SATURDAY, OCT. 12 2013 >>>

1. From the first resonant chords of piano on Rockwell Powers's and DJ Phinisey's new album, BUILD, it's clear that this is an album that strives to be more than just another album of blustering and posturing. Accompanied by the reading of a poem by Jesse Ann Fouts, opening track "BuildxPoem1" explores the compellingly picturesque idea of a city built of bones and flesh, flanked by seas of fear and longing. It's an entrancing image with which to open one's album, and Powers follows through on this promise, delivering an album that splits its time between melancholy ruminations about insecurity and spellbinding indictments of the state of music, arts and city. All of these themes are played out over a bed of tastefully restrained beats and washes of electronics. The release show for BUILD is all ages and will be held at downtown's Grit City GrindHouse - a skate and art shop - at 9 p.m. with the Breaklites, RA Scion and Mr. Melanin. Read Rev. Adam McKinney thoughts on the album and discussion with Rockwell Powers in the Music and Culture section.

2. Bird lovers from far and wide will flock (get it?) to Tacoma for the 10th annual Bird Lovers' Weekend at the Museum of Glass. Iittala master glassblowers Arto Lahtinen and Kirsi Antila enter the Hot Shop are in the Hot Shop with bird-related art activities as part of Family Day. Click here for full schedule.

3. The Puyallup Public Library celebrates Star Wars Reads Day with "astromech builder" and history buff Cole Horton from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. He's capping off a series of events by revealing how George Lucas's science-fantasy universe was influenced by the pop culture of his youth. It's a great way to introduce younglings and Padawan learners to the Light Side of both reading and 20th-century history.

4. Want to get the feel of Cuba? Go to Miami. Let's face it, with such a small Cuban population, Tacoma is typically deprived of the multitudes of cultural goodies that emanate from Fidel's little isle 90 miles off the Keys. But yearly, to the rescue comes the Tacoma-Cienfuegos Sister City's Taste of Cuba.  The evening includes a whole pig roasted in a pit, live music by trio Sin Embargo, salsa dancing and instruction and a silent/live auction of Cuban curiosities beginning at 5 p.m. in the Asia Pacific Cultural Center.

5. Tacoma's resident burlesque troupe, the Gritty City Sirens, will be throwing a Halloween-themed "Spooktacular Soiree," which does well to reflect these different aspects of burlesque. In addition to the Sirens's always engaging performances, there will be appearances by Ginger S Mack of Olympia's Tush burlesque troupe and belly dancer Carol Bui. Thrown on top of all of this will be the soulful sounds of the Kim Archer Band and Ninja Kat on the turntables. It will be a night of sensory overload and, perhaps, just a little bit of spectacular chaos. It begins at 9 p.m. in the 502 Downtown bar.

LINK: Saturday, Oct. 12 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 9 2013 >>>

1. No one knows for sure when the first Paleolithic cave-dweller stuck a mammoth tail in crushed-up berries and began painting stick figures on the wall of his rocky abode, but you can bet the market value of the neighboring caves instantly went up. Want to inject a little life into your urban blight? Bring in a bunch of artists. The Olympia Artspace Alliance wants to develop affordable new spaces to live, work, create, rehearse, perform or conduct business in downtown Olympia. Teamed with Artspace Projects, Inc. it has designed a market survey that will inform it about Olympians' specific studio and housing needs. OAA invites the public to a market survey launch party at 5 p.m. at the Washington Center.  Drop by for food, drink and information.

2. Holly Senn work is one of those rare creatures whose work is equally conceptual and visual. Her sculptures - usually small works made from pages out of old and discarded books and displayed on sculpture stands - and her room-size installations - generally made from the same materials, are all about ideas generated from the materials and their implications, meaning the pages of books and the trees they are made from and ideas surrounding the act of reading and the environment in which those trees grow. But there is much more to her work than the idea. Her work is also visually stunning. Senn's new exhibit, "Scavenged," showcases a body of new work: forms inspired by specimens from the collection of some 1,300 bird nests at Puget Sound's Slater Museum of Natural History. A reception for Senn, as well as Randy Bolton's "Have A Terrific Great Nice OK Day and Other Prints" is from 5-7 p.m. at Kittredge Gallery on the University of Puget Sound campus.

