Thursday, May 30
Day One DNA: 50 Years in Hiphop Culture exhibition final day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at The Ethelbert Cooper Gallery of African & African American Art, 102 Mount Auburn St., Harvard Square. Free. Ending today, this multimedia exhibition curated by Laylah Amatullah Barrayn celebrates 50 years of hip-hop culture with more than 200 objects from the archives of icons and longtime collaborators Ice T and DJ Afrika Islam. Information is here.
North Cambridge History Center closing party from 5 to 7 p.m. at 2322 Massachusetts Ave. next to Frank’s Steakhouse, North Cambridge. Free, but RSVP. This pop-up designed for learning hyperlocal history ends its two-month occupancy term (but apparently a $1,500 donation will keep it open longer …). Come for more conversation and to learn about upcoming events from History Cambridge’s yearlong focus on North Cambridge. Light refreshments served. Information is here.
Harvard Art Museums at Night from 5 to 9 p.m. in the Calderwood Courtyard at Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. During this recurring event wander exhibits, catch Spotlight Tours, make art in the Materials Lab, browse the shop, enjoy sounds from DJ C-Zone and purchase snacks from Comfort Kitchen and drinks from Lamplighter Brewing. Information is here.
Celebrate Filipino Heritage with ArtsThursdays from 5 to 9 p.m. at Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, 11 Divinity Ave., in the Baldwin neighborhood near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, but an RSVP is appreciated. Opening night for the online exhibit “Balikbayan | Homecoming” also includes rondalla music by strolling musicians, folk dances from the Iskwelahang Pilipino cultural school, video artwork created by Filipino students for the Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Contest and Filipino food for sale from Kuya’s Cooking and The Islander’s Creamery. Information is here.
Kay Redfield Jamison reads from “Fires in the Dark: Healing the Unquiet Mind” at 6 p.m. in the lecture hall at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, or $20.19 with book. The paperback release of the Johns Hopkins psychiatry professor’s expansive cultural history of the treatment and healing of mental suffering. Harvard’s Dr. Arthur Kleinman, author of “The Soul of Care,” joins in this event co-sponsored with the Harvard Book Store. Information is here.
Summer Bachata Bash from 6 to 9 p.m. at Starlight Square, 84 Bishop Allen Drive, Central Square, Cambridge. Free. A bachata lesson for beginners in the first hour followed by dancing with DJ music. Information is here.
Queer Craft Night: “Paint Your Pride” from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., Central Hill. Free, but register. If you self-identify as queer or LGBTQ in any way, come make new connections in the community while using acrylics or watercolors to make a painting that best expresses who you are. Completed artworks can be entered into the “Paint Your Pride Tiny Art Show” at the library’s Gallery@SPL. Materials provided. Information is here.
Anna Noyes reads from “The Blue Maiden” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. The author of a short story collection writes her first novel about two rebellious sisters on the Finnish island of Berggrund in 1825 and how the arrival of an enigmatic outsider unearths shocking family history. McLaughlin and “Winter Solstice,” joins. Information is here.
Belinda Rathbone reads from “In the Company of Art: A Museum Director’s Private Journals by Perry T. Rathbone” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 25 White St., Porter Square, Cambridge. Free. The historian and artist biographer edited this work of collected journal entries by her father, the charismatic former director of the Museum of Fine Arts, who brought in many of the museum’s great works during the early ’60s. Artist Clara Wainwright joins. Information is here.
Shit-Faced Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” from 7 to 8:10 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville (and continuing weekends through June). $30 and 18-plus. For its final season at the Rockwell, the troupe presents a one-hour version of the Bard’s comedy made even more zany because one actor randomly selected drinks before and during the performance, leaving the remaining sober cast to incorporate, rectify, justify and generally improvise around the drunkenness. Information is here.
Chisholm performs from 7 to 9 p.m. at Somerville Music Spaces, 1060 Broadway, Suite C101B, Somerville. $20. The singer-songwriter and Boston native with songs from her upcoming EP “The Essence of Julia Chisholm.” Information is here.
“Next to Normal” at 7:30 p.m. at Central Square Theater, Cambridge, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge (and continuing through June 23). $24 to $98. Co-produced with the Front Porch Arts Collective, the Tony- and Pulitzer-winning pop-rock musical portrays the lives of a Black upper-middle-class family with a mom battling bipolar disorder. Information is here.
Taylor Ho Bynum Quartet from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $15 to $20. The cornetist (and brass master), composer and educator improvises with Jacqueline Kerrod (harp), Allison Burik (bass clarinet) and Ken Filiano (bass). The group (a.k.a JAK4) performs as part of Boston’s Creative Music Series, which showcases the work of adventurous jazz musicians. Information is here.
