival runs through Monday – noon to midnight today and Sunday; and noon to 11 p.m. Monday at Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square. Tickets are $10 for daily passes or $25 for a weekend pass. A full schedule is here.
Standing Waves Series with Aki Onda from 4 to 6 p.m. at The MIT Press Bookstore, 301 Massachusetts Ave., in The Port neighborhood near Central Square. Free, with a suggested donation of $5 to $10.
Aki Onda is a New York-based electronic musician, composer and visual artist known for his “Cassette Memories” project – in which he compiles a “sound diary” of field recordings collected over more than two decades, then manipulates multiple Walkmen electronically during performances. Information is here.
Sunday
Campfire. Festival runs through Monday – noon to midnight; and noon to 11 p.m. Monday at Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square. Tickets are $10 for daily passes or $25 for a weekend pass. A full schedule is here.
Hot Mouth Stuff: Live Comedy, Live Pain from 9:30 to 10:45 p.m. at ImprovBoston, 40 Prospect St., Central Square. Tickets are $10.
This is a gimmick, but we’re sold. Each of eight comedians have to eat a hot pepper just before performing their set. The People’s Show lineup includes Raghav Mehta, Geoffrey Thomas Asmus, Nonye Brown-West (pictured), Anthony Scibelli, John Baglio, Jeff Medoff, Kendra Dawsey and Jesse R. Miles. Information is here.
