MONDAY, FEB. 11 2013 >>>

1. A good stiff one is hard to find. Sure, it's reasonably easy to persuade someone to pose for a drawing, but even if an artist's friends and loved ones are willing to pose in the name of art, they'll soon find that it takes exceptional patience to remain frozen in place for hours on end. Figure drawing is one of art's most time-honored traditions, though, and there will always be a stream of aspiring Renoirs and Vermeers eager to give it a shot ... including tonight at Kittredge Hall on the University of Puget Sound campus. Inside Room 201 an open figure drawing session will be held from 6-9 p.m. It's free to hone your skills.

2. Book clubs are one of the last vestiges we have of formally engaging conversations for groups of strangers. You can discover a lot about a person by learning their opinions on any piece of art, but books prove to be especially revealing. If you're into more non-traditional storytelling, King's Books hosts a Graphic Novel Book Club, which meets the second Monday of every month at 7 p.m. inside 1022 South on Hilltop Tacoma, the craft cocktail house. February's book is MW by Osamu Tezuka.

3. A member of the Episcopal Church in the USA and the Evangelical Church in Croatia, Prof. Miroslav Volf has been involved in international ecumenical dialogues - such as the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity - and interfaith dialogues - as a member of the executive board of C-1 World Dialogue - and is an active participant in the Global Agenda Council on Values of the World Economic Forum. A native of Croatia, he regularly teaches and lectures in central and eastern Europe, Asia, and across North America - include at 7 p.m. at the Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Tacoma. As part of the Walter Lowrie Speaker Series, the professor of theology at Yale Divinity School will discuss his latest book, Public Faith - How Followers of Christ Should Serve the Common Good.  

4. Hot Club Sandwich will offer a fresh approach to the Parisian Hot Club style of Django Reinhardt at 8 p.m. inside The Royal Lounge in Olympia.

5. Every Monday night guitarist Rafael Tranquilino hosts an experimental jam at 9 p.m. inside Stonegate Pizza. Tonight's jam has an extra twist in that Tranquilino will be filming the event, so for goodness sakes comb your hair.

LINK: Monday, Feb. 11 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area