Thursday, Feb. 27
Thursday Morning Talks: Sabrineh Ardalan on “Seeking Safety: Asylum and the Border” from 10:15 a.m. to noon at Holy Trinity Armenian Church, 145 Brattle St., West Cambridge. $20, and registration is required. Ardalan, as director of the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program, trains law students engaged in deportation defense, district court and appellate litigation and policy advocacy and teaches courses on trauma, refugees and international labor migration. The January and February lecture series is a fundraiser for Mount Auburn Hospital in its 88th year. Information is here.
“Trump 2.0: Journalistic Insights on U.S.-Asia Relations” panel discussion from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Belfer Case Study Room at Harvard University’s Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, South Concourse, S020, 1730 Cambridge St., Harvard Square. Free. Voice of America’s Steven L. Herman, The Washington Post’s Josh Rogin and The New York Times’ Edward Wong discuss shifting geopolitical dynamics in Asian countries. Moderated by James Robson, director of the Harvard-Yenching Institute. Information is here.
Danehy Park winter plant walk from 4 to 5:30 p.m. meeting at the parking lot of Danehy Park at 99 Sherman St., in Neighborhood 9 just east of Fresh Pond, Cambridge (rain date: March 6). Free, but register. Stroll the park with clinical herbalist Mo Katz-Christy to discover and learn about weeds, cultivated plants, trees and shrubs. Bring a notebook, if you like. Information is here.
Transforming Learning: Speculative Climate Design from 4 to 6 p.m. at The MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free with museum admission (teens free). A panel discussion explores the benefits of designing alternative futures, including a hands-on exercise. 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 (including the new one by Joana Choumali), catch spotlight tours, browse the shop, enjoy sounds from DJ C-Zone and buy refreshments from Jack’s Abby. This month, staff from the American Repertory Theater offer a Grecian-themed scavenger hunt – with clues that untangle museum mysteries – to promote their production of “The Odyssey.” Information is here.
ArtsThursdays: “The Power and Bias of Measurements” conversation from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Harvard Science Center, Hall A, 1 Oxford St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, and RSVP preferred. Colombo-American artist Nancy Friedemann-Sánchez with a panel of professors of history of medicine and science discuss how art can illuminate the systems that measured humans for the slave trade and persist in Latin America and the United States. The related exhibition “Measuring Difference” is free to browse. Information is here.
Central Square Cooks! cookbook club from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Cambridge Public Library Central Square Branch, 45 Pearl St. Free. This month, make and bring a dish from “Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking” by Toni Tipton-Martin – or just come to talk about your experience with this cookbook. Information is here.
“BeeFound: Washington & Wheatley Write!” lecture and poetry workshop from 6 to 8 p.m. in the carriage house at Longfellow House and the Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, 105 Brattle St., West Cambridge. Free, but register. Local Poet Populist emeritus Toni Bee and Northeastern University’s Nicole Aljoe discuss Phillis Wheatley Peters, one of the best-known poets in pre-19th century America who was also an enslaved person, and explore if her international fame influenced the politics of our nation’s first president. Includes poetry prompts for writing, an open mic for sharing and dinner. Information is here.
“The Weighing of Souls: A Lecture Performance” from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Cader Room at Swartz Hall, 45 Francis Ave., Harvard Divinity School, in the Baldwin neighborhood near the Somerville border, Cambridge. Free, but register. Alice Oswald, poet-in-residence at the Center for the Study of World Religions, tries to find one of the lost plays of Aeschylus. Co-sponsored by the Authors Guild Foundation. Information is here.
Death Cafe from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Somerville Public Library East Branch, 115 Broadway. Free, but register. Not a bereavement or counseling session, but an opportunity to engage in interesting and thought-provoking conversations “to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.” Tea and cake served. Information is here.
“The Odyssey” adapted by playwright Kate Hamill at 7 p.m. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through March 16). $60 to $150 and 14-plus. A contemporary take on Homer’s “Odyssey” that reimagines the stories of both Odysseus and his wife, Penelope, and asks how we can learn to embrace healing and forgiveness so cycles of violence and revenge can end. We wrote about it here. Information is here.
Lauren Francis-Sharma reads from “Casualties of Truth” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. The novelist discusses her thriller set between Washington, D.C., and Johannesburg, South Africa. Journalist Mark Cecil of “The Thoughtful Bro” podcast joins. Information is here.
“Majority Rules: An American Musical” at 7 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $15 to $20 and 16-plus. Emerson and Berklee students wrote this musical about a U.S. presidential candidate who campaigns to eradicate Greek life nationwide, and the “Frattiest Frat Bro of the Year” who leads a newly formed Greek Party to victory. Information is here.
Seven poets read from 7 to 9 p.m. at Café Phinista, 1876 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. $15 to $20. “Espresso your thoughts, steep in poetry… and mingle over mugs and metaphors” while listening to poets Philip Nikolayev, Jean Dany Joachim, Pedro Poitevin, Willy Ramirez, Jonathan Bennett, Alan Smith Soto and Michael McCarthy. Information is here.
This Music series from 7 to 10 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $10 to $15. The first set is violinist Ángela Varo’s Bulla with Isaac Romagosa (guitar), Rafael Heredia Horimoto (percussion), Ferran Rico (electric bass) and Arman Wali (keys); the second set features trumpeter Lemuel Marc with Bahar Badieitabar (oud), Maliq Wynn (drums), Aidan Devine (bass) and Hidemi Akaiwa (piano). Information is here.
Blues Union February Dances: Tea Talks for Black History Month from 7 to 11 p.m. at Dance Union, 16 Bow St., Union Square, Somerville. $10 to $25. An all-levels lesson in the first hour then an hour of Tea Talk (community conversations and group actions) followed by two hours of social dancing. Wear shoes that allow you to pivot; no need to bring a partner. Masks and proof of vaccination required. Information is here.