Non-Event Concert Series presents an evening of improvised music at 8 p.m. at Washington Street Art, 321 Washington St., Somerville. Free to $15. Non-Event organizes experimental music and sound performances in spaces in and around Boston. This time, a rare appearance by S*Glass along with Sailor Beware and a duo by “id m theft able” and Angela Sawyer. Information is here.
The World is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die performs at 8 p.m. at the Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $26.50. In 2009 this atmospheric emo/indie band formed in Connecticut; today they’re Twiabp@Ianlatd on marquees (much less confusing). Also playing: Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean and Girih. Information is here.
A Place to Bury Strangers performs at 8 p.m. at Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $20 to $25. The Brooklyn band is known for live performances overloaded with all-consuming visuals, experimental sonic warfare and treacherous stage destruction. Also playing: Suuns and Jjuujjuu (yesss, spelllled corrrrectly). Information is here.
Heartland Radio performs at 9 p.m. at The Cantab Lounge, 738 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $10 and 21-plus. This New England band plays danceable country tunes. Founding guitarist Dallas Corbin is actually from San Antonio. Information is here.
Friday, May 31
East Branch Book Group from 11 a.m. to noon at Somerville Public Library East Branch, 115 Broadway. Free. The group discusses Stanley Tucci’s memoir “Taste: My Life Through Food.” Pick up a copy in person or download the audio or e-book copy on Libby and Overdrive. Information is here.
Curator tour of Hana Miletić’s exhibition “Soft Services” from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the List Visual Arts Center, 20 Ames St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. Join assistant curator Selby Nimrod in a walkthrough of Miletić’s first U.S. solo exhibition of delicate, brightly colored weavings of shapes inspired by her own photography of temporary building repairs. Information is here.
“Climate Change: What’s Happening and What Harvard is Doing About It” discussion from 3 to 4 p.m. in Askwith Hall in the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Longfellow building, 13 Appian Way, near Harvard Square. Free, but register. The Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability gathers a panel of Harvard faculty from the Center for African Studies, the T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard Law School, the Kennedy School and more. Information is here.
Cambridge Welcomes from 5 to 8 p.m. at Joan Lorentz Park at 457 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge (in front of the Cambridge Main Library). Rain location: the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School cafeteria. Free. All are invited to this celebration to welcome and appreciate Cambridge’s immigrant communities, sponsored by the Commission on Immigrant Rights and Citizenship. Music, performances, face-painting, refreshments, community resources and family activities. Information is here.
Queer Club Fair from 6 to 8 p.m. at CultureHouse, 64 Union Square, Somerville. Free. Learn about the many queer clubs in the Boston area and how to get involved. Clubs focus on sports, arts, gaming, the outdoors and much more. Information is here.
Forty for the Culture from 6 to 9 p.m. at Starlight Square, 84 Bishop Allen Drive, Central Square, Cambridge. Free. Bring your favorite games and your best friend to this community game night for the mature: spades, dominoes – it’s all on the table. There’s an after-party, too (location TBA). Information is here.
Fuse: Collaborations in Song at 7 p.m. at the Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free to $30. Five world premiere performances from a program that brings together composers with poets who create songs made for particular singers. Sponsored by the Boston Singers’ Resource and Catalyst New Music. Information is here.
“To Be Takei” film screening at 7 p.m. at in the Mugar Omni Theater at the Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston, on the Cambridge border (and continuing June 1). Free, but register. Straddling the museum’s Asian American & Pacific Islander and LGBTQ+ Pride Month celebrations is the 2014 film about the actor who portrayed Hikaru Sulu on the original “Star Trek” series. Information is here.
Emet North reads from “In Universes” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. A debut novel blends realism with science fiction that follows a queer physicist’s search for belonging across time and space. Riss M. Neilson, author of “Deep in Providence,” joins. Information is here.
Shit-Faced Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” (continued) from 7 to 8:10 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $30 and 21-plus. Information is here.
“Next to Normal” (continued) at 8 p.m. at Central Square Theater, Cambridge, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $24 to $98. Information is here.
Comedian Sureni Weerasekera at Detention at 8 p.m. at the Cambridge Community Center, 5 Callender St., Riverside. $10 to $25. Head to the basement, grab a $4 beer, cider or seltzer and enjoy stand-up by this Sri Lankan-born, San Diego-raised and New York City-based funny gal. Information is here.
Peter Bradley Adams performs at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $28 to $30. The mellow-voiced singer-songwriter of six solo albums is touring. Information is here.
