Thursday, Sept. 18
Pickleball basics from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Urban Park Roof Garden at Kendall Center, 325 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. Learn pickleball basics at this pop-up tutorial, running every half hour. Space for each slot is limited. This program is aimed at new players.
“Geometry and contemporary art” gallery talk at 6 p.m. at the Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Artists Crystalle Lacouture, Odili Donald Odita and Dyani White Hawk celebrate “Edna Andrade: Imagination Is Never Static” by presenting their own work focusing on how geometric composition is a means of connection to historical, ancestral or natural forms – a cornerstone of Andrade’s art.
“Barcode Journeys” opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Somerville Museum, 1 Westwood Road, in the Spring Hill neighborhood. Free to $10. Barcode Journeys explores the pervasiveness of barcodes in our daily lives – discovering the humor, awe, meaning and aesthetics in our coexistence with barcodes, algorithms and now AI, asking what it means to stay human. Participating artists are Lesley Bannatyne, Lynn Cannici, Greg Duerhr, Nathan Fash, Janine Fay, Kyle Huffman, Barbara Jo, Olga Mesa, Elizabeth Pacini, Cindy Ramírez, Laidy Saenz, Charlie Warren, Sandra Wascher and Woolsey Cole Chesterman.
Volo Cornhole League from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the lower courtyard of The Charles Hotel, 1 Bennett St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $10 to $15. A laid-back open 2v2 cornhole league plays through Oct. 30.
Somerville Poetry Workshop from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville (and continuing Sept. 25 and Oct. 2). Flexible pricing. Each session begins with two city poets or summer poems; classes end with 20-minute readings by visiting poets. Topics include form, line, structure and generative writing.
Peter Brannen reads from “The Story of CO2 Is the Story of Everything: How Carbon Dioxide Made Our World” at 7 p.m. at the Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. How carbon dioxide’s movement through rocks, air, water and life has kept our planet’s climate livable, beginning at the dawn of life almost 4 billion years ago and working all the way up through today’s global climate crisis. Paleontologist Phoebe Cohen joins.
Stacy Waldman Bass reads from “Lightkeeper” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. Free, $30 with book. In photographer Bass’ memoir, she shares her journey through grief that began when a seaplane accident on Block Island claimed her father’s life. Nicole Graev Lipson joins.
Indigenous knowledge and climate change: The keys to our resilient future at 7 p.m. at the Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston, on the Cambridge border. Free, with preregistration. The work Indigenous communities are doing to combat climate change is discussed by Amira Madison (Aquinnah Wampanoag), Hartman Deetz (Mashpee Wampanoag) and representatives of the Harvard University Native American Program and Salata Institute at Harvard.
“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” 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.
Mary Halvorson performs at 7:30 p.m. at Regattabar, 1 Bennett St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $25 to $36. “The most future-seeking guitarist working right now” in the jazz/not jazz axis, NPR says.
Level Up Circus at 8 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $30 to $40. Circus acts and cosplay inspired by video games.
Seacoast Stilettos dance showcase at 8 p.m. at the Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $30. This school’s third annual showcase has a DJ, bar, raffle, exclusive merch and photobooth.
Third Thursdays jazz with Dave Bryant and Friends at 8 p.m. at the Harvard-Epworth United Methodist Church, 1555 Massachusetts Ave., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. $10. This month, keyboardist and composer Bryant presents improvised music with Eric Barber (saxophones), Stephen Haynes (cornet, flugelhorn), Kit Demos (bass) and Curt Newton (drums).
Friday, Sept. 19
Hồng-Ân Trương: “With love from your Vietnamese sisters” curator-led tour at noon at the Johnson-Kulukundis Family Gallery of Byerly Hall, 8 Garden St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, but register. Curators Meg Rotzel and Caitlin Julia Rubin discuss each element of the exhibition and the artist’s engagement with archival and personal materials.
