Thursday, Sept. 4
Gallery Talk: Activation of Moholy-Nagy’s “Light Prop for an Electric Stage” from 12:30 to 1 p.m. at the Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. New works on view are highlighted, in this case looking at an old favorites to investigate the use of materials and techniques – as in László Moholy-Nagy’s 1930 exhibit using aluminum, steel, nickel-plated brass, other metals, plastic, wood and an electric motor with curator Lynette Roth.
Black Voices of the Revolution: Liberty, Emancipation and the Struggle for Independence from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Cambridge Main Library, Lecture Hall, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free. This exhibition at the Museum of African American History is presented by chief curator Angela Tate.
The 100th Annual Italian Feast of Saints Cosmas & Damian from 6 to 10 p.m. on Warren Street, Porter Street and Maccarelli Way in East Cambridge (and continuing through Sept. 7). Free. Food vendors, amusement rides, carnival games, activities for children and a beer garden – as well as daily processions and a healing service (Thursday night) and outdoor Mass (Sunday morning) – are at this iconic Cambridge event with entertainment by national and local artists. Tonight: Wildfire Band and disco legend and Grammy winner Gloria Gaynor, but the event also brings to town Joey McIntyre of New Kids on the Block, O-Town, Chris Kirkpatrick of NSync, All-4-One, LFO, Ryan Cabrera, The Platters, Drifters and Coasters.
The Somerville Foundation’s Food Nation Celebration from 6 to 10 p.m. at 44 Day St., Davis Square, Somerville. $20 to $100. Year 2 of this Taste of Somerville-styled localized event has the theme “Vintage Block Party,” and vintage vendors will be on hand as well as curated bites to sample from 14 restaurants around Somerville’s Davis Square, starting with chicken wings with house sauce from the Elm Street Taproom, roasted mushroom focaccia from Foundry on Elm, cornbread and chili from Five Horses Tavern, Redbone pork sliders, Burren stew – even popcorn from the Somerville Theater. Drink options, raffle tickets, live music and community building are included with tickets for All proceeds benefit Somerville nonprofit organizations.
Osita Nwanevu reads from “The Right of the People: Democracy and the Case for a New American Founding” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. The journalist examines the meaning of democracy during the Trump era in search of answers to questions many have asked in the wake of the 2024 election: Are our institutions fundamentally broken? How can a country so divided govern itself? Does democracy even work as well as we believe? Harvard’s Ryan Doerfler joins.
Danny Freeman reads from “Italianish: Modern Twists on Classic Italian Flavors” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. $35 with book. Freeman, a pasta expert, includes 100 recipes with unique and easy twists. If you like lasagna but don’t have time to make an entire one from scratch, try Lasagna Soup. For lovers of traditional cannoli, there’s a No-Bake Chocolate Cannoli Cheesecake. America’s Test Kitchen’s Lisa McManus joins.
Blues Union dances from 7 to 11 p.m. at Dance Union, 16 Bow St., Union Square, Somerville. $10 to $25. A lesson in the first hour, then an hour to socialize, rest or practice with a partner before two hours of social dancing. Wear shoes that allow you to pivot; no need to bring a partner.
Freddie Kölsch reads from “Empty Heaven” at 7:30 p.m. at All She Wrote Books, 75 Washington St., East Somerville. Tickets are on a sliding scale. In this young-adult horror book, Darian Sabine Arden is haunted by a monster who claims to love her. When her summer crush – a beautiful girl named KJ – is threatened, Sabine must come clean to her friends. Actor and writer Aislinn Brophy joins.
The 7 Fingers presents “Passengers” at 7:30 p.m. at the American Repertory Theater’s Loeb Mainstage, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through Sept. 26). $35 to $158. Montréal’s acclaimed contemporary physical-theater troupe The 7 Fingers brings a theatrical journey in which passengers on a train don’t sit in silence staring at their phones – they express hopes and dreams through a seemingly superhuman blend of cirque, music and dance skills.
“Ride the Cyclone” musical theater at 8 p.m. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Kresge Auditorium, 48 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge (and continuing through Saturday). $10 to $20. The lives of six teens from a Canadian chamber choir are cut short in a freak accident aboard a roller coaster. When they wake up in limbo, a mechanical fortune teller invites each to tell a story to win a prize like no other – the chance to return to life. Presented by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Musical Theatre Guild.
