Thursday, March 13
“Public Eyes” art installation’s final day, all day in Lobby 13 of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Bush Building, 105 Massachusetts Ave., Area II, Cambridge. Free. Blink and you’ll miss Vinzenz Aubry’s circle of animated digital eyes that respond to human presence. Part of the MIT Artfinity Festival.
Ice bumper cars’ last day from noon to 3 p.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. at Harvard’s Science Center Plaza between Harvard Yard at Kirkland and Oxford streets, near Harvard Square, Cambridge. $10. Take a bumpy ride; kids 7 to 17 need to have parents or guardians with them. Information is here.
“Still Marching 1970–2017” exhibit opening reception from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the community room at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free. Filmmaker and photographer Liane Brandon brings together photographs of two Boston women’s marches nearly 50 years apart. Light refreshments provided.
“Instagram for Artists” workshop from 6 to 7:30 p.m. online only from Gallery 263 in Cambridgeport. $15. Learn content strategies for long-term results and for building visibility for you and your artwork and expanding your networks with Robin Cembalest, the former longtime editor of ARTnews.
“Choosing a Commander: Myths and Realities Behind the Continental Congress’ Decision to Make George Washington the General” lecture from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Longfellow House and the Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, 105 Brattle St., West Cambridge. Free, but register Author and local American Revolution historian J.L. Bell sifts archival documents to explore the politicking behind the Congress’ choice 250 years ago this July.
“Moving Music” with Ana Schon and Tod Machover at 6 and 8 p.m. in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Building E14, also known as the Media Lab, 75 Amherst St., in Area II near Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free, but register As part of the MIT Artfinity Festival, two showings of unusual premieres by MIT composers, including Schon’s “Here … Now,” which invites audiences to voyage through the Media Lab building, exploring the relationship between space and sound.
Cartoonist Jorge Cham and neuroscientist Dwayne Godwin discuss “Out of Your Mind: The Biggest Mysteries of the Human Brain” from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Geological Lecture Hall, Harvard Geological Museum, 24 Oxford St., in the Baldwin neighborhood near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, but register Brain facts and mysteries and a book signing followed by Harvard brain scientists stationing themselves in museum galleries to await your brainy questions. A cash bar is available with wine, beer and other beverages much better for your brain.
Cambridge Community Iftar from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Cambridge Street Upper School, 850 Cambridge St., Wellington-Harrington. Free, with registration recommended. All are welcome at this evening meal at which Muslims break their fast after sunset during the Holy month of Ramadan. Free halal food, and speakers.
After Dark Series: Artfinity from 6 to 9 p.m. at The MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free and 18-plus. The monthly after-hours event mixed with the MIT Artfinity Festival offers open exhibitions to browse, a sketch-a-stranger activity, playful art making, textile pattern design based on plant intelligence, a sustainability-focused data visualization exercise and a talk by Gaze to the Stars project designer Behnaz Farahi. Live DJ sets and food and drink for purchase, as usual..
“Intervention: Ocean Blues (Behind-the-scenes)” (2018) screening from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Kendall/MIT Open Space at 292 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. Shown multiple times during the evening, the film gives a behind-the-scenes look at MIT lecturer Laura Anderson Barbata’s performance in 2018 during which The Brooklyn Jumbies Stilt Dancers, dressed as bioluminescent sea creatures, danced through the streets of Bushwick, New York. Part of the MIT Artfinity Festival.
Project Insulin Pi Day fundraiser from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at The Turing Tavern, 1281 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. Free, and donations appreciated. The goal of the annual event (also held in Providence) is to raise as many Pis ($3,141.59) throughout the campaign to progress the mission of making insulin affordable for everyone. Includes bingo (starting at 7 p.m.) with prizes from various organizations across New England. Also pies.
Poet Greg Delanty at 7 p.m. at Grolier Poetry Book Shop, 6 Plympton St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $5 to $10, but register. With an introduction by George Kalogeris.