Outdoor movie night: “Akeelah and the Bee” from 6 to 8 p.m. at Kendall/MIT Open Space at 292 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. After being threatened with detention for the remainder of the semester due to skipping school, Akeelah Anderson, an 11-year-old spelling enthusiast, enters the spelling bee. This 2006 family film was an early starring role for Keke Palmer and also stars Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne.
Eli Clare reads from “Unfurl: Survivals, Sorrows and Dreaming” at 6:30 p.m. at Connexion, 149 Broadway, East Somerville. $31 with book. The queer disability traveling poet, storyteller and activist combines poetry and nonfiction in his writing. Masks required.
Boston Fuzzstival from 6:30 to 11 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville (and continuing Saturday). $30 (two-day pass) and $20 (one day). All ages. Illegally Blind’s festival continues its mission of showing off local and regional psychedelic, fuzz, garage, hip-hop and surf rock bands – 18 of them this year. Tonight’s lineup includes Rong, Landowner, Nurse Joy, Spacecamp, Warmachine, Pew Pew, Ko Queen and Makeout Palace.
Catherine Conybeare reads from “Augustine the African” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Philosopher and theologian Augustine of Hippo, also known as Saint Augustine, helped shape the foundations of Christianity and Western philosophy, but for many centuries, Augustine’s North African birth and Berber heritage have been simply dismissed. Harvard’s Claire Messud joins.
“The Music of Art: From Inspiration to Improvisation” opening reception from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Brickbottom Artists Building, 1 Fitchburg St., Inner Belt, Somerville. Two painters, a printmaker and a mixed media artist – Linda Clave, Robert Goss, Iku Oseki and Annie Silverman – express their connection to music.
“Silent Sky” play (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at the Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge (and continuing through Oct. 5). $27 to $103.
Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol Quintet featuring Ingrid Jensen at 7:30 p.m. at Regattabar, 1 Bennett St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $30 to $42. The composer, multi-instrumentalist and jazz pianist blends Turkish music and contemporary jazz. His latest album, “7 Shades Of Melancholia,” was DownBeat magazine’s May Editor’s Pick and got a 4-star review.
The 7 Fingers presents “Passengers” (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at American Repertory Theater’s Loeb Mainstage, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through Sept. 26). $35 to $158.
Jam session with saxophonist Andy Voelker from 10 p.m. to midnight at The Mad Monkfish, 524 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. Free. The improviser and composer brings along members from a rotating rhythm section of local greats.
Saturday, Sept. 20
Cycle to the Source at 8:30 a.m. starting at the Water Department facility at 250 Fresh Pond Parkway, in West Cambridge at Fresh Pond, Cambridge. Free, but RSVP required. Adults only. Riders see where city water comes from, how it is collected and what steps are taken to ensure is is clean. Travel through the Cambridge watershed, spanning Lincoln, Lexington, Weston and Waltham.
Family Workshop: Egg Drop from 10:30 a.m. to noon at MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free with museum admission and 11-plus. Small groups compete to build the best protective capsule for an egg and keep it whole even after being dropped.
Danehy Park Family Day at 11 a.m. at Danehy Park, 99 Sherman St., in Neighborhood 9 just east of Fresh Pond, Cambridge. Free. This annual celebration includes music and other performances, children’s amusement rides and arts and crafts, as well as free food and giveaways while supplies last. The event, sponsored by the city, attracts more than 10,000 people annually. Picnics and lawn chairs are encouraged.
Cambridge Arts Open Studios from noon to 6 p.m. around Cambridge (and continuing Sunday). Free. More than 70 artists open their doors or join group exhibitions at dozens of venues throughout Cambridge to show off (and maybe sell) paintings, prints, clothing, ceramics and all sorts of locally made creations.
Oktoberfest at noon at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square in Ward 2, Somerville. (and continuing Sept. 21). $10 to $30 and 21-plus. Craft beers, stein-holding competitions, music, giant pretzels, bratwurst and other German-inspired dishes. VIP admission includes a glass stein and a first pour, as well as an order of curry fries from Mimi’s Chuka Diner.