Being Human: Storytelling and readings at 7:30 p.m. in the blue wing at the Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston, on the Cambridge border. Free with preregistration and 18-plus. A panel of Emerson College community members, including bestselling author P. Carl, explore questions such as “How are our bodies and brains connected?” as part of the college’s partnership with the museum as it launches its “being human” focus this year. Information is here.
Chilean songwriter Nano Stern at 7:30 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $28 to $30. The multilingual multi-instrumentalist performs on the final day of his Berklee College of Music residency. His ninth and most recent studio recording “Aún creo en la belleza” [I still believe in beauty] “builds a refuge of words and sounds that reflect the worries and calmness of the intense times in which we live,” and his voice sounds a little like Cat Stevens. Information is here.
Anikaya Dance Theater presents “Conference of the Birds” at 8 p.m. at Arrow Street Arts, 2 Arrow Street, Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through March 9). $1 to $65. This multimedia movement theater work inspired by the 12th century poem of Farid Ud din Attar depicts stories gathered from refugees and other migrants. Choreographer Wendy Jehlen collaborated with dancers, choreographers, musicians and video artists from 12 countries. Information is here.
Friday, Feb. 28
“Balancing Majority and Minority Rights” conference from 9:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Adolphus Busch Hall, lower level conference room, 27 Kirkland St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. German, Austrian and U.S. political scientists and legal scholars discuss the consequences of democratic backsliding. Information is here.
Susan Meiselas talks about her “44 Irving Street, Cambridge, MA” photography exhibition from 12:30 to 1 p.m. at Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, but check in at visitor services to join. The artist’s 1971 photo series provides an intimate look into rooms in a Cambridge boarding house where she and diverse other tenants lived. Information is here.
National Day of Reading: A Celebration of Trans Stories from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Cambridge Public Library Central Square Branch, 45 Pearl St. Free, but registration is helpful. Librarians read aloud from books that support and affirm transgender and nonbinary youth at an all-ages story time. Refreshments provided. Information is here.
Witnesses: Ukrainian Writers Documenting Russia’s War from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the Fong Auditorium of Boylston Hall, Harvard Yard, Cambridge. Free. Writer and editor Sasha Dovzhyk discusses the recent poetry and prose by fellow Ukrainians, including novelist Victoria Amelina’s posthumously published testimony, reportage and memoir “Looking at Women Looking at War.” Also via Zoom. Information is here.
Cantata Singers Community Sing with guest artist Sophia Miller at 6 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $25. An opportunity for musicians and nonmusicians of all ages to select from a list of songs that includes the Beatles’ “Across the Universe.” Food and drinks provided. Information is here.
“Ex Uno Plures” art exhibit opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, 42 Brattle St., Harvard Square. Free. Works in printmaking, bookbinding and paper arts created by visual arts students and instructors in the center community. Information is here.
“Psyched Out” Improv at 7 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $17 to $22. First, live psychic readings. Then comedy based on those readings. Information is here.
“The Odyssey” adapted by playwright Kate Hamill (continued) at 7 p.m. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $124 to $150 and 14-plus. Information is here.
Sam Klug reads from “The Internal Colony: Race and the American Politics of Global Decolonization” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. The Loyola University Maryland professor discusses how policy debates fed discord between Black activists and state policymakers in the 1960s and 1970s. Boston University’s Chad Williams joins. Information is here.
Danielle Wood presents “Harriet Jacobs: Journey to Saturn” at 7 p.m. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab, 75 Amherst St., in Area II near Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. As part of the MIT Artfinity Festival, the director of the Space Enabled Research Group at the MIT Media Lab combines spoken word, music and dance to examine concepts of space through the writings of 19th century African American poets and abolitionists, revealing a perspective of home visible only through satellite imagery. Information is here.
Detention stand-up comedy with Salma Zaky at 7, 9 and 11 p.m. at Goofs Comedy Club, 432 McGrath Highway, Prospect Hill, Somerville (and Saturday). $25 and 21-plus. A weekend of performances from a New York transplant from Los Angeles with Egyptian and French background who was named a “Comic to Watch” at the 2024 New York Comedy Festival. Information is here.
Josiah Reibstein and the HubTones Mardi Gras Party at 7:30 p.m. at Regattabar, 1 Bennett St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $20 to $30. Guest vocalist Robbie Pate joins Reibstein (bass and tuba), Dan Gabel (trombone and vocals), Annie Linders (trumpet and vocals), Joseph Thieman (piano, accordion) and David Andrew Moore (drums). Information is here.
Eliza Carthy performs from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Luthier Collective, 487 Somerville, Ave., near Union Square, Somerville. $20 to $25. The daughter of English traditional folk legends Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson sings and fiddles in a repair shop that sometimes hosts small acoustic performances. Information is here.
Anikaya Dance Theater presents “Conference of the Birds” (continued) at 8 p.m. at Arrow Street Arts, 2 Arrow Street, Harvard Square, Cambridge. $1 to $65. Information is here.
Angélique Kidjo at 8 p.m. at the Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square. $48 to $79. The five-time Grammy-winning Beninese star returns with a blend of West African traditions and elements of American R&B, funk and jazz. Information is here.
Hasty Pudding Theatricals presents “101 Damnations” at 8 p.m. at Harvard University’s Farkas Hall, 12 Holyoke St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through March 9). $51. This year’s original musical is set in hell with pun-named characters navigating and scheming against the forces keeping them from getting what they want (often a reassignment to heaven), including its chief executive, Lucy Fur. Information is here.