Nova Comedy Collective presents “Nebula Night” from 8 to 10 p.m. at the Café at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $10 to $15. A new theater group brings improv with independent comedy teams People People and Please and Spank You, plus musical improv from Uncomposed followed by a musical jam. Information is here.
Ricky Alexander Band at Boston Swing Central from 8 to 11:45 p.m. at Q Ballroom, 26 New St., Fresh Pond, Cambridge. $14 to $23. The New York City band performs live for this social partner dance that includes a lesson for beginners in the first hour. No partner required. Information is here.
Dante’s Salsa Inferno: Salsa/Bachata Social Dance from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Dante Alighieri Society Center, 41 Hampshire St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. $5 to $20 and 21-plus. Salsa and bachata tunes from DJ Condori and DJ Fabiola. The evening starts with an hourlong salsa lesson, no partner necessary, followed by social dancing. Information is here.
“Stuff Island” live stand-up at 9:30 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville (and continuing June 1). $20 to $25 and 21-plus. Comedians and podcasters Tommy Pope and Chris O’Connor – now part of the cast of “Tires,” a six-episode sitcom that’s popped up on Netflix starring the kinda problematic Shane Gillis – take their show on the road. Information is here.
Saturday, June 1
Black Birders Week: Explore with Nature Man Mike from 8 to 10 a.m. at Mass Audubon Nature Center at Magazine Beach, 668 Memorial Drive, Cambridgeport. Free, but register and ages 14-plus. Walk with the popular local birder and photographer to encounter late migrant bird species at the start of nesting season. Information is here.
Herbstalk from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville (and continuing June 2). Access to the marketplace is free; classes come with fees, and a day pass to them is $40. Explore herbalism during this annual two-day community conference featuring indoor and outdoor classes in health, medicine making and environmental awareness topics; classes for kids; a Bipoc healer and artist space; and a marketplace of handmade local botanical goods and whole-plant products. Information is here.
Sense and Sensuality: Writing with the Five Senses from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in Hazel Dell (off Central Avenue) at Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St., West Cambridge. $15 to $20. Author Nina MacLaughlin takes participants through exercises focusing on taste, touch, smell, sight and sound, showing how they mingle with the mind and can create rich and sensual writing in any genre. Information is here.
Gardening Workshop with Green City Growers from 10:30 a.m. to noon on the lawn of the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., Central Hill. Free, but register. Join this hands-on class to learn when and what to plant and how to bring in a great harvest. Information is here.
Pride Festival from noon to 5 p.m. at Audubon Nature Center at Magazine Beach, 668 Memorial Drive, Cambridgeport. Free. Celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community while enjoying the beautiful outdoors, music, lawn games, face-painting, food, live animals and a drag show. Information is here.
Lady Lee and the New Awakening Band perform from 1 to 3 p.m. at Joan Lorentz Park at 457 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge (in front of the Cambridge Main Library). Free. For Caribbean Heritage month, a mix of reggae, originals and popular covers from a Boston group. Note: a pickleball tournament happens simultaneously at the nearby tennis courts. Information is here.
Somerville Community Chorus presents “Chansons de Paris” at 3 p.m. at First Church Somerville UCC, 89 College Ave., Somerville. $6 to $20. Music from Gabriel Faure (“Requiem,” “Cantique de Jean Racine”) and cinema set in Paris. Information is here.
“Next to Normal” (continued) at 3 and 8 p.m. at Central Square Theater, Cambridge, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $24 to $98. Information is here.
Nepali Cultural Festival from 3:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Union Square Plaza, Somerville (rain date: June 8). Free. Explore the food, live music, art and culture of Nepal via vendors from Somerville’s Nepali community. Information is here.
Mass Mayhem from 5:30 to 11 p.m. at Arrow Street Arts, 2 Arrow Street, Harvard Square, Cambridge. $20. A showcase of Krump culture and all it influences, with dance performances, battles, rapping, fashion shows, a screening of “Bonds: A Dance Film” and more. Information is here.
Small & Casual Productions presents “A New Brain” from 6 to 8 p.m. at CultureHouse, 64 Union Square, Somerville (and continuing June 2). Free, but reserve your space. A frustrated songwriter with a terminal illness discovers the healing power of art in this autobiographical recounting of the composer William Finn’s own brush with death. Small & Casual performs micro-scale, zero budget productions of musicals with strong DIY energy. Information is here.
“To Be Takei” film screening (continued) at 7 p.m. at in the Mugar Omni Theater at the Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston, on the Cambridge border. Free, but register. Information is here.
Shit-Faced Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” (continued) from 7 to 8:10 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $30 and 21-plus. Information is here.
