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.
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.
Climate Action Book Club from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Cambridge Public Library Collins Branch, 64 Aberdeen Ave., West Cambridge. Free. In collaboration with the Cambridge Climate Leaders Initiative, this month’s title: “The High House” by Jessie Greengrass.
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.
The Menopause Mixtape: Separating Science from Fiction from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Cambridge Main Library, Community Room, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free. Dr. Padma Kandadai of Boston Medical Center leads the quarterly discussion group.
Dave Fox Trio performs at 7:30 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square in Ward 2, Somerville. Free. Original modern jazz compositions and arrangements inspired by artists such as John Coltrane, Joe Henderson, Chick Corea, Steve Swallow, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk and Wayne Shorter. Includes bassist John Lockwood and musicians and composers such as guitarist Phil Sargent and saxophonists Nicholas Brust and Bill Jones.
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.
Friday, Sept. 26
Oktoberfest at CX from 4 to midnight at Lamplighter CX, 110 N. First St., North Point, Cambridge (and continuing Saturday). $10 and 21-plus. Craft beers, stein-holding competitions, music, giant pretzels, bratwurst and other German-inspired dishes and free beers for those wearing the finest lederhosen and dirndls.
Máirtín de Cógáin performs from 6 to 10 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville. $20. A storyteller and singer from County Cork, Ireland, weaves traditional ballads, stories and music.
Cuban dance with Boston Rueda from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge (and most Fridays). $15. No partner or experience necessary to learn this group dance to salsa music involving the changing of partners.
“Fall Into Dance” performance from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. Free, but registration required. The Boston Dance Alliance and Dance Complex co-host a celebration previewing area performances. We wrote about it here.
Boston Minifest at 7 p.m. at Cantab Lounge, 738 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. $22 and 21-plus. Music, art and community in a festival-style atmosphere with the bands KJ the King, Livia Barrell, Strider, the Michael Paul Brennan Duo, J.West, Tavi Ashborne, Tom P Buckley, Inkblot!, David Luka and Aleksandra Picariello.
Steven Pinker reads from “When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows …” at 7 p.m. at First Parish Cambridge Unitarian Universalist, 3 Church St./1446 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $15, or $40 with a copy of the book. In a book subtitled “Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power and Everyday Life,” the author explores the science behind “common knowledge” and the phenomena it inspires, from why people hoard toilet paper at the first sign of an emergency to why it’s so hard for nervous lovers to say goodbye at the end of a phone call. Harvard’s Danielle Allen joins.
Stephanie Reents reads from “We Loved to Run” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. A debut novel about a women’s cross-country team and how far girls will push themselves to control their bodies, friendships and futures. Princeton’s Daphne Kalotay joins.
Outdoor movie: “Time After Time” from 7 to 9 p.m. at Kendall/MIT Open Space at 292 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. Free. In this 1979 adventure, H.G. Wells pursues Jack the Ripper to the 20th century when the serial murderer uses the future writer’s time machine to escape the 1880s.
Are You Smarter Than AI? at 7:30 p.m. at Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston, on the Cambridge border. $10. A show that’s equal parts challenge and comedy invites people to compete in such challenges as guessing the prompt behind an AI-generated image; choosing whether a line was written by Shakespeare or ChatGPT; trying to beat an algorithm; and deciding which punchline landed better – jokes from you or the ’bot?
Overtonight with Imar from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $15 to $18. The indie-alternative band from Massachusetts takes the stage behind such songs as its single, “would u notice.”
Jeffrey Gaines performs at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $38 to $40. The guitarist’s eight albums began with the hit single “Hero In Me” from his debut in 1992, and he was one of the artists invited to contribute vocals to the benefit album “We are Family,” produced by Nile Rodgers after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Saturday, Sept. 27
Wasn’t That A Time: The Boston Folk Revival 1958-1965 at 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Arrow Street Arts, 2 Arrow St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $30 to $50. This all-day program features speakers Noel Paul Stookey from the group Peter, Paul & Mary and Peter Wolf of the J. Geils Band. Other topics include Joan Baez’ start in music in Cambridge; and the impact of Cambridge’s legendary listening room, Club 47, from the musicians that played there.