Alisa Amador Undercover at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $25 to $30. The bilingual singer-songwriter with roots spanning Puerto Rico, New Mexico, Argentina and New England won the 2022 NPR Tiny Desk Contest with her song “Milonga Accidental,” from her debut album “Multitudes.” She brings to the stage covers of Joni Mitchell songs and Beatles and jazz standards, also Mk.Gee, Medium Build and Chappell Roan.
Friday, Sept. 5
Let’s Replace the Massachusetts State Flag at 4 p.m. at the Cambridge Public Library’s Central Square Branch, 45 Pearl St. Free. Learn about the history and significance of the Massachusetts state seal, flag and motto from Sage Carbone and David Shane Lowry. Engage in conversation by thinking more deeply about the community’s symbols and better understand arguments for changing the state flag.
The 100th Annual Italian Feast of Saints Cosmas & Damian (continued) from 6 to 11 p.m. on Warren Street, Porter Street and Maccarelli Way in East Cambridge (and continuing through Sept. 7). Free. Performing: Ryan Cabrera, LFO, O-Town and Chris Kirkpatrick of Nsync.
Dr. Marschall Runge reads from “The Great Health Care Disruption: Big Tech, Bold Policy, and the Future of American Medicine” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. A look at the forces rapidly reshaping American health care, from artificial intelligence and retail medicine to revolutionary gene therapies and obesity drugs.
“On the Occasion of Remembering the Turning Gate (Saenghwalui balgyeon)” screening at 7 p.m. at the Harvard Film Archive at The Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $10. Directed by Hong Sangsoo, this 2002 color film with English subtitles tells the story of Gyungsoo who is on a journey of self-discovery. When he visits a Buddhist temple and learns of a legend of a ravishing princess and her reincarnated commoner lover, his life takes a turn.
Case Kerns reads from “Habitat” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. $28 with book. Kerns’ first novel is a futuristic tale that blends cloning, unnecessary surgeries and obsession by a society set in a postapocalyptic world. A young man crashes his family’s annual gala to unveil his latest surgical transplant while some parents try to find a way to give their daughter the year’s most sought-after Christmas gift – a clone of the canine star of a sci-fi television show. Neel Mukherjee joins.
Somerville Art Fair from 7 to 9 p.m. at Bow Market, 1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville. Free to enter. The September showcase features photographer and filmmaker Jaina Cipriano and quilter and storyteller Christine Brown.
Cozy Worldwide: Throwback Hip Hop/R&B from 7 to 11 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville. $15 to $20. This R&B party features DJs spinning throwback 90s, 2000s and current R&B and hip-hop music.
The 7 Fingers presents “Passengers” (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at the American Repertory Theater’s Loeb Mainstage, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through Sept. 26). $35 to $158.
“Ride the Cyclone” musical theater (continued) at 8 p.m. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Kresge Auditorium, 48 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. $10 to $20.
The Sheila Divine perform at 8:30 p.m. at the Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $28.50. The Boston postpunk revival band performs songs from its new album “I Am the Darkness. We Are the Light.” Also playing: Viruette.
Saturday, Sept. 6
History in the Park: Spark of the Revolution! at 10 a.m. at Nathan Tufts/Powderhouse Park, College Avenue and Broadway, Somerville. Free, but RSVP. Commemorate the Powder Alarm of 1774, a significant event leading up to the American Revolution. Celebrations include historical displays, guided tours of the Powder House, activity tables for all ages and a scavenger hunt through the park. This program is presented by the Somerville Museum with support from the City of Somerville.
Kendall Square for Newbies and Natives tour at 10:30 a.m., starting from The MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge (also Sept. 27 and Oct. 18). Pay what you like. Learn about the scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs who made Cambridge one of the most innovative places in the world by walking The Innovation Trail with guest tour guides including Gavin Kleespies of Waltham’s Gore Place historic house and farm; Michael Kuchta and Karen Weintraub, co-authors of “Born in Cambridge”; and Scott Kirsner of WBUR and MassLive.