Bruno Råberg Tentet performs from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Regattabar, 1 Bennett St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $20 to $30. To promote the CD release of “Evolver,” the renowned bassist-composer presents a concert with his 10-piece group featuring acclaimed pianist Kris Davis. Information is here.
Niki Luparelli presents “Strip Zeppelin” at 8 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $25 to $50. The comedian and vocalist’s live music and burlesque spectacular blends the best of Led Zeppelin with the best of Boston burlesque. Information is here.
Pistachio Groove presents “Mixed Nuts” tap dancing to live music from 8 to 9 p.m. at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge (and continuing June 2). $15 to $40. A collaborative musical exploration of the works of multiple choreographers, a four-piece band and a variety of tap dance musicians. Information is here.
Outdoor Movie Night: “Giving Voice” at 8:30 p.m. at Longfellow House and the Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, 105 Brattle St., West Cambridge. Free. The 2020 documentary follows the annual August Wilson Monologue competition and the thousands of high schoolers who enter the competition for the opportunity to perform on Broadway. Bring a blanket or lawn chair. Information is here.
“Stuff Island” live stand-up (continued) at 9:30 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $20 to $25 and 21-plus. Information is here.
Sunday, June 2
Herbstalk (continued) from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. Access to the marketplace is free; classes come with fees, and a day pass to them is $40. Information is here.
Heart Hive presents “Ecstatic Dance [Rainbow]” from 9:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Masonic Lodge, 1950 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. $10 to $30 (free for children under 5). A chance to dance without shoes, words, alcohol or phones. Features sounds from Djini and DJ Miraculous. Information is here.
Breakfast Book Club from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at All She Wrote Books, 75 Washington St., Prospect Hill, Somerville. $5, or $19.11 with book. This month’s title: “Confidence” by Rafael Frumkin. Coffee and pastries provided. Information is here.
G263 Sweet 16 B’day Bash from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Gallery 263, 263 Pearl St., Cambridgeport. Free. All are welcome to enjoy a range of live music performances, kid-friendly activities, snacks, adult libations and birthday cake as a neighborhood gallery committed to advancing contemporary art celebrates. Information is here.
Family Music Fest from noon to 3 p.m. at New School of Music, 25 Lowell St., West Cambridge. Free. Lowell School Playground turns into a hub of community, fun, music and art with toe-tapping performances by New School of Music students, lawn games, crafts, an “instrumental petting zoo” and an ice cream truck. Information is here.
Eighth Curated Vintage Market from noon to 8 p.m. at Bow Market, 1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville. Free. Clothing, jewelry, home décor, furniture, art and collectibles from more than 80 New England vendors spilling out onto Somerville Avenue. Five professionals upstairs at Mender Row will make small repairs on clothing you bring while you shop, eat or drink. Information is here.
“Mi Casa” hip-hop showcase from 12:30 to 3 p.m. at Starlight Square, 84 Bishop Allen Drive, Central Square, Cambridge. Free. Emerging singers, rappers and DJs battle; the audience gets an opportunity to score the performances along with judges from the hip-hop industry. Information is here.
“Next to Normal” (continued) at 2 p.m. at Central Square Theater, Cambridge, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $24 to $98. Information is here.
Cambridge Mini Makers Market kids craft fair from 2 to 4 p.m. at King Open School, 850 Cambridge St., Wellington-Harrington, Cambridge. Free. An open-air craft market selling handmade goods created by local youth ages 4 to 18. Information is here.
Tour the Milk Row Cemetery from 2 to 4 p.m. at 439 Somerville Ave., near Union Square, Somerville (and various dates through October). Free. A costumed docent accompanies you through some of the historically relevant graves of this 1804 burial ground on land donated by Samuel Tufts. Information is here.
Somerstreets: Carnaval festival from 2 to 6 p.m. on Lower Broadway in East Somerville (from Kensington Ave. to Pennsylvania Ave.). Rain date: June 9. Free. The street closes to cars and opens to some 6,000 people enjoying music, dance performances, a parade, interactive activities, more than 30 artisan vendors and food from all over the world. The first of four Somerstreets neighborhood festivals for 2024. Information is here.
Longfellow Student Poetry Awards and reading at 3 p.m. at Longfellow House and the Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, 105 Brattle St., West Cambridge. Free. The New England Poetry Club co-sponsors this reading with prize-winning works by students in grades 3 to 12. A celebration follows. Information is here.
Time Trade Circle Free Stuff Swap from 3 to 5 p.m. at 113 College Ave., Somerville. Free. Bring items you no longer want but someone else might like to have. Please only bring things you can carry. Tables outside will display the items for browsers; take the things you want, and socialize! Then, take your unclaimed items with you when you leave. Information is here.
