Friday, Sept. 15

“Embodied Climates” conference from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Piper Auditorium of Gund Hall, 42 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. This daylong conference, co-sponsored by the Harvard Graduate School of Design and Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities, explores climate’s power to affect human health, well-being and sociopolitical conditions, and how architecture can make things better. Ninety-minute panel discussions on climate tectonics, climate politics and climate health are followed by two hours of keynote talks. Information is here.

Salsa in the Park from 6 to 9 p.m. at Termeer Square 300 Athenaeum St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. The MetaMovements artist collective begins the evening with small-group lessons for people of different ages and abilities. Stay for the party with performances and dance coaching corners. Information is here.

Boston Fuzzstival from 6 to 11:45 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville (and continuing Saturday). $35 (two-day pass) and $22 (one day). All ages. For its ninth year, Illegally Blind’s festival relocates to the Armory, continuing its loud and proud mission of showing off local and regional psychedelic, fuzz, garage, hip-hop and surf rock bands. The 22-band lineup includes a few New York bands and one from Los Angeles. Performing today are Landowner, “Baby; Baby: Explores,” Jeanines, (New England) Patriots, Editrix, GracieHorse, Rong, Nice Guys, Open Head, Strange Passage and Ski Club. Information is here.

Zadie Smith reads from “The Fraud” at 7 p.m. at First Parish Cambridge Unitarian Universalist, 3 Church St./1446 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $38 (includes book). During this Harvard Book Store-sponsored event, bestselling novelist Smith talks about her kaleidoscopic tale, based on a real legal trial that divided Victorian England, with Radcliffe professor of English and Harvard College professor Amanda Claybaugh. Information is here. 

Alejandra Campoverdi reads from “First Gen” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Campoverdi’s memoir details being raised by a single immigrant mother and living a life of contradictory extremes. Information is here.

Phil Aiken and The Gypsy Moths dual album release show at 7 p.m. at The Burren, 247 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $15 to $20, all ages. A full night of music from two well-known Boston acts, each with a rock vibe you’ll fondly recognize. Information is here.

Shit-Faced Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” from 7 to 8 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville (and continuing Saturday, Thursday and next Friday). $30 and 18-plus. Not Cliff’s Notes, but more fun: In this Macbeth, truncated to an hour, one actor is selected at random every night to drink before showtime and even during the play, leaving the remaining sober cast to fight their way through the show while incorporating, rectifying, justifying and generally improvising around the drunkenness. The troupe has given the same treatment to some of the bard’s other works. Information is here. 

Mexico films by Elmer Hawkes from 7 to 9 p.m. at Starlight Square, 84 Bishop Allen Drive, Central Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. “Central Mexico: A Portrait” and “Southern Mexico: A Portrait” examine histories, cuisines and art through profiles of specific cities. Information is here.

Church Street Block Party from 7 to 10 p.m. in front of Bonde Fine Wine Shop at 54 Church St. all the way to Brattle Street in Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Revel in the new season with wine, food and music. Enjoy live danceable grooves by Le Prestige from 7 to 8 p.m.; DJ Back 2 Fundamentals will spin French Techno Pop from 8 to 10 p.m. Information is here.

Amy Speace performs at 8 p.m. at Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $25. This leading voice of the new generation of contemporary folk and Americana music lauded by mentors Judy Collins, Tom Paxton and Janis Ian, among many others, is also a published poet and essayist. Information is here.

Boston Swing: DJ Jam from 8 to 11:45 p.m. at Q Ballroom, 26 New St., Suite 3, Fresh Pond, Cambridge. $8 to $13. This social partner dance with DJs Katie Piselli and Dustin Spicuzza includes a lesson for beginners in the first hour. No partner required; no street shoes allowed. Information is here. 

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Saturday, Sept. 16

Morning Writes at Mount Auburn from 10 to 11:15 a.m. at Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St., West Cambridge. Free, but registration is required. Jump-start a creative practice or refresh a writing routine. Bring writing implements and paper or laptop and write with provided prompts in an inspiring natural space. Information is here. 

Foraging walk from 11 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. at the Mass Audubon Nature Center at Magazine Beach, 668 Memorial Drive, Cambridgeport. Free, but register. Join David Craft, author of “Urban Foraging,” for a walk at Magazine Beach Park to learn more about uses for local plants. Information is here.

 

Vegan Market from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. Free. An opportunity to buy vegan food and other items from small local makers. Information is here.