Book Brunch at noon at Cambridge Public Library’s Central Square Branch, 45 Pearl St. Free. Sample books from the adult collection. Spend five minutes with each title before rotating to the next. Snacks provided.
Roast in the Coast Community Block Party from 1 to 4 p.m. at Cambridge Community Center, 5 Callender St., Riverside. Free. Seasonal treats, games, live music and activities for all ages.
Fall Equinox Nature in the City Festival from 1 to 5 p.m. at Magazine Beach Park Nature Center, at the river end of Magazine Street, Cambridgeport. Free. With the arrival of fall comes the final Nature in the City festival of the season, with nature-themed games for all ages, food from Samosa Man, cardboard-coyote creating with artist Paula Pitman Brown and a new art exhibit by the Inspiring Change for the Climate Crisis artists group.
Gallery Talk: “Optiker” from 2 to 2:30 p.m. at The MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge Free. Take a tour through Stephen Benton’s “rainbow” holograms in “Optiker,” an intimate exhibition that examines the intersection of light and vision.
20th Annual “What the Fluff” Festival from 2 to 6 p.m. on Somerville Avenue from School Street to Warren Avenue, near Union Square, Somerville (rain date: Sept. 21). Free to enter. Marshmallow Fluff was invented in Somerville in 1917, when a local named Archibald Query made it in his kitchen and sold it door to door. The festival honors the concoction in most every way imaginable, drawing more than 12,000 people to its music, games and, of course, lots of Fluff-related foods. (The classic Fluffernutter is just the start.)
Comedian Zach Russell at 5 p.m. at The Comedy Studio, 5 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $20. The New York comedian is known for his appearances on HBO Max and in the New York Comedy Festival.
Revels RiverSing at 5 p.m. on the Cambridge side of the Charles River at the John W. Weeks Memorial Bridge near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Celebrate the change of seasons with a reimagined version of this traditional outdoor event featuring communal and choir singing, dancing, music from sax, accordion and brass band players and Night and Day dragons leading everyone in the Equinox waltz.
Central Square Night Market from 5 to 10 p.m. at University Park Commons, in Cambridgeport near Central Square, Cambridge. Free. The inaugural event includes food trucks, a beer garden, live performances, games and photo opportunities.
Boston Fuzzstival (continued) from 6:30 to 11 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $20 and all ages.
Elizabeth Gilbert reads from “All the Way to the River: Love, Loss and Liberation” at 7 p.m. at First Parish Cambridge Unitarian Universalist, 3 Church St./1446 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $48 with book. The author of “Eat Pray Love” tells the story of her friendship with Rayya, her best friend and lover – and eventual, addictive heartbreak, to the point she contemplates murder.
Slay the Stigma drag show from 7 to 9 p.m. at Connexion, 149 Broadway, East Somerville. $20 and 18-plus. Stars neurodivergent and disabled performers: Jelli Beanbags, Kelsy Kyrus, Lilith Graves, Rose Petals, M!ss Demeanor, Thrash Infection, Tommy Boss, Travis Ti and Stroke the Clown. Co-sponsored by All She Wrote Books, Kiera’s Cabaret and Read My Lips Boston.
“Umwelt: Vol. 1” screening at 7:30 p.m. at Behind VA Shadows, 2 Linden St., Cambridge. Free. This showcase of seven film and video works is curated by Jarrod White at the 25/8 gallery space – giant storefront windows that make the art visible at all times.
Sunday, Sept. 21
Annual Plant Sale from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 331 Summer St., Somerville. Free to enter. The Somerville Garden Club sells perennials for sun and shade, herbs, shrubs, ground covers and a wide variety of house plants. Experienced gardeners will be available to answer questions and help with plant selections. Proceeds benefit the all-volunteer nonprofit.