Cat Bohannon reads from “Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. The researcher and science communicator looks at why women live longer than men, why women are more likely to get Alzheimer’s, why girls score better at every academic subject than boys until puberty (when suddenly their scores plummet), if sexism is useful for evolution and why menopause triggers night sweats.
Riley Black reads from “When the Earth Was Green” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. Free. The author of “The Last Days of the Dinosaurs” brings readers to prehistoric landscapes where critical moments in plant evolution unfolded, underscoring the interactions between plant and animal species that helped shape the world we call home. Journalist Evan Urquhart joins.
“The Odyssey” adapted by playwright Kate Hamill at 7 p.m. at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $70 to $150 and 14-plus (and continuing through March 16). 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.
“Coming Attractions: My Body Is a Library” screening of short films with dance artists Liz Lerman and Paloma McGregor from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Harvard Art Museums, Menschel Hall (lower level). Free, but register Films documenting a work-in-progress dance-based public art project about the roles of libraries and how our bodies also hold knowledge and stories. Harvard law professor Martha Minow joins.
Sean Mason Quartet at 7 and 9 p.m. at Arrow Street Arts, 2 Arrow St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $44 to $84. As part of Celebrity Series Jazz Festival, a unique young voice in jazz.
Gaze to the Stars projection visible from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. on the exterior of the Great Dome at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 222 Memorial Drive, Cambridge (and also March 14). Free. This MIT Artfinity Festival work projecting images of varying students’ eyes, filled with stars, onto the Dome, as much as it may symbolize “shared human aspirations and dreams,” will never not look like a literal illuminati reference.
Saxophonist Seba Molnar at 7:30 p.m. at Regattabar, 1 Bennett St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $20 to $30. The Boston Jazz Foundation presents a night of innovation as the saxophonist, composer and educator performs , and 21-plus. with Debo Ray (voice), Billy Buss (trumpet), Jiri Nedoma (keys), David Ling (keys), Mike Gary (bass), Mike Gary (bass) and Tyson Jackson (drums).
Clown Town: A Queer Circus Variety Show Party, 8 p.m. to midnight at The Jungle, 6 Sanborn Court, Union Square, Somerville. $10. Alt-rock band Regal Seagull and DJ Mx.Demeanor join the circus.
Friday, March 14
“Art on the Screen” film’s final day, all day at the Kendall/MIT Open Space at 292 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. A looping display of 13 pieces of digital and digitized art by the MIT Community. Part of the MIT Artfinity Festival.
“Afrofuturism and Otherworldliness” exhibit from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 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. The work of Afrofuturist artists unfolds across a range of genres and mediums. Showcased are the cosmic jazz of Sun Ra, psychedelic funk of Parliament-Funkadelic and George Clinton, the neo-soul of Erykah Badu and the sci-fi narratives of Octavia E. Butler.
(Pizza) Pi Day, 11:30 a.m. to 2:44 p.m. at Salt + Stone, 463 Assembly Row, Assembly Square, Somerville. A Margherita pizza for $3.14. If you haven’t caught the theme, the price of $3.14 is good for three hours and 14 minutes on March 14 (3/14) in celebration of the day celebrating the mathematical concept of pi. The pizza, with housemade tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil and olive oil is usually $17 (and will be again as of 2:45 p.m.)
Pi Day Pie Potluck, noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Cambridge Library Valente Branch, 826 Cambridge St., Wellington-Harrington, Cambridge. Free, but registration is helpful. There’s nothing to this event except for sharing slices of pie – you don’t have to bring any, though all types of pie are welcome if you.
Composer Forum: Miguel Zenón on “Golden City” at 12:30 p.m. at Linde Music Building, also known as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Building W18, 201 Amherst St., Cambridge. Free. Grammy-winning saxophonist and composer Miguel Zenón brings a large-ensemble composition tracing San Francisco’s history from its indigenous roots to the tech era.