The Bevis Frond performs at 8 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $25 to $30. U.K. guitarist and songwriter Nick Saloman brings “an iconoclastic collision of distinctly British psychedelia, space-rock, grunge, slow-burning soulful laments, even grizzled folk and more-than-occasional moments of sublime pop genius.” Information is here.
Harvard Wind Ensemble Spring Concert at 8 p.m. at Harvard’s Lowell Lecture Hall, 17 Kirkland St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Founded in the 1960s, the ensemble offers musicians of the Harvard community the opportunity to study and perform original literature for winds and percussion. Information is here.
The Toni Lynn Washington Band at Boston Swing Central from 8 to 11:45 p.m. at Q Ballroom, 26 New St., Fresh Pond, Cambridge. $13 to $20. Boston’s queen of soul and blues performs at this social partner dance that includes a lesson for beginners in the first hour. No partner required; bring a clean pair of shoes to dance in when it’s wet outside. Information is here.
Summer in the Winter dance party from 8 p.m. to midnight at Remnant Brewing, 2 Bow St., Union Square, Somerville. Free, but 21-plus. Management plans to crank the thermostat to “questionable,” serve tropical cocktails and play jungle beats, promising a need to shed layers for a “a sweat-drenched, neon-lit, EDM-fueled paradise.” The advice: Dress for the tropics, not the tundra. Information is here.
Saturday, March 1
Maple Boil Down from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Growing Center, 22 Vinal Ave., near Union Square, Somerville (rain date: March 8). Free. Join in as the Center converts sap harvested from sugar maple trees on the Tufts campus into maple syrup. Information is here.
Norouz Grand Bazaar from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Dante Alighieri Society Center, 41 Hampshire St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. $12.50. A celebration of the Persian New Year with 40 local vendors of gifts and crafts; a fashion show of Persian designs; music and dance performances; live DJ beats; and delicious foods and authentic Persian pastries. Cosponsored by Boston PYPE and Marmar Sabet Design. Information is here.
Woven Roots: Indigenous Latinx Art Fair from noon to 5 p.m. at the Boston Figurative Art Center, 285 Washington St., Suite 102, near Union Square, Somerville. $7.18. Explore the art and artists of Central America and beyond including painting, dance, music and textiles. Traditional foods such as pupusas and tamales available to buy. Information is here.
Oscar Wilde’s “An Ideal Husband” Set in Present-Day Boston and Cambridge from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free. Local political, housing and development issues infuse this staged reading by professional actors of 1895 Wilde’s play adapted and set in current times by local film and documentary maker Federico Muchnik and sponsored by Cambridge Citizens for Livable Neighborhoods. Information is here.
“The Odyssey” adapted by playwright Kate Hamill (continued) at 1:30 and 7 p.m. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $134 to $155 and 14-plus. Information is here.
How Do You Hot Chocolate? from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., Central Hill. Free. Test the many options in a hot chocolate bar and learn how to mix your own hot cocoa recipe to take home. There will be coloring available to keep hands busy while participants sip their samples. Information is here.
Try an E-Bike from 2 to 4 p.m. in the CambridgeSide Parking Garage, Level G1, 100 CambridgeSide Place, East Cambridge. Free. Try brands and models of e-bikes, including e-cargo bikes, at this event co-hosted with bike shops participating in the Cambridge Bike Lottery program and Community Pedal Power. Information is here.
Blue Heron vocal ensemble presents “A more subtle art: the late 14th-century Ars subtilior” at 3 p.m. at First Church in Cambridge, 11 Garden St., Harvard Square. $10 (low-income tickets) to $40 (general) and $90 (reserved). The ensemble performs a jazzy, intoxicating polyphony of the generation after Machaut, including songs and instrumental settings. Information is here.
MIT Student Groups’ Showcase from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Kresge Auditorium, 48 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. Free. As part of the MIT Artfinity Festival, MIT’s arts organizations present a marathon of song, dance, theater and more by student artists. Information is here.
Anikaya Dance Theater presents “Conference of the Birds” (continued) at 4 and 8 p.m. at Arrow Street Arts, 2 Arrow Street, Harvard Square, Cambridge. $1 to $65. Information is here.
Hasty Pudding Theatricals presents “101 Damnations” (continued) at 4 and 8 p.m. at Harvard University’s Farkas Hall, 12 Holyoke St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $51. Information is here.
“The Art of the Festival Celebrating the Rain God of the Kathmandu Valley” curator talk with Bruce McCoy Owens from 6 to 8 p.m. at Somerville Museum, 1 Westwood Road, in the Spring Hill neighborhood. $12 (free to members and kids 12 and under). Anthropologist Owens talks about his photographs and the cultural artifacts and works of fine art and popular culture that tell the story of the largest festival of the Kathmandu Valley, practiced for nearly 1,400 years. We wrote about it here. Information is here.
“The Other March Sisters” book release at 7 p.m. at All She Wrote Books, 75 Washington St., Prospect Hill, Somerville. Free or $28.70 with book. Co-authors Linda Epstein, Liz Parker and Ally Malinenko talk about their reimagining of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel that centers Jo’s sisters Meg, Beth and Amy. Information is here.
Somerville Songwriter Sessions at 7 p.m. at the cafe at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $15. Songwriters Sarah Grella, Kelvin Koning and Rachel Marie play brief solo sets, followed by a song swap. Information is here.
Detention stand-up comedy with Salma Zaky (continued) at 7, 9 and 11 p.m. at Goofs Comedy Club, 432 McGrath Highway, Prospect Hill, Somerville. $25 and 21-plus. Information is here.