Breakfast Book Club from 10:30 a.m. to noon at All She Wrote Books, 75 Washington St., Prospect Hill, Somerville. $7, or $28 with book. This month’s title: “A Field Guide to Getting Lost” by Rebecca Solnit. Coffee and pastries provided.
“Egypt Eternal: 4,000 Years of Fascination” opening from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (open Sundays through Fridays) at the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East, 6 Divinity Ave., in the Baldwin neighborhood near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Showcases the mummy case of Padimut, a teak and ivory reproduction of King Tutankhamun’s throne, the portrait of Idu in his underground tomb chapel and a “Dreaming the Sphinx” augmented-reality experience.
Oktoberfest (continued) at noon at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square in Ward 2, Somerville. $10 to $30 and 21-plus.
Cambridge Arts Open Studios (continued) from noon to 6 p.m. around Cambridge. Free.
Cambridge Science Carnival from noon to 4 p.m. at Kendall/MIT Open Space at 292 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. A family-friendly science extravaganza, an entertaining and educational event featuring more than 100 activity booths, demonstrations, live music and installations.
“The Hurricane That Changed Mount Auburn” lecture and tree tour from 1 to 2:30 p.m. meeting at the Story Chapel at Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St., West Cambridge. Free to $14. Walk and talk with arborist Jim Gorman, who describes how Mount Auburn Cemetery replanted, expanded and diversified its tree stock after the Great New England Hurricane of 1938, which killed nearly 700 people, left 63,000 people without homes and toppled 275 million trees – with 800 trees lost and 1,000 severely damaged at the cemetery.
Celebrate Classical Music: Sandipan Samajpati at 2 p.m. at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Thomas Tull Concert Hall, 201 Amherst St., Cambridge. $35. Samajpati performs Hindi and Tamil classical music that is a blend of tradition and culture.
Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra presents “Sweet Love, Wild Dance” at 3 p.m. at Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. $15 to $65. Conductor emerita Gisèle Ben-Dor kicks off the orchestra’s 48th season with a program including Mozart’s opera “Don Giovanni” and Piano Concerto No. 17 (featuring 18-year-old soloist Seokyoung Hong) as well as Alberto Ginastera’s ballet “Estancia.”
Carnatic Vocal Concert with Ashwath Narayanan at 5 p.m. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Thomas Tull Concert Hall, 201 Amherst St., Cambridge. $35. A performer trained in the South Indian classical tradition and known for his powerful renditions of ragas as well as rhythmic precision and soulful improvisations.
Cambridge Society for Early Music fundraiser concert at 5 p.m. at First Church in Cambridge, 11 Garden St., Harvard Square. $50 to $250. Akiko Sato, harpsichord; Emily Walhout, gamba; and Sylvia Berry, fortepiano, perform at this “relaunch celebration” with a light coffee hour with pastries, silent auction and a preview of the 2025-2026 Concert Season.
Mike Turk Trio from 7 to 10 p.m. at The Mad Monkfish, 524 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. Free, but $25 food-and-drink minimum. Joined by Ben Cook on piano and Bruce Gertz on acoustic bass.
Monday, Sept. 22
Author Katie Peterson on Fanny Howe’s “Manimal Woe” from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Lamont Library, 11 Quincy St. in Harvard Yard, Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. A look at the works of Cambridge’s Howe, a poet, novelist and short story writer who died in July. Her genre-defying book “Manimal Woe,” published in 2021 to explore the value of human life, ethics, politics and family, get a discussion led by Peterson, author of “Fog and Smoke.”
Mona Awad reads from “We Love You, Bunny” at 6 p.m. at The Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $12, $40 with book. In “Bunny” (2019), Samantha Heather Mackey, a lonely outsider student at a highly selective MFA program in New England, was seduced by a clique of rich girls who call themselves “Bunny.” In this sequel, Sam has just published her first novel and her one-time frenemies, furious at how they’ve been portrayed, kidnap her and take turns telling their side of the story. Author Laura Zigman joins.