Tour of Houghton Library from 2 to 3 p.m. at Houghton Library, at Quincy and Harvard streets in Harvard Yard, Cambridge (every Friday). Free. A look at Harvard’s primary rare book and manuscript library, where exhibition spaces and display rooms feature Samuel Johnson, John Keats, Emily Dickinson, Amy Lowell and Harvard collector William King Richardson.
Bright Spot: Pie with Wide Tim from 4 to 6 p.m. at Kendall/MIT Open Space, 292 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. MIT alum Tianyuan (Margaret) Zheng reimagined the school’s beaver mascot on a website and social media account; for a Pie Day art installation, she offers Free.pie while supplies last.
Sloane Crosley reads from “Grief Is for People” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Sloane Crosley discusses her new memoir examining the time after the death of her closest friend. The discussion features an audience Q&A and book signing.
“The Odyssey” adapted by playwright Kate Hamill at 7 p.m. in the Loeb Experimental Theater, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through March 16). $114 to $150, and 14-plus.
Comedy and Magic with Wes Barker at 7 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $20 to $35. Barker had his own truTV show called “Big Trick Energy”for a season and has appeared on “America’s Got Talent,” “Ellen,” Syfy, MTV and “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” – on which he did, in fact, fool Penn & Teller.
Detention stand-up comedy with Nick Viagas at 7, 9 and 11 p.m. at Goofs Comedy Club, 432 McGrath Highway, East Somerville (and Saturday). $26 to $67. Hear headliner Nick Viagas, a finalist in the New York Comedy Festival and a regular at The Stand.
“A Map to the Next World” choral performance at 7:30 p.m. at Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. $15 to $76, and no children under 5. Cantata Singers perform a work about caring for the planet. Composer Scott Perkins combines folklore and poetry from notable writers, set to music for choir, strings, percussion and celesta.
Friday’s Comedy Gold at 7:30 p.m. at The Comedy Studio, 5 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $20 to $26. Performers include Chris D, Al Park, Mairead Dickinson, Rob Crean, Trent Wells and Liam McGurk.
“None Escape”: A theatrical adaptation of “The Island of Dr. Moreau” at 8 p.m. (and weekends through March 29) at Unity Somerville, 6 William St., just off College Avenue near Davis Square, Somerville. $20 to $25. A new play by Robin Abrahams and directed by Elizabeth Ross updates the horror tale by H.G. Wells and sets it in a present-day trauma support group, where the protagonist shares her experience of being shipwrecked on an island where animals are being vivisected into humanlike creatures.
The Nova Comedy Collective presents Nebula Night at 8 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville. $12.50. Comedy and music of all kinds, with a chance for audience members to join in. Snacks and drinks available.
“InFATuation”: Curves, Drag and Burlesque at 8 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $36, and 21-plus. Jane Doe and Dahlia Strack host a burlesque and drag event that celebrates fat bodies and challenges body shaming. Dinah DeVille, Majnoon, Hazel Hellcat and others take the stage. Ginny Nightshade emcees the evening.
“The Number One Floor Show in Heaven” starring Travels With Brindle, 8:30 p.m. at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $12.50 to $18. Ukulele chanteuse Chelsea Spear joins forces with the fusion troupe Balter Dance to perform the 1979 electropop album by the Los Angeles pop duo Sparks. There are “rhythmic similarities between the songs on the album and the music of early 20th century vaudeville and music hall,” Spear realized, making it appealing to her lo-fi brand.
“Xmortis: Follow the White Rabbit” dance night” at 9 p.m. at The Middle East Upstairs, 472 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $13 to $15, and 18-plus. Every second Friday DJs Chris Ewen and Brian L. spin goth, industrial and dark electronic tracks. Inspired by “Alice in Wonderland” and “The Matrix,” this edition invites you to dress creatively – industrial, fetishwear, dark cosplay, gothic Lolita, goth or pastel goth or at least in all black.