Cambridge Children’s Chorus “Singing All Together” Spring Concert from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at St. James’s Episcopal Church, 1991 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. Free. Cambridge Children’s Chorus, a division of Boston City Singers since 2012, provides music and youth development programming for age 4 through 9th grade. Information is here.
Small & Casual Productions presents “A New Brain” (continued) from 6 to 8 p.m. at CultureHouse, 64 Union Square, Somerville. Free, but reserve your space. Information is here.
“Love’s Tapestry: Poetry of the Feminine” from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. $35 suggested. Two-time Boston Music Award-winning spoken word artist Amanda Shea blends personal reflection and social commentary. She’s joined by multidisciplinary artists Capella Auriga and Essmaa Litim. Information is here.
Pistachio Groove presents “Mixed Nuts” tap dancing to live music (continued) from 7 to 8 p.m. at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $15 to $40. Information is here.
Comedian Jack Tucker performs at 7:30 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $25 to $30 and all ages. Six nights of comedy. An hour of high-energy, absurdist, stand-up comedy from “Stamptown” creator Zach Zucker, here performing as his failing, flailing alter ego Jack Tucker. Information is here.
Rakalam Bob Moses performs with special guest Bruno Råberg at 9:15 to 11:30 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $5 to $10. The drummer, composer, artist, poet, dancer, visionary and nature mystic who’s performed with many of the greatest improvises with Nitzan Birnbaum, Ethan Klotz, Hank Fisher and Gabriel Toth. Information is here.
Monday, June 3
Alewife Reservation cleanup and maintenance session from 5 to 7 p.m. meeting at DCR parking lot, 2-8 Acorn Park Drive, Cambridge. Free, but register. Join Green Cambridge to help keep Alewife clean and beautiful. Gloves and tools provided; wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty, with long sleeves and pants recommended. Information is here.
Chess hour at 6 p.m. at Cambridge Library’s Boudreau Branch, 245 Concord Ave., Observatory Hill in Neighborhood 9, Cambridge (and continuing every other Monday). Free. Players of all skill levels and ages welcome. Chess sets provided, or bring your own. Information is here.
Movie and Craft Night: Halfway to Halloween from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Somerville Public Library West Branch, 40 College Ave., near Davis Square. Free. An event for adults and teens with a screening of the 2024 movie “Lisa Frankenstein” and paper doll-making. (But will there be candy?) Information is here.
Michael Ponsor reads from “Point of Order” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. The senior U.S. District judge and author of “The Hanging Judge” and “The One-Eyed Judge” discusses his third novel featuring a gripping mystery set in the real-life world of a federal court. (This event was originally scheduled for April 4.) Information is here.
Morgan Talty reads from “Fire Exit” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 25 White St., Porter Square, Cambridge. Free. Talty is a citizen of the Penobscot Indian Nation and author of the short story collection “Night of the Living Rez.” His debut novel explores themes of family, legacy, bloodlines, culture and inheritance, and what, if anything, we owe one another. Michelle Ajodah, a current writer-in-residence whose work includes ritual and myth in Guyanese families such as her own, joins. Information is here.
Picture + Panel: Queerness and Pop Culture with Maurice Vellekoop and Cathy G. Johnson from 7 to 8 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square, Somerville. Free to $15 and 21-plus. The monthly confab of graphic-novel creators sponsored by Aeronaut, Porter Square Books and the Boston Comic Arts Foundation pairs a prolifically published Toronto-based illustrator and artist whose work centers around sex and fashion themes with a Providence-based cartoonist, comic-art educator and author of graphic novels with teen and mature themes. Information is here.
Chess Night from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., Central Hill (and continuing monthly). Free, but register. Players of all skill levels are welcome, and chess sets are provided. Information is here.
Felipe Salles Interconnections Ensemble performs from 7:30 to 9:20 p.m. at Regattabar, 1 Bennett St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $15 to $25. As part of Regattabar’s “Big Band Mondays,” the Brazilian saxophonist and composer brings his 19-piece jazz ensemble, which came together after decades of research and planning and joining forces with some of New England’s finest jazz artists. The musical sources of inspiration are Brazilian, American, Argentinean and European. The University of Massachusetts at Amherst Jazz Ensemble opens. Information is here.
Tuesday, June 4
Port Park Party from 3 to 7 p.m. at Clement Morgan Park, 60 Columbia St., The Port, Cambridge (rain date: June 5). Free and all ages. Enjoy treats and kids activities while getting a sneak peek at design plans for the new Clement Morgan Park and tot lot. Give feedback on the playground and fitness equipment. Information is here.