Comedy by Dragoș at 6 and 8 p.m. at The Comedy Studio, 5 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $25 to $40. The Romanian comic – with an online following of more than 1.2 million fans – brings his “Source of Sadness,” a dark, deep dive into the weirdness of the modern world.
Hal Schrieve reads from “Fawn’s Blood” at 6:30 p.m. at All She Wrote Books, 75 Washington St., East Somerville. $25 with book. In this young-adult romp of vampire fiction, there are hidden tunnels and secret bars, punk shows and safe houses – an underground resistance of vampires staying alive via a network of blood distribution and protection from slayers in a timely metaphor for dealing with an antitrans moral panic. Author Fin Leary joins.
Rachel Kolb reads from “Articulate: A Deaf Memoir of Voice” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Kolb’s memoir recounts being a part of the first generation of deaf people with legal rights to accessibility services after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This event features American Sign Language interpretation. Northeastern University’s Rachel Berman-Kobylarz joins.
“A Wanderer’s Notebook (Horo-ki)” film screening at 7 p.m. at the Harvard Film Archive at The Carpenter Center, 24 Quincy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $10. Rejecting her destiny as the daughter of poor merchants, Fumiko endures terrible jobs and lovers as she charges toward her dream of becoming a writer. The 1962 film with English subtitles is directed by Naruse Mikio.
“Translating Flavor” at 7 p.m. at the Harvard Science Center, 1 Oxford St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. A chef lecture with Lars Williams, co-founder of Empirical Spirits and internationally recognized for innovation in flavor and distillation.
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.
Beginner ballroom dance from 7 to 9 p.m. at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Stratton Student Center, 84 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. Free. Introductory ballroom and Latin dance classes, no partner and no dance experience required.
Karaoke Noir from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. at ManRay, 40 Prospect St., Central Square, Cambridge. Free to enter and 19-plus. More than 5,000 songs from new wave, goth, punk, metal and postpunk genres.
Tuesday, Sept. 23
“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 the collective memory of history.
Boudreau Branch Book Group at noon at Cambridge Public library’s Boudreau Branch, 245 Concord Ave., Observatory Hill in Neighborhood 9. Free. This month, the selection is “The Frozen River” by Ariel Lawhon.
Sips and small bites cooking class at 6 p.m. at Bow Market, 1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville. $65. Chef Lymaris Ortiz shares food from her heritage and for serving at a Puerto Rican party for a Nibble Kitchen series.
The Moth story slam from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville. $17.50. This monthly open-mic storytelling competition is open to anyone who can share a five-minute tale on the night’s theme – this time, “Underdog,” about when the odds were stacked, the system was rigged and the little guy came out on top.
Dean Johnson performs at 7 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $20 to $25. The country singer-songwriter performs songs from his second LP, “I Hope We Can Still Be Friends.” Indie performer Lou Hazel opens.
Kayla Cottingham reads from “Extraordinary Quests for Amateur Witches” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. $20 with book. Kieran sets out on a quest ordered by the Witches Council to complete his witches training. If he survives, he thinks he’ll be able to turn his luck around and figure out what kind of witch, person and boyfriend he wants to be. Author Rory Power joins.
The 7 Fingers presents “Passengers” (continued) at 7:30 p.m. at American Repertory Theater’s Loeb Mainstage, 64 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and continuing through Sept. 26). $35 to $158.
Bluesy Tuesy Social Dance from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. at New England Science Fiction Association clubhouse at 504 Medford St., Magoun Square, Somerville (and every Tuesday). $5 to $25. DJs play at this weekly partner blues dance event that includes a lesson for beginners in the first hour.
Fazerdaze performs at 8 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. $20 to $25. This alternative rock-indie project is led by New Zealand singer-songwriter Amelia Rahayu Murray. Its second album “Soft Power” was released in 2024.