“Edna Andrade: Imagination Is Never Static” exhibition tour from noon to 1 p.m. at the Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., Cambridge. Free. Mitra Abbaspour, co-curator of this exhibition up through Jan. 4, leads a tour about artist and educator Andrade (1917–2008), best known for geometric compositions inspired by nature, architecture, astronomy and math.
Pan in the Park Panorama Showcase from noon to 4 p.m. at Pacific Park Field, 82 Pacific St., Central Square, Cambridge. Free. A celebration of Caribbean American culture with food and craft vendors and music by the Cambridge Youth Steel Orchestra and other steel pan bands.
Discover Mount Auburn Introductory Walking Tour from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St., West Cambridge. Free, but registration required. This 1.5-mile walking tour focuses on stories of history, monuments and the lives of those buried at this National Historic Landmark.
No Hype Fest from 1 to 7 p.m. in Harvard Square, Cambridge. $25. A lineup blending national names with rising Boston stars including Cash Cobain, June Freedom, Jeleel! and SuperSmashBroz, the DJ and producer duo behind the event.
The 100th Annual Italian Feast of Saints Cosmas & Damian (continued) from 1 to 11 p.m. on Warren Street, Porter Street and Maccarelli Way in East Cambridge (and continuing through Sept. 7). Free. Tonight: Joey McIntyre of New Kids on the Block, Trifecta and SeaBreeze with Stephen Savio.
The 7 Fingers presents “Passengers” (continued) at 2 and 7:30 p.m. at the American Repertory Theater’s Loeb Mainstage, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through Sept. 26). $35 to $158.
Somerville Toy Camera Festival from 3 to 5 p.m. at The Nave Gallery, 155 Powderhouse Blvd., near Teele Square, Somerville, and 7 to 9 p.m. at Washington Street Art Center Gallery, 321 Washington St., Somerville. Free. Opening receptions for this fascinating and quirky festival in its 12th year. On view are photographs by U.S. and international artists taken with low-tech cameras – those with plastic lenses and lack of a reliable exposure control. The exhibits run through Sept. 27.
Lamplighter’s “Beer School” tour and tasting from 4 to 5 p.m. at Lamplighter Brewing, 284 Broadway, The Port, Cambridge. $34, but 21-plus. For this monthly event, each ticket includes one 6-ounce welcome beer and a flight of samples, a guided tasting and behind-the-scenes brewery tour, a beer school “quiz” (with an answer key) and a Lamplighter Beer School diploma.
Nepali Music and Dance Concert at 5:30 p.m. at the Somerville Museum, 1 Westwood Road, in the Spring Hill neighborhood. Free. A casual evening with a group of women performers from the local Nepali Community for traditional folk songs and dance demonstrations.
“Ride the Cyclone” musical theater (continued) at 6 p.m. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Kresge Auditorium, 48 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. $10 to $20.
Somerville Songwriter Sessions at 7 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville. $15. Somerville Songwriter Sessions at the Rooted Café presents contemporary folk singer-songwriters in concert on the first Saturday of each month. This month: Christine Bilé, Lindsay Foote and Rachel Marie.
“Lovers Rock” screening at 7 p.m. at the Harvard Film Archive at The Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. This 2020 film directed by Steve McQueen, this year’s Charles Eliot Norton professor of poetry at Harvard, takes the viewer to a sweaty dance floor of a 1980 all-night party in West London.
“Tom Shillue’s Good Time Comedy Show” at 7 p.m. Sept. 6 at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville. $36 to $68. The comedian, whose accomplishments include being a correspondent on “The Daily Show” and part of a barbershop quartet on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” brings his comedy tour to Somerville.
Outdoor movie night: “Jaws” from 9 to 11 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square in Ward 2, Somerville. Free. It’s the 50th anniversary of this classic 1975 summer blockbuster about the hunt to capture a shark terrorizing beachgoers. Starring Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw.
Jam session with drummer Joe Musacchia from 10 p.m. to midnight at The Mad Monkfish, 524 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. Free. The drummer has performed with Jerry Bergonzi, Phil Grenadier, Andy Voelker, Ben Eunson, Allan Chase, Bruno Råberg, Brian Friedland, Mark Zaleski, Nick Brust and Jason Yeager.
Sunday, Sept. 7
Somerville Fermentation Festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville. Free. A one-day celebration of the world of fermented foods with a vendor marketplace, speakers, hands-on community activities, live music and a guided “make-your-own” sauerkraut table.