3. It may be grayer than Bea Arthur's pixie cut outside, but not so inside King's Books at 6:30 p.m.  The Stadium District bookstore draws a crowd during the Scrabble Rabble sessions, where folks compete with similar skill level players and pounce with triple word scores.  The Weekly Volcano doesn't know about you but we always enjoyed hanging onto the "Q," where it hangs there on our rack like some ultimate weapon of destruction, waiting for that all-enabling "U" tile to unleash its point-mongering wrath upon our opponents.  Anyway, if your job sucks or you have a strange rash, join the Scrabble Rabble and those problems will, if only for a few hours, ease back into the recesses of your mind.

4. New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber has 170 million books in print; the newest, Rose Harbor in Bloom, will be front and center at 7 p.m. when Macomber visits the Tacoma Public Library Main Branch. The book is the sequel to The Inn at Rose Harbor, which was set in the Pacific Northwest town of Cedar Cove and follows the story of Jo Marie Rose, a young widow who purchases a local bed-and-breakfast as a way to cope with the death of her husband. In Rose Harbor in Bloom, Macomber returns to Cedar Cove, specifically Rose Harbor Inn, the bed and breakfast Jo Marie purchased, and focuses on the guests' stories. If you'd like to meet one of America's favorite storytellers, then head to downtown Tacoma tonight.

5.Hailing from Chicago but circling the planet in ever-widening orbits, CAVE are known for playing with rolling funk minimalism. The band's new album, Threace, finds them inhabiting their cut-up aesthetic with tremendous ease and fewer reference points than before. Catch them at 8 p.m. with Arrington De Dionyso and Judson Claiborne at Northern in Olympia.

LINK: Wednesday, Oct. 9 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

TUESDAY, OCT. 8 2013 >>>

1. Tacoman Erik Hanberg loves parks and books. He's taken both passions to the next level. He's currently a commissioner with Metro Parks Tacoma. He's also penned The Saints Go Dying, The Marinara Murders and within days of releasing his first sci-fi novel,The Lead Cloak. Hanberg is campaigning to create a park out of the waterfront property next to Point Ruston, naming it after the Tacoma author Frank Herbert, author of the Dune series. Hanberg will join Post Defiance, King's Books's Broad Horizons Book Club and Chris Keil, co-owner of Hilltop Kitchen cocktail lounge and Dune fan, toasting Herberttoday  - what would have been Herbert's 93rd birthday - with Keil's exclusive cocktail menu inspired by Herbert's classic six-book science fiction series from 7-10 p.m. Let's hope HK skips the Toto soundtrack from David Lynch's 1984 film version.

2. Commencement Bay Haiku will meet at 6 p.m. in King's Books to read haiku or one page of haibun (prose with haiku), as well as discuss various aspects of haiku, haibun, or haiga (a painting, sketch or photo with haiku). It's not easy to convert the innards of your soul into scrawled words on paper and then wax rhapsodic as judging eyes stare at you. You may use this haiku about King's Books cats: Wanna go outside. Oh, no! Help! I got outside! Let me back inside!

3. What are the current and future human impacts and implications of cell phones, social media, and the Internet? Documentary filmmaker, director, and Pacific Northwest native Dominic H. White asks this question and more in his new eye-opening documentary, DSKNECTD, which screens at 6:30 p.m. as part of the 2013 Tacoma Film Festival. The documentary delves into how mobile devices; virtual worlds, social media and the Internet are reshaping human interactions. Looking at the good, bad, and the ugly, White leaves the viewer in the end pondering their own personal connections to technology.

4. Conventional wisdom dictates that you'd rather spend Tuesday night watching TLC TV and sharing a big bowl of prune whip with your great aunt Martha than venturing out to hear harp music. But in this case, conventional wisdom would be wrong. Tacoma harpist Margaret Shelton explored traditional and contemporary harp music from Asia, Europe and South America while traveling on a grant in 2011. Through performing, interviewing harpists, digging through museum archives and even building a small harp, Shelton discovered the rich variety of this unique instrument around the globe. At 7 p.m., she's going to bring it all home in the Slovonian Hall as part of Classical Tuesdays in Old Town Tacoma.

5. Every Tuesday night at Stonegate Pizza on South Tacoma Way Leanne Trevalyan hosts an acoustic open mic at 8 p.m.

LINK: Tuesday, Oct. 8 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Houston in the blind, this is Nerd Alert, the Weekly Volcano's recurring events calendar devoted to all things nerdy. I myself am a Star Wars fan, mathlete, and spelling bee champion of long standing, so trust me: I grok whereof I speak.