Donal Fox/Jacques Schwarz-Bart Duo at 7:30 p.m. at Regattabar, 1 Bennett St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $25 to $35. Fox is an internationally acclaimed pianist, composer and improviser who’s forged an amalgam of jazz, Latin and classical music; tenor saxophonist Schwarz-Bart has been at the center of neo soul and New Jazz and created Gwoka jazz and Voodoo jazz. Information is here.
The Harvard Choruses present “American Jezebel: The Trial of Anne Hutchinson” at 8 p.m. at Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. $10 to $25. Politics, sex, religion and power converge in this fictional operatic retelling by James Kallembach of the 1637 trial of Puritan Anne Hutchinson in the turbulent Massachusetts Bay Colony. Hana Cai conducts this semistaged concert performance. Information is here.
“Varvara” dance performance from 8 to 9:30 p.m. at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge (also Sunday). $17.85. A solo evening-length dance performance by dance artist and educator Jenna Riegel, made in response to Alexander Rodchenko’s photograph “Performing Furniture” (1922). Information is here.
Swing @ Satellite launch party from 8 to 11 p.m. at Remnant Brewing Satellite, 877 Cambridge St., Wellington-Harrington, Cambridge. Free. A party for the new monthly swing dance features The Smack Dabs and guests Annie and the Fur Trappers. Information is here.
Lovestrukk Indoors Winter Series Part II from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. at La Brasa, 124 Broadway, Winter Hill, Somerville. $17.15 to $28.55 and 21-plus. Underground electronic music event with sets from Juju, Dichotomy and Peterbilt. Information is here.
Mardi Gras Rave from 9:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. at The Lower Level at the Massasoit Elks Lodge, 55 Bishop Allen Drive, Central Square, Cambridge. $17.85 and 21-plus. A night of masks, music and mayhem with DJs Matt Marauder, Asphodel Ivory and Wardance spinning tech house, techno and trance amid hypnotic lights, bass and beads. Information is here.
Sunday, March 2
Hindustani classical music morning concert at 10:30 a.m. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Wong Auditorium in Building E-51, also known as the Tang Center, 70 Memorial Drive, Cambridge. Free. Pandit Parameshwar Hegde (vocals), Jawwad Noor (sitar) and Vaishnavi Kondapalli (vocals) accompanied by Amit Kavthekar (tabla), Rajesh Pai (tabla) and Hirak Modi (harmonium). Information is here.
Heart Hive presents “Ecstatic Dance [Trust]” from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Masonic Lodge, 1950 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. $10 to $35 (free for children under 5). A chance to dance without shoes, alcohol or phones. Features DJs Djini and Bløckh34d. Information is here.
Moulin Rouge drag brunch at 11 a.m. at Summer Shack, 149 Alewife Brook Parkway, Alewife, Cambridge. $20. “Come what may,” you can-can remember the lyrics to “Your Song,” even though they don’t make a lot of sense. Information is here.
Extraterrestrial Intelligence and the Jews from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Lehrhaus, 425 Washington St., Somerville. $10. Avi Loeb, former chair of Harvard’s astronomy department current head of the Galileo Project, asks “How might Judaism wrestle with the idea of a nonhuman intelligence if we discover we’re not alone in the universe?” 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 more than 30 small local and regional makers. Information is here.
Hassle Flea from 12:30 to 5 p.m. at the Cambridge Community Center, 5 Callender St., Riverside. $2. A flea market featuring 85-plus vendors of handmade artwork, prints, patches, records, tees, pins, ceramics, jewelry, zines, body care, tea, fiber art, vintage clothing, accessories and books as well as tarot readings. Live music all day in the basement. Information is here.
Kuumba Singers from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Calderwood Courtyard at Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Songs performed in conjunction with the exhibition “Languages of West African Marketplaces” by a student group that organized in 1970 to bring together Black students from Harvard, Radcliffe and other Boston-area colleges. Information is here.
Hasty Pudding Theatricals presents “101 Damnations” (continued) at 1 and 5 p.m. at Harvard University’s Farkas Hall, 12 Holyoke St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $51. Information is here.
“The Odyssey” adapted by playwright Kate Hamill (continued) at 1:30 p.m. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $134 to $155 and 14-plus. Information is here.
Somerville Bike Kitchen Winter Workshop: Bicycle Evaluation Masterclass from 2 to 4 p.m. at The Dojo at Somernova, 15 Properzi Way, in Ward 2, Somerville, between Porter and Union squares. Free, but RSVP. This workshop is open to everyone of all skill levels. Bring a bike or use one available to evaluate. Information is here.
“Suitcase Stories” at 3 p.m. at the Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square. $28. Seven foreign- and U.S.-born residents, including stand-up comedian (and research analyst) Steph Dalwin, share stories of refugee and immigrant life via the Stellar Story Co. Information is here.
Masterworks Chorale presents Lauridsen’s “Lux Aeterna” at 3 p.m. at First Church in Cambridge, 11 Garden St., Harvard Square. $35. The first half of the concert is centered around living composer Morten Lauridsen’s five-movement 1997 piece; the second half balances it with four separate shorter British works for chorus and organ spanning the century from 1879 to 1975. Musical director: Kevin Leong. Information is here.
Anikaya Dance Theater presents “Conference of the Birds” (continued) at 6 p.m. at Arrow Street Arts, 2 Arrow Street, Harvard Square, Cambridge. $1 to $65. Information is here.
Katie Holt reads from “Not in My Book” from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lovestruck Books, 44 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, or $33.85 with book. During this release party (with cupcakes), the Peruvian-Tennessean author discusses her debut novel, a “sexy, laugh-aloud enemies-to-lovers romance.” Author Jenny Howe joins. Information is here.