Assembly Row Riverfest from noon to 9 p.m. at Assembly Row, 340 Canal St., Assembly Square, Somerville. Free. The day starts with the Boston Women’s Market and free use of the 12 pickleball courts, four sand volleyball courts and shuffleboard, boccie and cornhole games, continuing at 3 p.m. with music from a half-dozen bands, chalk art and face-painting. Fireworks start at around 8:30 p.m. Information is here.

Rethinking Addiction: A Drama Therapy Workshop from 2 to 4 p.m. at Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. $15 materials fee, registration is required. In conjunction with the exhibit “Objects of Addiction: Opium, Empire and the Chinese Art Trade,” running through Jan. 14, drama therapists Ana Bess Moyer Bell and Amy Lazier of the artist collective 2nd Act lead a workshop designed to challenge participants’ ideas about addiction. Information is here.

Pemberfest 2023 Craft Beer Festival from 2 to 5 p.m. at Pemberton Farms, 2225 Massachusetts Ave., North Cambridge. $20 and 21-plus. Entrance fee is given back in coupons to spend on participating beer brands. Dozens of local and hyper local craft breweries offer samples amid live music. Information is here. 

New England’s Second South Asian American Theater Festival from 3 to 8:30 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge (and continuing Sunday). $50 (two-day pass) and $30 (one day). Nine plays in six languages (with English supertitles) presented by South Asian immigrants from across the United States. Information is here.

Alejandro Brittes performs “Chamamé” music at 4 to 6 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $25. Argentina’s chamamé was born 400 years ago when the indigenous Guaraní adopted for their rituals some elements of the baroque music brought by the Jesuits. Chamamé accordionist Brittes continues a family legacy of preserving this ritualistic music as he and his quartet tour North America (including Arts at the Armory on Sunday). Information is here.

Community night from 5 to 8 p.m. at Kendall/MIT Open Space at 292 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. Tim Hall on saxophone, wine from Rebel Rebel, food from a Naco Taco truck, crafts with Alex Makes Art, lawn games and free snacks while supplies last. Information is here.

Climapalooza from 6 to 9 p.m. at University Park Commons, in Cambridgeport near Central Square, Cambridge. Free. This is the sixth climate action rally by the Cambridge nonprofit Climable, which works with local environmental justice communities. Includes performances by artists Sweet Petunia, bedsweater, Kaylan Bovéll-Royston, Chowder and JP Honk as well as raffles, lawn games and guest speakers. Information is here.

Bridgeside Cypher from 6 to 9 p.m. at Starlight Square, 84 Bishop Allen Drive, Central Square, Cambridge. Free. Performances by Gio Davinci and Paul Willis, along with a full band and sets by Flowttiglio and DJ High Frequency. Information is here.

Boston Fuzzstival (continued) from 6 to 11:45 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $22. Performing today are Thus Love, Mal Devisa, Cliff Notez, Dino Gala, Pink Navel, Gift, Foyer Red, Constant Smiles, Boston Cream, Paper Lady and Layzi. Information is here.

Shit-Faced Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” (continued) from 7 to 8 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville (and continuing Thursday and Friday). $30 and 21-plus. Information is here. 

The Story Collider from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Gambrill Center of The MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. $5 to $15. Hear personal stories that connect science learning to life from particle physicist and professor at Yale University Sarah Demers, scholar-activist Raul Fernandez, business owner, professional speaker, corporate trainer Courtney Pong, and director of AI + Life Sciences at Northeastern University Samuel Scarpino. Information is here.

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Sunday, Sept. 17

Forest Bathing mindful nature experience from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St., West Cambridge. $20, registration required. Guided by Stefanie Haug, explore the cemetery and experience a connection to nature with calmness, curiosity and care. Information is here. 

Wander Fresh Pond Reservoir from 10 a.m. to noon, meeting at the ranger station (under the clock tower) at 250 Fresh Pond Parkway, in West Cambridge at Fresh Pond, Cambridge. Free, all ages. Join ranger Tim Puopolo on a loop around the reservoir observing the ecosystems that encircle the property during the first moments of autumn. Rain or shine. Information is here.

¡Celebremos El Salvador! from noon to 3 p.m. at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St., in the Baldwin neighborhood near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free and all ages. Enjoy folk dances by Grupo Torogoz, buy Salvadoran food treats, join an archaeologist for a live-streamed tour of Joya de Cerén, grind corn, paint with cochineal insects, go on a scavenger hunt to discover animals, minerals and artifacts from the region, and much more. Information is here.