Saturday, March 15
“Mission Control” art installation’s final day, all day in the lobby of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab, 75 Amherst St., in Area II near Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. Visitors will feel like they’ve gone to the moon, just as MIT-designed equipment is expected to this year. This installation’s design echoes the moon’s basalt-rich terrain, and visitors can observe spaceworthy payload operators in real time, learn about the science behind the project and interact via virtual reality with the software used by the payload operators. Part of the MIT Artfinity Festival.
“Still Marching 1970-2017” Photography Exhibit from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free. The exhibit features Liane Brandon’s photographs of the Boston Women’s March of 1970 and Boston Women’s March of 2017, documenting activism across generations.
“Wicked” sing-along, 1:30 to 4:15 p.m. at the Cambridge Library Valente Branch, 826 Cambridge St., Wellington-Harrington, Cambridge. Free, but registration is helpful. Not only do participants get to sing while watch; they get free popcorn, candy and beverages.
Intro to tarot from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, but register. Laura Campagna guides participants in learning how to read tarot cards. The session includes exercises to help connect with intuition and practice reading for oneself or others.
Lilypad Art Jam from 3 to 7 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $5 to $20 suggested donation. A community space for making art and connections with others. Limited art supplies are provided, or you can bring your own project. For musicians, a full backline will be available including microphones, drums, guitar, bass, piano, synth and hand percussion, or bring your own instrument. Information is here.
Biodanza: Music, Movement and Connection from 3 to 5 p.m. at Bloc Cafe, 11 Bow St., Union Square, Somerville. $60 to $100, and 18-plus. Music, movement and play to explore connection and creativity. Bilingual in English and Spanish.
Stepmaniax arcade dance battle from 4 to 11 p.m. at DxArcade, 580 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. Free. Compete on the arcade dance machine. Test your skills and battle it out with other dancers.
Jokes for St. Jude! at 5:30 p.m. at The Comedy Studio, 5 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $20. A night of stand-up to support the fight against childhood cancer by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Tooky Kavanagh headlines, joined by Ally Sass, Evan Valentine, Kathleen Meditz and Shruti Datari.
DIY screenprinting night from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Bow Market, 1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville. $45. Dark Mode’s Bow Market storefront gives participants the chance to experiment with design and printing techniques. Each guest gets a T-shirt to print on and can bring their own items or customize a hoodie for an additional $20.
“Always the Bridesmaid”: an evening with author Meghan Quinn from 6 to 9 p.m. at First Parish Cambridge Unitarian Universalist, 1446 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $38 to $80. Quinn discusses her “Bridesmaid for Hire” series and upcoming book, “Bridesmaid by Chance,” in conversation with a surprise guest author. The event includes a Q&A and a signing.
Comedian Sarah Keyworth at 7 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville. $43.50. The U.K. comedian and podcaster with the Amazon Prime Video special “Dark Horse” putters across the stage and interrogates audiences in a local stop for the “My Eyes Are Up Here” tour of the United States and Canada (after selling out at the Edinburgh Fringe), a reference to getting top surgery – a potential drag of a topic overcome by being “puppyishly likable” and “an expert storyteller who revels in muddying the journey with digressions, whimsy, perverse thoughts,” Time Out’s Andrzej Lukowski says.
“Requiem for the Living: A Concert of Remembrance” at 7:30 p.m. at First Church in Cambridge, 11 Garden St., Harvard Square. $25 to $135. Begins with Charles Wood’s “Hail Gladdening Light,” followed by reflections on night’s stillness from Max Reger and Edward Elgar. Lili Boulanger’s “Hymne au Soleil” welcomes the morning, while works by Elaine Hagenberg and Hyo-Young Cho evoke remembrance. The evening concludes with Dan Forrest’s “Requiem for the Living,” a five-movement work of solace culminating in “Lux Aeterna.”
