Thursday, May 8

Nicki Fission in “The Wrath of the Selkie,” coming to the Boston Fringe from Thou Merciless Graves, a “nautical gothic doom folk band and performance art collective.”

Spring Migrants from 6:45 to 8:15 a.m. at Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St., West Cambridge (and continuing through May 20). Free to $12, but register. Bring your binoculars to search for spring migrants and breeding birds. Jeremiah Trimble leads the walk.

Lisa Taylor reads “The Shape of What Remains” from 4 to 5 p.m. at Somerville Public Library West Branch, 40 College Ave., near Davis Square. Free. Taylor discusses her latest novel – about the aftermath of a child’s death – and leads attendees in a writing activity. Participants should bring a notebook or laptop to participate.

Boston Fringe performances at 6 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville (and continuing through May 11). $15 to $75. The festival showcases work by local artists outside the mainstream. Tonight’s lineup includes Deby Xiadani’s portrayal of the contest to be the next Miss Billerica, the dance murder mystery “Facts & Figures,” the musical “Wrath of the Selkie” and clowning by Bryce Flint-somerville.

Death, Grief and Early Childhood Pedagogy workshop from 6 to 7 p.m. at Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St., West Cambridge. Artist-in-residence Fatima Seck teaches participants different ways to discuss death with children. The workshop includes a presentation, an activity and a discussion.

After Dark Series: Birds from 6 to 9 p.m. at The MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. $10 to $20 and 21-plus. Work on avian-inspired crafts, test your bird knowledge and meet Rosemary Mosco, author of “The Birding Dictionary.” Dumplings from Mei Mei and local brews from Lamplighter are available for purchase.

Kevin Atwater performs at 6:30 p.m. at Sonia, 10 Brookline St., Central Square, Cambridge. $23 to $92. Atwater performs music from his debut album, “Achilles.”

Poets Ann Bookman, Partridge Boswell and Daniel Johnson from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Grolier Poetry Book Shop, 6 Plympton St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. With an introduction by Tom Daley.

Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World forum from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston, on the Cambridge border. Free, but register. Participants collaborate to stem the spread of a virtual infectious disease threat in this simulation. Light refreshments at 6:30 p.m.

Cirque Us performs “One Man’s Trash” from 7 to 9 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville. $25 to $30. The group reclaims and reanimates trash and litter in this repurposed national tour from 2016. The group includes acrobats, aerialists and clowns. This final performance of the season is a “joke show” with extra bits and gags.

Curren$y’s 4:20 tour at 7 p.m. at The Middle East Downstairs, 480 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $58. The New York rapper, who has amassed more than a million followers on social media, brings his tour to Cambridge.

“Utopian Hotline” performance at 7:30 p.m. the Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston, on the Cambridge border (and continuing through May 18). $18 to $25. Inspired by the vinyl recording launched into space in 1977, the live performance invites the audience to imagine what that record would sound like today. The performance is composed of real voicemails left on a public hotline.

SingOut: Live Band Karaoke at 8 p.m. at The Jungle, 6 Sanborn Court, Union Square, Somerville. $10. Sign up to perform with a live band. Song choices include work by Chappell Roan, Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles,Frank Ocean and more.

Comedy with Orlando Baxter & Friends for A Teacher’s Appreciation Show at 8 p.m. at The Comedy Studio, 5 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $20 to $25. Baxter has performed on “Conan” and “Comedy Up Late” in Australia. His special, “Glorified Baby Sitter,” has collected more than 10 million views.

Darren Kiely performs at 8:30 p.m. at The Sinclair, 52 Church St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through May 9). $55 to $160. The Irish singer has entered Ireland’s top 50 viral charts with songs “How Could You Love Me,” “Ella” and “Time To Leave.” Kiely’s recent single, “Mom & Dad,” landed him in the top 40 on the Irish Singles Chart.


Friday, May 9

Gracie’s Ice Cream is part of a three-shop crawl Friday.