Berklee After 5 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Urban Park Roof Garden atop the Kendall Center Green Garage at 90 Broadway, Kendall Square (and every Tuesday through August). Free. Starting today, a live outdoor musical performance from Berklee students every week on the roof garden. Information is here.
2024 Pride Flag Raising from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Somerville City Hall Plaza, 93 Highland Ave., Central Hill. Free. All are invited to this annual Pride flag raising ceremony to honor LGBTQ+ Pride Month, with remarks by Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, Somerville LGBTQ+ liaison Izzy Starr and representatives from the community. Information is here.
Dr. Karen Tang reads from “It’s Not Hysteria: Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health (but Were Never Told)” at 6 p.m. in the lecture hall at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, or $32.93 with book. During this event co-sponsored with the Harvard Book Store, the gynecologic surgeon discusses her comprehensive guide to common conditions and potential treatment options. “He/She/They” author and transgender athlete Schuyler Bailar joins. Information is here.
“Book Moot” discusses “Nimona” by Noelle Stevenson at 6:30 p.m. at Pandemonium Books & Games, 4 Pleasant St., Central Square, Cambridge. $19 with the book and registration required. This month’s group discusses the web comic artist’s graphic novel debut about an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy – and a murky and mysterious past. Information is here.
Art of Translation: Modern Greek Voices, Ancient Greek Sources with George Kalogeris from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Cambridge Public Library Valente Branch, 826 Cambridge St., Wellington-Harrington, Cambridge. Free, but register. Poet, translator and Suffolk University professor George Kalogeris discusses translating works by the Greek poet Constantine P. Cavafy, examining the challenges of translating poetic grammar and syntax. Information is here.
Sara B. Franklin reads from “The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. The editor of “Edna Lewis” discusses Judith Jones’ career, from age 25 when as a secretary she discovered the manuscript that became “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl” to her nurturing of future literary icons such as Plath, Updike and Julia Child. Food journalist and cookbook author Kathy Gunst joins. Information is here.
Cass Sunstein reads from “How to Become Famous: Lost Einsteins, Forgotten Superstars and How the Beatles Came to Be” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 25 White St., Porter Square, Cambridge. Free. The Harvard law professor, author and expert on behavioral economics explores why some individuals become famous and others don’t, explaining recent research on informational cascades, network effects and group polarization. Information is here.
The Faux Paws perform at 7 p.m. at The Burren, 247 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $15 to $20 and all ages. Feel-good melting-pot folk music from raging fiddle tunes to saxophone solos and unrequited love songs, honed over 10 years of playing together. And all danceable. Information is here.
Melt-Banana performs at 7:30 p.m. at The Sinclair, 52 Church St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $27.50. Yako (vocals) and Agata (guitar, effects) of the two-piece Tokyo noise rock band aren’t waiting around for their ninth album to drop on Aug. 23 to jump into an international tour, starting with the United States. Also playing: The Flying Luttenbachers, BabyBaby_Explores and Tomato Flower. Information is here.
Smut Slam from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville (and the first Tuesday of every month). $10 suggested donation. An open mic invites participants to tell five-minute, real-life dirty stories. The top three slammers win sexy swag from Good Vibrations. Kat Sistare hosts. Information is here.
Drag Tribute to “The Fame Monster (Deluxe Edition)” at 8 p.m. at Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square, Somerville. $19 to $35 and 18-plus. Full Spin salutes Lady Gaga, a star who struts a flamboyant alter ego on the stage (of course!) and her 2008–2009 double album of hits, so you can dance in the dark. Featuring 13 drag stars plus the event host, Just JP. Information is here.
Lamnth performs works by members of the Iranian Female Composers Association at 8 p.m. at the Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free to $20. Lilit Hartunian (violin) and Nicholas Tolle (cimbalom) of Lamnth perform new compositions by Royaee, Anahita Abbasi, Niloufar and Golnaz Shariatzadeh. Information is here.
Laugh Giraffe Comedy Show at 8 p.m. at Union Tavern, 345 Somerville Ave., Union Square, Somerville (and every Tuesday). Free, but reserve your space. Stand-up comedy showcase. Information is here.
Wednesday, June 5
Midday Music with Sol y Canto from 12:15 to 1 p.m. in the Kendall/MIT Open Space at 292 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. Listen to acoustic originals and covers by pan-Latin ensemble Sol y Canto, led by Puerto Rican-Argentine singer and bongo player Rosi Amador and New Mexican guitarist and composer Brian Amador. Today they’re joined by cellist-vocalist Queralt Giralt Soler from Barcelona. Information is here.