Sirius Quartet: “Incantations” album release from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $10 to $20. Conservatory-trained performer-composers (featuring Berklee College cello professor Jeremy Harman) with a new collection of works about memory, grief and loss. Information is here.
Varieté: Comedy and the Impossible at 7 p.m. at The Comedy Studio in the basement at 5 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $15 to $25. Sword swallowing, acrobatics, sight gags and weirdness. Information is here.
Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer with Chao Tian at 7 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $28 to $30. The Grammy-winning American roots artists and Chinese classical hammered dulcimer player combine music from China to Appalachia and beyond. Instrumentation includes yangqin (Chinese hammered dulcimer), gourd banjo, five-string banjo, ukulele, guitars, dumbek, cello-banjo and mandolin. Information is here.
“Varvara” dance performance (continued) from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $17.85. Information is here.
Bida contra dance from 7 to 10:30 p.m. at the Masonic Lodge, 1950 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. $5 to $25. The thrice-monthly dances of the Boston Intergenerational Dance Advocates start with a lesson in the first 30 minutes, switch up callers from dance to dance and alternate mask policies. Tonight: Masks optional. Information is here.
Monday, March 3
Richard Higgins reads from “Thoreau’s God” from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Tufts University’s Eaton Hall, room 112, 5 The Green, Medford. Free. The former Boston Globe reporter and editor discusses the author of “Walden; or, Life in the Woods” as, in essence, a mystic. Information is here.
Runa performs at 4 p.m. at The Burren, 247 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $25 to $35. As part of the Burren’s Brian O’Donovan Legacy Series, the 16-year-old “super group” pushes the boundaries of Irish folk music into Americana and roots with the rhythms of jazz, bluegrass, flamenco and blues. Information is here.
Yiddish Folksong: Living Passions From A Jewish Past from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. at Lehrhaus, 425 Washington St., Somerville. $10. Boston composer, conductor and music educator Leybl (Derek) David introduces Yiddish folksong from ethnographic field recordings from Eastern Europe. Ability to read music is not required. Information is here.
“Handloom Jamdani Weaving: Its History and Future” exhibition and lecture at 6 p.m. in the ACT Cube (E15-001) of MIT’s Wiesner Building, 20 Ames St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. As part of the MIT Artfinity Festival, economist and Nobel winner Abhijit Banerjee, artist-illustrator Cheyenne Olivier and garment designer Suket Dhir discuss traditional art honored by Unesco; an exhibition features artworks in jamdani, including a woven scroll and garments, and a video on jamdani weaving. Information is here.
Countertop Chants poetry open mic at 6:45 p.m. at Winter Hill Brewing, 328 Broadway, in the Winter Hill neighborhood of Somerville. Free. A group of local writers sponsors this monthly event with 10 reading slots of five minutes each with a musical guest intermission. For poetry lifers and novices alike. Information is here.
Meg Stone reads from “The Cost of Fear: Why Most Safety Advice Is Sexist and How We Can Stop Gender-Based Violence” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. The executive director of Impact Boston, an abuse prevention and empowerment self-defense organization, describes the kind of safety choices that expand our worlds and promote social justice. Shameka Gregory, coordinator of Cambridge’s Domestic and Gender Based Violence Prevention Initiative, joins. Information is here.
“Dahomey” (2024) film screening with director at 7 p.m. at Harvard Film Archive at The Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $15. The French-Senegalese director Mati Diop’s “quasi-supernatural romance set against the backdrop of the European migrant crises.” Information is here.
Jeffrey Martin performs at 7 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $28 to $30. With just two microphones and his guitar in an 8-by-10-foot backyard shack, the Portland, Oregon, singer-songwriter recorded his album “Thank God We Left the Garden,” with its heart-piercing song “Red Station Wagon.” Bob Sumner opens. Information is here.
Picture + Panel: Childhood Faves with Ellen T. Crenshaw and James Kochalka 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 brings in Massachusetts cartoonist and illustrator Crenshaw, who created the bestselling Baby-sitters Club graphic novel adaptation of “Stacey’s Mistake,” and the multiple award-winning comic artist (and punk rocker) Kochalka from Vermont. Arlington Public Schools Librarian Rebecca Aaronson moderates. Information is here.
“Myth and Modernity: A Conversation about ‘The Odyssey’” from 7 to 8 p.m. at Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, but RSVP. American Repertory Theater and Harvard Book Store co-sponsor a discussion of the themes and lasting impact of Homer’s “Odyssey” and A.R.T.’s production of its adaptation with playwright Kate Hamill, Museum of Fine Arts curator Phoebe Segal and Harvard classics scholars David Elmer, Emily Greenwood and Naomi Weiss. Information is here.
Figure-drawing basics from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Boston Figurative Art Center, 285 Washington St., Suite 102, near Union Square, Somerville. $40. Illustrator, cartoonist and figure drawing instructor Chris O’Neill shares his approach to nailing proportions, making faster drawings, getting loose and having more fun at figure drawing. Information is here.
The Royer Family Band from 8 to 11 p.m. at Remnant Brewing Satellite, 877 Cambridge St., Wellington-Harrington, Cambridge. Free. Hazel Royer (upright bass and vocals) and her dad Eric Royer (banjo, guitar and vocals) perform the traditional bluegrass old-time country. A special barbecue menu is offered. Information is here.
Bachata Mondays from 8:15 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. at Havana Club, 288 Green St., Central Square, Cambridge. $10 to $15 and 18-plus. The club has a strict no-alcohol policy on Mondays (also on Tuesdays and Sundays) with lively dancing to mostly bachata (90 percent) and some salsa (10 percent) and bachata lessons in the first hour. Information is here.