“Documenting Invasive Flora for Impactful Remediation” training from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Morse-Kelley Playground, 33-47 Craigie St., Spring Hill, Somerville. This workshop uses Earthwise Aware’s Invasive Flora Patrol app to capture information that protects green spaces, supports EwA’s biodiversity and climate research, informs ecological assessments and more.

Animal & Ice Cream Social from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Magazine Beach Park Nature Center, at the river end of Magazine Street, Cambridgeport. Free, but register. Participants learn about native wildlife from Mass Audubon’s animal ambassadors and walk around the park with a sweet treat.

“A Woman Is a Woman” restoration screening at 5:30, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. at The Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $13 to $15. This 1961 French film by Jean-Luc Godard follows the journey of a woman, Angela, as she tries to have a baby. The avant-garde movie has English subtitles.

Boston Fringe performances (continued) at 6 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville (and continuing through May 11). $15 to $75. Tonight’s lineup includes “Taking a Drive,” a musical featuring two friends singing about their problems; “Spiritual Advisors,” which features four plays by the Asian American Playwright Collective about Asian American and Pacific Islander stories; the “Miss Route 1” beauty pageant with Deby Xiadani; a performance by comedy duo Jackie and Allison; and a “Show Me Your Bits” comedy showcase with Jonathan Anderson.

Lori Lobenstine reads from “The Barking Puppy” at 6 p.m. at All She Wrote Books, 75 Washington St., East Somerville. Free to $16 with the book. Lobenstine introduces the first book in her new tween series. “The Barking Puppy” chronicles the lives of Sophie and Juno, who create the first newspaper written by and for dogs.

Murder Mystery Dinner from 6 to 9 p.m. at Summer Shack, 149 Alewife Brooke Parkway, Cambridge. $77. Every diner is a suspect in this whodunit. Ticket includes a three-course diner.

Ice cream crawl from 6 to 11 p.m. beginning at Lizzy’s Ice Cream, 29 Church St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free entry. Part of the Facebook group “Make Friends After College,” the crawl travels from Lizzy’s onward to Christina’s Homemade Ice Cream in Inman Square and Gracie’s in Union Square. (Only three? Cowards!) The group’s final stop is Aeronaut Brewery in Union Square for more time to mingle.

“Sensing Mount Auburn: A Landscape in Motion” from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St., West Cambridge. Free. Work by the cemetery’s 24-25 artists in residence hang in the Bigelow Chapel.

“Cosmic Library” podcast recording at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. The Literary Hub podcast, which explores the content and impact of massive books such as “Finnegans Wake,” “1,001 Nights” and the Bible, handles “The Brothers Karamazov” in this discussion and throughout its sixth season. Authors Andrew Martin and Elisa Gabbert join host Adam Colman.

Reel Rock film tour screening from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Kendall/MIT Open Space at 292 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. Watch three of the best new films about climbing around the world. Presented with the MIT Outing Club.

Arpeggione Ensemble presents “Brushstrokes” at 7:30 p.m. at the Marran Theater, 34 Mellen St., on Lesley University’s Doble Campus in the Baldwin neighborhood near Harvard Square, Cambridge. $5 to $35. The musical and visual performance includes music by the ensemble and live painting by Nancy Rourke, a deaf artist and activist.

“Utopian Hotline” performance (continued) at 7:30 p.m. the Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston, on the Cambridge border (and continuing through May 18). $18 to $25.

Swing Dance with Tyler Westcott perform for Boton Swing Central from 8 to 11:45 p.m. at Q Ballroom, 26 New St., Fresh Pond, Cambridge. $15 to $20. Singer-songwriter Westcott performs original music and classic sounds from New Orleans, 1920s and 1930s country and ragtime blues, traditional jazz and more.

Tokyo Machine performs at 8 p.m. at Sonia, 10 Brookline St., Central Square, Cambridge. $16 to $26 and 18-plus. The electronic dance music DJ performs with fellow DJ Teminite. Together the two have amassed more than 100,000 followers on social media.

Violinist Tessa Lark at 8 p.m. at Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. $72 to $84. Blending bluegrass and mountain music with classic chamber music, Lark performs Bach’s “Sonata for Viola da Gamba” and additional work by co-performer bassist Edgar Meyer. Cellist Joshua Roman rounds out the trio. Sponsored by Boston Celebrity Series.