As I write this, my head is still reeling from Alfonso Cuarón's Gravity - though that may be residual motion sickness. The more I reflect on it, the more I believe it's a true thinking man's sci-fi flick, conveying volumes of astrophysics with deceptive ease and slipping inside Sandra Bullock's helmet for unobtrusive first-person storytelling. I urge you to see it in IMAX 3-D, if only the LieMAX at Lacey's Regal cineplex. Finally, an action movie that doesn't reduce matters of galactic import to fistfights or devolve into "we have a situation"-level clichés. Kudos to Bullock, and to Framestore's ingenious zero-gravity FX.

FRIDAY, OCT. 11

If you've a geek of a certain age, it's highly likely that a chunk of your formative period was spent sitting around tables, rolling multicolored dice and battling imaginary troglodytes. Some of us may, in fact, still dabble in Gygax-style fictional worlds. These folks'll find much to enjoy, even cogitate upon, in the cinematic comedy Zero Charisma, opening Friday. It stars Sam Eidson as Scott, a dungeon master who finds his life upended when a popular hipster invades his circle of gamer friends. JoBlo's Movie Emporium referred to Zero Charisma as "Taxi Driver for fanboys." It played well to festival audiences, who probably spent a few hours around the D&D table themselves back in the day ... perhaps even yesterday. Far be it from us to pass judgment! Mighty Pelor the sun god would never forgive us.

SATURDAY, OCT. 12

Technically, Oct. 5 was Star Wars Reads Day, a celebration of youth lit highlighting the "Expanded Universe" of books and comics set in that galaxy far, far away. The Puyallup Public Library may be a tad late to the game, but they're chiming in hardcore with "astromech builder" and history buff Cole Horton. He's capping off a series of events by revealing how George Lucas's science-fantasy universe was influenced by the pop culture of his youth. It's a great way to introduce younglings and Padawan learners to the Light Side of both reading and 20th-century history. (And while we're on the topic of Star Wars tomes, check out J. W. Rinzler's massively comprehensive The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, which hit bookshelves Oct. 1.)

FROM GOLDEN AGE TO A GALAXY FAR WAY: A STAR WARS READS DAY EVENT, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Puyallup Public Library, 324 S. Meridian, Puyallup, no cover, 253.841.5454

OCTOBER

On a serious note, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and if there's one thing geeks of all genders, political stripes, and orientations can agree on, it's that breasts are the tits. Breast cancer currently affects one out of every eight women. That is simply unacceptable! Please give generously to protect these beautiful national resources. You could, for example, visit the Macy's corner of Tacoma Mall this Saturday the 12th, for a "Paint the Mall Pink" celebration that includes $1,000 worth of awesome giveaways. Coincidentally, the Gritty City Sirens perform their Spooktacular Soiree that same night at 502 Downtown. Check out other worthy events at KomenPugetSound.org.

Until next week, may the Force be with you, may the odds be ever in your favor, and may next weekend be sunny and bright for Seattle's epically distaff GeekGirlCon.

MONDAY, OCT. 7 2013 >>>

1. The Tacoma Film Festival is on, celebrating current independent film from around the globe ... and in our backyard. The 253 represent at this year's TFF. A whole slew of local film shorts will be screened at The Grand Cinema from 4-5:30: Harbor Island (Mystery, 23 min, Scott Capestany); Light and Black (Drama, 10 min, Brian Parker); Look Up In the Sky (Drama, Thriller, Sci-Fi, 9 min, Arthur Rains-McNally); One For the Record Book (Comedy, 5 min, Emily Bjarke); Practical Things (Drama, 5 min, Lindy & Kris Boustedt); The Shootout (Western, 20 min, Craig Muller, Tonya Yorke); The Small Stuff (Drama, 3 min, Andrea Capere) and The Sweet Sorrow (Drama, 12 min, Jeff Barehand).

2. Toscanos Café & Wine Bar and Cline Cellars have teamed up to raise money for Good Samaritan Hospital's Cancer Care Fund. Beginning today, buy a glass of Cline Cellars Wine or special "Pink Cocktail" at Toscanos and receive a free hand-painted collectable cordial glass. Each week the Puyallup restaurant feature a different glass color. For every bottle of Cline wine poured at Toscanos this month, Cline will donate $1 to Good Samaritan. And, Toscanos will match that donation.