Ann Leary reads from “I’ve Tried Being Nice” at 6 p.m. in the lecture hall at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, or $30.80 with book. The bestselling author of “The Good House” and “The Foundling” shares some laughable, sad, cringy and comically relatable moments from her new essay collection. Actor and comedian Denis Leary, her husband, joins, as well as Boston Globe writer and author Beth Teitell. Information is here.
Community Yoga with CorePower from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Urban Park Roof Garden atop the Kendall Center Green Garage at 90 Broadway, Kendall Square (and every other Wednesday). Free, but register. Find your zen in the roof garden. Information is here.
Cookbook book group: fruit from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Cambridge Public Library Boudreau Branch, 245 Concord Ave., Observatory Hill in Neighborhood 9. Free, but register. All cooking levels are welcome at this potluck; bring a dish (or your thoughts) to share with other cooks. This month choose any recipe from “Pulp: A Practical Guide to Cooking with Fruit” by Abra Berens or “Dappled: Baking Recipes for Fruit Lovers” by Nicole Rucker. Information is here.
Co-authors Daniela Rus and Gregory Mone discuss “The Heart and the Chip: Our Bright Future with Robots” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at The MIT Museum, Gambrill Center, 314 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. $5 with museum admission. The MIT robotics and computer scientist and the science writer discuss the interconnected fields of robotics, artificial intelligence and machine learning. MIT professor David Mindell joins. Information is here.
Lauran Hibberd performs at 6:30 p.m. at Sonia, 10 Brookline St., Central Square, Cambridge. $15 and all ages. The slacker pop rocking 26-year-old was born on the Isle of Wight and makes her first trip to the United States as a headliner. Information is here.
Simon Van Booy reads from “Sipsworth” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 25 White St., Porter Square, Cambridge. Free. The British author of more than a dozen books for adults and children discusses his novel about a lonely widow whose chance encounter with a mouse sets her on a surprising journey. Writing educator Margot Livesey, author of the new “The Road from Belhaven,” joins. Information is here.
The Gayly Show with Alexa Albanese at 7 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $20 to $25 and 18-plus. Back for the third year in a row to kick off Pride month, Albanese presents an original “late-night comedy show” at a reasonable hour, with desk bits, music and laughs. Information is here.
Chukwuebuka Ibeh reads from “Blessings” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. A debut novel by a promising new voice in Nigerian fiction about a sensitive son sent away to boarding school as Nigeria teeters on the brink of criminalizing same-sex relationships. Zoë Gadegbeku, author of the forthcoming “Blue Futures, Break Open,” joins. Information is here.
Poet Heather Treseler from 7 to 8 p.m. at Grolier Poetry Book Shop on 6 Plympton St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $5 to $10, but register. With an introduction by Vidyan Ravinthiran. Information is here.
Bert Seager’s Heart of Hearing performs from 7 to 8 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $10 to $15. The jazz quartet of piano, tenor-saxophone, upright-bass and drums brings listeners into improvised jazz. Information is here.
Amplifying Democracy launch party from 7 to 10 p.m. at Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $25 to $60. A campaign designed to activate music fans to learn about reproductive freedom featuring performances by musician and activist Chadwick Stokes and country music singer-songwriter Julie Williams. All proceeds go directly to the Voice Your Choice campaign. Information is here.
Pride Night at Dancing Fools from 7:15 p.m. to midnight at George Dilboy VFW Post 529, 351 Summer St., Davis Square, Somerville. $6 to $12. Beginners are welcome for the 101 class at 8:15 p.m. Social dancing in West Coast Swing begins 9:15 p.m. Wear rainbows! Information is here.
“Next to Normal” (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at Central Square Theater, Cambridge, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $24 to $98. Information is here.
Henry Godfrey Jazz Orchestra at 8 p.m. at Warehouse XI, 11 Sanborn Court, Union Square, Somerville. $15 to $20. The drummer’s 13-piece band includes five saxophonists, four trumpeters, four trombonists, plus a guitarist, pianist and bassist. Information is here.
Bachata Room dance party from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at La Fábrica Central, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge (and every Wednesday). $15 and 18-plus (21-plus to drink). An hourlong bachata dance lesson for beginners followed by social dancing to DJ music (salsa, bachata and kizomba). No partner required, walk-ins welcome. Information is here.
Thursday, June 6
Yoga in the Park from 7 to 8 a.m. at Mass Audubon Nature Center at Magazine Beach, 668 Memorial Drive, Cambridgeport. Free, but register, and ages 5-plus. Enjoy the park on a quiet morning. Leave feeling invigorated and relaxed. Information is here.