MIT Great Glass Pumpkin Patch annual sale from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Kresge Auditorium oval, 48 Massachusetts Ave., Area II. Free. Check out more than 2,000 handblown pumpkins from the MIT Glass Lab on sale for $35 to more than $350 (with the proceeds going back to the lab).
Villari’s Martial Arts Somerville 50th anniversary celebration from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Lincoln Park Soccer Field, 290 Washington St., Ward 2, Somerville. Free. Try kids’ classes, play on the bouncy house and take some pictures with a Ninja Turtle.
Commonwealth Pen Show from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (and continuing Sunday) at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $12, or $15 for a two-day pass. Vintage and new pens for sale as well inks and paper and a pen-repair station.
Escape from the Somerville Museum with children’s author Jef Czekaj from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Somerville Museum, 1 Westwood Road, in the Spring Hill neighborhood. $3 to $12. The children’s author leads an event with a scavenger hunt and Somerville trivia – such as if Mary from “Mary had a Little Lamb” ever walked the museum’s street and what U.S. president lived in Somerville – with the help of his puppets.
Kendall Square for Newbies and Natives tour at 10:30 a.m., starting from The MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge (also 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.
U.S. Citizenship course through art from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, RSVP required. This eight-week course prepares students to answer the exam’s 100 civics questions and offer instruction to improve English-language skills. Interactive tours of the American art galleries led by Harvard students deepen the lessons. The course meets every Saturday through Nov. 15. To be eligible, you must have had your green card for four years and nine months, or two years and nine months if your spouse is a U.S. citizen; and be able to speak some English.
Family Workshop: Stop Motion from 10:30 a.m. to noon at The MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Kendall Square, Cambridge. $15 for ages 11-18, $20 for ages 19-plus. Make your own animated shorts in small groups while exploring how the brain processes vision and artistic concepts of composition.
Charles River (Quinobequin) Exploration Day with Canoemobile from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Mass Audubon Nature Center at Magazine Beach, 668 Memorial Drive, Cambridgeport. Free. Spend a 90-minute session paddling the Charles River in 10-person canoes captained by experienced leaders from Wilderness Inquiry and learning about the natural history, plants and animals that live in the area from experts from the Charles River and Mystic River Watershed Associations.
“Synth-Tember” Community Day from noon to 6 p.m. at the New Alliance Gallery, 438R Somerville Ave., in Ward 2 near Union Square, Somerville. Free. At the intersection of arts and science are this event’s synth petting zoo, synth jam room, amplifier jam room and pedal building workshop. Local vendors are on hand.
¡Celebremos Puerto Rico! from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St., in the Baldwin neighborhood near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Celebrate Puerto Rico’s culture and natural history: experience hands-on art making and storytelling led by Puerto Rican artist and director Pedro Adorno Irizarry and his arts collective, “Agua, Sol y Sereno”; learn about coquí frogs, colorful birds and glowing bioluminescent bays; and try reality tools to explore ancient Taíno artifacts;. Puerto Rican food is available for purchase.
Arts in the Park from 1 to 5 p.m. at Clement Morgan Park, 60 Columbia St., The Port, Cambridge (rain date: Sept. 28). Free. Learn about The Port Infrastructure Improvements Project from the Public Works Department or simply enjoy live music by DJ Vyper, food by Everybody Gotta Eat’s curated chefs, artist booths, interactive activities, children’s activities and live painting exhibits.
Book discussion of “Practical Radicals: Seven Strategies to Change the World” by Deepak Bhargava and Stephanie Luce from 2 to 3 p.m. in the community room of the Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free. Hosted by the Cambridge chapter of Indivisible-ProgressiveMass.
Johnny Cash: Songs and Stories from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave., Central Hill. Free, but RSVP required. New England musician and author Matt York performs songs and tells stories about the musical “Highwaymen,” highlighting the country artist. He discusses Cash’s career spanning from the 1950s to his death in 2003.
Ignite: A Global Street Food and Fire Festival from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Union Square Plaza, Somerville (rain date: Sept. 28). Free. Union Square restaurants and many Nibble program chefs sell food from global cuisines. Expect also food demos, an incendiary curry-eating contest, fire throwers, light and art installations, Boston Circus Guild acts, roving entertainment and performers representing cultures from near and far.