Darren Kiely performs (continued) at 8:30 p.m. at The Sinclair, 52 Church St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $55 to $160.

“Mother’s Day Mini-Marathon” at 9 p.m. at Harvard Film Archive at The Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through May 12). Free to $10. A celebration of maternity through seven films. The marathon kicks off with Pedro Almodóvar’s “All About My Mother,” which follows Manuela, a women grappling with the loss of her son, as she searches for her son’s father.


Saturday, May 10

Sarah Nolen with the Judy of “Judy Punches Back,” part of the Boston Fringe on Saturday in Somerville.

Union Square Farmers Market opening day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Union Square Plaza, Somerville. Free. Shop conveniently from more than 60 Massachusetts farmers and food producers.

Innovation Trail Tour from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Boston Marriott Cambridge, 50 Broadway, Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. Learn about the local figures who were at the cutting edge of innovations such as the microwave oven and woven fire hose. Authors of “Born in Cambridge: 400 Years of Ideas and Innovators” Michael Kuchta and Karen Weintraub lead. Organized by the City of Cambridge and MA250.

Canopy Crew presents “New Landscapes: Teen Tree Summit & Exhibit” from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge. Free. The inaugural event features a panel of ecology and climate experts, a clothing swap and work by Hungarian artist and photographer György Kepes, whose estate allows Canopy Crew to display his black and white microscope images of roots, leaves and bark.

Small Mart from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. Free. Browse this curated selection of artists, makers and vintage offerings, plus a full bar and more.

Boston Fringe performances (continued) at 11:20 a.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville (and continuing through May 11). $15 to $75. Today’s lineup includes “Judy Punches Back,” in which a puppet goes on a journey to earn respect; “Twelve,” a completely improvised musical performance; “Unhinged & Bumblef*cked,” in which comedian Kristin Zee brings the audience through her dating patterns; a performance by the improv group Rhymes with Orange; “Infraordinary,” a performance of four connected sketches; “50% Nonverbal,” a live presentation and musical performance by C. Neil Parsons; “Me’leven,” a comedy and storytelling set by Grace Elin; “Wild Blue,” a live dramedy about flyover states by Sky Nockels; “Salvage,” a dance performance; “Prince Yudith,” a comedy special about the titular character and his servant Rufus visiting from Hertznia; clowning by Bryce Flint-Somerville’s “Barroz”; “Taking a Drive”; “Show Me Your Bits”; “Facts & Figures”; and the musical “Wrath of the Selkie.”

PorchFest from noon to 6 p.m. throughout Somerville. Free. Audience members experience live music by traveling around Somerville to see performers on porches and in yards. Musicians perform from noon to 2 p.m. in spots west of Willow Avenue; from 2 to 4 p.m. between Willow Avenue and Central Street; and from 4 to 6 p.m. in areas east of Central Street.

“East Cambridge in the Revolution” tour from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at History Cambridge’s Hooper-Lee-Nichols House, 159 Brattle St., West Cambridge. Free, but register. A look at the East Cambridge locations critical during the Revolutionary War and the ways their legacy shape the neighborhood today.

Introduction to nature monitoring in the city from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at The Growing Center, 22 Vinal Ave., near Union Square, Somerville. Free, but register. Earthwise Aware cofounder Claire O’Neill teaches how to document and help the plant and insect communities of the center. No expertise required, but prepare for the event by installing a few free apps on your phone. (If you don’t have a smart device, you’ll be paired with someone who does.)

“Utopian Hotline” performance (continued) at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. the Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston, on the Cambridge border (and continuing through May 18). $18 to $25.

“Mother’s Day Mini-Marathon” (continued) at 5, 7 and 9:15 p.m. at Harvard Film Archive at The Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through May 12). Free to $10. Today’s film screenings include Chantal Akerman’s “News From Home,” in which Akerman reads notes from her mother set to sweeping shots of New York City; Martin Scorsese’s “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” which follows a single mother picking up the pieces of her and her son’s lives after the sudden death of her abusive husband; and Bong Joon-ho’s “Mother,” which depicts mother Kim Hye-ja’s journey proving the innocence of her son, Do-joon, after a murder.