Celtic Spring Rituals: A Tarot and Crafting Workshop for the Modern Witch from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Side Quest Books & Games at Bow Market, 1 Bow Markey Way, Union Square, Somerville. $53.50, and 21-plus. A workshop exploring Celtic traditions that teaches about sacred deities, weaves Brigid crosses and includes a group tarot reading, ending with a spring blessing and protection ritual to mark the shift into a new season.
Liv Greene and Elise Leavy perform at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $20 to $25. Songs from the folk storytellers’ latest albums, “Deep Feeler” and “Memorandum” with insights into their creative processes and experiences in the music industry.
“None Escape”: A theatrical adaptation of “The Island of Dr. Moreau” (continued) at 8 p.m. (and weekends through March 29) at Unity Somerville, 6 William St., just off College Avenue near Davis Square, Somerville. $20 to $25.
“Wrath of the Selkie II”: A Nautical Electro-Folk Spectacle at 8 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $15 to $20. Nautically themed electrofolk band and performance art collective Thou Merciless Graves dives into a world of shapeshifters, monsters and vengeance in a blend of synth-driven shanties, performance art and burlesque that draws inspiration from maritime folklore.
An Evening with Meow Meow at 8 p.m. at Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. $20 to $95. Cabaret diva Meow Meow blends chansons, cabaret classics and theatrical mischief.
“InFATuation”: Curves, Drag and Burlesque (continued) at 8 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $36, and 21-plus.
Sunday, March 16
“Layers of Place” augmented reality installation’s final day, all day at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Infinite Corridor, starting at 77 Massachusetts Ave., Area II, Cambridge. Free. Download an app called Hoverlay to a mobile device and walk the 825-foot hallway through MIT buildings to reveal hidden histories and stories where physical meet digital through three featured projects. Part of the MIT Artfinity Festival.
St. Patrick’s Remnant Fun Run and festivities from 11:30 a.m to 5 p.m. at Bow Market, 1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville. $25. After the athletics is a courtyard gathering with live music, face painting, yard games and food and drinks.
Under the Influence poetry and music from 1 to 2:15 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $10. Geoff Chasin reads his poetry. Stella Owen, a classically trained pianist, and Michael Shepherd provide musical accompaniment, with guests joining. The program draws on Irish and other musical influences. (Macaroni and cheese is promised, too.)
Early Music Afternoons: Duo Maresienne from 3 to 4 p.m. at Somerville Museum, 1 Westwood Road, in the Spring Hill neighborhood. $25 to $30. The El Dorado Ensemble performs English Renaissance consort music, featuring pavans, galliards and almains by Dowland. Duo Maresienne is known for exploring renaissance and baroque repertoire on historical instruments.
MobiusLive: Slay from 3:30 to 5:45 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $15 suggested fee. Six performance artists cast antiauthoritarian spells with an earlier ides of March – in which the dictator Caesar was stabbed to death – in mind.
“From Baghdad to Brooklyn” musical storytelling at 5 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville. $34. Michelle Azar performs, tracing her ancestors’ immigrant journey through music traditions and cultural celebrations. Oud player Yonatan Battat and pianist Uli Schwendener accompany her.
Bida contra dance from 7 to 10:30 p.m. 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. Masks required.
DakhaBrakha performs at 7:30 p.m. at Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square. $40 to $58. The Ukrainian folk-rock quartet has an “ethno-chaos” style fusing an urban avant-garde energy and Eastern European roots music with instruments from India, Arabic cultures, Africa, Russia and Australia.
Fleur Barron and Kunal Lahiry – The Power and the Glory at 7:30 p.m. at the Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Mezzo-soprano Barron and pianist Lahiry explore themes of identity, colonialism and cultural fusion through a program featuring works from Latin America, Europe and Asia and blending historical and contemporary pieces.
“None Escape”: A theatrical adaptation of “The Island of Dr. Moreau” (continued) at 8 p.m. (and weekends through March 29) at Unity Somerville, 6 William St., just off College Avenue near Davis Square, Somerville. $20 to $25.