Oktoberfest at CX (continued) from 4 to midnight at Lamplighter CX, 110 N. First St., North Point, Cambridge. $10 and 21-plus.
Eastern Medicine Singers: Sunset Drum Circle from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Mass Audubon Nature Center at Magazine Beach, 668 Memorial Drive, Cambridgeport. Free. Eastern Algonquin language and culture come alive with the music of a Providence intertribal drum group that blends traditional powwow-style drumming and vocals with the energy of rock ’n’ roll.
Black Biz Ball at 5 p.m. (awards at 6 p.m.) at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., East Cambridge. $50 to $100. Dress to impress for this fourth annual celebration of area Black-owned businesses with music (live and from DJs), networking, food and dancing. Sponsored by the Boston-based Black Biz Development Group.
Sweater Comedy at 5:30 p.m. at The Comedy Studio at 5 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (and the last Saturday of every month). $20 to $26. Mark-Anthony Lewis presents lo-fi stand-up from comics in the Northeast.
Oboe and Piano on Autumn Air at 7 p.m. at New School of Music, Concert Room, 25 Lowell St., West Cambridge. Free. The program includes R. Strauss’ Oboe Concerto in D Major, W. Bolcom’s “Graceful Ghost Rag” for piano and F. Poulenc’s Sonata for Oboe and Piano. Features faculty Sachiko Murata on oboe and Hyeongrin Ryu on piano.
Cafe Raqs from 7 to 9 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $5 to $10 suggested donation. Longtime and up-and-coming belly dancers perform American cabaret, Raqs Sharqi, fusion and more.
Grammy winner Eguie Castrillo performs at 7:30 p.m. at Regattabar, 1 Bennett St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $30 to $42. Castrillo played on Arturo Sandoval’s Latin Jazz 1998 record of the year “Hot House” and performed percussion with Jennifer Lopez, Tito Puente, Donna Summer, Tom Jones, Blood, Sweat & Tears, among others.
Amythyst Kiah performs at 8 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $38 to $50. The folk and bluegrass singer-songwriter’s new album “Still + Bright” explores her affinity for Eastern philosophies and spiritual traditions.
Cellist Zoë Keating performs at 8 p.m. at Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square. $36 to $53. This one-woman orchestra uses a foot-controlled laptop to record layer upon layer of cello as she plays.
Reimagining Lilith Fair at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $25. This festival celebrates women, queer and gender-expansive artists in the Greater Boston music scene, including featured artists Amanda Shea, Evan Greer, Analise and Naomi Westwater.
Sunday, Sept. 28
Commonwealth Pen Show (continued) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. $15.
“Smoke This” Rib Fest from noon to 4 p.m. on Cambridge Street between Fulkerson and Fifth streets, East Cambridge. Free, but taste tickets are $33 (10 rib samples from the restaurants of your choice on a first-come, first-served basis). This annual culinary showdown of pit master vs. pit master for the title of best ribs around includes live music and is presented by the East Cambridge Business Association and developer DivcoWest.
Grown-Up Book Swap from 1 to 3 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square, Somerville. Free. Bring undamaged books (up to 10 per person) and swap some “new to you” reading material.
Hound & Handler performs at 2:30 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square, Somerville. Free. A high-energy bluegrass-Americana band with originals and classic country and bluegrass covers.
Concert: “Memory Palaces” at 3 p.m. at the Longy School of Music, Edward Pickman Hall, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $15 to $35. This season opener concert conducted by Eric Nathan features Catherine French on violin; Jason Fisher on viola; Jan Müller-Szeraws on cello; Sarah Brady on flute; Alexis Lanz on clarinet; Donald Berman, piano; and Craig McNutt, percussion.
Boston Chamber Music Society presents Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Franck at 3 p.m. at Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. $32 to $72. Performances of Beethoven’s Sonata in D major, Mendelssohn’s String Quintet in A major and Franck’s Piano Quintet.
“Words & Music” benefit concert at 4 p.m. at New School of Music, Concert Room, 25 Lowell St., West Cambridge. Free, $20 donation suggested. The nonprofit Convergence Ensemble presents unusual chamber music programming – this time merging the poetry of Charles Coe with classical guitar by Aaron Larget-Caplan.