The Baseball Project at 8 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $39. Friends Scott McCaughey, Steve Wynn, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Linda Pitmon – veterans of the alternative-indie rock scene with members from R.E.M., The Dream Syndicate, The Minus 5, Young Fresh Fellows and Filthy Friends – formed this supergroup in 2007.
Wednesday, Sept. 24
Training on “How to Tell Somebody Something They’d Rather Not Hear” from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, but signup is requested at info@parentsforum.org or (617) 864-3802. Learn how to teach a workshop coming Oct. 1 (of information it’s probably good to know anyway).
Poetry Reading: “For the Octave: New Translations of the Penitential Psalms” from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Divinity Hall, 14 Divinity Ave., Cambridge. RSVP required. Features new translations of the seven penitential psalms by Harvard and Yale scholars Sam Bailey, Emma de Lisle and Talin Tahajian.
John Palfrey reads from “Wired Wisdom: How to Age Better Online” at 6 p.m. at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, $24 with book. Researchers Eszter Hargittai and John Palfrey offer a picture of the Internet’s fastest-growing demographic, those aged 60 and over, and debunk myths about older adults’ Internet use. It was called “the book about mastering the digital world” by author Howard Gardner. Harvard’s Martha Minow joins.
Mahjong Tile Club from 6 to 9 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square in Ward 2, Somerville. $12.50. Hong Kong-style Mahjong game play with beer available to buy.
40th Anniversary “Clue” screening from 6 to 10 p.m. at Bow Market, 1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville. $10. Tara Dikhof hosts a night of games, costume contests, prizes and a screening of the 1985 whodunit starring Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd and Leslie Ann Warren.
Chess and Crêpes from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Little Crêpe Café, 102 Oxford St., Baldwin, Cambridge. Free. Destress with chess every Wednesday evening. Boards provided, food and beverages for purchase.
Strummerville Ukulele from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the café at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville, and every fourth Wednesday. Free. Amateur musicians invite you to join in as they sing and strum the hits.
Keisha N. Blain reads from “Without Fear: Black Women and the Making of Human Rights” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. The historian tells the stories of Black women who fought for civil and human rights: Ida B. Wells, Madam C.J. Walker and Lena Horne, Pearl Sherrod, Aretha McKinley and Marguerite Cartwright. The Boston Globe’s Kimberly Atkins Stohr joins.
“Obscured Vision: A Night of Sonic Storytelling” at 7 p.m. in the Mugar Omni Theater at the Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston, on the Cambridge border. $15 and 18-plus. Sit blindfolded and be transported while listening to four tales with the theme “Being Human” presented by science reporter Ari Daniel and sound designer and composer Ian Coss.
Steven Kirby’s Illuminations Project from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at The Mad Monkfish, 524 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $10. Steven Kirby on guitar, joined by Jireh Calo with vocals, Carl Clements on sax and flute, Ben Cook on piano, Mark Poniatowski on bass and Mike Connors on drums.
Boston Poetry Slam at 7:30 p.m. at Cantab Underground, 738 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. Free. A weekly menu to share poetry and more – a one-act play, sixth grade diary entry, “stump speech, political diatribe, nonsense verse, New Formalism, Olde Formuleism, machine code, Morse code, ode to an audience member who got up to go to the bathroom during your stage time …”
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. 25
Gallery Talk: German Drawings from the Busch-Reisinger Museum in “Sketch, Shade Smudge” from 12:30 to 1 p.m. at the Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Curator Lynette Roth explores works by Lotte Laserstein, Max Beckmann, Erwin Spuler and Willi Baumeister. This exhibition celebrates the act of drawing using charcoal, chalk, crayon and graphite.
“P’alante: Stories Moving Somerville Forward” film screening from 4 to 6 p.m. at Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., Central Hill. Free. This 20-minute film, a photo project by local photographer Mario Quiroz, is screened at 4 and at 5 p.m., and attendees are encouraged to stay afterward for a discussion about the work and what makes Somerville a welcoming community.
