A week of events in Cambridge and Somerville, from a mind reader to seven new ‘Opera Bites’
Sunday, Jan. 15
A belly dancer in 2014. (Photo: Alvaro Garcia via Flickr)
Belly dancing at 2:30 to 4 p.m. at The Middle East Corner, 480 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square. $20 donation for a 21-plus show. Dancers perform the “New Flames of Araby” to live music from the Udi Joseph Kouyoumjian Ensemble. Information is here.
Hear Her Sing for Freedom (continued) at 3 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge (and continuing through Sunday, with a virtual version streaming Monday). $35. Information is here.
Tuesday, Jan. 17
In-person pub sing from 6 to 8 p.m. at Somerville Community Growing Center, 22 Vinal Ave., near Union Square, Somerville. Free. This event is based on a traditional English pub sing and encourages chorus-based songs that are easy to learn and fun to do as a group; this outdoor event includes a propane fire pit and offers marshmallows to toast. Other snacks are welcome. Information is here.
Richard Hoffman reads from “Remembering the Alchemists and Other Essays” at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Porter Square Books, 25 White St., Porter Square. Free, but registration is suggested. Seventeen essays intended to inspire readers away from “a learned despondency that ensures a future of more wars, ongoing injustice and stifled potential.” He will be in conversation with Sven Birkerts, co-editor of the magazine Agni. Masks are required. Information is here.
Wednesday, Jan. 18
Crafting at West: Collaging Series from 6 to 7 p.m. at Somerville Public Library West Branch, 40 College Ave., near Davis Square. Artist Cara Foster Karim runs a two-week series on how to create a collage that celebrates a meaningful place. Participants should bring paper materials from home such as a book or magazine to personalize the project. Information is here.
Suzanne Berne reads from “The Blue Window” at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Porter Square Books, 25 White St., Porter Square. Free, but registration is suggested. Berne’s suspenseful novel is about a therapist trying to unlock the most difficult cases of her life – those of her son and mother. The author will be in conversation with Joan Wickersham, author of “The Suicide Index” and “The News from Spain.” Masks are required. Information is here.
Katlin McFee (via the Brother, Brother Beercast)
The Comedy Studio All-Star Fundraiser from 8 to 10 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $20. The Comedy Studio is fundraising to finish its new Harvard Square space. For this event, owner Rick Jenkins hosts Katlin McFee “and lots of comedians we can’t mention.” Always a good time. Information is here.
Clarence Lusane reads from “Twenty Dollars and Change: Harriet Tubman and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice and Democracy” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square. Free. The political scientist uses debate over the $20 bill – whether it features Harriet Tubman or Andrew Jackson – as a lens through which to view the current state of a reckoning with the legacies of slavery and white supremacy. The author will be in conversation with Phillip Martin, of The GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting. Well-fitting masks are required. Information is here.
Thursday, Jan. 19
Puzzle swap from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., in the Central Hill neighborhood. Free. Bring gently used puzzles – that have all their pieces – and swap them out for one that’s new to you. Information is here.
Qiutong Lin (via Facebook)
“A Brief Story of Time” piano recital at 3 p.m. at the Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square. Free, with donations of $10 or up welcomed. Graduating student Qiutong Lin performs Bach, Beethoven, Schumann and Wang Lisan’s “The Sound of Big Wave” (1979). Information is here.
Create a quilt square from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Cambridge library’s O’Neill Branch, 70 Rindge Ave., North Cambridge. Free. People of all ages and sewing abilities are invited to contribute to a community quilt using fabric markers, glue or a needle and thread. Information is here.
“Black & Jewish” exhibit opening at 6 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. Free. A series of painted and drawn black-and-white portraits by by T,.J. Reynolds amplifies the intersectional identities of Jews of color, complemented by interviews with subjects who have been interpreted in poetry by poets of color. Information is here.
Joshua Prager reads from “The Family Roe: An American Story” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square. Free. Journalist Prager spent hundreds of hours with Norma McCorvey, once the “Jane Roe” of the Roe v. Wade court case about abortion and privacy, discovering her previously unseen personal papers and even witnessing her final moments in 2017. The author will be in conversation with radio personality Callie Crossley. Well-fitting masks are required. Information is here.
Friday, Jan. 20
Opera Bites: A Feast of 10-Minute Operas at 7:30 p.m. (and repeating through Sunday) at the Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square. $25. Eight small operas – seven of them new commissions – are presented cabaret-style with food and drink, in English and accompanied by small ensemble by the Boston Opera Collaborative. Information is here.
John Vale: Mentalist from 8 to 10 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square. $15. Boston magician Vale promises to astonish, seemingly reading minds by borrowing objects borrowed from the audience, Information is here.
John Hendrickson reads from “Life on Delay: Making Peace with a Stutter ” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square. Free. After writing a viral Atlantic article about President Joe Biden’s stutter, Hendrickson faced his own and the impact of the condition itself. He will Ωbe in conversation with Isaac Fitzgerald, author of “Dirtbag, Massachusetts.” Information is here.
SpoKe 9 launch at 7 p.m. at the Grolier Poetry Book Shop on 6 Plympton St., Harvard Square. $5. The magazine’s ninth issue arrives with a reading by Danielle Legros Georges, Susan Eisenberg and Suzanne Mercury. Information is here.
Bruce in the U.S.A. at 9 p.m. at The Sinclair, 52 Church St., Harvard Square. $28. A “note-perfect and visually accurate” re-creation of a concert by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band by doppelgänger Matt Ryan, who’s played the New Jersey legend for eight years starting in Las Vegas. Information is here.
Saturday, Jan. 21
Liza Treyger and Kara Klenk of “That’s Messed Up.” (Via Ticketmaster)
That’s Messed Up Podcast at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $27. Comedians and amateur detectives Liza Treyger and Kara Klenk use their weekly podcast to break down episodes of “Law & Order: SVU” and deep dive into the true crimes they’re based on, with interviews of on-screen talent ranging from big stars to the joggers who find the body.
Opera Bites: A Feast of 10-Minute Operas (continued) at 7:30 p.m. (and repeating through Sunday) at the Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square. $25. Information is here.
Kelley Hollis: Center Stage at 8 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. $30. Juventas New Music Ensemble soprano Kelley Hollis headlines a solo concert centered on mental health and healing. Information is here.
Smoke & Shadows: Burlesque and Variety Anniversary Show from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $28 for a 21-plus show. Monthly vaudeville, music and comedy, studded with rhinestones. This first of three showcases capturing the best of the past six years includes burlesque by Alexa La Fever and Dahlia Strack and comedy by Chris Post, hosted by Aglam B. Masks are required. Information is here.
Sunday, Jan. 22
Opera Bites: A Feast of 10-Minute Operas (continued) at 3 p.m. at the Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square. $25. Information is here.
Ultimate Beyblade Tournament from 10 a.m. to noon at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square. $2 suggested donation, with registration required. This competition is for 5- to 12-year-olds, but don’t doubt there are bookies somewhere making odds. Information is here.