Harvard Square Book Circle at 6 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. This month’s title: “Dear Committee Members” by Julie Schumacher.
The David Haas Group: A Coalition of the Willing from 7 to 9 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. Free. Hear Haas on piano and his band members Kevin Frenette on guitar, Todd Brunel on sax and bass clarinet, Glen Dickson on clarinet, Joe Musacchia on drums and Kit Demos on bass and modular synthesizer. The group’s album “Formal Motion” will be available at the gig.
“Sobo” documentary screening from 7 to 9 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square in Ward 2, Somerville. Free. The story of Matt Lyons’ two-year trek of 2,650 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail.
Guitarist Vieux Farka Touré performs at 7:30 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $34. Malian blues deeply rooted in the Songhai tradition of the performer’s late father, guitarist Ali Farka Touré, drawing on traditional West African melodies that echo through American blues.
Monday, Sept. 29
Bird watching walk from 10:15 to 11:30 a.m. meeting at the Cambridge Public Library Collins Branch, 64 Aberdeen Ave., West Cambridge, and walking to Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St., West Cambridge. Free, but register. Identify bird species – familiarizing yourself with migratory birds as well as birds that can be spotted year-round – and learn tips and tricks to watching them. A limited supply of binoculars is available.
Tom Comitta reads from “People’s Choice Literature: The Most Wanted and Unwanted Novels” and “Patchwork” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. “People’s Choice” os a perverse experiment that presents two novels – a thriller and a genre-bending doorstopper that were written (some of it with AI) based on surveyed information on readers’ interests for what they most wanted and least wanted to read. (The unwanted is “an epistolary Christmas novel set on a near-future Mars, where elderly aristocratic tennis players scour the globe for lost love.”) Comitta’s work joins that of artists Komar and Melamid, who created a pair of like paintings from opinion polling, and Dave Soldier similarly produced “The Most Wanted Song” and “The Most Unwanted Song.” Harvard’s Deidre Lynch joins. We wrote about it here.
“Making Picture-Perfect Flower Dumplings” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Science Center, 1 Oxford St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Nok Suntaranon, chef-owner of Kalaya in Philadelphia and winner of a 2023 James Beard Award presents this class in Thai cooking.
Cambridge Edition Book Club at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 25 White St., Porter Square, Cambridge. Free, but RSVP. This time, the selection is “Colored Television” by Danzy Senna.
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.
Being Human in the Age of AI at 7:30 p.m. at the Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, Boston, on the Cambridge border. Free with preregistration. Examine how AI transforms our health, our jobs, our relationship with technology and how to adapt.
It’s a Date at 7:30 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., Somerville. $18. A comedy show centered around a predetermined group of singles attending a blind date in real time.
Fiddle duo Teho performs at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $28 to $30. Musicians Tero Hyväluoma and Esko Järvelä blend Finnish traditional fiddling, Norwegian halling, Swedish polska, bebop, Western swing and contemporary folk.
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 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. 30
Christine Webb reads from “The Arrogant Ape: The Myth of Human Exceptionalism and Why It Matters” at 6 p.m. at Harvard Science Center, 1 Oxford St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, $34 with book. The primatologist at Harvard’s Department of Human Evolutionary Biology shows underappreciated complexities of nonhuman life – and how many scientific studies are biased against these other species to suggest unfairly that human are the most intelligent, virtuous, successful species that ever lived. A reception and book signing takes place afterward.
The Norton Lectures with Steve McQueen: Pulse at 6 p.m. at Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, but RSVP. McQueen, director of “12 Years a Slave” (2013) gives six lectures this year; this first one, “End Credits,” discusses and shows the FBI files of legendary African American singer and political activist Paul Robeson and shows files from the thousands of declassified, though highly redacted, documents kept on Robeson and his wife, Eslanda Goode Robeson. The next lecture dates are Oct. 21 and Nov. 6.
“Lifeboat” screening at 6 p.m. at Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. In this 1944 Alfred Hitchcock thriller, nine Americans, Brits and Germans find themselves afloat in a lifeboat with dwindling supplies and increasing paranoia after a U-boat and an Allied ship destroy each other at sea during World War II.