“Unending Winter” concert, 8 p.m. at University Lutheran Church, 66 Winthrop St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $30. The Dinosaur Annex Music Ensemble, in its 50th anniversary season, presents Yoon-Ji Lee’s new commissioned work on Korean “comfort women” – people who were forced into prostitution by the Japanese government between 1932 and 1945 – and Scott Wheeler’s “Granite Coast” for piano trio, as well as works by Anthony R. Green, JakobTV and Lewis Spratlan.
The Performance Potpourri Theater from 9 to 11:59 p.m. at The Jungle, 6 Sanborn Court, Union Square, Somerville. Free, and 21-plus. Performers take the stage for 10- to 15-minute slots while the house band, Gimmick, improvises a soundtrack to their act. Open to comedians, poets, dancers and one-act plays.
R&B Jam Band at Cantab Lounge at 10 p.m. at The Cantab Lounge, 738 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge (every Sunday and Wednesday). Free, and 21-plus. Twice a week, a house band sets the stage with rhythms and melodies, creating the atmosphere for music lovers and performers alike.
Monday, March 17
Fresh Pond Nature Walk from 10:15 to 11:30 a.m. at the Water Department facility at 250 Fresh Pond Parkway, in West Cambridge at Fresh Pond, Cambridge. Free, but register. Ranger Tim Puopolo highlights seasonal changes in the landscape – what’s growing, changing and blooming. This winter walk requires warm clothing for a comfortable experience.
“The Power of Measurement in the Americas” exhibit from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Harvard Science Center, 1 Oxford St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Explore the impact of measurement on society and power. Discover how measurement systems reshaped the Americas. The exhibit runs through Aug. 26.
Live Music at The Row Hotel from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Row Hotel, 360 Foley St., Assembly Square, Somerville. Free. Bill McGoldrick’s acoustic duo performs music through the winter months.
Collage workshop, 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. at the Cambridge library’s O’Neill Branch, 70 Rindge Ave., North Cambridge. Free, but registration is encouraged. Artist Elena Stone shows how to create collage with simple materials and a lightly structured process. Materials will be provided, but participants can bring collage papers such as old magazines, calendars and wrapping paper to share.
Open Mic Night from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at The Cantab Lounge, 738 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. Free, and 21-plus. Singers, poets, comedians and storytellers are welcome to showcase their talents.
Deby’s Birthday Talent Show, 7 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $15 to $20, and 21-plus (and dress code: green). Deby Xiadani, artistic director at The Rockwell, brings talented friends to the stage and invites audience participation, with a soundtrack by Somerville jam band Hot Garbage.
Poets Armen Davoudian and Abigail Chabitnoy from 8 to 9 p.m. at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, 56 Brattle St., Harvard Square. Free. The Blacksmith House Poetry Series hosts Davoudian presenting selections from his debut collection, “The Palace of Forty Pillars” and Chabitnoy reading from “In the Current Where Drowning Is Beautiful.”
“Sunrise on the Reaping” midnight release party at 10:30 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $32. The fifth book in Suzanne Collins’ “Hunger Games” series arrives.
Tuesday, March 18
“Alambrista!” screening from 3 to 5 p.m. at Harvard Film Archive at The Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. A limited viewing of Robert M. Young’s 1977 film in collaboration with the Harvard Library Latinx Affinity Group. Recognized at major festivals and preserved in the National Film Registry, “Alambrista!” (“The Illegal”) speaks to 2025 in a narrative following Roberto, a young Mexican man who crosses the border into the United States for work, seeking to support his family back home after the birth of his first child.
