REAL LIFE COMICS >>>

Readers of the Weekly Volcano, be you man, woman, child, beast or alien, I am quite sure that whomever you may be, you have all thought about creating your very own comic book or cartoon. Well, would be painters, artists, geniuses and future Alan Moores of the world, it seems that the fez wearing, secret handshaking and world domination task force known as The Cartoonists League of Absurd Washingtonians, or C.L.A.W., have just the opportunity for you. Wednesday, Feb. 27, this brilliantly tongue in cheek cult like group will be teaming up with the lovely, local cosplay group Super Sirens for an event at King's Books that will likely shake the foundations of the world, as we know it. The event entitled "Real Life Comics" will give the public the ability to create its own cartoon creation based on the models of the wonderful ladies of the aforementioned Super Sirens. To provide more detail on this event and C.L.A.W. in general, I sought to prove my worth and contacted the evil genius mastermind behind this event - and one of the high council members of CLAW - Michael Daley and fellow member Mark Monlux.

WEEKLY VOLCANO: What's the C.L.A.W. story?

MICHAEL DALEY: The C.L.A.W.'s primary purpose is to unite cartoonists and inform the general public of the common truth that art is the voice of the community; that creative expression holds fiscal as well as emotional value and that the Robotic Overlords are on their way. To that end the C.L.A.W. avails upon the talent of its membership to engage with the public in ways that dare and strain comprehension. We also like to give a scholarship to art students learning the ways of cartooning, because, boy, they sure need the money. 

VOLCANO: Was C.L.A.W. born from a secret society in Tacoma's Chinese Tunnels?

DALEY: No, C.L.A.W. was founded by Electric Elliot Trotter, RR Anderson, Mark Monlux and James Stowe above ground - finding a common ground chalking at Frost Park.

MARK MONLUX: More than anything else I think we were all looking for an excuse just to sit down with other artists and have fun doodling. Oh, that and wear a fez and have a secret handshake.

VOLCANO: What's the story behind the Real Life Comics event?

DALEY: I wanted to do a live drawing - not in a traditional sense.  I contacted Nemrac the Destroyer of the Super Sirens about possibly using the Sirens cosplay group for a live drawing session. Why not have people make a comic page utilizing live models to build their stories?

SUPER SIRENS: Photo courtesy of Facebook

VOLCANO: Do you need to know a secret handshake to participate?

DALEY: It absolutely is open for anyone to come down and participate.  We encourage others to come and draw along side us and partake in the fun that is a C.L.A.W. Open Swim.  Our Open Swim's take place every fourth Wednesday of the month at King's Books. We utilize the Swim's to meet new potential members and, at this particular event, we are inducting Travis Bundy as a new member of C.L.A.W.

VOLCANO: Does the winner receive an encoder ring?

DALEY: Typically, there isn't. For this particular event, we do have prizes.  Everyone - models included - will be able to cast their vote for their favorite pieces. I won't say what the prizes are - but there definitely are prizes.

The event will commence at 7:30 p.m. and will continue into the evening. Everyone is welcome to come, create his or her own piece of art and witness the beginning of a new modern era lead by the elite CLAW. I for one, will be there, and will be shaking the hands of the cartoonist overlords looking for a clue to their secret handshake.

KING'S BOOKS, WEDNESDAY, FEB. 27, 7:30-9:30 P.M., FREE ADMISSION, 218 ST. HELENS AVE., TACOMA, 253.272.8801

FRIDAY, FEB. 22 2013 >>>

1. What's your perfect day? I'm not asking a question; the question isthe name of Argonaut's latest EP, released on Strange Earth Records. If your perfect day has anything to do with rock 'n' roll that's heavy in sound and heart, that's saturated with the sweat of hard and pounding drums; includes a wonderfully mastered EP set on replay, lyrics hitting home and guitar driving hard, then your perfect day would include spending quality time at Argonaut's CD release show at 9 p.m. inside The New Frontier Lounge. Read Nikki McCoy's interview with Matt Sader about the new album in the Weekly Volcano's Music section.

2. Mary Larson's portraits of homeless people in Seattle are pop-style portraits executed with bright colors, and every one is a straight-on portrait with the head practically filling the canvas and looking right at the viewer. Most of them look dignified and happy. Like people you'd really enjoy knowing. What her paintings do for the people whose portraits they are is something that perhaps no one else could do in any other way. She shows them as what they are: people like any others. How often have we passed homeless people on the streets and seen them, if at all, as a class or group or concept and not as individuals who just might want to be acknowledged - who have parents and children and probably former friends and neighbors who more than likely no longer see them. Larson's portraits of the homeless ends its run at the Pierce College Fine Arts Gallery with a closing reception from 4 to 6 p.m. Read Alec Clayton's full feature on Mary Larseon's paintings on the Weekly Volcano's blog Spew.