Elaine Castillo reads from “Moderation” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Cambridge Main Library, Lecture Hall, 449 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Free, but registration is required. Castillo’s fourth book follows Girlie Delmundo, a strangely accomplished screener of horrible online content who gets a promotion to a virtual reality startup and falls in love with her boss in what’s been called a “‘Pride and Prejudice’ for the chronically online.” Writer and editor Meagan Masterman joins.
“Book Moot” discusses “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’Engle at 6:30 p.m. at Pandemonium Books & Games, 4 Pleasant St., Central Square, Cambridge. $5 and registration required. Buy and talk about this 1963 winner of the Newbery Medal about the adventures in space and time of Meg Murry, Charles Wallace and Calvin O’Keefe in search of Meg’s father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.
Be the Change Workshop: Act to Support the Freedom to Read at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. Free. The state Legislature is considering An Act Regarding Free Expression, preventing unconstitutional book bans, which would protect libraries and creators. Learn about this legislation and write postcards to legislators to encourage them to pass this law.
Christopher C. Gorham reads from “Matisse at War” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. The author uses a variety of sources to tell the untold story of artist Henri Matisse and his family’s role in the Resistance during World War II. Author Natalie Dykstra joins.
Cirque Us performs “Stories” from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville. $25. The group, including acrobats, aerialists and clowns, flips through the pages of the troupe’s favorite stories to bring a narrative about community and identity.
Candle making and intention setting from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Bow Market, 1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville. $65. All materials are included to make a 16-ounce soy candle with herbs and flowers.
Max Weigert album release from 7 to 10 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville. $15. The local singer and songwriter showcases his new EP, “Colors.”
“Sounds Like Home” at 7:30 p.m. at Regattabar, 1 Bennett St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $30. Longy School of Music’s international students share the music that connects them to their roots while making a new life in America.
Wednesday, Oct. 1
“How to Tell Somebody Something They’d Rather Not Hear” workshop from noon to 1:15 p.m. at the Cambridge Kiosk, Zero Harvard Square, Cambridge. Learn important techniques in just 20 minutes through this program from Parents Forum, a Cambridge nonprofit founded in the 1990s with a mission to foster caring, honest and respectful communications throughout society, starting in families.
A Stroll through History at the Harvard Art Museums from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Adolphus Busch Hall, 29 Kirkland St., Baldwin, Cambridge and Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free, RSVP required. Walk through three historical spaces at the Harvard Art Museums: Adolphus, the home of the Busch-Reisinger Museum from 1917 to 1991; the Calderwood Courtyard, the architectural centerpiece of the building, whose arches are modeled after the facade of a 16th century canon’s house in Montepulciano, Italy; and the Naumburg Room, a hidden “living room” bequeathed to the Fogg Museum in 1930. Starts at Busch Hall.
Fresh Pond bug walk from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at Fresh Pond’s Lusitania Meadow. Free and all ages; registration provides meeting location details. This collaborative event with the Boudreau Library branch involves a short walk to observe and learn about this diverse class of animals.
Sir Tim Berners-Lee reads from memoir “This Is for Everyone: The Unfinished Story of the World Wide Web” at 6 p.m. at Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $12, or $40 with book. Berners-Lee, who invented the World Wide Web in 1989 and distributed it for free, tells the story of his invention and recounts how it launched an era of creativity and devastating disappointment. Juan Enriquez joins.
CelebriTea Book Club from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the community room of the Somerville Public Library West Branch, 40 College Ave., near Davis Square. Free. Bring a favorite mug or teacup and discuss a tell-all celebrity memoir while drinking tea (provided). This month: “The Third Gilmore Girl” by Kelly Bishop.
Rose Cousins: “Conditions of Love, Vol. 1” album release at 7 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $40. TheCanadian folk singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist tours behind her seventh album.
Margery Hutter Silver reads from “Light in Dark Spaces” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. $23 with book, RSVP required. This poetry collection includes writings on everyday subjects: nature, animals, family, aging and loss.