Cambridge Carnival Festival from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at University Park Commons, in Cambridgeport near Central Square. Free. Thousands of people come to this Afro-Caribbean-themed carnival celebrating emancipation, freedom and expression. This 31st celebration includes the traditional parade filled with dazzling costumed dancers starting at River and Blackstone streets near the Charles River at 12:30 p.m. and winding up at University Park Commons for music, food and a hands-on KidsFest with face painting, arts and crafts, lawn games and other activities.
Rock ’n’ Roll Yard Sale (rain date: Sept. 14) from noon to 5 p.m. at Union Square Plaza, Somerville. Free. Organized by What Cheer records in Providence, Rhode Island, dealers converge to sell vinyl, DIY handmade items and vintage clothing.
Challapalooza: Boston’s Jew-ish Music Festival from noon to 6 p.m. at Prospect Hill Park, 68 Munroe St., Somerville. $8 to $54. A lineup of local Jewish musicians performing Appalachian folk, klezmer, Middle Eastern pop, brass-band hip-hop, rock, big-band swing and more. Also, kosher food trucks, vendors, kids’ activities and booths from local organizations and artists.
Champion Trees of Mount Auburn from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St., West Cambridge. Free, but registration required. A walking tour with arborist Jim Gorman to trees that state and national foresters have deemed the largest of different species.
The 100th Annual Italian Feast of Saints Cosmas & Damian (continued) from 1 to 10 p.m. on Warren Street, Porter Street and Maccarelli Way in East Cambridge (and continuing through Sept. 7). Free. Tonight: The Platters, The Drifters and The Coasters.
The 7 Fingers presents “Passengers” (continued) at 2 p.m. at the American Repertory Theater’s Loeb Mainstage, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through Sept. 26). $35 to $158.
Lamplighter’s Adult Scholastic Book Fair from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Lamplighter CX, 110 N. First St., North Point, Cambridge. Free, but 21-plus. The nostalgia of childhood book fairs but with local flair, more age-appropriate books for adults and curated books and beer pairings. Cosponsored with More Than Words, a local bookstore and nonprofit.
Concert: Juventas New Music Ensemble at 3 p.m. at Longfellow House and the Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site, 105 Brattle St., West Cambridge. Free. Celine Ferro (clarinet), Ryan Shannon (violin) and Julia Scott Carey (piano) present this outdoor concert of contemporary music for clarinet, violin and piano. Part of the Summer Longfellow Arts Festival.
A Visit with Isabella Stewart Gardner: America’s First Patroness of the Arts at 3 p.m. at the Community, Architecture, Landscape & Art Building, 1060 Broadway, Teele Square, Somerville. Free. Jessa Piaia portrays the life of Isabella Stewart Gardner in 1910, including her art collecting and the conception of her Fenway “house-museum,” along with a passion for horticulture shown in seasonal displays in the museum’s centerpiece courtyard.
Gotta Bal! balboa dance event from 4 to 8 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. Free. This monthly DJ’d event celebrates a dance that originated in Southern California in the 1930s and is danced to faster tempos than Lindy Hop. Soft, flexible, thin-leather or suede soles only.
Baen’s Feral for Fantasy tour at 6:30 p.m. at Pandemonium Books & Games, 4 Pleasant St., Central Square, Cambridge. $5, with registration. Kacey Ezell (“Magelight”) and Marisa Wolf (“A Plague of Magic”) discuss their novels. “Magelight” quests with someone who should be good at magic and must be good at magic – yet is not good at magic – while “A Plague of Magic” explores a world where the art has been outlawed and eventually gets unleashed.
Comedian Liam McGurk at 7 p.m. at The Comedy Studio, 5 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $10 to $15. The 2025 Boston Comedy Festival winner is known for his laid-back, cerebral approach to comedy.
Monday, Sept. 8
“Illuminate: Contextualizing Asian American Women’s Stories through the Archives” exhibit (Monday through Friday until Jan. 23) from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Arthur & Elizabeth Schlesinger Library, 3 James St., Cambridge. Free. This exhibit spotlights the stories of Asian American women whose collections are held in the Schlesinger Library. It examines how race, ethnicity, gender, citizenship and migration affect our collective memory of history.