3. Wildside Wine (608 S. Oxford, Tacoma) will host a dinner and blind wine tasting pairing at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22. Sip, swirl and compare Syrah and Shiraz varietals from all around the world as you nibble on the likes of beef bourguignon on potato puree and a poached pear and bleu cheese salad. The feast is $30, though RSVP is required to insure enough for everyone. All wines being sampled will be available at a 15 percent discount that evening.

4. Douglas A. Blackmon, author of the Pulitzer-Prize winning book Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II, will speak at the Olympia Timberland Library from 7 to 8:15 p.m. Blackmon presents evidence that slavery in the United States did not end with the Civil War, instead persisting well into the 20^th century.

5. Alex Tapia of RowHouse, Allan Boothe of Humble Cub and J. Martin will perform solo at 7:30 p.m. inside Amocat Cafe.

LINK: Friday, Feb. 22 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

THURSDAY, FEB. 21 2013 >>>

1. Marissa Meyer is a YA author from Tacoma and a Pacific Lutheran University graduate. She's a fan of Firefly. She wrote Sailor Moon fan fiction for 10 years. Cinder, the first book in her Lunar Chronicles, is about an android Cinderella in futuristic China was on the New York Times Best Seller list. In short, she is one of the lucky few whose love of sci-fi and all things nerdy has paid off. At 6 p.m., Scarlet, the second book in her Lunar Chronicles, will be celebrated at King's Books in Tacoma. Meyer will read or speak before the signing frenzy. Also expect robots from SOTABots, swag and a costume contest for the best Cinder and the best Scarlet.

2. The Pierce Conservation District and Stream Team host the annual Meeting & Awards Banquet at 5 p.m. at The Evergreen State College Tacoma campus. The accomplishments of last year's efforts will be celebrated as well as honor volunteers and community partners working to conserve natural resources and support sustainable farming throughout Pierce County. Presentation of District and Stream Team awards begins at 6:15 p.m., followed by guest speaker David Montgomery.

3. It's the third Thursday of the month. In Tacoma, that's means an extra emphasis on the arts. Tonight's quest for art will lead you directly to the steps of science. That's right, the University of Puget Sound and Tacoma Art Museum have teamed up to present an Art+Science Salon - an evening of 10 artists and scientists delivering 10-minute presentations - Pecha Kucha style - at 6 p.m. inside the Tacoma Art Museum.

4. Speaking of third Thursday, tonight is the Tacoma Art Mingle, which was formerly called the Third Thursday Artwalk. Whatever the name of the special night, it's still very hard to walk the damn thing. For the last two-plus years Tacoma has had the Art Bus to rely on - the creation of T-Town's own Angela Jossy, and pretty much the bestest idea there ever was. Each third Thursday the Art Bus shuttles riders from gallery to gallery, venue to venue accomplishing more than any one person could ever dream of on foot, and at the same time building a communal vibe that's worth its weight in gold. Tonight's Art Bus celebrity host Darrell Fortune of NWCZradio.com will help guide you through such stops as FabLab, 253 Collective, Embellish Multispace Salon, Urban Alchemy, Brick House Gallery, B2 Gallery and Catwalk. Tickets are $10 regular admission and $20 for VIPs. VIPs get gift bags with items from lots of local businesses. The Bus pushes off from the Tacoma Art Museum at 6 p.m.

5. Anyone who believes that Tacoma is still a blue-collar backwater town with few ties to the outside world had better stay away from the 11th annual Sister Cities International Film Festival, which launched two weeks ago. The experience might just shatter everything that poor soul holds to so misguidedly. Tacoma is an international city in every sense of the world. At 6:15 p.m., the Cuba Sister City Committee will present a cultural program celebrating Tacoma sister city Cienfuegos, Cuba. After the hoopla, the film The Beauty From Alhambra will screen. The story is set in 1920s Cuba. Rachel is an ambitious chorus girl set on becoming a cabaret star at the famous Alhambra Theater. Her artistic talent and help from the theater owner are enough to make Rachel's dream a reality. But along the way, she loses the love of her life and instead finds a passion that puts her career at stake.