Rockwell Open Mic at 9 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. Free. There are 15 slots for brave folks exploring standup, clown, music, characters, magic, poetry and whatever’s got your mind fretted (a few spots saved for first-come, first-served). Information is here.
Tuesday, March 4
Vladimir Kara-Murza on “The Real Life Gulag” from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Tsai Auditorium at the Center for Government and International Studies, South Concourse, 1730 Cambridge St., Harvard Square. Free, but register. The Russian political activist describes his 11 months in solitary confinement in the Siberian prison before being released in an Aug. 1 prisoners’ swap. Russian investigative journalist, political scientist, author, radio host and visiting scholar Yevgenia Albats joins. (This event was originally scheduled for Nov. 19.) Information is here.
“Afrofuturism and Otherworldliness” art exhibition opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Lewis Music Library of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Building 14, also known as the Hayden Library Building at 160 Memorial Drive at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. Free, but register. As part of the MIT Artfinity Festival, a traveling exhibition on view through March 16 spotlights pioneering Black artists and musicians. Information is here.
Cara Giaimo reads from “Atlas Obscura’s Wild Life: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Living Wonders” from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., Central Hill. Free. The Somerville writer discusses her 2024 nature book featuring more than 500 extraordinary plants, animals and natural phenomena – a collection that takes readers to all seven continents and beyond. We wrote about it here. Information is here.
Kevin Bethune reads from “Nonlinear: Navigating Design with Curiosity and Conviction” from 6 to 8 p.m. at The MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. $5. During this “Write Science” event co-presented by MIT Press, the California-based design executive and author of the bestselling “Reimagining Design” shows how to unlock innovation. Information is here.
Artist Talk with Yoshida Ayomi from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Harvard Art Museums, Menschel Hall (lower level). Free, but register. The artist’s intricate, large-scale installations push the boundaries of traditional Japanese printmaking techniques. Curatorial fellow Lillian Wies joins. Information is here.
Deanna Van Buren on “Designing for Abolition” from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Gund Hall, 42 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. The executive director of the Designing Justice + Designing Spaces illustrates how and what we need to build instead of prisons, jails or courthouses. Andrea C. James from The National Council of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls joins for a conversation and Q&A. Information is here.
“The Odyssey” adapted by playwright Kate Hamill (continued) at 7 p.m. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $70 to $150 and 14-plus. Information is here.
Frigg performs at 7 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $28 to $30. The Nordic folk ensemble of four violins, string instruments and a double bass has the “ability to transport listeners to traditional Finnish polska, bluegrass and Balkan rhythms and all the way to the dynamics of classical music, as if there were multiple groups performing on stage.” Information is here.
Cassandra Clare reads from “The Ragpicker King” at 7 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $51.50 with book. The Western Massachusetts author discusses the follow-up to The New York Times bestseller “Sword Catcher” in her “Chronicles of Castellane” fantasy series. Fantasy novelist Holly Black joins. Information is here.
Clea Simon reads from “The Butterfly Trap” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. The local author of the “Witch Cats of Cambridge” series and other books discusses her “slow-burn he said-she said psychological suspense novel” set in Boston. Nina MacLaughlin, author of “Wake, Siren: Ovid Resung,” joins. Information is here.
Leslie Jamison reads from “Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. Free. Author of the New York Times bestsellers “The Recovering” and “The Empathy Exams” discusses the paperback release of her memoir that looks at finding joy when haunted by loss and “harm we’ve caused.” Nonfiction author and New Yorker staff writer Louis Thomas joins. Information is here.
Bluesy Tuesy Social Dance from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. at the New England Science Fiction Association clubhouse at 504 Medford St., Magoun Square, Somerville (and every Tuesday). $5 to $25. Ari Rabkin DJs at this weekly partner blues dance event that includes a lesson for beginners in the first hour. No partner required. Information is here.
Smut Slam from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the cafe 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.
Braden at 8 p.m. at The Cantab Underground, 738 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $12 to $15. The Canadian singer-songwriter of indie folk says on Instagram he’s never performed in Cambridge. Information is here.
Hasty Pudding Theatricals presents “101 Damnations” (continued) at 8 p.m. at Harvard University’s Farkas Hall, 12 Holyoke St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $41. Information is here.
Jam session with Nick Brust and Liz Sinn from 10:30 p.m. to midnight at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $10 to $15. The Boston jazz saxophonist and pianist-composer have put together a quartet with bassist Ehud Ettun and drummer Rafael Barata to perform uncommon standards and originals. The house band plays a set up front, followed by an open jam session. Information is here.
Wednesday, March 5
Tufts Composers: New Sounds Now No. 5 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Distler Performance Hall, Tufts University, 20 Talbot Ave., Medford. Free. Tufts composers examine “What makes our music move and dance without overthought?” and related questions. Also livestreamed. Information is here.
Bill McGoldrick’s Acoustic Duo from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the lobby bar of The Row Hotel, 360 Foley St., Assembly Square, Somerville. Free. McGoldrick’s guitar playing matched by Lauren Scudder’s vocals. Information is here.
“Guided Breath Work to Ease Stress” class from 5 to 6 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge. Free. Unlike meditation, which focuses on stillness, this breath work session uses guided, active breathing techniques to release stress and calm the mind. Taught by Boston Ice Bath & Breath. Information is here.
Ezekiel in the Mirror: A Guide to Jewish Psychedelic Exploration from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. at Lehrhaus, 425 Washington St., Somerville. $10. Berkeley, California–based Rabbi Zac Kamenetz describes what there is to learn from the first Jewish psychonaut, Ezekiel, and the later magical and mystical traditions inspired by his visions, for the use of psychedelic medicine for healing and self-discovery. Information is here.