3. Meet authors Anne and Laurence Yeadon-Jones and learn about their latest addition to the Dreamspeaker Guides featuring Gig Harbor and other South Puget Sound boating destinations at 6:30 p.m. at the Tides Tavern. Puget Sound - A Boater's Guide is the seventh Dreamspeaker Guide and captures a fresh perspective to cruising our local waters. 

4. Pianist Nate D., bassist Cameron and drummer Peter T. have launch the city's newest jazz jam inviting talent to sit in as the house trio explores straight ahead, funk and space at 8 p.m. in The New Frontier Lounge. Not all gigs qualify as a hang, but this one has the precise alchemy that could draw the area's best players: a high level of musicianship, a relaxed atmosphere and a sympathetic intergenerational crowd. Ask any working jazz musician, and the hang is what it's all about.

5. O'Malley's "Mondays For The Damned," is your typical above ground underground new wave, synth pop, goth, industrial and post-punk haven, and, if you're into it, it's one of the best places to find yourself in the company of the city's goth and industrial scene. Night Shift (Nicole and Aaron) and guest DJs will spin, while Rich Sumner screens videos and movies. Get dark over $3.25 micro brew pints and a pound of wings for $5.50.

LINK: Monday, Oct. 7 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

TUESDAY, OCT. 8

In recent times, Frank Herbert has been getting a lot of attention in Tacoma for being the most accomplished local boy who nobody knows is from Tacoma. There's a movement afoot to get the Dune writer his own Tacoma park, which has once again shone the spotlight on Herbert. Tuesday, Tacoma's well-received new cocktail lounge Hilltop Kitchen will celebrate the science fiction author's birthday by creating six craft cocktails based on Herbert's work.

A joint production of Hilltop Kitchen, Post Defiance, Erik Hanberg (the man who has been pushing for Herbert's park) and King's Books, the event dubbed "Cocktails Through a Stillsuit: A Toast to Frank Herbert" will feature cocktails with names such as Duncan Idaho, Golden Path, and Orange Catholic. If any of those names ring a bell in your nerdy ears, it might behoove you to get a drink through a stillsuit. There will also be copies of Herbert's works available, in case all those names are meaningless to you. May as well pick up a copy of Dune and get caught up.

FROM NOW UNTIL THE END OF TIME

As I write this, it's been twenty-four hours since one of the greatest television shows of all time ended its triumphant run of unrivaled quality after five seasons. I speak, of course, of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.

Seriously, though, if you want to avoid spoilers about the finale of Breaking Bad - like, how CRAZY was it that Jesse was an alien the whole time? - now's the time to stop reading. Or, if you're one of those people who seems to take some sick pride in having never seen an episode of Breaking Bad, but still like to read recaps so you can keep track of this cultural phenomenon and make little snide remarks to your friends, I will NEVER understand you, and I would love for you stop reading, as well.

Is there any other way it could have gone? Jesse's free. Walt's money is going to an unwilling Flynn. Hank will have the opportunity to get a proper burial. Todd's dead as a doornail (he was also a Groucho Marx fan, if his ringtone is to be believed. Walt died like Jesse James. He will always be Heisenberg - a larger-than-life master criminal, a man who never made one false move.

It was a brilliant finale, a finale that strived unabashedly to please the fans. Not to bring anyone down, but you know that road that Jesse speeds away on to certain freedom? Is that same road that the cops sped in on?

You don't think ... Nah. Let's stick with the Mega Happy Ending.

Note: Pinkman died on the way back to his home planet.

LINK: Nerd Alert columns

TUESDAY, OCT. 1 2013 >>>

1. The Grand Cinema screens Hannah Arendt, a biopic of influential German-Jewish philosopher and political theorist Hannah Arendt. Arendt's reporting on the 1961 trial of ex-Nazi Adolf Eichmann in The New Yorker - controversial both for her portrayal of Eichmann and the Jewish councils - introduced her now-famous concept of the "Banality of Evil." Using footage from the actual Eichmann trial and weaving a narrative that spans three countries, the film beautifully turns the often invisible passion for thought into immersive, dramatic cinema. Catch it at 2:40 and 6:45 p.m.

2. Every Tuesday, Maxwell's Speakeasy serves two chef's choice appetizers and two house wines or draft beers for $15. Chef Slater and server extraordinaire and wine pro Kent Bolden sample wines weeks in advance, mull them over, discuss possible pairings, sample more, then create an awesome dining experience.