LINK: Thursday, Feb. 21 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

TUESDAY, FEB. 19 2013 >>>

1. The Academy Awards 2013 nominees for Documentary Shorts continue to screen at The Grand Cinema. You can view the five nominated shorts - King's Point, Mondays at Racine, Inocente, RedemptionandOpen Heart - at 2:15 and 6:50 p.m.

2. There is an excellent art exhibit in the gallery at The Evergreen State College from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is called An Abstract - Representational Continuum and it juxtaposes abstract art with slightly surrealistic photographs culled from the college's art collection. Included are works by well-known West Coast artists and a few nationally-recognized artists. Read Alec Clayton's full review of "An Abstract - Representational Continuum" in the Weekly Volcano's Arts section.

3. The latest show at the University of Puget Sound's Kittredge Gallery is a fascinating installation that may prove difficult to describe. It is called "Kukai," and it is a collaborative project between digital media artist Robert Campbell and ceramic sculptor Yuki Nakamura, who previously worked together for an installation called "Floating Plaster/City Motion," a multimedia installation comprising video, audio, and cast sculptures for the New Works Laboratory, a program between 911 Media Arts Center and the Henry Art Gallery at University of Washington in Seattle. The current installation is all about light and sound - mostly light. Check it out from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Read Alec Clayton's full review of "Kukai" in the Weekly Volcano Arts section.

4. Since China began flooding U.S. markets with illegally subsidized products in 2001, more than 50,000 American factories have disappeared, more than 25 million Americans can't find a decent job, and America now owes more than 3 trillion dollars to the world's largest totalitarian nation. But, what do we really know about China?  Tacoma's Fuzhou Sister City Committee selected the book Spring Moon: A Novel of China by Bette Bao Lord as a book to illuminate about China's different customs and people. Drop by King's Books at 7 p.m. to discuss the book and, well, China in general. By the way, this discussion is in conjunction with the upcoming Sister City International Film Festival taking place at Blue Mouse Theatre. Fuzhou's night is Feb. 28 with the film Last Train Home about China's country-wide migrations of people going home for their Chinese New Year celebrations.

5. Flint Culp, Mythologies and The Clacid Arkansas will rock Le Voyeur in downtown Olympia around 10 p.m.

LINK: Tuesday, Feb. 19 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

AWESOME >>>

Wouldn't it be great if you could just negotiate-down your overdue library fines? If you could stroll into the Tacoma Public Library, offer them food and have your borrower status upgraded from "terribly horrible" to "do-gooder awesome"?

Well, you can.

Beginning on Feb. 19 Tacoma's libraries will hold a community food drive at all eight branches. For every three non-perishables items you donate, the library will reduce your overdue fines by $10, without a limit to the total amount waived. Titled "Food For Fines," all food items donated will be delivered to a neighborhood food bank, and you'll be inspired to bring back To Kill a Mockingbird.

According to a release, "Each library branch is working with a nearby food bank to ensure donations stay in the neighborhood. There is no limit to the number of food items the library will accept, nor to the size of the overdue fines the library will forgive."

The Food For Fines drive will runs through March 2. More information is available at www.tacomapubliclibrary.org, or by telephoning the library at 253.292.2001.

THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT'S UP THIS WEEKEND >>>

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Cloudy, hi 53, lo 43

Saturday: periods of annoying rain, hi 47, lo 37

Sunday: Some rain here and there, hi 46, lo 35

>>> FRIDAY, FEB. 15-SUNDAY, FEB. 17: OLD-TIME MUSIC FESTIVAL

The Fifth Annual Olympia Old-Time Music Festival is in full swing. Through Sunday the event takes over the Olympia Ballroom and The First Christian Church with workshops - such as Appalachian basketry, waltzing and beginning mandolin - and of course, musicians! A full schedule of performers include Grizzle Grazzle Tune Snugglers, the Gold Diggers and Kendl Winter. The Oly Old Timers mission statement is to "... spread a love of traditional Appalachian music and create a good excuse to interact with real, live, people, through music and dance and pie-eating." - Nikki McCoy

• Olympia Ballroom and First Christian Church, hours vary, $12, weekend pass $25, Olympia, www.olyoldtime.org

>>> FRIDAY, FEB. 15: BLACK PANTHER AARON DIXON

King's Books is undeniably the literary epicenter of Tacoma these days. So it's not surprising to see Aaron Dixon, one of the co-founders of the Seattle chapter of the Black Panther Party, is at King's Friday to discuss his new memoir, My people Are Rising: Memoir of a Black Panther Party Captain. - Weekly Volcano