Beer Garden pop-up with Lamplighter Brewing from 4:30 to 9 p.m. at the Urban Park Roof Garden at Kendall Center, 325 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. $5 and 21-plus. This monthly event through October donates the proceeds of each $5 token to a local charity. Participants get one beer token per $5 donation, which can only be made online.
Mike Pepi reads from “Against Platforms: Surviving Digital Utopia” from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Hayden Library Building – The Nexus (14S-130) at 160 Memorial Drive at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. Free, but RSVP. Tech critic Pepi talks about why social media, marketplaces such as Uber and DoorDash and related platforms have taken society in the wrong direction.
“Chinese Empresses” by Xiang Li opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. at Gutman Gallery, 6 Appian Way, Cambridge. RSVP required. Artist Xiang Li’s exhibition celebrates historical empresses of China in hand-painted silk using traditional Chinese watercolor techniques. Light refreshments provided.
ArtsThursdays: “Agua, Sol y Sereno” from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St., in the Baldwin neighborhood near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Learn about this Puerto Rican art collective in residency and get a peek of a public performance for the Sept. 27 ¡Celebremos Puerto Rico! festival.
Richard Higgins reads from “Thoreau’s God” from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Center for the Study of World Religions, 42 Francis Ave., Baldwin, Cambridge. Free, but RSVP. The former Boston Globe reporter and editor discusses the author of “Walden; or, Life in the Woods” as, in essence, a mystic.
Stand-Up and Laugh for a Good Cause at 6 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville. $50 to $100. Comedian Henry Cho headlines this fundraising event for the Korean American Citizens League. Cho has appeared at the Grand Ole Opry, on the Tonight Show and “Designing Women.” Comedian Helen Hong opens and actor Mikayla Soo-ni Campbell and Boston Red Sox official DJ Maverick hosts.
Stephen Greenblatt reads from “Dark Renaissance: The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of Shakespeare’s Greatest Rival” at 6 p.m. at the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, $34 with book. How Elizabethan playwright – and homosexual atheist – Christopher Marlowe brought about an explosion of English literature, language and culture, nourishing the talent William Shakespeare, and was murdered just when he had found love. Author Neel Mukherjee joins.
Throwback Thursday: “The Goonies” at 6 p.m. at the Urban Park Roof Garden at Kendall Center, 325 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. In this 1985 comedy, a group of children who live in the “Goon Docks” neighborhood of Astoria, Oregon, try to save their homes from foreclosure and discover an old treasure map that takes them on an adventure. The film stars a young Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman, Kerri Green, Martha Plimpton and Ke Huy Quan.
Somerville Poetry Workshop from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville (and continuing Oct. 2). Flexible pricing. Each session begins with two city poets or summer poems, and classes end with 20-minute readings by visiting poets. Topics include form, line, structure, and generative writing.
Eliana Ramage reads from “To the Moon and Back” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Steph Harper’s childhood was turbulent, and the women around her growing up in the Cherokee Nation didn’t have an easier time. Steph is positive her ambition is the only thing that will save her from a similar fate. Author Melissa Mogollon joins.
“Papyrus: The Authoritative Origin Story” at 7 p.m. at Katherine Small Gallery, 108 Beacon St., Ward 2, Somerville. $10. Speaker Chris Costello, a designer of coins and typefaces, discusses papyrus – the typeface, not the stationery store – that some may know from the film “Avatar” or an “SNL” sketch making fun of the movie “Avatar.” Learn all about the inspiration for, and real history of, papyrus as told by its creator. Standing room only!
Poets Dan Murphy, Nathanael O’Reilly and Nina Palisano from 7 to 8 p.m. at Grolier Poetry Book Shop on 6 Plympton St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $5 to $10, but register. With an introduction by Karl Kirchwey.
Stage-Craft Cinema: “Shakespeare In Love” screening from 7:30 to 10 p.m. at Side Quest Books & Games, 1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville. $13. Craft while watching the 1998 Oscar-winning film starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck and Judi Dench.
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.