3. Timberland Reads Together - a month-long series exploring a novel's importance in society through assemblies, images, film, live music and theater - has invited author Timothy Egan, who penned Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis, to kick off the program at 7 p.m. in the Olympia Timberland Library.  Egan will recount the pioneering photographer Edward Curtis' life-risking effort to document the disappearing North American Indian nation, offering insight into the danger and resolve behind his venture, his elevation to an impassioned advocate, and the posthumous discovery of his achievements. 

4. "Now Wally, I want you to go in the living room and pick up those orange peels that you left on the coffee table. If your father comes home and sees them he'll be in a terrible mood all through dinner and won't let you and The Beaves rock the Red Wind Casino at 6:30 p.m." - June Cleaver

5. Though the musicians at the Olympia Songwriters' Circle may not sit around and sing "Kumbaya," they are still offered a relaxed, supportive and collaborative vibe at 7 p.m. in Traditions Cafe. Everyone is invited to come with instruments, but the circle is also open to people who may only want to listen and observe.

LINK: Tuesday, Oct. 1 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 25 2013 >>>

1. You say you want some spooky?  Having started the journey as a one-dude act, using machines to complement his organ skills, The Voodoo Organist - a Los Angeles artist sometimes known as Scott Wexton, who channels Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Devo, the Doors and Lon Chaney to conjure a circus of lounge sounds peppy and dark - now travels the country with drummer Robin Kennon, which is an improvement drastically evident live. That said, the wail of the Voodoo Organist's Hammond and the moan of synths will get inside you at 8 p.m. in Jazzbones - and it just might wreck you for good.

2. In recognition of the 10 year anniversary of the glassblowing partnership between Museum of Glass and Finland's Iittala, Inc., the exhibition "An Experiment in Design Production: The Enduring Birds of Iittala" pays special attention to the history of the Iittala glass factory in Nuutajärvi, Finland. Like other recent closures in Europe, such as the Waterford Crystal factory in Ireland, Nuutajärvi has reached a point of no return and is likely to close its doors sometime in 2014. The exhibition opens at 10 a.m. at the Museum of Glass and runs through January 12, 2014.

3. Meet artist Sean Orlando, the artist commissioned through a national call-to-artists to create artwork for Tacoma's 26th and Pacific Avenue gateway intersection. An Artist Fellow at the de Young Museum and a celebrated East Bay (San Francisco) surrealistic, steampunk, high-tech, kenetic sculptor, Orlando has created some amazing public and private art. See samples of Orlando's past work, provide input, and learn more about the project from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at Anthem Coffee, 1911 Pacific Ave. and another from 6-7:30 p.m. at 301 Puyallup Ave.

4. On the northern reaches of our continent, towering mountains are the only skyscrapers, lit until late at night in summer, then darkened in winter. Pristine waters serve moose caribou, and three species of bears in an unbroken landscape. Jonathan Waterman has spent decades exploring these awe-inspiring spaces. Meet hih, have him sign Northern Exposures: An Adventuring Career in Stories & Images and watch his slide presentation at 7 p.m. in the Olympic Room of the Tacoma Public Library Main Branch in downtown Tacoma.

5. "I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay / I sleep all night and I work all day I cut down trees, I eat my lunch / I go to the lavatory." We're 89 percent sure Monty Python's "The Lumberjack Song" won't be included in Peter Reid's lecture at 7:30 p.m. in the Olympia Timberland Library. Reid, a member of the Schafer family, will show recently restored films of 1926 logging operations of one of the largest lumber businesses in the Northwest. After the 45-minute film, Reid and Barbara Seal Ogle will talk about their just-released book, Schafer State Park. We are 94 percent sure the two speakers would enjoy seeing you dressed in a plaid flannel shirt, some old jeans and boots, snapping suspenders and yanking on a fake beard. That's OK!

LINK: Wednesday, Sept. 25 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

TUESDAY, SEPT. 24 2013 >>>

1. Harvest season cannot be denied it's special place in everyone's lives, unless your on a strict high-preservative, low-nutrition-value, fast-food-for-life diet. If so, please stop reading now. For those who can drive right on by a drive-thru window without even a thought, be sure to stop by the 6th Ave Farmers Market from 4-7 p.m. for its annual Harvest Fest. On the menu will be Infinite Soups bowls, seasonal salads from Zestful Gardens and Terry's Berries and drinkies. Barleywine Revue will keep the head buzzin'. 