New Gallery Concert Series presents “Reconnect” at 7 p.m. at the Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free to $20. Michelle Schapiro, a family photographer, joins musicians including the Izarra String Quartet, an ensemble that focuses on works by Bipoc and LGBTQ+ composers.

Amanda Palmer performs from 7 to 10 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville. $50. Palmer performs a solo set after two and a half years in New Zealand. As half of the punk cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls, Palmer launched a solo career in 2015 funded through Patreon and Kickstarter campaigns.

Hubbub Comedy at 7:30 p.m. at Lamplighter CX, 110 N. First St., North Point, Cambridge. $15 and 21-plus. Write a question at the door and the comics may answer it live on stage.

Dance Now Boston performs “Under the Skin” at 8 p.m. at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge (and continuing on May 11). $18. Subtitled “Dances by Marcus Schulkind and The Bang Group,” the performance features Schulkind’s solos and local dancers. (Boston’s Bang Group, created by David Parker and Jeffrey Kazin, is best known for its “NutCracked,” a comedic take on “The Nutcracker.”)

MIT Vocal Jazz Ensemble presents “Spring has Swung” at 8 p.m. at Linde Music Building, also known as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Building W18201 Amherst St., Cambridge. $15. Michael Mayo, an acclaimed Los Angeles singer – the third vocalist accepted to the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance – joins the ensemble to perform his original music and work by Take 6, New York Voices and more.

Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus presents: “For Our Common Home: Resounding Ecojustice” at 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free to $25. Berklee’s Linda J. Chase composed a performance that combines classical, jazz, gospel and klezmer music for the 120-person choir and solo vocalists and instrumentalists.


Sunday, May 11

Audrey Nuna comes to Cambridge on Sunday.

M.O.M.’s Run at 9 a.m. at George Dilboy VFW Post 529, 351 Summer St., Davis Square, Somerville. Free to watch, $40 to enter if space still available on race day. A fundraiser for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Mary O’Brien Memorial 5K run/walk includes a postrace party with food and drinks from local restaurants. The race partners with Somerville Road Runners.

Club Volo Mother’s Day walk and pickleball tournament from 9:30 to 11 a.m. and noon to 3 p.m. at Club Volo, 301 Assembly Row, Mystic River, Somerville. Free to $175. Two chances to meet other moms – and potential future teammates – and get active. The walk includes discounted coffee, smoothies and juice.

Boston Fringe performances (continued) at 11:20 a.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $15 to $75. Today’s lineup includes “Petrushka & the Caterpillar,” in which Theater in the Open retells classic stories with new endings; “50% Nonverbal”; “Me’leven”;  “Twelve”; “Unhinged & Bumblef*cked”; “Wild Blue”; “Salvage”; a performance by Rhymes with Orange; “Infraordinary”; “Fidget. Spinster.,” a stand-up set by Amma Marfo about the modern dating world; a performance by Jackie and Allison; and Bryce Flint-Somerville’s clowning in “Barroz.”

Burlesque brunch at 11:30 a.m. at The Burren, 247 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $20 to $25 and 18-plus. Enjoy a midday meal and watch some of New England’s best performers showcase classic burlesque in all its forms. (Brunch not included in ticket price.)

“Gamelan Galak Tika: East West Future Past” performance at 2 p.m. at the Linde Music Building, also known as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Building W18201 Amherst St., Cambridge. Free, but register. The Indonesian orchestra performs new and traditional Balinese sounds. Composer, performer and educator Gusti Komin directs the show, and clarinetist Ziporyn joins for his rock gamelan “Tire Fire.”

“Utopian Hotline” performance (continued) at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. the Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston, on the Cambridge border (and continuing through May 18). $18 to $25.