Bert Seager’s Heart of Hearing performs from 7 to 8 p.m. at Lilypad, 1353 Cambridge St., Inman Square, Cambridge. $5 to $15. The jazz quartet of piano, tenor-saxophone, upright-bass and drums brings listeners into improvised jazz.
Songwriters in the Round from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Rooted café at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville (every first and third Wednesday). Free. Four songwriters share the stage, taking turns performing and occasionally joining in on harmonies or guitar. Inspired by Nashville’s Bluebird Café “guitar pulls,” the event encourages conversation and collaboration.
Sam Kissajukian’s “300 Paintings” at 7:30 p.m. at Harvard University’s Farkas Hall Studio, 10-12 Holyoke St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. (and continuing through Oct. 25). $70 to $127. The Aussie comedian brings audiences on a rollercoaster ride in this personal gallery talk-meets-stand-up performance.
Comedy with Wednesday’s Rising Stars at 8 p.m. at The Comedy Studio, 5 John Kennedy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $15 to $20. Five next-generation comedians take the stage.
Tropical Fuck Storm performs at 8 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $33. An Australian rock supergroup formed by Gareth Liddiard and Fiona Kitschin from The Drones.
Thursday, Oct. 2
Gallery Talk: Rebecca Horn: In Memoriam (1944–2024) from 12:30 to 1 p.m. at Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy St., near Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. Curator Lynette Roth examines the German artist’s photos of the body and objects, on view in the galleries and at the museums’ Prescott Street entrance.
Victoria Redel reads from “I Am You” at 7 p.m. at Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge. $28 with book, RSVP required. In this love story, the author reimagines the life of Dutch Golden Age painter Maria van Oosterwijck in the form of Maria, who has a love affair with Gerta, pretending to be a man, so she can work for Maria’s genteel family. Author Claire Messud joins.
Leanna Renee Hieber reads from “America’s Most Gothic” at 7 p.m. at All She Wrote Books, 75 Washington St., East Somerville. $32 with book. In this nonfiction book, Hieber explores the true stories behind the gothic tropes – foggy nights enveloping dark mansions, rooms you are forbidden to enter – of movies and novels, such as teenage Mercy Brown, infamous from of Rhode Island’s vampire hysteria of the 1890s, and Marguerite de la Roque, a French noblewoman condemned for “sexual crimes” to Canada’s long-lost Isle of Demons. All She Wrote Books owner Christina Ciampa joins.
Walter Mosley reads from “Gray Dawn: An Easy Rawlins Mystery” at 7 p.m. at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free. In this 17th installment in The Easy Rawlins mystery series, Lutisha James has a secret that threatens the detective’s peaceful life.
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.
The Mike Stern Group at 7:30 p.m. at Regattabar, 1 Bennett St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $35 to $48. Six-time Grammy-nominated jazz guitarist Stern will perform from his new album “Echoes And Other Songs.” Also performing: Dennis Chambers, Leni Stern, Edmond Gilmore and Bob Franceschini.
The Adventure Time Trio at 7:30 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square, Somerville. Free. Adventurous modern jazz drawing from Brooke Sofferman’s original material and some jazz standards reimagined.
Get to the Gig presents Makaya McCraven at 8 p.m. at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville. $35. The drummer and prolific jazz composer called by The New York Times “one of the best arguments for jazz’s vitality.”
Elias Cardoso album release at 8 p.m. at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $23 to $25. Berklee College of Music trained, he has toured in both the United States and Europe with Old Blind Dogs, Mari Black, Dave Cory, Celtic Rhythms, the Strawberry Hill Band and his band Glenville.
InFATuation: An All Fat All Spooky Burlesque & Drag Revue Halloween Edition at 8 p.m. at Somerville Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square. $30 to $36. A night of burlesque and drag celebrating “fat bodies” hosted by Dahlia Strack and Jane Doe.
Lift Every Voice: Bipoc Short Play Festival at 8 p.m. at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., East Cambridge (and continuing Oct. 3). $30. This inaugural festival honors what would have been the 100th birthday of Malcolm X. Featured playwrights include Bella Takata, Chinyere Obasi, Rosanna Yamagiwa Alfaro, Mary E. McCullough and Hortense Gerardo.
A stronger
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