MONDAY, NOV. 7, 2011 >>>

1. In 1984, author and illustrator Chris Van Allsburg brought 14 drawings, so the story goes, to a children's book publisher by a man named Harris Burdick, along with titles and captions. Burdick promised to return the next morning with the stories to go along with the drawings ... but he never did. The pictures were published in Mysteries of Harris Burdick, "in the hope that ... children will be inspired by them" to write their own stories. As it turns out, 14 great authors were also inspired by the illustrations. The collections have been released in Allsburg's book, The Chronicles of Harris Burdick. Allsburg will visit the Tacoma Public Library Main Branch at 7 p.m. to discuss and sign the book.

2. Swanky bars and restaurants can be intimidating. You know, the hostess in a pantsuit, the expensive looking votives, the dim lighting. Oh God, the price tag. But sometimes you get all the swank without all the intimidation. Indochine Asian Dining Lounge in downtown Tacoma is certainly known for its swank. Luckily, they offer a 4-10 p.m. happy hour Monday through Thursday that has "big beers" priced at $4.75. Big beers. Down a couple of those bad boys and the pyramid bar with the excruciatingly expensive top shelf loses some of its scare. Not all, but some.

3. Tacoma playwright C. Rosalind Bell presents a free, 7 p.m. staged reading of her screenplay about blues guitar legend Robert Johnson at the Toy Boat Theatre in Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood. This is a rare opportunity to hear a diverse company of 12 professional and community actors read this rich, textured and cinematic treatment about the too short life of Robert Johnson, the archetype bluesman. The man who, legend has it, got his extraordinary guitar skills by bartering with the devil and who lost his life - at age 27 - by being poisoned by the husband of a woman he was wooing.

4. Marty Essen, author of Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents, will present a high-energy, seven-continent, digital slide show of his awesome adventures at 7:30 p.m. inside Kilworth Memorial Chapel on the University of Puget Sound campus. His show, titled "Around the World in 90 minutes," will feature stories and the best of thousands of photographs he took while traveling the world for his book. Questions will be taken at the end of the presentation.

5. The Pat Moss Blues Band will hit the stage at The Swiss around 8 p.m.

LINK: This week's freebie events

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Happy hours!