• King's Books, 7 p.m., free, 218 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.8801, kingsbookstore.com

>>> FRIDAY, FEB. 15-SUNDAY, FEB. 17: ARTIST RAVEN SKYRIVER

Something unique will happen in the Museum of Glass Hot Shop. An artist will return for the second of two back-to-back residencies, a rare occurrence to be sure. Said artist is Raven Skyriver, maker of intriguingly real-looking marine creatures large and small. He scored two residencies in a row by winning two separate awards at the Red Hot Party & Auction last September. He won both the People's Choice and Artists' Choice awards, each came with a hot shop residency. - Kristin Kendle

• Museum of Glass, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., $5-$12, 1801 Dock St., Tacoma, 866.468.7386

>>> SATURDAY, FEB. 16: ST. MARTIN'S PANCAKE FEED BREAKFAST

You're damn right we love pancakes. Like, we Ron-Swanson love pancakes. It's an almost unsettling level of obsession. But whatever. We'd eat pancakes for almost any reason or cause, making Saturday's pancake breakfast at Saint Martin's University benefiting the Campus Ministry's annual mission service a total no-brainer. According to the press release, this year 16 students will travel to Yakima Vallery to work with Migrant Farm Workers and Catholic Charities Housing. Eat pancakes AND make Yakima a better place! It's a win-win! The $5 ticket, which can be purchased prior to the event at the Campus Ministry office, includes pancakes, sausage, fresh fruit and beverages.

• Saint Martin's - Norman Worthington Conference Center, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., $5, 5300 Pacific Ave. SE, Lacey, stmartin.edu

>>> SATURDAY, FEB. 15: BIG BEER FESTIVAL

The Big Beer Festival this Saturday in Tacoma will feature 60 hand crafted beers with big character and big flavor. This first annual event has two time slots available, noon to 4 p.m. and 4:30-8:30 p.m., and features 5.5-ounce commemorative taster glasses plus six tasting tokens. Additional 5.5-ounce pours can be purchased for $1.50. Plus, there will be great food. But hurry, it looks like the Big Beer Fest is getting a big response and is almost sold out! Well done, Tacoma. Check Tacoma Craft Beer's Facebook page for updates and where to purchase tickets.

• Foss Waterway Seaport, noon - 8:30 p.m., $20/adv, $25/door, 705 Dock Street, Tacoma

>>> SUNDAY, FEB 17: NUMERO BY NORTHWEST

"Numero By Northwest" is an unusual DJ showcase at The Brotherhood Lounge Sunday. And by unusual, I mean rare - but I also mean weird, which in Olympia, equates to awesome. The Numero Group's Ken Shipley, Justin Trosper from Unwound/Survival Knife and DJ Wildman James will spin soul, garage and other obscure gems in the comfort of a lounge where a wall of carpet JFKs and gigantic hanging guitars make it feel like your best friend's living room. Dancers and wallflowers welcome. - NM

• The Brotherhood Lounge, 9 p.m., no cover, 119 Capitol Way, Olympia, 360.352.4153

WHAT SOME OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS ARE UP TO

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL Theater Critic
It's Valentine's Day weekend, I'm a happily married man, and I'd prefer to stay that way. Ergo, I'm creating a bed and breakfast in our home by adding cozy touches and cooking Amanda breakfast in bed. She may also get dinner and a movie out of the deal. Mr. Romance, that's me.

REV. ADAM MCKINNEY Music Writer
This weekend, if I have any brain at all, I'll take it easy and just stay inside. But, if I do go out, I'll probably hit up the Saucy Yoda show at The New Frontier, or maybe The Albert Square show at the Wingmen Brewery, which I've never been to.

ALEC CLAYTON Arts Critic
It's my birthday. Party time.

NIKKI MCCOY Feature Writer
How about a bubble bath while the servants, I mean children, clean the cat box and fold the laundry? How about a full body massage with lavender and jojoba oil while my husband serenades me on the guitar? How about a luxury shopping trip with girlfriends and martinis while a team of top-rate gardeners prepare my yard for spring? Oh, sorry, what was that? My weekend plans? Nursing a cold and scrubbing toilets while the tyrants, I mean children, fight over Legos and complain about dinner.