Rock and Roll Yard Sale from noon to 5 p.m. in Union Square Plaza, Somerville. Free. Dealers converge to sell vinyl, CDs, cassettes and eight-tracks as well as audio gear, music magazines, silk-screened posters and other rock-related stuff. Vintage clothing peddlers and DIY crafters will sell as well. Information is here.

School of Rock Watertown students perform from noon to 9 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. Free. A full day of acts from all age groups through adults, this live end-of-season show features work by area students to be ready for the footlights. Information is here.

New England’s Second South Asian American Theater Festival (continued) from 2 to 6:30 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. $30. Information is here.

Sofar Sounds Concert at 7:30 p.m. at Lamplighter CX, 110 North First St., North Point, Cambridge. $26 and 21-plus. The deal with Sofar is that you buy the tickets but won’t know who’s playing or where until 36 hours before the show. Promised are two to three short sets from “incredible performers from all musical genres, and sometimes even spoken word, comedy or dance.” (This editor discovered the event location in an email blast.) Information is here.

“Worthy” congregational service by Church of Slut at 8 p.m. at the Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $5 to $30 and 18-plus. The Church of Self Love and Unorthodox Togetherness is “a show, a party, a congregation and a grab at some good old-fashioned American civil-rights protections” that reminds participants they are “Worthy of Love. Worthy of Respect. Worthy of a gorgeous night of glowing up and growing up with your best buds or by yourself. We got you covered.” With performances, art, end-of-life care guidance by Dr. Vanessa Carlisle, a legal clinic and briefing by attorney Chris DiOrio, a lending library, community closet, a honey hive (mutual aid service), a hope chest (of harm reduction supplies) and even a community wedding. Information is here. 

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Monday, Sept. 18

“Water Stories: River Goddesses, Ancestral Rites and Climate Crisis” exhibition from noon to 4:30 p.m. at the Johnson-Kulukundis Family Gallery, Byerly Hall, 8 Garden St., west of Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through Dec. 16). Free, but register. This Harvard Radcliffe Institute exhibit, launching today, presents artworks that tell alternative stories of water experiences in the context of climate change. They treat water not as a commodity to be exploited, but as a cyclical, life-giving, life-dissolving, and inert but innately alive spiritual force – a view widely shared among Indigenous communities, especially in the Global South. Information is here.

Arcade Radio from 2 to 4 p.m. in the arcade of the Smith Campus Center, 1350 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing every Monday). Light refreshments and live acoustic performances light up the Smith Center Arcade when it’s most needed. Information is here.

Daniel Dain reads from “A History of Boston” at 6 p.m. in the lecture hall at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, but registration is required. Dain chairs the real estate litigation practice of the law firm he founded, Dain Torpy. From the arrival of the First Peoples to the election of Michelle Wu as mayor, his book chronicles Boston’s highest highs, lowest lows and back again with a focus on density, diversity and urban design. Sponsored with Harvard Book Store. Information is here.

PSB Book Club at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 25 White St., Porter Square, Cambridge (and on the fourth Monday of every month). Free, but register. This month’s selection: “Tale for the Time Being” by Ruth Ozeki. Information is here.

Tiya Miles reads from “Wild Girls: How the Outdoors Shaped the Women Who Challenged a Nation” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Harvard professor and prize-winning author Tiya Miles lyrically describes how the celebrated women in her book – Harriet Tubman, Louisa May Alcott, the Indigenous women’s basketball team from Fort Shaw, Montana, among them – found the woods, prairies, rivers and ball courts an escape from degrees of servitude and places to envision new possibilities. Miles argues for equal access to outdoor spaces for girls of every race and class. Information is here.

Music Speaks: Deep Time, Sense of Place from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Somerville Public Library East Branch, 115 Broadway. Free, but register. Violinist Joshua Peckins plays classics and contemporary pieces by living composers, introducing the composers and their music with spoken word. Information is here.

Sing for Science: Horror Movie Science with Ice Nine Kills singer Spencer Charnas from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at The MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. $15. During this special taping of the music interview podcast “Sing for Science,” heavy metal singer Charnas and psychologist Sarah Rose Cavanagh talk about fave horror movies, recreational fear research, monster theory, disgust theory and more. Information is here.