Hong Kong poet Yam Gong reads from “Moving a Stone: Selected Poems” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Woodberry Poetry Room at Lamont Library, Room 330, 11 Quincy St., Harvard Square. Free. A first-ever U.S. visit from the revered, self-taught, school-defying poet whose 50 years of philosophical work – from writing while laboring in a dockside warehouse far from established literary circles – has been translated for the first time into English. The poet and his co-translators discuss the Hong Kong literary scene and share his poems in a bilingual presentation. Information is here.
“Zip Docs: Intro to Documentary Video Production” from 6 to 8 p.m. at Cambridge Community Television, 438 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square (also March 12, 19 and 26). $120 for all four sessions. Learn how to produce a documentary from start to finish (from concept to shooting to editing) by working with classmates as part of a team; the finished documentary will be featured on CCTV’s channels and website. Information is here.
“Let’s Make a Scene” writing workshop with Mike Marano from 6 to 8:45 at the Somerville Public Library West Branch, 40 College Ave., near Davis Square. Free, but register. The novelist and critic breaks down compelling scene construction in prose and shares the tools top screenwriters and playwrights use to make scenes pop. Information is here.
“Zine Revolution: Crafting Feminist Narratives and Creative Expression” workshop from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Cambridge Art Association’s Kathryn Schultz Gallery, 25 Lowell St., West Cambridge. $75 to $90. Artist Meghan Bailey helps participants make a zine, explore their history and show their relationship with feminism. A follow-up event in coming months provides an opportunity to trade and socialize. Information is here.
“The Odyssey” adapted by playwright Kate Hamill (continued) at 7 p.m. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $55 to $150 and 14-plus. Information is here.
Elinor Lipman reads from “Every Tom, Dick and Harry” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. Free. The award-winning author of 16 books of fiction and nonfiction, including “The Inn at Lake Devine,” discusses her romantic comedy about a woman in the estate sale business who takes on the job of decluttering a grand, beautiful house of ill repute masquerading as a bed-and-breakfast. Information is here.
Martha S. Jones reads from “The Trouble of Color: An American Family Memoir” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. The prizewinning author and Johns Hopkins University history professor discusses her “moving, surprising, disturbing and unsettling” memoir about her Black identity, from rural Kentucky and small-town North Carolina to New York City and its suburbs. Danielle Allen of Harvard’s Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation joins. Information is here.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie reads from “Dream Count” at 7 p.m. at First Parish Cambridge Unitarian Universalist, 3 Church St./1446 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $45.09 with book. The award-winning novelist whose work has been translated into more than 55 languages discusses her latest about a Nigerian travel writer living in the United States, “a trenchant reflection on the choices we make and those made for us, on daughters and mothers, on our interconnected world.” Information is here.
Argentine Tango for Beginners from 7 to 8 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge. $120, or $210 for a couple. Launching today, TangoAffair’s five-session course for beginners (or those interested in exploring the opposite role) teaches connection, walking, posture and basic elements such as cross, ochos and simple turns, as well as etiquette on the social dance floor. Information is here.
Bert Seager’s Heart of Hearing performs from 7 to 8 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $5 to $15. The jazz quartet of piano, tenor-saxophone, upright-bass and drums brings listeners into improvised jazz. Information is here.
Brewery Book Club from 7 to 8 p.m. at Lamplighter Brewing, 284 Broadway, The Port, Cambridge. Free, but RSVP and 21-plus. A collaboration with the Cambridge Public Library that this month discusses “Inciting Joy” by Ross Gay. Information is here.
Hasty Pudding Theatricals presents “101 Damnations” (continued) at 8 p.m. at Harvard University’s Farkas Hall, 12 Holyoke St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $41. Information is here.
Allison de Groot and Nic Gareiss at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $23 to $25. de Groot won the Steve Martin Prize in Banjo, was nominated for Instrumentalist of the Year by the Americana Music Association and was recognized by the Junos and Canadian Folk Music Awards. One of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch,” Gareiss has been hailed by The New York Times for his “dexterous melding of Irish and Appalachian dance.” The duo have created performances together for more than a decade. Information is here.
Thursday, March 6
“Russia’s Pursuit of Repopulation: Abortion, Large Families and Propaganda” from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in S354 of the Center for Government and International Studies, South Concourse, 1730 Cambridge St., Harvard Square. Free, but register. A discussion about Putin’s policies to counter Russia’s shrinking population. Information is here.
“African Landscape Architectures: Alternative Futures for the Field” conference from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Gund Hall, 42 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge (also Friday). Free, but RSVP. A two-day event with five panels highlighting how design can prepare African cities for the impacts of climate change. Information is here.
Curator Tour of Alia Farid’s “Talismans (Kupol LR 3303)” art exhibition from 3 to 3:30 p.m. at the Johnson-Kulukundis Family Gallery, Byerly Hall, 8 Garden St., west of Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Meg Rotzel discusses Farid’s large-scale art: polyester resin panels (using the material Kupol LR 3303) tinted a soft, greenish blue, set alongside photos from the Kuwait-born artist’s own family archive. Information is here.
Stories and Histories: A Conversation with Celeste Ng at 4 p.m. at the Knafel Center of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University, 10 Garden St., west of Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. The celebrated novelist of, most recently, “Our Missing Hearts.” Schlesinger Library faculty director Erika Lee joins. Information is here.
“The German Elections: Do the Results Portend a New Direction?” from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Adolphus Busch Hall, 27 Kirkland St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. An analysis of the results of Germany’s elections Feb. 23 with Melanie Amann and Benjamin Bidder of Der Spiegel, one of Germany’s leading news magazines. Information is here.