2. A roller coaster mix of drama and comedy will hit Tacoma today when The Grand Cinema screens eight short films from the 2013 Sundance Film Festival Short Films program at 2:10 and 7:05 p.m. Vibrant storytelling highlights the group, including fiction, documentary and animation, with five award-winners.

3. Every Tuesday, Maxwell's Speakeasy serves two chef's choice appetizers and two house wines or draft beers for $15. Chef Hudson Slater tells us, "It's nothing over the top but keeps things fun and fresh." Chef Slater and server extraordinaire and wine pro Kent Bolden sample wines weeks in advance, mull them over, discuss possible pairings, sample more, then create a the Tuesday experience.

4. Did you know that Roald Dahl nearly lost his nose in a car accident? Or that he was once a chocolate candy tester for Cadbury's? Have you heard about his involvement in the Great Mouse Plot of 1924? Did you know he was a spy? Before beginning his literary career, the Welsh children's author Dahl was sort of a spy during World War II. A member of the British Royal Airforce, Dahl served in Washington D.C. as Assistant Air Attache but also worked with the Canadian master spy William Stephensen. Dahl wrote his first published essay, Shot Down Over Libya. If you'd like to hear about the nose thing, you should attend the YA Not Book Club at 7 p.m. inside King's Books as Dahl's autobiographical Boy: Tales of Childhood will be discussed. If you'd like to hear about his spy work, start a Spy Not Book Club.

5. A former sports broadcaster, comedian and actor Sean McBride headlines Ha Ha Tuesday comedy show at 8:30 p.m. in Jazzbones.

LINK: Tuesday, Sept. 24 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

THURSDAY, SEPT. 12 2013 >>>

1. The Pacific Northwest is a haven for indie music and representation from Portland to Olympia and Tacoma to Everett will represent at this year's Squeak and Squawk Music Festival, which opens today and runs through Monday. There are two shows a day: At 6 p.m., all-ages performances take place at the Library at Sanford and Son Antiques followed up with 9 p.m. shows at The New Frontier Lounge for those 21 and over. The festival kicks off at 6 p.m. with The Fame Riot, Xylophones and J. Martin in the Library, and the 9 p.m. evening show at The New Frontier features I Like Science, Week of Wonder and People Under the Sun.

2. How does this sound: fashion, wine, food, giveaways and an auction and raffle with some fab items? Sounds fun, yes? Envy boutique is proud to play host to "Envy's Girls Night Out" - a benefit auction and raffle from 5 to 8 p.m. Sip wine, nosh on yummy eats, shop until you drop, and enjoy Envy's unique items and sweet deals. The best part? One-hundred percent of the auction and raffle proceeds benefit South Sound Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, "The Breast Savers."

3. If you're a dedicated Volcano reader or fan of local literature, you've devoured the Southern-fried fiction of our own Mr. Alec Clayton. His fall 2012 release Return to Freedom, a sequel to 2010's The Backside of Nowhere, finds its Mississippian characters reeling from the aftermath of a deadly hurricane. Also, and we hope we're not being too glib or immature about this, but it features hot MILFs making out. Unwilling to settle for a mere, mundane book signing, Alec prefers to cast local actors in readers' theater adaptations of his scenes. He calls his cadre of thespians the Freedom Players, and they're performing at 7:30 p.m. in the Olympia Timberline Timberland Library.

4. Olympia Little Theatre stages Neil Simon's Last of the Red Hot Lovers, at 7:55 p.m. It's set in December 1969, the same month the play opened on Broadway, and it follows the adventures of Barney, a middle-aged husband, as he attempts to cheat on his wife with three different women. What keeps this nebbish from being despicable is his amorous ineptitude - no spoilers, but his fourth time's the charm - and the fact that he really just wants to learn what's so fantastic about the Sexual Revolution. Read Christian Carvajal's full review of Last of the Red Hot Lovers in the Music and Culture section.

5. Danny Barnes and Matt Sircely return from far-flung escapades to perform in Olympia at 9 p.m. in the Pig Bar. After 10 years of friendship, Barnes and Sircely began touring this year, stretching the full length of the West Coast from Los Angeles to Port Angeles, and as far east as Moscow (Idaho). One outing resulted in a live recording that will be available in cassette format at the event.

LINK: Thursday, Sept. 12 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area