MONDAY, OCT. 28 2013 >>>

1. Tacoma's Art at Work Month has become a Godzilla's feast of literary, visual and performing arts. Is there any other town of comparable size in the Western Hemisphere that has anything to match it? We don't think so. November is Art at Work Month, but the festivities actually begin at 6 p.m. with an opening party and the AMOCAT Arts Awards presentation inside and outside of the Foss Waterway Seaport. The free event offers appetizers, dessert and a no-host bar while Taxi Driver plays jazz, Tacoma Community College artists pour molten iron into blocks of ice, BareFoot Collective dances, Fab-5 breakdances, Tacoma Poet Laureate Lucas Smiraldo paints with words and Kat Ogden and Carla Barragan screen their latest films. As a bonus this year, Diane Hansen will remove the rope around her soon-to-be-installed public art piece, The Locks, so guests may personalize a provided padlock to hang on the installation. Toward the middle of the evening, Mayor Marilyn Strickland and the Tacoma Arts Commission will present the three 2013 AMOCAT Arts Awards winners, as well as the 2013 arts fund recipients. Dress warm.

2. The frights are upon us once again, and there are, as always, plenty of ways to spend the Devil's holiday. The Weekly Volcano has listed the parties, the theater performances, haunted houses, the kids fare and the rock 'n' roll here - it's up to you to decide where you'll go, and, of course, what you'll wear. Boo, South Sound.

3. Janelle Gordon is a Jamaican native who is a poet, performance artist, painter, designer and photographer, as well as a University of Puget Sound alumna. In her work as a mixed media artist, she promotes art as an experience and describes her style as "freestyle." Gordon is the author of the poetry chapbook i&i Reflections (2013), which explores issues of cultural, spiritual, and sexual identities. She has produced and participated in numerous art and fashion shows including Spectrum of Colors, which was composed of exhibits exploring the combination of writing and painting. Gordon is co-founder of JFearon art and design company and artistic director of kbphotoart.com studio. At 6:30 p.m., as part of UPS's Caribbean Writer Series, Gordon will lecture on "I & I Reflections: A Poetic Exploration of Spiritual, Cultural, and Sexual Identities" at the Rasmussen Rotunda in the Wheelock Student Center.

4. Academy Award-nominated director Richard E. Robbins' highly-acclaimed film Girl Risingis an innovative documentary telling the stories of nine girls from around the world who, through access to education and mentoring, have risen from poverty to productivity and a promising future, narrated by Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Liam Neeson, Cate Blanchett, Selena Gomez and other Hollywood luminaries. At the heart of the film is the desire to educate girls and change the world. Uptown's Galaxy Theatre will screen the film at Gig Harbor's Galaxy Theatres as a fundraiser for Strong Women Strong World, YWCA of Pierce County and Jubilee Women's Center. The doors will open at 5:30 p.m. with a silent auction and raffle, followed by a few words from the national director of World Vision Women of Vision's Cindy Breihl, before the 6:30 p.m. screening.

5. The stereotype is racing through your head: Everyone is in all black, many are wearing dark and heavy eye make-up and every now and then, the DJ stops a tune with a vertebrae-shattering guitar riff for chants of, "Kill! Kill! Kill!" But O'Malley's "Mondays For The Damned," is not some cartoon-like parody like you see in the movies. For the most part, the Monday DJ night is just your typical above ground underground new wave, synth pop, Goth, industrial and post-punk haven, and, tonight at 9 p.m., it's one of the best places to find yourself in the company of the city's Goth scene.

LINK: Monday, Oct. 28 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area