Pride poster-making party from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at CultureHouse, 64 Union Square, Somerville. Free. With the ACLU of Massachusetts, help make Pride marches even more dazzling this summer by making beautiful, powerful posters. All skill levels welcome; materials, pizza and soft drinks provided. Information is here.
“Inspiration, Of Course!” annual spring party by the Cambridge Center for Adult Education from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Blacksmith House, 56 Brattle St., Harvard Square. $100. Held in the music-filled courtyards of the CCAE with food from six local restaurants, wines, beers and beverages. Funds raised go toward scholarships, building maintenance and staff. Information is here.
Tour the Old Powder House from 6 to 8 p.m. at Nathan Tufts/Powderhouse Park, College Avenue and Broadway, Somerville (and various dates through October). Free. A docent opens and gives tours of the old stone building from which the British removed gunpowder 250 years ago this year, resulting in the Powder Alarm. Information is here.
Intro to Jewelry workshop: beaded bracelet making from 6 to 8 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge. $35. The first of four separate workshops by Zangar Freeman of ZMakesBeads. All the required materials and tools are provided. Information is here.
Lit Crawl Boston 2024 from 6 to 9 p.m. in 12 locations across Union Square, Somerville. Free, but register. Among the more than 20 events to attend during this Boston Book Festival project are a tribute to 18th century poet Phillis Wheatley by black women poets; James Joyce theatricals; rounds of “exquisite corpse” with the Massachusetts Center for the Book; conversing with art via ekphrastic writing; reportage from teen journalists and the homeless; a climate change quiz show; a poetry-music mashup by the Grolier Poetry Book Shop house band (!) and literary activities involving game playing, murder-mystery solving, comics, wine and beer. Information is here.
A Trike Called Funk’s “Juxtaposed Flows: Breaking and Martial Arts” from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Starlight Square, 84 Bishop Allen Drive, Central Square, Cambridge. Free. Co-hosted with The Dance Complex, this event is part of a mini series with live music and drumming that brings together the local street and club dance scene and internationally rooted heritage dance scene. This time, learn basic steps from breaking and martial arts movement forms, followed by a dance party and freestyle dance battle. Information is here.
Wei Tchou reads from “Little Seed” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 25 White St., Porter Square, Cambridge. Free. The New York City–based essayist and reporter discusses her experimental memoir that braids together the narrative of her relationship with her brother and family with a deeply personal field guide to ferns. Emma Hunsinger, creator of the autobiographical comic “How to Draw a Horse,” joins. Information is here.
Garth Risk Hallberg reads from “The Second Coming” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. The bestselling author of “City on Fire” and “Field Guide to the North American Family” discusses his novel about a teen in crisis and her estranged addict father’s chance to save her. “Saints for All Occasions” author J. Courtney Sullivan joins. Information is here.
Shit-Faced Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” (continued) from 7 to 8:10 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $30 and 18-plus. Information is here.
Book launch party with queer-romance author T. J. Alexander from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Upstairs at Bow event space, 1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville. $27.18 with book. All She Wrote Books celebrates “Triple Sec,” the new polyamorous rom-com set in the glamorous world of high-end New York City cocktail bars by the author of “Chef’s Choice.” Information is here.
The Scarlet Opera performs at 7:30 p.m. at Sonia, 10 Brookline St., Central Square, Cambridge. $20 and all ages. The five-piece band from Los Angeles combines rock pageantry and Broadway bombast, but influences from ’80s pop, “Velvet Goldmine” and even Queen are strong too. Information is here.
“Next to Normal” (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at Central Square Theater, Cambridge, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $24 to $98. Information is here.
Atomic Comedy Indie Improv Night from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the café at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. Free, but register. An independently produced monthly improv show featuring new and veteran local talent. Information is here.
Sofar Sounds concert from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. at Lamplighter CX, 110 N. First St., North Point, Cambridge. $26 and 21-plus. You buy the tickets but won’t know who’s playing until they take the mic. Promised are two to three short sets from “incredible performers from all musical genres and sometimes even spoken word, comedy or dance.” Information is here.
Reverend Horton Heat performs at 8 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $30 to $35. Thunderous, swaggering, rock-and-roaring psychobilly. Amen. Also playing: The Surfrajettes. Information is here.
Seán Dagher performs at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $15 to $20. Dagher performs, arranges and composes music from folk and classical traditions such as Celtic, Baroque, Medieval, Arabic, French-Canadian and Maritime. But his voice is known by many from the video game soundtrack for Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag (Sea Shanty Edition). Information is here.
A stronger
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