September 28, Wednesday

Eye on India The latest in a series of panels about the Indian/South Asian diaspora brings novelist Amitava Kumar, here with a book of essays titled, delightfully, Lunch With a Bigot; novelist Karan Mahajan; and musician Vidya Shah. The latter will perform some songs, and all will discuss what it means to be an Indian artist. Seattle Asian Art Museum, 1400 E. Prospect St., 624-6600, seattleartmuseum.org. $10. 7 p.m. PAUL CONSTANT

Community Organizing 101 Come learn how to organize your peers and neighbors around local issues that matter. This workshop is the first in a series of four organized by the anti-trafficking and -exploitation group API Chaya. Future workshops include Human Trafficking 101, Sexual Assault 101, and Domestic Violence 101. The 2100 Building, 2100 24th Ave., apichaya.org. Free. All ages. 6-8 p.m. CASEY JAYWORK

Cliff Mass Atmospheric scientist Cliff Mass’ opinions on climate change aren’t always popular, like when he recently disputed the conventional wisdom that the poor will suffer most from global warming. But he is always entertaining and, more important, serious when it comes to the science. Tonight, he presents “Climate Surprise: Unexpected Impacts of Global Warming on the Pacific Northwest” as a fundraiser for Carbon Washington, the group behind a carbon-tax measure on the ballot this fall. The Mountaineers, 7700 Sand Point Way N.E., 521-6001. $20, 7:30 p.m. DANIEL PERSON

Am I a Shitty Dude? Almost every day I read a new Facebook post about something horrific that happened to a trans- or cis-female-identifying Seattlite, and the culprit, 9.99 times out of 10, is a man. Sponsored by the local anti-rape-culture group No Tolerance, this workshop is designed “by and for cis men” to address head-on the ways dudes can undo the systems of privilege and toxic masculinity that subtly and not-so-subtly normalize this behavior. The Vera Project, 305 Harrison St., theveraproject.org. Free. All ages. 6:30–10:30 p.m. KELTON SEARS

September 29, Thursday

Writing for a Cause At a time when Donald Trump can block newspapers he doesn’t like from covering his campaign, this is more relevant than ever: Journalists Muatasim Qazi, Frederica Jansz, and former Seattle P-I reporter Mike Lewis will discuss censorship. Jansz and Qazi both came to the U.S. after facing censorship abroad, only to find new threats here. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 652-4255, townhallseattle.org. $5. All ages. 7:30 p.m. PC

Sia Australian enigma Sia croons with a full-throated voice that has made her a muse to EDM producers like David Guetta and Calvin Harris. She’s no Robin S. or Barbara Tucker, but this is what passes for diva house in 2016. The British duo AlunaGeorge flirts with Major Lazered riffs, but shows enough restraint to avoid the drop on hits like “I’m in Control,” a collaboration with Jamaican dance-hall MC Popcaan. Rounding out the bill, Miguel is fighting for airtime in a crowded field of rising R&B stars. KeyArena, 305 Harrison St., keyarena.com. $84–$284. All ages. 7 p.m. GREG SCRUGGS

Derrick May Origin stories are often apocryphal. Not techno’s. Headlining this year’s Chance of Rain festival, Derrick May goes back to the source. In the ’80s he was one of the Belleville Three, suburban Detroiters who alchemized their Europhilic tastes for Kraftwerk and their black musical heritage. Embraced in Europe, the futuristic drum machines and squelching bass lines were shunned by U.S. mainstream audiences. Thirty years later, Detroit techno has a fervent following. Q Nightclub, 1426 Broadway Ave., qcapitolhill.com. $15. 21 and over. 9 p.m. GS

Drive-By Truckers Drive-By Truckers do a national service with their crisp exploration of middle-America life that’s neither condescending nor pandering. On the band’s forthcoming new album, Mike Cooley’s crisp lyricism shines—a rare attribute in rock these days—and one that’s dearly welcome. With Lydia Loveless. The Showbox. 1426 First Ave., 628-3151, showboxpresents.com. 8:30 p.m. All ages. $25. DP

The Holler Sessions Born at our own On the Boards before moving across the country, where it was hailed by a New York Times theater critic, this play should be of interest to the jazz enthusiast, but also appreciated by anyone who has ever stayed up all night listening to an album over and over. As an obsessive and newly anointed jazz DJ named Ray, playwright Frank Boyd delivers history and histrionics while Coltrane and Armstrong and Mingus play. ACT, 700 Union St., 292-7676. $20–$25. Ends Oct. 9. MARK BAUMGARTEN

September 30, Friday

David Quammen In the writing world, getting a byline in National Geographic elevates you to baller status. So when the revered magazine turned over an entire issue to David Quammen and his study of the many wonders of Yellowstone National Park, the brilliant science writer entered a league of his very own. Quammen’s excellent Yellowstone work is now available as a handsome coffee-table book, which shows the park to be so much more than just geysers and bison. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 652-4255, townhall seattle.org. $5. 7:30 p.m. DP

A Raisin in the Sun Stories of black Americans have had some prominence in Seattle theaters recently—a trend that needs to become a constant—and this Seattle Rep production of Lorraine Hansberry’s classic drama will serve as a fitting centerpiece to the season. Originally produced in 1959, Raisin tells the story of a young Chicago woman trying to move her family from the South Side of Chicago to Clybourne Park—the only problem is that she and her family happen to be black. It is said to have “changed American theater forever.” Not enough. Bagley Wright Theatre, 155 Mercer St., 443-2222, seattlerep.org. $16–$47. Ends Oct. 30. MB

October 1, Saturday

Catharsis: A Community Grief Ritual Why wait for a funeral to cry in public and mourn? This event, co-sponsored by the Hugo House and the Seattle People of Color Salon, is a place for people of all backgrounds to come and “honor their emotions,” a safe space to grieve people—and places and emotions—that are never coming back. Hugo House, 1021 Columbia St., 322-7030, hugohouse.org. Free. All ages. Noon. PC

October 2, Sunday

Seattle Writes When I worked in a bookstore, one customer asked me to help him find a book he’d heard about on NPR. He explained that “a man meets another man, and there’s a conflict.” Seattle novelist Karen Finneyfrock’s latest writing class is all about how every book has conflict at its heart. Delridge Library, 5423 Delridge Way S.W., 733-9125, spl.org. Free. All ages. 2 p.m. PC

October 3, Monday

M Train Reading Everyone is currently losing their mind over Bruce Springsteen’s new memoir, but if you’re gaga over The Boss and you haven’t read Patti Smith’s second memoir, M Train, you’re missing out. Smith’s book—now out in paperback—is a literary marvel. University Temple United Methodist Church, 1415 N.E. 43rd St., ubookstore.com. $17.54. All ages. 7 p.m. PC

October 4, Tuesday

Citizen Scientist Reading Mary Ellen Hannibal is not a scientist, by which I mean she did not spend the better part of a decade honing her scientific understanding in a university program. But her new book extols the joys of citizen science: observing the world, researching what happens, and reporting what you see. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 652-4255, townhallseattle.org. $5. All ages. 7:30 p.m. PC