Water treatment plant tour from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Water Department facility at 250 Fresh Pond Parkway, in West Cambridge at Fresh Pond, Cambridge. Free. Get to know where your water comes from, chat with water treatment staff and see the equipment in action, including the water-quality lab.
O’Neill Branch Book Group at 6:30 p.m. at Cambridge library’s O’Neill Branch, 70 Rindge Ave., North Cambridge. Free. This month, the selection is “Crying in H Mart” by Michelle Zauner.
Fara Dabhoiwala reads from “What Is Free Speech?: The History of a Dangerous Idea” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. The senior research scholar at Princeton University, looks at the history of free speech from the early 16th century to modern times. Harvard’s David Armitage joins.
“The Science of Food and Drink: What a Difference a Decade (or Two) Makes” at 7 p.m. at the Harvard Science Center, 1 Oxford St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Dave Arnold, host of the podcast “Cooking Issues” and founder of the Museum of Food and Drink, and Harold McGee, food science writer and author of “On Food and Cooking,” present at the first of eight weekly chef lectures.
YA book club at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. Free, but RSVP and ages 13-plus (grown-ups welcome). This time, discuss “Bittersweet in the Hollow” by Kate Pearsall.
Elan Mehler Trio from 7 to 8 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge (and every Monday). $15. The jazz pianist and composer who’s released 11 albums performs with Max Ridley and Dor Herskovits.
Passim Monday Discovery Series: Emma Cook and Sister Speak at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. (also Oct. 13) Free to $15. Singer-songwriter Cook performs from her upcoming album “Of the Morning.” Sister Speak is the recording alias for Sherri Anne Nyberg, and has an upcoming EP, “Coming Home.”
Jerry Bergonzi Quartet from 8:30 to 10 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge (and continuing most Mondays). $10 to $15. Bergonzi brings his tenor sax mastery to this seated show with bandmates Phil Grenadier on trumpet and Luther Gray on drums.
The Fringe performs at 10 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge (and every Monday) $15. Remaining members of The Fringe (formed in 1971), tenor-saxophonist George Garzone and bassist John Lockwood perform contemporary jazz.
Tuesday, Sept. 9
MIT Community Service Fund Used Book Sale from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Kendall/MIT Open Space at 292 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. Unbelievably priced textbooks, nonfiction, novels and more.
Joan Watson-Jones from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $15. Watson-Jones sings jazz with Frank Wilkins as pianist (and her longtime creative partner) and a rhythm section of Dave Zox and drummer Alvin Terry.
Bike It Up at 5 p.m. at the Kendall/MIT Open Space at 292 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. This event offers free bike tuneups, safety resources, music mixed by MIT student DJs, lawn games and community. Free safety checks with a bicycle technician are on a first-come, first-served basis, regardless of advance registration.
“Great Big Tiny Art Show” gallery opening from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Cambridge Public Library’s Central Square Branch, 45 Pearl St. Free. Masterpieces are created by patrons and staff at Central Square’s first “Great Big Tiny Art Show” gallery opening.
Tom Huangpu performs from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Urban Park Roof Garden at the Kendall Center, 325 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. Huangpu is an indie folk singer-songwriter who plays as part of the Berklee College of Music’s Summer in the City concert series.
Fall Art Exhibition: Sacred Plants of the Muysca – In the Words and Photos of Community Members from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Center for the Study of World Religions, 42 Francis Ave., Baldwin, Cambridge. Free, RSVP required. Sacred plants are woven into the fabric of the everyday lives of Indigenous peoples. This exhibit explores the connection between the Muysca community of Suba in Bogotá, Colombia, their sacred territory and their plant medicine knowledge systems.
Foodie Crawl: Every Bite Tells a Story from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. (rain date: Sept. 10) with check-in at the Mudflat Pottery School, 81 Broadway, or Project Soup at 165 Broadway, both in East Somerville. $45 advance tickets only ($15 for kids). Walk a live-music-filled Broadway to restaurants offering food samplings from El Salvador, Brazil, Italy, France, Mexico, Portugal and more. Sponsored by East Somerville Main Streets.
Pottery with a Purpose: Mug Making from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lamplighter CX, 110 N. First St., North Point, Cambridge. $75, and 21-plus. Founder Samantha Hoff provides materials and know-how and attendees will take home a one-of-a-kind piece.