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Tuesday, Sept. 19

SomerStreets: Strike up the Bands from 2 to 6 p.m. on Highland Avenue between Central and Lowell streets, Somerville. Free. This themed take on the international Open Streets concept, which closes busy city streets to cars for other activities, includes parkour, Boston League of Wicked Wrestlers, a bouncy house, arts and crafts vendors and music: the Alejandro Brittes Quartet from 2:30 to 5:45 p.m.; Maura Mendoza with invited guitarist Guillermo Ortiz from Mexico at 2:15 p.m. celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month; Spanish rock band Calypso at 3 p.m. and dance band Los Nitidos at 4:30 p.m.. Information is here. 

Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery Report Short Film Screening and Discussion from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. in the lecture hall at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, but register. The first in a series of community conversations to spark engagement for reparative work following the release of Harvard’s report disclosing its historical ties to slavery and its commitment of a $100 million endowment to support reparative efforts. Watch a short film highlighting the report and a panel discussion with Vincent Brown, Melissa Wood Bartholomew and Terrance Mitchell, moderated by Tony Clark of My Brother’s Keeper Cambridge. Information is here.

Norton Lecture with Viet Thanh Nguyen: “On the Double, or Inauthenticity” at 6 p.m. at Sanders Theatre, Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge (and five more times through April 16). Free, but registration is required. Harvard’s preeminent lecture series in the arts and humanities presents Pulitzer-winning author and USC professor Viet Thanh Nguyen, who’s titled his series “To Save and to Destroy: On Writing As an Other.” Information is here.

Lauren Groff reads from “The Vaster Wilds” at 6 p.m. The Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $32 (includes book). The bestselling author of “Fates and Furies” and “Matrix” discusses her latest novel about an American servant girl escaping from a colonial settlement into the wilderness with Laura Van Den Burg, author of “Find Me” and “The Third Hotel.” Sponsored with Harvard Book Store. Information is here.

Cambridge Cooks: arepas from 6 to 7 p.m. in the café area at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, but registration is required. A new series invites chefs to the library for cooking demonstrations and classes. This time learn how to make arepas with the gals from the food truck Tres Latinas in honor of Latinx Heritage Month. Information is here.

Shigeru Ban on “Balancing Architectural Works and Social Contributions” from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in Piper Auditorium of Gund Hall, 42 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Known for his innovative uses of materials and commitment to environmental and ecological design, award-winning architect Shigeru Ban discusses his Voluntary Architects Network organization and the work it’s done for nearly 30 years providing aid to war refugees and disaster-stricken areas around the world. Information is here. 

Myisha Cherry reads from “Failures of Forgiveness: What We Get Wrong and How to Do Better” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Cherry, an associate professor of philosophy at the University of California, began exploring forgiveness after the mass shooting at Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, South Carolina, and argues in her book that we can forgive and still be angry; there can be good reasons not to forgive; and forgiving a wrong without tackling its roots solves nothing. In conversation with Brandon M. Terry, associate professor of the social sciences at Harvard University. Information is here.

Cynthia Enloe reads from “Twelve Feminist Lessons of War” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 25 White St., Porter Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. Enloe’s latest draws on firsthand experiences of war from women in places as diverse as Ukraine, Myanmar, Somalia, Vietnam, Rwanda, Algeria, Syria and Northern Ireland to show how patriarchy and militarism have embedded themselves in our institutions and our personal lives. Information is here.

“Design Matters” podcast with Debbie Millman at 7:30 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $35. Native New Yorker Debbie Millman has interviewed designers and other creative people for 18 years. The writer, designer, educator, artist, brand consultant and podcast host joins writer and bestselling author Roxane Gay for Brookline Booksmith event. Information is here.

Bombino at 8 p.m. at the Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $35. From Niger, Bombino plays a captivating desert blues with hypnotic vocals, awe inspiring guitar playing and evocative rhythms. His jams capture the spirit of resistance and rebellion with a raw rock ’n’ roll take on traditional Tuareg music. Information is here.

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Wednesday, Sept. 20

Book Talk: “When Democracy Breaks” from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Taubman Building, Harvard Kennedy School, 15 Eliot St., Harvard Square. Free. The Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation looks at the fragility of democracies with Lisel Hintz of Johns Hopkins University, Scott Mainwaring of the University of Notre Dame and David Moss of Harvard Business School, moderated by book co-editor and Ash director Archon Fung. Information is here.

Melissa Lozada-Oliva reads from “Candelaria” at 6 p.m. in the lecture hall at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, but registration is required. Candelaria, in an effort to save her lost granddaughters and possibly the world, joins a brainy archaeologist, a wellness cultist and a pregnant recovering addict in a story that includes a cataclysmic earthquake hitting Boston. During this event sponsored with Harvard Book Store, Lozada-Oliva, a member of the band Meli and the Specs and author of “Dreaming of You” and “peluda,” talks with Jamie Loftus, Emmy-nominated TV writer and author of “Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs.” Information is here.

