August 9, Wednesday
The Grip of It Reading Jac Jemc is one of the finest young (-ish) visiting writers who read at the APRIL Festival. Tonight, she celebrates the release of her latest novel, a haunted house story with the exceptional title The Grip of It, with APRIL co-founder and Seattle author Tara Atkinson. Expect creepy fun and literary excellence. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave., 624-6600, elliottbaybook.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m. PAUL CONSTANT
Kacey Musgraves The guy at the top of this bill—you know him as Willie—won’t have any trouble getting butts in the grass at Marymoor. So, consider this less a plug for the show and more a plug for getting there early. Opener Kacey Musgraves has been one of the sharpest writers in Nashville for years now, and while her sardonic take on rural living hasn’t earned her A-list status in a town that prefers empty platitudes to God and country, take it from guys like Willie that she’s the real deal. With Willie Nelson. Marymoor Park, 6046 West Lake Sammamish Parkway NE., marymoorconcerts.com. $59.50. 7 p.m. DANIEL PERSON
Pundamonium Pun Slam If your friends and family are tired of hearing your puns, you’ll find an eager crowd at the Pundamonium Pun Slam. Contestants will receive prompts ahead of time and will later be challenged to make as many puns as they can in two minutes. Those who make it to the final round will have the same amount of time to make puns on stage but will receive the prompts only 30 seconds in advance. The first 10 people to sign up will have the opportunity to compete, so pun-ctuality is encouraged. Peddler Brewing Company, 1514 N.W. Leary Way, peddlerbrewing.com, $6. All ages. 7:30 pm. CHRISTY CARLEY
August 10, Thursday
The Clockwork Dynasty Reading Daniel H. Wilson’s novels about the robot uprising of the future, Robopocalypse and Robogenesis, are two modern classics in the geeky sci-fi canon. His latest book, The Clockwork Dynasty, looks instead to the past, unveiling a secret society of robots who have changed the course of human history. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave., 624-6600, elliottbaybook.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m. PC
Don’t Call It a Riot! Set in 1968, Amontaine Aurore’s new play Don’t Call It a Riot!, deals with the betrayal of the Black Panther Party seen through the lens of Reed, a six-months-pregnant Seattle militant fighting for liberation and dreaming of a better world. The performance will be a staged reading, followed by a post-show discussion with Aurore and local activists. Neptune Theatre, 1303 N.E. 45th St., stgpresents.org/neptune. Free. All ages. 8 p.m. BECS RICHARDS
Glory Holes, Circle Jerks and Happy Endings Clyde Petersen is one of Seattle’s staunchest adherents to the Northwest’s DIY spirit and aesthetic, one he keeps alive by fusing its handmade, childlike qualities with his own deliciously profane outlook. Tonight, Petersen is showing some of the first visual art he’s made since his debut feature-length animated film last year, including protest posters, manifestos, large-scale comics, “and the occasional Glory Hole.” The Factory, 1216 10th Ave., thefactoryseattle.com. Free. All ages (not appropriate for young children). 6-11 p.m. KS
August 11, Friday
Earth as It Is Reading In the new novel by Jan Maher, a young woman in the 1930s walks in on her husband as he’s trying on her lingerie. She leaves him. He leaves Texas behind to move to Chicago and finds a cross-dressing subculture. Will he be able to come to terms with his secret life? University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., 634-3400, bookstore.washington.edu. Free. All ages. 7 p.m. PC
We Are Pussy Riot or Everything is P.R. Five years ago, the anti-authoritarian, feminist performance collective Pussy Riot performed their “Punk Prayer” in Moscow. Theatre Battery brings Barbara Hammond’s punk docu-drama concerning their political actions and trial to the stage in Kent. Rumor has it the opening scene will be presented on the street in front of the theatre in true Pussy Riot style, engaging directly with the public. Theatre Battery at Kent Station, 438 Ramsay Way Suite 103, theatrebattery.org, Free. All ages. 8 p.m. BR
Bus Bash The Washington Bus, a youth organization devoted to increasing political involvement, is celebrating 10 years of being, in their own words, “relentlessly positive and positively relentless.” In addition to its success in registering voters and developing young leaders, the Bus knows how to throw a rad party, and this Friday, they’re teaming up with Vera to bring you three local musical acts—SISTERS, Beverly Crusher and Nolan Garrett. The Vera Project, 305 Harrison St., washingtonbus.org, $25 student, $50 regular, $100 VIP. All ages. 7-11 p.m. CC
August 12, Saturday
Lusio Volunteer Park is already a pretty dreamy place, but last year a group of musicians and light artists transformed the park into a legit technicolor dreamscape for the first annual Lusio. This year, the party returns with more than 30 light installations to explore, aerial performances, an LED dance floor, and lush ambient tunes. Volunteer Park Amphitheatre, 1139 Volunteer Park Rd., lusiolight.com. Free. All ages. 8-11 p.m. KELTON SEARS
August 13, Sunday
Secrets of the Weird Reading Author Chad Stroup’s latest urban fantasy takes place on the streets of a town called Sweetsville, where a drug called Sweet Candy makes wishes come true. What do neo-Nazis and unlicensed surgeons and cults have to do with it? Look, you’ll have to read the damn book to find out. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., 634-3400, bookstore.washington.edu. Free. All ages. 7 p.m. PC
Margaret Glaspy’s 2016 debut full-length is a 12-song tribute to bedroom guitar rockers everywhere. Simple, chugging chords with slick little riffs and cool, nonchalant vocals add up to music that calls back to the ’90s, in a way that reminds us why we loved that stuff to begin with. The Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., thecrocodile.com. $16. All ages. 8 p.m. DP
August 14, Monday
New People Reading Danzy Senna is one of the very most interesting social writers the 21st century has yet to produce. Her long-awaited new novel, New People, is about a biracial couple who find themselves divided along lines that they don’t fully comprehend. Senna explodes American conceptions of class and race in ways that will make readers completely uncomfortable. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave., 624-6600, elliottbaybook.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m. PC
August 15, Tuesday
Capitol Hill History If you’re the kind of person who learns more by doing and seeing, you should take David Williams’s most recent book, Seattle Walks: Discovering History and Nature in the City, out on a stroll. In a time of relentless growth, it’s important to remember what came before. Tonight, Williams will talk with two board members of the new Capitol Hill Historical Society. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave., 624-6600, elliottbaybook.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m. PC
Asperger’s Are Us Positively reviewed by the New York Times, the Asperger’s Are Us comedy troupe gained fame as the stars of a 2016 documentary. As the name might suggest, Asperger’s Are Us is composed of four autistic men; they even claim to be the first all-autistic comedy group in history. Despite common misconceptions, though, their humor is not self-deprecating and their jokes don’t always pertain to autism. With humor described as deadpan and occasionally ridiculous, the group has provoked hearty laughs from both autistic and neurotypical crowds. El Corazón, 109 Eastlake Ave. E., elcorazonseattle.com. $10-15. All ages. 7 p.m. CC