“Mother’s Day Mini-Marathon” (continued) at 5, 7 and 9:15 p.m. at Harvard Film Archive at The Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through May 12). Free to $10. Today’s film screenings include John Cassavetes’ “A Woman Under the Influence,”  which depicts couple Nick (Peter Falk of “Columbo” and “The Princess Bride”) and Mabel (Gena Rowlands of “The Betty Ford Story” and “The Notebook”) grappling with their unequal expectations of each other; and Michael Curtiz’s “Mildred Pierce,” in which Joan Crawford plays the titular mother. After the death of her second husband, she recollects her struggle as a single mother after her disastrous first marriage.

“Mr. Tampon Man’s Menstrual Menagerie” theatre performance from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville. $10 to $15. Part of Boston Sex Week, This show depicts a variety of menstrual experiences, from new bleeders and heavy bleeders to ex-bleeders or those about to be ex. Comic Ira Claybourne portrays the titular character and Steph Dalwin co-hosts. Event includes a menstrual product drive.

Dance Now Boston performs “Under the Skin” (continued) at 7 p.m. at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $18.

“Here to Pee” comedy tour at 7:30 p.m. at The Cantab Underground, 738 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $20 and 21-plus. Trans comedian Ren Q. Dawe combines humor and activism. Dawe and other trans performers form the lineup with proceeds donated to local LQGBT+ nonprofits. The tour began on the West Coast and jas reached the East before heading South in November.

Audrey Nuna at 8 p.m. at Sonia, 10 Brookline St., Central Square, Cambridge. $20 to $26. Nuna is coming to Cambridge as part of her “Trench” tour. The R&B singer and rapper is known for songs “Damn Right” and “Comic Sans” among others.


Monday, May 12

Filipino cooking is discussed and tasted Monday in Cambridge.

Urban Gardening for older adults from noon to 1 p.m. at the Citywide Senior Center, 806 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. Free. Participants learn how vegetable gardeners in the city grow their crops even without land.

“Mother’s Day Mini-Marathon” (continued) at 5, 7 and 9:15 p.m. at Harvard Film Archive at The Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free to $10. Today’s film screening is Pier Paolo Pasolini’s “Mamma Roma,” in which sex worker Anna Magnani does whatever it takes to keep her son off the streets.

“Sacred Plant Medicines and Indigenous Communities” symposium from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Center for the Study of World Religions, 42 Francis Ave., Baldwin, Cambridge. Free, but register. Research, ranging from medicine and psilocybin mushroom rituals in Mesoamerica to plant medicines among the Musca of Suba, Colombia, from postdoctoral fellows Osiris González Romero and Andrea Sánchez-Castañeda. Harvard doctoral student Rebecca Mendoza joins and center director Charles Stang moderates.

Cambridge Cooks Series presents “A Trip to the Philippines” from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, but register. A dietitian leads this presentation and tasting in celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander month.

Liquid Lab Art Workshops from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at The MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge (and continuing on May 26). $60 to $80 and 18-plus. A two-session class instructs participants in creating art using tools found in biology labs: in this case gel electrophoresis, which uses electrical currents to analyze DNA, RNA and proteins.

Sci-fi/Fantasy Book Club at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge (third monday of every month and continuing through June 23) Free. This month’s selection: “Dungeon Crawler Carl” by Matt Dinniman.

Resonance Lab singles-matchmaking from 7 to 9 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square in Ward 2, Somerville. $35. Two Camberville psychotherapist millennials have created a way for people to connect outside of a dating app. This panel discusses different models of ethnic nonmonogamous relationships. Joining the database via a short Google form questionnaire allows for personalized matchmaking.

“Samba de Gafieira Fundamentals” workshop from 7 to 9:45 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge (and continuing Mondays through June 23). Posture, embrace techniques, weight transfer and other skills needed for the popular Brazilian partner dance are taught by Vasiliy Dommes and Yulia Gromova. The first two hours take dancers through two workshops. The final portion of the class is a free practice.


Tuesday, May 13

The band Trousdale performs Tuesday and Wednesday in Cambridge.

Spring Migrants (continued) from 6:45 to 8:15 a.m. at Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St., West Cambridge (and continuing through May 20). Free to $12, but register. Jason Barcus leads the walk.