Rania Ghosn discusses “Climate Inheritance” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard, 38 Kirkland St., Room 102, Cambridge, near Harvard Square. Free. Ghosn, associate professor of architecture and urbanism at MIT and founding partner of Design Earth with El Hadi Jazairy (their image “After Oil” is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York), talks about their book imagining 10 Unesco World Heritage sites post-climate change. Information is here.

100 Years of Boston Comedy from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the community room of the Somerville Public Library West Branch, 40 College Ave., near Davis Square. Free, but register. Journalist Nick Zaino presents, with a focus on the comedy scene in Somerville. Information is here.

Cinema Strange from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the auditorium at the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., in the Winter Hill neighborhood. Free. Somerville High School junior Chris Hopkin curates bizarre and beautiful cinema, this month a showcase of surreal and experimental shorts made by the National Film Board of Canada, including “When the Day Breaks,” “The Big Snit” and “Mynarski Death Plunge.” Information is here.

Wendy E. Parmet reads from “Constitutional Contagion” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 25 White St., Porter Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. Parmet of Northeastern University discusses with Stat reporter Eric Boodman how constitutional law decisions have made Americans unhealthy and more vulnerable to contagion. Information is here.

Michael Waldman reads from “The Supermajority: The Year the Supreme Court Divided America” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Waldman, of the New York University School of Law, analyzes the tumultuous 2021-2022 Supreme Court term and its major decisions, examines other times the court veered from the popular will and asks “What can we do when the Supreme Court challenges the country?” Information is here.

Poets John Mulrooney and Eleni Sikelianos read from 7 to 8 p.m. at Grolier Poetry Book Shop on 6 Plympton St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $10, but registration is required. Information is here.

“On Wonder” with artist-magician Jeanette Andrews at 7 to 8:30 p.m. at The MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. $15. Part of this night is the local premiere of Andrews’ “In Plain Listen,” which uses a Morse-code-based notation system to create music depicting the secret of one of the oldest pieces of magic in history, performed with the original magic effect. There’s more to the evening than that, but why waste time reading, just get a ticket! Information is here.

Spelling Bee(r) from 7:30 to 10 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square, Somerville (and continuing every Wednesday until the championship round Oct. 18). Free and 21-plus. This first-ever spelling bee for the brewery allows up to 10 teams of up to three members each to cross swords, orthographically speaking. Signup is first come, first served. Information is here.

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Thursday, Sept. 21

“Surveillance: From Vision to Data” exhibition 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments in the Harvard Science Center, 1 Oxford St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through June 23). Free. This timely exhibit, launching today, considers surveillance beyond the realm of cameras and their watchers, exposing the profound influence of data. A public colloquium takes place Oct. 12. Information is here.

Erik Hoel reads from “The World Behind the World: Consciousness, Free Will and the Limits of Science” at 6 p.m. at Harvard Science Center, Hall E, 1 Oxford St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, but registration is required. Tufts neuroscientist Hoel sheds light on the latest theories about how the brain creates consciousness, with topics such as “What are the similarities between our brains and black holes?” and “Is it possible for AI to ever become conscious?” Information is here.

CPL Park Sounds: Fabiola Mendez from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Joan Lorentz Park at 457 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge (in front of the Cambridge Main Library). Free. Enjoy a magical outdoor evening featuring Mendez singing and playing the Puerto Rican cuatro, a five-double string traditional guitar. Bring chairs, blankets and loved ones. Jenga, cornhole and other outdoor games will be available. Rain date: Oct. 12. Information is here. 

Community contemporary dance with The Click from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge (and continuing every Thursday through Nov. 30). $12 to $17. Launching today, this open-level class taught by Angelina Benitez is for those looking for a supportive environment to animate and excite the tiny inner child dancer within them. All bodies and types of movers are invited. Information is here. 

Opening Reception for “Blue: The Celebration of a Color” from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Somerville Museum, 1 Westwood Road, in the Spring Hill neighborhood. $5. This exhibition, which launches today and runs through Dec. 2, invites visitors to explore the many different meanings and uses of blue through art, artifacts, regular household objects, fashion and concepts. Information is here.