“Colors of Ukraine: Folk Art and Resistance” exhibition final day from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free. The end of an exhibit curated by Sophia Sushailo of artwork created in the Petrykivka tradition, using an intricate brush made with cat fur. Information is here.
“Making Milk: Mongolia’s Unique Role in Dairy’s History” lecture from 5 to 6 p.m. at Geological Lecture Hall, Harvard Geological Museum, 24 Oxford St., in the Baldwin neighborhood near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. Harvard’s Christina Warinner takes a fresh look the often surprising 5,000-year-old history of milk in Mongolia, where more than 90 percent of the population should be lactose intolerant – but is not. Information is here.
Boston Bitdown Chiptune/Digital Fusion Festival from 5 p.m. to midnight at Warehouse XI, 11 Sanborn Court, and The Jungle, 6 Sanborn Court, Union Square, Somerville (and continuing through Saturday at other locations). $129.89 for a three-day pass. A new artist-driven festival of music inspired by video games with 50-plus performances over three days in five venues “none of which are in Boston,” as our music reporter points out. Information is here.
MIT Spring 2025 Architecture Lecture: Rebecca Choi at 6 p.m. in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Long Lounge (Building 7-429), 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. Free, but register. The assistant professor of architecture history at Tulane University researches how the antiracist protests, boycotts, sit-ins and insurrections in America between 1940–1970 affected architecture. Also streamed online. Information is here.
“Crafting Your Artist Statement” workshop from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Gallery 263, 263 Pearl St., Cambridgeport. $15. Learn how to describe yourself and your artwork, position your practice and explain the deeper meaning of your art with Robin Cembalest, the former longtime editor of ARTnews. Information is here.
“Edvard Munch: Technically Speaking” art exhibition opening lecture from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Harvard Art Museums, Menschel Hall (lower level). Free, but register. In conjunction with the exhibition on Level 3, on view through July 27, curators and conservators make presentations about Munch’s techniques, materials and methods, followed by a discussion about the artist’s printmaking and painting practices. Information is here.
Cambridge Young Artists Exhibition opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge. Free. Artwork from Cambridge Public School students in grades 9 through 12, on display through March 21 (gallery hours: Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). Information is here.
Women Take the Reel Film Festival: “All We Imagine As Light” screening from 6 to 9:30 p.m. at the Bartos Theater, 20 Ames St., Building E-15, atrium level, Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. Watch Payal Kapadia’s award-winning 2024 film about three women navigating life in Mumbai. Mocktails and mingling precede the screening; conversation among scholars of South Asian studies moderated by MIT’s Hafsa Arain follows. Information is here.
“Paint Me a Road Out of Here” screening and discussion with Catherine Gund, Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter and Sarah Lewis at 6:30 p.m. at Harvard Film Archive at The Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. In 1971, underestimated artist Faith Ringgold made a monumental painting for the women incarcerated at Rikers Island. Fifty years later, Baxter bands together with an eccentric bunch of activists, politicians, artists, corrections officers and Ringgold to free the painting – with the ultimate goal of freeing the women. Information is here.
International Womxn’s Day Keynote Address: Princess Adedoyin Talabi Faniyi and Tarna Klitzner from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Gund Hall, 42 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, but RSVP. For the launch of the weeklong Womxn in Design, a dialogue between Princess Faniyi, principle caretaker of The Adunni Olorisha Trust of the Osun Sacred Grove in Osogbo, Nigeria, and landscape architect Klitzner, founder of TKLA in Cape Town, South Africa. Zoe Marks of Harvard’s Center for African Studies moderates. A reception follows. Information is here.
Laila Lalami reads from “The Dream Hotel” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. The author of “The Moor’s Account,” which won the American Book Award and the Arab-American Book Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer, discusses her latest, about one woman’s fight for freedom in a near future in which even dreams are under surveillance. Claire Messud, author of “The Emperor’s Children,” among other novels, joins. Information is here.
Non-Event Concert Series presents C. Spencer Yeh at 7 p.m. in the Fisher Performance Room in Granoff Music Center at Tufts University, 20 Talbot Ave., Medford. Free. The experimental musician and artist presents solo improvisations on violin, voice and electronics in conjunction with the exhibition “Impossible Music,” in which Yeh’s installation “World of Music” is on view through April 20. (A free curatorial tour of the exhibition in the Aidekman Arts Center next door precedes the performance.) Information is here.
“The Odyssey” adapted by playwright Kate Hamill (continued) at 7 p.m. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $65 to $150 and 14-plus. Information is here.
The Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club presents “Be Cozy” at 7:30 p.m. in the black box theater at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through Sunday). Free, but RSVP. A play about an actor in B horror movies who begins to question the reality around her, written and directed by Harvard student Zach Halberstam, who co-directed last year’s “Constellations” and wrote some lyrics for the current Hasty Pudding show. Information is here.
Anikaya Dance Theater presents “Conference of the Birds” (continued) at 8 p.m. at Arrow Street Arts, 2 Arrow Street, Harvard Square, Cambridge. $1 to $65. Information is here.
The Big 3rd performs at 8 p.m. at the cafe at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. Free. Cross-genre originals (jazz/classical/world music) from vocalist Aviana Gedler, saxophonist Lenka Molcanyiova, pianist Tomer Rozen and bassist Martina Sabariego. Information is here.
Corook performs at 8 p.m. at The Sinclair, 52 Church St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $29. Their “Committed to a Bit” album tour opens with a set from comedian Kel Cripe, but the singer-songwriter (and Berklee College of Music grad) has a funny side, too, posting on Instagram about the show, “I’m going to make it very introvert-friendly, so feel free to come even if you don’t want to.” Information is here.
A stronger
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