JOSH RIZEBERG Music Columnist
Fiday, Beanz & Rize are performing at the Central Ave Pub in Kent for Nuvo Tha1's birthday party. Saturday, I'll be teaching my spoken word/poetry class at D.A.S.H. - then that night I'm going to celebrate the 9th Anniversary of the 206 Zulu Nation chapter. Sunday, I'm going to try to get down to the Graffiti Garage M.C. Cyphers.

JACKIE FENDER Food Writer
Friday will include art bus pow wowing, checking out a certain local community kitchen and topped off with a Wrist poetry reading and open poetry slam at Bluebeard. Saturday will start with convincing others to start their day with a moonshine mary and more Peace Out fundraising planning. Sunday is committed to work and sleep.

JOANN VARNELL Theater Critic
The husband and I will be taking the toddler to the mountains for some legit sledding on Friday. Saturday, I will set my alarm so I can make it to a friends house for 3 and 1/2 hours of writing before hopping on the train for a family weekend in Portland. While there, I'm hoping to sleep but most likely I'll just end up at Powell's. Probably more than once per day.

TIMOTHY GRISHAM Music Writer
Friday is the day after hallmark gift card day,the amazing BLACK MARBLE is playing, Broken Water is playing and Happy Noose is playing. Hey, that's me!

JENNI PRANGE-BORAN Features Writer
Trying, trying, trying to catch up on Oscar-nominated movies. Look for me at The Grand!

NIC LEONARD Music Writer
Friday night I will be tossing pizzas at I.talia Pizzeria on the westside of Olympia. Afterward, I plan to relax and watch the movie Flight. Saturday, I will be spending a good portion of the day hitting up various Goodwill and Value Villages around the South Sound area followed by a relaxing evening at home with a bottle of whiskey.

ROCKFORD ROWLEY All-Ages Music Columnist
This weekend I will be leaving my beloved city of destiny for another destination: San Francisco. I am traveling there to see one of my favorite bands, The Vaccines, play at The Fillmore. I'm also looking forward to taking in the SF culture, and visiting some places I've never been to before. And of course, I'll be sure to wear some flowers in my hair.

LINK: Even more local events that we recommend

LINK: Comprehensive South Sound Arts & Entertainment Calendar

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

THURSDAY, FEB. 7 2013 >>>

1. The 11th annual Sister Cities Film Festival is more than a film festival. It's a cultural exploration of Tacoma's sister cities, of which there are 11 located all around the world. Each Thursday, a film from a sister city lights up the screen of Blue Mouse Theatre - complemented by bonus activities and entertainment. Each week also has its own committee responsible for said entertainment and film selection. The festival kicks off with Tacoma's oldest sister - Kitakyushu, Japan - at 6:15 p.m. featuring the Stadium High School Taiko Drumming group, a Japanese Garden at Point Defiance update and the Japanese film, What the Snow Brings.

2. Why drink alone when you can get your drink on with cool cats who care about environmental issues? On the first Thursday of each month, Green Drinks invites Tacoma and Pierce County residents to do just that - hang out and chat with other green-minded individuals over drinks and snacks. The next session of Green Drinks - which will be held at 6 p.m. inside The Office Bar at Grill - will focus on downtown Tacoma's pacific Avenue Streetscape Project ... and drinks, of course. Read Kristin Kendle's interview with the project's consulting firm here.

3. Urban homesteading, backyard farming — call it what you will, the movement for self sufficiency and sustainable living is booming. In South Sound neighborhoods it seems more and more houses sport a chicken coop or custom greenhouse. Soon, the most dedicated local homesteaders may be able to join ranks of urban farming trailblazers elsewhere who are exploring a new way of bringing the farm to the city: raising goats. Seattle author Jennie Grant will discuss urban farming trends, as well as her book, City Goats: The Goat Justice League’s Guide to Backyard Goat Keeping, at 7 p.m. inside King's Books.

4. Every 15 years or so, the American musical veers in a new and unpredictable direction. When it works, it inspires a wave of imitators. Phantom and Les Miz spawned a decade of bombast. Rent added urban flava and moved gay life and issues to the forefront. Weekly Volcano theater critic Christian Carvajal believes Next to Normal, which debuted on Broadway less than four years ago, is the model for the next wave. Catch the show at 7:30 p.m. inside the Capital Playhouse. Read Carvajal's full review of Next to Normal in the Weekly Volcano's Arts section.