Free Derry pop-up final day, 4 p.m. to midnight at Noir, inside the Charles Hotel, 1 Bennett St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free to enter. The second year of a St. Patrick’s Day homage to “Derry Girls,” the coming-of-age sitcom set in Northern Ireland in the 1990s at the tail end of the Troubles. Aptly named drink specials include Erin’s Diary (vodka, apricot, Peychaud’s bitters, lemon), English Lad (butter washed gin, blanc vermouth, Havana & Hyde bitters) and the Good Friday Agreement (Irish whiskey, Pimm’s No. 1, Yellow Chartreuse, Punt y Mes), plus the nonalcoholic One for the Weens (chamomile, green apple, lemon). Food specials such as beer and aged cheddar fondue with sourdough bread and corned beef sliders with green cabbage slaw are available.
“Fall of the Scribes and the Rise of Literati in Han China” from 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. at Killian Hall in the Hayden Library Building at 160 Memorial Drive at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. Free. Scholar Christopher Foster explores how the spread of literacy in ancient China reshaped history, shifting power from scribes to the literati. Using newly unearthed manuscripts, he traces the rise of Confucian classics and changing bureaucratic structures as part of an Ancient and Medieval Studies Colloquium.
Book club discussion: “Greenteeth” by Molly O’Neill at 6:30 p.m. at Pandemonium Books & Games, 4 Pleasant St., Central Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. A witch whose village has turned against her joins forces with a lake monster to save the soul of Britain in the “cozy fantasy” novel up for discussion.
O’Connell Branch Adult Book Group from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Cambridge library’s O’Connell Branch, 48 Sixth St., East Cambridge. Free. This month’s book discussion features “Wellness: A Novel by Nathan Hill.” The group reads mostly contemporary fiction and nonfiction, with occasional selections from older works and classics.
Knitting group from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Cambridge Public Library’s Boudreau Branch, 245 Concord Ave., Observatory Hill in Neighborhood 9. Free. Bring yarn and needles and find out what fellow knitters are up to.
Kate Fussner reads from “13 Ways to Say Goodbye” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. Free. Kate Fussner discusses her novel-in-verse, “13 Ways to Say Goodbye,” in conversation with Sara Farizan. They explore themes of grief, sibling bonds and love, then answer reader questions and sign books.
Comedy Hell: open mic and pro drop-ins at 7 p.m. at The Comedy Studio, 5 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. New and seasoned comedians take the stage at this open mic once described as “Comedy Hell” – but open mics draw seasoned pros workshopping new materials as well as first-timers or amateurs just finding their legs.
Annie Lynch, Zachariah Hickman and Dinty Child perform at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $23 to $25. Singer-songwriter Annie Lynch, bassist and producer Zachariah Hickman and multi-instrumentalist Dinty Child blend Americana, folk and roots music.
Wednesday, March 19
Psychedelics and Aesthetics from 3 to 5 p.m. at Center for the Study of World Religions, 42 Francis Ave., in the Baldwin neighborhood near the Somerville border, Cambridge. Free, but register. A biweekly reading and discussion group examining the connections between psychedelics, aesthetics and ethics. Participants led by student research assistant Tristan Angieri read texts, analyze psychedelic experiences through art and media and hear guest speakers, including artists and scholars.
Indigenous Knowledge and Climate Change: The Keys to Our Resilient Future at 7 p.m. at Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston, on the Cambridge border. Free, but register. Indigenous leaders share how their communities are addressing climate challenges such as rising sea levels, flooding and drought, including how traditional ecological knowledge can be a tool for building a more sustainable future.
Songwriters’ Circle from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville. Free, but donations are accepted. Four songwriters take the stage in a semicircle, sharing music and stories. They take turns playing songs, harmonizing and conversing, creating an intimate atmosphere inspired by Nashville’s Bluebird Café.
Crochet Your First Infinity Scarf from 3 to 5 p.m. at CambridgeSide, 100 CambridgeSide Place, East Cambridge. $55. Learn to crochet a basic infinity scarf using soft, chunky yarn. The class focuses on reading patterns, maintaining garments, selecting crochet hooks, picking yarn and correcting mistakes.
