MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2012 >>>

1. We're all reading W. P. Kinsella's classic baseball novel, Shoeless Joe, not because Mayor Marilyn Strickland demands it as part of the community reading initiative Tacoma Reads Together, but because it's about dreams and hope and trust and the fulfillment of long-buried desires. But, It's not all fun and games, at least according to the professionals who play the game. Grueling travel schedules, the day-to-day routine, the loneliness and the fear you could be traded or dropped grinds on the players. At 7 p.m. inside the Tacoma Public Library Downtown Branch, in conjunction with Tacoma Reads Together, former professional baseball players Jim Nettles, Doug Sisk, John Pregenzer and Wes Stock will share stories and take questions from moderator and broadcaster Bob Robertson as part of a community conversation about baseball.

2. Home, Itself, Strange is Liz Sales' series of 69 synthetic images converted from a 30-second video portrait. Sales combines the data in each still frame with audio data from the Magnetic Field's three-volume album, 69 Love Songs. Watch it from 12:305 p.m. at Galerie Fotoland inside the Daniel J. Evans Library on the campus of The Evergreen State College.

3. How can a society come to terms with collective trauma? Alice Nelson, Ph.D. will explore the political and moral economies of memory production in Chile following Augusto Pinochet's fascist regime at 4 p.m. inside Harned Hall on the campus of Saint Martin's University.

4. You've found your passion, now you want to make a living doing what you love. But how? Four local artists and crafters will discuss how to start your own creative small business, where to sell and market your products, the joys and pitfalls of self-employment and how to find local support and education from 6-8 p.m. inside the Puyallup Public Library.

5. If you seek a mellower atmosphere to share your knowledge of actor Abe Vigoda or the difference of a traverse stage from a three-quarter thrust, may we suggest Monday trivia nights at the Mandolin Café. From 6-8 p.m. host Jeff Ross tosses out random trivia questions about movies, sports, news and geography to teams of players - while students study in the corner, ladies knit and that one guy dozes next to the fire. The winning team of each round - six total - receives a bowl of candy. The overall winning team scores a free drink, which means beer and wine. It's a challenging, fun night.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music and DJs in the South Sound

LINK: South Sound happy hours