“Book Moot” discusses “The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World” by J.R. Dawson at 6:30 p.m. at Pandemonium Books & Games, 4 Pleasant St., Central Square, Cambridge. $5, registration required. In this contemporary queer fantasy, Nera has spent years watching her father, the ferryman of the dead, sail across Lake Michigan to take them to their next destination. Tonight, a living person named Charlie has found her way to the station and she’s looking for someone lost.
Josh Funk reads from “Whodonut?: A Holiday Mystery” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. $19 with book. The author of clever, wordplay-filled books for children brings the seventh in his series starring Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast. In this one, they’re eager for the newest Miss Maple book (by Agatha Crispy) to come out, but when it goes missing they must follow clues to find it.
Nicholas Boggs reads from “Baldwin: A Love Story” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. In this biography of James Baldwin, Boggs examines the personal relationships of the writer, including with his mentor, the Black American painter Beauford Delaney; with his lover and muse, the Swiss painter Lucien Happersberger; and with his collaborators, Turkish actor Engin Cezzar and the French artist Yoran Cazac, whose long-overlooked significance as Baldwin’s last great love is explored in these pages for the first time. Pulitzer Prize winner Ilyon Woo joins.
Point01 Percent contemporary series from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $15. A cross-pollination of area musical improvisers with Anna Webber (saxophone), Anthony Coleman (piano), Bruno Raberg (bass), Eric Rosenthal (drums) until 8:30 p.m., then Pandelis Karayorgis (piano), Nathan McBride (bass) and Nat Mugavero (drums).
POP Presents: Aardvark Jazz Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville. $25 to $30. With music by Mark Harvey and Duke Ellington, this 53rd season opener presents “No Walls, Jazz Beyond Category.” Jazz Podium in Germany called Aardvark “one of the best jazz ensembles in the world.”
The 7 Fingers presents “Passengers” (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at the American Repertory Theater’s Loeb Mainstage, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through Sept. 26). $35 to $158.
Wednesday, Sept. 10
Boudreau Branch Book Group at noon at the Cambridge Public library’s Boudreau Branch, 245 Concord Ave., Observatory Hill in Neighborhood 9. Free. This month, the selection is “Family Romance: John Singer Sargent and the Wertheimers” by Jean Strouse.
Swap: Craft and school supplies from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Kendall/MIT Open Space at 292 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. Bring in gently used crafting and school-related items to trade. No need to bring supplies to participate, but bring a bag to take home your finds.
Medicinal plant walk at 5:30 p.m. at The Growing Center, 22 Vinal Ave., near Union Square, Somerville. Free. Herbalist Mo Katz-Christy walks participants around the Growing Center to meet the medicinal plants in the garden, with time for questions and conversation.
Time Out for Public Art Tactile Talks: Millers River Apartments from 5:30 to 6 p.m. at Millers River Apartments, 15 Lambert St., Cambridge. Free, but RSVP. A guided 30-minute Tactile Talk featuring the 102 mosaics reinstalled after extensive conservation at Millers River Apartments. These murals were originally created in 1979 by Lilli Ann Rosenberg with help from residents and children. This event is part of the Time Out for Public Art series in collaboration with Cambridge Arts.
Eric Foner reads from “Our Fragile Freedoms: Essays” at 6 p.m. at The Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $12, $40 with book. Essays examine slavery and antislavery, the disunion and remaking of the United States in the 19th century, Jim Crow and the civil rights movement and the current political situation. Harvard’s Randall Kennedy joins.
“The Art of Caramelle” pasta master class from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, 42 Brattle St., Harvard Square. $125. Chef Jimmy Dunne of Pammy’s teaches the art of caramelle, a filled pasta from Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region that looks like wrapped candy.
Books and Brews from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square in Ward 2, Somerville. Free. Hosted by the Somerville Public Library, this month’s title is “”Klara and the Sun” by Kazuo Ishiguro.
Roy Scranton reads from “Impasse: Climate Change and the Limits of Progress” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Drawing from psychology, philosophy, history and politics, Scranton examines the climate change crisis and our lack of response to it in the face of extreme heat, fires, floods and storms. Harvard’s Naomi Oreskes joins.