Leprechaun Chase: An Orienteering Adventure from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Water Department Facility at 250 Fresh Pond Parkway, in West Cambridge at Fresh Pond, Cambridge. Free, but register. Navigation Games sets up an orienteering challenge in which teams or pairs use a map to find checkpoints – while “leprechauns” move them. Participants are encouraged to wear green.
Collins (Boudreau) Branch Book Group from 6 to 7 p.m. at Cambridge Public library’s Boudreau Branch, 245 Concord Ave., Observatory Hill in Neighborhood 9. Free. While Collins is closed for construction, the book group relocates and offers online participation. This month’s title is “How I Won a Nobel Prize” by Julius Taranto.
“New Kid” author Jerry Craft speaks from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free. Jerry Craft, author and illustrator of the “New Kid” graphic novels (“New Kid,” “Class Act” and and “School Trip”) discusses his work, answers audience questions and signs books for the annual Margret and H. A. Rey Curious George Lecture, named after the Cantabrigians who write the adventures of the famous monkey.
Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Group from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free. This month’s selection: “The Three-Body Problem” by Cixin Liu, a sensation about preparations to fight an alien invasion. It has been adapted for television in China and then in the United States by Netflix, which is preparing a second season for 2026.
Comic drawing workshop from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Boston Figurative Art Center, 285 Washington St., Suite 102, near Union Square, Somerville. Free. Comic artist Christian Garnett leads a session on traditional comic strip creation, covering storyboarding, paneling, sketching, line art, text and color. Participants can work with provided prompts or bring their own ideas from stories, poetry or songs.
Yoni Appelbaum reads from “Stuck” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. Free, but RSVP. The author and Atlantic editor’s book is subtitled “How the Privileged and the Propertied Broke the Engine of American Opportunity.” David Luberoff, of the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, joins.
The Lilypad Variety Show from 10 p.m. to midnight at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square. $5. Music, comedy, dance, poetry, art and film may make its way to the stage.
Thursday, March 20
“Farm Girl on the Front Lines: Deborah Sampson’s Secret” historical reenactment, 11:30 to 2 p.m. at City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. Free. Learn about Deborah Sampson (born December 1760, died April 1827), who disguised herself as a man and served in the Revolutionary War under the name Robert Shurtliff. Telling her story later, she became the first woman to lecture professionally in the United States – and to get a full military pension. Janet Parnes portrays Sampson at this event with food and light refreshments.
Gallery Talk: Spring in the Gardens from 12:30 to 1 p.m. at Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Nowruz, the Persian New Year, is celebrated museum-style: with curatorial fellow Janet O’Brien discussing representative art items such as an 18th century Persian garden carpet, contemporary glass birds by Turkish artist Felekşan Onar and historical South Asian paintings – part of a “New on View” series examining recent acquisitions and significant artworks.
Creative Patching from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, but register. Participants repair holes, tears and stains in clothing using fabric patches and hand embroidery techniques, practicing stitching methods, exploring tools and materials and creating visible mends. The session includes hands-on practice, and everyone leaves with a sampler of techniques for future use.
Poets Julie Carr, Gillian Conoley and Kevin Holden at 7 p.m. at Grolier Poetry Book Shop, 6 Plympton St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $5 to $10, but register. With an introduction by Talin Tahajian.
Jane Monheit Duo performs, 7:30 p.m. at Regattabar, 1 Bennett St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $36 to $48. The jazz vocalist behind a dozen studio albums is on the road and in town for a single night.
Comedy with Laura High at 8 p.m. at The Comedy Studio, 5 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $15 to $20. Laura High takes the stage and possibly leads the resistance, having been outspoken in the past months about bad practices in the White House and – personal to her – in poorly regulated reproductive industries such as sperm donation and newly threatened technologies such as IVF birthing. The show features David Columbo and is hosted by Brieana Woodward.
Classic rock dance party from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. at The Cantab Lounge, 738 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $7 to $10, and 21-plus. Performances of classic songs by Flying Turtle featuring hits by bands such as The Eagles, Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival.
A stronger
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