5. There's a certain familiar moment when you're hanging out with very close friends, being giddy and silly, and there's a way that you make each other laugh that's so specific and so unique that it's hard to recreate anywhere else. For sure, it's hard to recreate in the setting of a comedy club. A professional comedian is designed to make you laugh, but that certain type of laugh is so particular that it's almost banned from comedy clubs. Todd Glass can make you laugh like an audience member might but he can also touch you in the way that a close childhood friend can hit your buttons. In a way, um, he's magical. Glass begins a three-night run at the Tacoma Comedy Club at 8 p.m. tonight. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's interview with Todd Glass in the Weekly Volcano's Bars & Clubs section.

LINK: Thursday, Feb. 7 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

TACOMA READS TOGETHER 2013 >>>

Tacomans looking to join a book club but can't find others who are interested need look no further than their own Tacoma Public Library. I was reminded of this fact searching for the Super Bowl with the remote. Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland's face popped up on the television. Mayor Strickland and Head Bookworm Erik Hanberg were lounging in TV Tacoma's Cityline chairs while host Amanda Westbrooke explored their reading habits. Westbrooke finally eased the audience's tension allowing the annoucement of R.J. Palacio's Wonder as the 2013 Tacoma Reads Together book - the 12thbook since Tacoma educator Patrick Erwin spearheaded the program in 2001 as a way to bring the community together after 9/11.

Hanberg, appointed chair of Tacoma Reads Together in 2010, approached Mayor Strickland with Willow as the book his committee recommended as this year's community reading initiative. The New York Times best seller prompts readers, young and older, to think about how they treat others. Hanberg explained to the Cityline audience the book recounts a year in the life of 10-year-old August, as he grapples with a huge change in his life: he's entering public school for the first time. But Auggie has one thing that other kids don't have: a severely deformed face. Mayor Strickland, who has the final say, gave the thumbs up. In fact, so did Westbrooke, who shared with the audience she home-schooled her child.

With the plethora of books depicting kids as brutal survivors, Wonder celebrates choosing kindness, which is refreshing.

Moderated book discussions and other events will be scheduled around Wonder, including an a free book talk and signing by author R.J. Palacio at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 6 at the Tacoma Public Library Main Branch in downtown Tacoma. Keep an eye on the Tacoma Reads Together website for updates.

Tacoma Reads Together history

2012 - Shoeless Joe by W. P. Kinsella

2011 - The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind by William Kamkwamba

2010 - The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

2009 - Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver

2008 - The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

2007 - The Pact by Drs. Sampson Davis, George Jenkins and Rameck Hunt

2006 - The Crucible, a play by Arthur Miller

2005 - Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley

2004 - How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents by Julia Alvarez

2003 - Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

2002 - To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

LINK: Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland's 2013 State of the City address

LINK: Erik Hanberg writes books

TUESDAY, JAN. 29 2013 >>>

1. At its core, Chinese Take-Away is a familiar story - lonely people forced into a situation forge connections and reignite their suppressed humanity. The Argentine film riffs off of a character sketch of Roberto, an oddball hardware store-owning loner in Buenos Aires who encounters a hopelessly lost Chinese migrant while he's out planespotting. Throw in a language barrier, allusions to the Falklands War, and one death by falling cow, and off we go. Chinese Take-Away is part of The Grand Cinema's Tuesday Film Series, screening at 2:25 and 8:15 p.m.

2. The best bars are named after ex-wives. Or defunct rock bands. Or candy. Yep, candy. That's why we knew The Red Hot in Tacoma was destined to be a classic. How could a place known for its beer and hot dog selection not bring the noise? Especially on Tuesday's, when The Red Hot serves $3 pints all damn day. Yes, sir, The Red Hot is up there for sweetest joint in the area. That is until the Skittles moves into town.

3. Not much can be said about 1022 South that hasn't already been said. Everyone has sung the bar's praises. We mean, even a writer from New York called 1022, "home to some of the most fascinating apothecary cocktail work on the West Coast." And we agree. The cocktails are really, really good — and discounted from 4-8 p.m.

4. At 7 p.m. inside the Tacoma Public Library's Main Branch you can hear the titilating semi-fictional account of one mountaineer's epic journey to the summit of North America's tallest peak - 20,320-foot Mt. McKinley, aka, Denali. That man is 55-year-old Nick O'Connell, a Seattle native whose harrowing account detailed in his new novel, The Storms of Denali. The book, while technically fictional, brings in elements from O'Connell's personal life and the experiences of his peers in the climbing world.

5. Guitarist Randy Linder brings his Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute show to The Red Wind Casino at 6:30 p.m.

LINK: Tuesday, Jan. 29 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area