Artist Talk: “Cousins” from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the lecture hall of the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, but register. Critically acclaimed photographer and Guggenheim fellow Kristen Emack discusses the process, inspiration and impact of her series “Cousins” (running through Oct. 12 on the library’s second floor) in a panel discussion that includes the four Cambridge girls whose lives and relationship Emack chronicled in photos for more than a decade and Alisa Victoria Prince, a scholar of the Black diaspora. Information is here.

Emily Monosson reads from “Blight: Fungi and the Coming Pandemic” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 25 White St., Porter Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. Monosson’s book documents how trade, travel and a changing climate are making humans and other species vulnerable to invasion of infectious fungi, and describes recent innovative approaches that may prevent its spread. Information is here. 

Shilpi Suneja reads from “House of Caravans” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Suneja’s highly praised, richly evocative debut novel reveals the painful twists and turns in an Indian family with storytelling that shifts between the tumultuous years surrounding the Partition of India and Pakistan to the era of renewed global sectarianism after 9/11. Suneja is joined in conversation by Rishi Reddi, award-winning author of the novel “Passage West.” Information is here.

King of Cambridge Drag Competition from 7 to 8 p.m. at Starlight Square, 84 Bishop Allen Drive, Central Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. A cast of drag kings and drag things judged by Drag Stroll founder PJ and Drag Gauntlet veteran judge Caitlin Arcand. Information is here.

Shit-Faced Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” (continued) from 7 to 8 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville (and continuing Friday). $30 and 21-plus. Information is here.

The Crossing: Crickets in Our Backyard performance at 7:30 p.m. at Harvard’s John Knowles Paine Concert Hall, 3 Oxford St., just north of Harvard Square, Cambridge, and Harvard Yard. Free. A 24-voice professional chamber choir conducted by Donald Nally and dedicated to working with creative teams to make and record innovative new music. Tonight’s performance includes works by Ayanna Woods, Wang Lu and Tanya León (from the poem “Teach Us To Number our Days” by Rita Dove). Information is here.

Third Thursdays jazz with Dave Bryant and Friends at 8 p.m. at Harvard-Epworth United Methodist Church, 1555 Massachusetts Ave., near Harvard Square, Cambridge (and every third Thursday through Dec. 21). $10. This week, keyboardist and composer Bryant includes in his harmolodic series the tenor saxophonist Tony Malaby and old friends bassist John Turner and drummer Eric Rosenthal. Information is here.

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Friday, Sept. 22

Black in Design 23: The Black Home from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Piper Auditorium of Gund Hall, 42 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sunday). $45 to $100. During this fifth biannual conference organized by the Harvard Graduate School of Design African American Student Union, keynote panels, workshops and conversations discuss the Black home as a literal structure that shelters, as a reflection of culture and traditions, and as spaces that are not entirely physical. Information is here.

Christopher Paul Harris reads from “To Build a Black Future: The Radical Politics of Joy, Pain and Care” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Harris, of the University of California, Irvine, outlines a new political culture tracing back to the Black slave. Charisse Burden-Stelly, author and Harvard visiting scholar, joins the conversation. Information is here. 

Shit-Faced Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” (continued) from 7 to 8 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville (and continuing tomorrow). $30 and 21-plus. Information is here.

The Natural Wonders from 7 to 9 p.m. at Starlight Square, 84 Bishop Allen Drive, Central Square, Cambridge. Free. Dance to ’60s and ’70s R&B, soul, gospel and rock ’n’ roll with this six-piece band as your guide. Information is here.

Son Rompe Pera at 8 p.m. at the Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $35 all ages. The Gama brothers of Son Rompe Pera bring a punk-rock edge to classic cumbia rhythms with dance-worthy modern interpretations of Mexican, Peruvian and Colombian classics as well as original material. Information is here.

Spotlight Series Presents: Chris Pureka at 8 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $20. The folksinger and songwriter is touring with opener Kym Register of Meltdown Rodeo. Tonight local roots music favorite Rachel Sumner also opens. Information is here.

Boston Swing: Jack Soref Swingtette from 8 to 11:45 p.m. at Q Ballroom, 26 New St., Suite 3, Fresh Pond, Cambridge. $13 to $20. A gypsy jazz band plays for this social partner dance with a lesson for beginners in the first hour. No partner required; no street shoes. Information is here. 

Crossfaded Improv comedy at 9 p.m. at the Rooted Café at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $10. The After School Snacks troupe fronts two teams – one being drunken and the other high, with one “designated driver” each – to see which substance produces better improv. At the end, the teams perform as a Crossfaded super team. Featuring Passion Academy. Information is here.