Wednesday, October 5
Sarah Glidden With her ear for powerful, personal stories, new-to-Seattle cartoonist Sarah Glidden is the finest journalist to hit comics since Joe Sacco first put pen to paper. Her latest book, Rolling Blackouts, is a powerful piece of reportage that investigates what the Iraq War was like for ordinary people in the Middle East. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave., 624-6600, elliottbaybook.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m. PAUL CONSTANT
Thursday, October 6
The Wedding Gift This is your last chance to see the West Coast premiere of Chisa Hutchinson’s play “set so far in the future it’s stupid.” Doug, a normal white dude, becomes the victim of intergalactic sex trafficking and is offered as a wedding present to an Afro-Futurist princess. The future characters speak in a language unintelligible to 2016 humans. Bending sci-fi on stage to tackle race, class, politics, and religion, Octavia Butler would smile from her grave for this one. Gay City Arts, 517 E. Pike St., gaycity.org. $35. 18 and over. 7 p.m. Ends Sat., Oct. 8. GREG SCRUGGS
Jury-Rigged Fly Traps Local artists Dakota Gearhart and Alexander Keys won quite possibly the coolest artist-in-residency ever—since June, they’ve been making work at Recology, South Seattle’s recycling facility, where they were free to scavenge whatever they liked for materials. Gearhart’s work has a playful sense of wonder and humor, so with literal tons of trash at her hands, chances are whatever she’s cooked up will be a blast. FLUTTER Studios, 114 Alaskan Way S., Suite 104. Free. All ages. 6–9 p.m. KELTON SEARS
Pongo Housewarming Pongo Teen Writing is an incredible local program in which volunteers teach young people in juvenile detention centers, psychiatric wards, and homeless shelters around the region how to express themselves through poetry. Tonight, Pongo settles into its new home in Washington Hall with readings from amateur and professional writers. Washington Hall, 1 53 14th Ave., pongoteenwriting.org. Free. All ages. 6:30 p.m. PC
Babes in Pinland Competitive arcade pinball is alive and well in Seattle—some 140 people compete in weekly tournaments across the city—but most players are dudes. So a few years ago, pinball fan Kayla Greet created an all-female monthly tournament where participants can as get as nerdy and combative as they like in a mansplain-free setting. October 6 marks the league’s third birthday; there might be cake, and there’ll definitely be beer. Add-A-Ball, 315 N. 36th St., 696-1613, facebook.com/Babesinpinland. $5 to play. 21 and over. 8 p.m. SARA BERNARD
Layla and Majnun A native son, and still probably the best choreographer of his generation, Mark Morris reaches into Persian literature for the story of Layla and Majnun, an epic tale of love and mysticism. The score, from an opera by Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyli, is performed by members of Yo Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble. Morris’ signature musicality hooks into its specific rhythms and gives us a window into a classic work. Meany Hall, UW campus, 543-4880, artsuw.org. $60–$65. 8 p.m. Thurs., Oct. 6–Sat., Oct. 8; 2 p.m. Sat., Oct. 8. SANDRA KURTZ
Little Brown Mushrooms As a physical actor and butoh artist, Alan Sutherland has taken some big physical and aesthetic risks, performing with groups like the Degenerate Art Ensemble and Saint Genet. In Little Brown Mushrooms, he takes that sense of adventure even further, showing us the hallucinogenic world of Psilocybe cyanescens. No word on whether there will be snacks. On the Boards, 100 W. Roy St., 217-9888, ontheboards.org. $23–$25. 8 p.m. Thurs., Oct. 6–Sat., Oct. 8; 5 p.m. Sun., Oct. 9. SK
Friday, October 7
Hack the School-to-Prison Pipeline This “historic and collaborative event,” according to its Facebook page, will bring together students, lawyers, coders, and designers to figure out how to get poor kids access to lawyers and social workers. We’ve written about the pitfalls of technical solutions to political problems, so be sure to wear your critical thinking cap. Code Fellows, 2901 Third Ave. #300, 681-9318. Free. All ages. 6 p.m. Fri., Oct. 7–5 p.m. Sat., Oct. 8. CJ
Snap Judgment LIVE! “Storytelling with a beat” goes the tagline, and Snap Judgment, NPR’s syndicated podcast, delivers with brash tales of love, woe, and redemption told by a diverse cast. Although it follows the conventions of a weekly theme, the show reaches far beyond the usual buttoned-down public-radio vibe thanks to host Glenn Washington, whom The Atlantic called “NPR’s Great Black Hope.” It’s This American Life with swagger, and the onstage edition comes with a full funk band. The Moore, 1932 Second Ave., stgpresents.org. $25–$82.50. All ages. 7:30 p.m. GS
Celebrating Filipino- American Elders Members of Seattle’s up-and-coming Filipino-American writing community, including Maria Batayola, Robert Flor, Donna Miscolta, Michelle Peñaloza, Jen Soriano, and Maritess Zurbano, will read for and with older Filipino-Americans on Beacon Hill in a reading, open mic, and karaoke party. (Here’s a little-known fact: Writers, as a rule, are fantastic at karaoke.) International Drop-In Center, 7301 Beacon Ave. S., idicseniorcenter.org. Free. All ages. 1:30 p.m. PC
New Forms
Decibel devotees take solace: Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, New Forms has returned from a one-year hiatus to bring experimental electronic music to the masses. A healthy mix of out-of-town talent mingles with locals, especially Van City’s burgeoning scene centered around the 1080p and Mood Hut labels. Of note: Detroit OG Robert Hood, techno auteur Convextion, Portland dubster Strategy, and charming Vancouver duo You’re Me. The line-up understandably tilts Canadian, a prime opportunity to check out a range of artists from our neighbor to the north. A&B Sound Building, 560 Seymour Street, Vancouver, B.C., newformsmediasociety.org/new-forms-festival-16. $65-$75 for both days, $35-40 individual day. Fri., Oct. 7 – Sat., Oct. 8. GS
October 9, Sunday
Dog Man Reading A whole generation has grown up in the thrall of author Dav Pilkey’s baby superhero Captain Underpants. Today he debuts his new comic for young readers: Dog Man, another crime fighter—with the head of a dog and the body of a man. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., 634-3400, www2.bookstore.washington.edu. Free. All ages. 2 p.m. PC
October 10, Monday
Last Look Reading Brilliant cartoonist Charles Burns was born and raised here in Seattle, and his masterpiece, Black Hole, practically smells like the Pacific Northwest. Burns’s latest book, Last Look, collects his three most recent titles into one volume which riffs on Tintin, teen angst, and the soul-twisting power of rock music. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 652-4255, townhallseattle.org. $10. All ages. 7:30 p.m. PC
Indigenous Peoples Day Ceremony Two years ago, Seattle chucked Columbus Day, named after a genocidal maniac nobody should be venerating, and replaced it with Indigenous Peoples Day. Honor the people who lived on this land eons before white immigrants colonized it at this year’s ceremony, beginning with a drum march from Westlake Park, leading to a speech by writer Sherman Alexie at City Hall, and ending with a celebratory dinner and performances at Daybreak Star Cultural Center. Multiple venues (see Facebook for details). Free. All ages. 10 a.m.–8 p.m. KS
October 11, Tuesday
I’m Judging You Reading Luvvie Ajayi is a Nigerian-American essayist who writes about politics, feminism, race, pop culture, and the wrongness and rightness of people on the Internet. As part of a celebration of her new book I’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual, Alayi will appear in conversation with Lindy West. Seattle Public Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., 386-4636, spl.org. Free. All ages. 7 p.m. PC