“Improv in Roleplaying: How to Game in the Now” workshop at 6 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge. $28. Local improv actor, host and gamester John Serpico teaches the audience how to use improv in Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu and other games.

Sip & Sculpt class from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lamplighter CX, 110 N. First St., North Point, Cambridge. $75. A beginner pottery class with instruction from experts on pinch pots and other sculpture techniques. The ticket includes a kit with all the tools needed to make pottery during class and at home.

Teen Mortgage performs at 6:30 p.m. at Sonia, 10 Brookline St., Central Square, Cambridge. $18 to $24. Through their New York label King Pizza, members James Guile and Ed Barkauskas released songs such as “Life/Death” and “Smoked.” Upchuck joins.

“Book Moot” discusses “Otherworldy” at 6:30 p.m. at Pandemonium Books & Games, 4 Pleasant St., Central Square, Cambridge. $5, but register. From  F.T. Lukens, the author of “Spell Bound” and “So This Is Ever After,” this latest book chronicles a romantic adventure between a supernatural being and a skeptic.

Opera Creation Lab presents “Something for Everybody” at 7 p.m. at the Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free to $20. Premieres of seven mini operas created in the lab. Themes vary from romance to comedy to biblical stories.

Trousdale performs at 8 p.m. The Sinclair, 52 Church St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing Wednesday). $37. A colorful trio blending country and pop (and sometimes compared to The Chicks) comes to the city as part of a tour with originals such as “Don’t Tell Me,” “Want Me Back” and more. Their covers have attracted thousands of followers too.


Wednesday, May 14

Marlene Daut reads from her “The First and Last King of Haiti” on Wednesday in Cambridge.

“Books & Blooms: Spring Plant and Book Sale” from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Kendall/MIT Open Space at 292 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free entry. An annual sale by MIT’s Endicott House and Press Bookstore.

Midday Music: Cambridge Hip-Hop Collective from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Kendall/MIT Open Space at 292 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. The Modular Troupe, a hip-hop and R&B band, performs.

“Brave Leadership and the Future of American Education” forum from 4:45 to 6 p.m. at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Longfellow Hall, 13 Appian Way, Cambridge, near Harvard Square. Free, but register. Leaders discuss challenges facing the country’s education system, including racial and socioeconomic inequalities, underinvestment and school shootings.

Korean-themed celebration of the humanities from 5 to 7 p.m. at Linde Music Building, also known as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Building W18201 Amherst St., Cambridge. Free. The consul general of the Republic of Korea and a surprise guest attend with Grammy-winning cellist Mike Block, student dance team MIT Flow and other arts to hear student pitches, enjoy food and drink at a reception and take part in a Korean painting workshop with MIT’s Global Humanities Initiative.

Reading on going “From Dictatorship to Democracy in Portugal” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free. It was just 1974-1976 that Portugal saw its “Carnation” Revolution – likely a living memory for many of Cambridge and Somerville’s Portuguese population – and there are lessons in it about minimizing political elites through the power and strength of popular mobilizations. For a book called “The Captain’s Coup,” editors Daniela Melo and Timothy Walker talk about how journalist Wilfred Burchett captured the time and message. The event is presented by the Consul General of Portugal in Boston and the Cambridge Public Library.

“All Smut, No Shame” workshop from 6 to 9 p.m. at Side Question Books & Games, 1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville. $7. Part of Boston Sex Week, the event centers smut and fanfiction through a presentation and group discussion.

Will Evans performs at 7 p.m. at The Cantab Lounge, 738 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $15 to $25, and 21-plus. Folk singer Evans plays the guitar, didgeridoo and handpan. His fan community, “Kind Folk,” is “committed to kindness towards others, giving back and contributing to global betterment.” Evans, who has amassed more than 50,000 followers on social media, performs original music such as “The Wild Unknown,” “Lay Our Weapons Down” and “Tides.”

Hub Comics “Book Clhub” at 7 p.m. at Hub Comics, 19 Bow St., Union Square, Somerville. Free, but bring a copy of the book with you. May’s title: “Girl Town” by Casey Nowak.