Marianne Leone reads from “Christina the Astonishing” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. $17 with book. A locally set story told from the perspective of 13-year-old Catholic school girl in the 1960s who dreams of growing up to be a saint so she can go to heaven – until Harvard Square beckons and a window to the world cracks open.
Poets Jacob Eigen and Katie Peterson from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Grolier Poetry Book Shop on 6 Plympton St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $5 to $10, but register. With an introduction by John Lurz.
The 7 Fingers presents “Passengers” (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at the American Repertory Theater’s Loeb Mainstage, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through Sept. 26). $35 to $158.
Robbie Fulks performs at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $28 to $30. Singer-songwriter Fulks’ most recent release, 2017’s “Upland Stories,” earned year’s-best recognition from NPR and Rolling Stone, as well as two Grammy nominations for folk album and American roots song (“Alabama at Night”).
Gill Aharon Trio performs from 8:15 to 10 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge (and every Wednesday). $10. A mix of influences inspires composer and pianist Aharon, founder of the Lilypad performance and event space. The trio includes bassist Jef Charland, guitarist Andrew Stern and drummer Randy Wooten.
Thursday, Sept. 11
Emerging Artists exhibit from noon to 4 p.m. at CAA@Canal, 650 E. Kendall St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. A show juried by Jameson Johnson of the Boston Art Review up through Sept. 12.
Ukulele Jam from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, 42 Brattle St., Harvard Square. Free. An outdoor jam with CCAE students and members of the ukulele community, led by Amy Kucharik and past class masters cranking out the hits from 1920 to 2023. All skill levels are welcome. Bring a uke or borrow one of ours.
“History On The Line” exhibition from 6 to 8 p.m. at Milk Row Cemetery, Somerville Avenue and School Street, Union Square, Somerville. A “History Un-Locked” drop-in chat that opens the cemetery to the public to celebrate Massachusetts’ 250 years.
After Dark Series: Spacetime from 6 to 9 p.m. at The MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. $10 to $20 and 21-plus. MIT physicists share stories about the quest to confirm Einstein’s theory of general relativity, the science of gravitational waves and what these discoveries are revealing about the nature of our universe. Experience hands-on demos and activities with researchers exploring Ligo – the instrument that first detected gravitational waves.
Amanda Uhle reads from “Destroy This House: A Memoir” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. A debut memoir about a chaotic childhood teetering between wealth and poverty with a mother who hoarded and a scheming father. Executive director of Mass Poetry Daniel Johnson joins.
Lesley Bannatyne reads from “Lake Song” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. $23 with book. A backdrop of historical events – bootlegging, Klan attacks, gold smuggling, the Albany Ketchup Murders, the 1965 Northeast blackout – illustrates a decades-old mystery of missing 10-year-old Angus Epps in the fictional town of Kinder Falls. Harvard playwright Talaya Delaney joins.
Blues Union dances from 7 to 11 p.m. at Dance Union, 16 Bow St., Union Square, Somerville. $10 to $25. A lesson in the first hour, then an hour to socialize, rest or practice with a partner before two hours of social dancing. Wear shoes that allow you to pivot; no need to bring a partner.
“Silent Sky” play at 7:30 p.m. at Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge (and continuing through Oct. 5). $27 to $103. Lauren Gunderson’s female-led science drama tells the true story of 19th century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt as she explores a woman’s place in society during a time of immense scientific discoveries. With music and math, Henrietta and her female peers change the way we understand both the heavens and the Earth.
The 7 Fingers presents “Passengers” (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at the American Repertory Theater’s Loeb Mainstage, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through Sept. 26). $35 to $158.
Scottish Fish perform at 8 p.m. at the Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $36. Described as “one of the most energetic and creative acts to take root in the local Celtic music scene this century” by Boston Irish Reporter Sean Smith, Scottish Fish present a fresh take on traditional and contemporary Scottish and Cape Breton music.
Biribá Union performs at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $28 to $30. Biribá Union features Mike Block (cello, vocals), Christylez Bacon (beatbox, guitar, rhymes) and Patricia Ligia (electric bass, vocals). Their music draws on the freestyle theatrics of hip-hop and go-go music; the effortless beauty of Brazilian forró and choro; the earthiness of American roots music and the improvisational spontaneity of jazz.
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