Marlene Daut reads “The First and Last King of Haiti: The Rise and Fall of Henry Christophe” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. Free. The latest book by Yale’s Daut describes the life of the revolutionary, a celebrity in his time, and his death, which is still shrouded in questions.

“Utopian Hotline” performance (continued) at 7:30 p.m. the Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston, on the Cambridge border (and continuing through May 18). $18 to $25.

Trousdale performs (continued) at 8 p.m. The Sinclair, 52 Church St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through May 14). $37.


Thursday, May 15

Janelle Draper leads Bazongas comedy on May 15 in Somerville.

Spring Migrants (continued) from 6:45 to 8:15 a.m. at Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St., West Cambridge (and continuing through May 20). Free to $12, but register. Bob Stymeist leads the walk.

“Thinking with Plants and Fungi” conference from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Center for the Study of World Religions, 42 Francis Ave., Baldwin, Cambridge the Cambridge Public Library’s Central Square Branch, 45 Pearl St. (and continuing through May 17). Free, but waitlisted as  in-person event. Artists, scientists, activists and others from the United States, France, the United Kingdom and more explore the science and studies of such topics as “Botanical Art and Fungal Sounds,” “The Light Eaters: The Past and Future of Plant Neurobiology” and “Rooted Resistance: Plants, Colonial Histories, Radical Futures.”

“The Age of Love” screening from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, but register. The film follows 30 seniors attending a 70- to 90-year-old speed-dating event. Director Steven Loring joins virtually for a Q&A.

“Castaway: The Afterlife of Plastic” exhibition review  from 6 to 7 p.m. at Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. The Harvard art collective Tres discusses its exhibit of photos, maps and collected artifacts depicting marine debris and plastic washed up in Australia – an exhibit in the works since 2016. A reception follows.

Yum: A Taste of Immigrant City at 6:30 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville. $45 to $55 (with sponsorship options of up to $1,000). Dishes, drinks and discussions celebrating the diverse cuisines enjoyed in Somerville.

Book release event with Kara Perez at 7 p.m. at All She Wrote Books, 75 Washington St., East Somerville. Free to $36. Founder of “We Bravely Go,” an online community for women to learn about finance, Perez discusses her new book, “Money for Change,” which is about building sustainable wealth for you and the planet. Bookseller (and Cambridge Day writer) Amma Marfo joins.

Poets Kit Schluter and Patty Crane from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Grolier Poetry Book Shop, 6 Plympton St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. With an introduction by C. Francis Fisher.

Scottish Country Dance from 7 to 9 p.m. at New England Science Fiction Association house at 504 Medford St., Magoun Square, Somerville. Free to $20. Teacher and dancer Kat Dutton emcees and instructs the social dance with gender-neutral language. The first half-hour is for participants who already know SCD, followed by a half-hour lesson for everyone and an hour of social dance.

Bazongas comedy from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Upstairs at Bow, 1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville. $23 to $34. Jokes about boobs by people who have them, have had them or want to have them. Four comics join headliner Janelle Draper, who has performed at the Wilbur Theater three times and opened for comedians such as Jay Leno, Arsenio Hall and Tiffany Haddish. Proceeds of the event, part of Boston Sex Week, go to Point of Pride, which funds gender-affirming health care.

“Utopian Hotline” performance (continued) at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. the Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston, on the Cambridge border (and continuing through May 18). $18 to $25.

“Clown Town: A Queer Circus Variety Show” from 8 p.m. to midnight at The Jungle, 6 Sanborn Court, Union Square, Somerville. $12 and 21-plus. The show includes a live performance by Sidebody, a Somerville punk band slated to perform at Boston Calling this year, and a clown and drag show.

Scott Tarulli performs with Yağmur Soydemir from 10:30 p.m. to midnight at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $15. Tarulli and his trio bring flutist and fellow Berklee professor Soydemir on stage.

A stronger

Please consider making a financial contribution to maintain, expand and improve Cambridge Day.

We are now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and all donations are tax deductible.

Please consider a recurring contribution.

Leave a comment