SATURDAY, NOV. 23 2013 >>>

1. Franciscan Polar Plaza is on its third year of setting up an ice-skating rink decked out in wintery goodness at Tollefson Plaza, just across from Tacoma Art Museum. Similar to last year, the Weekly Volcano will host live bands at Polar Plaza every Saturday from 7-9 p.m. Bands will perform on what we like to call the Electric Salchow Stage. Yes, it's named after a figure skating jump Brian Boitano might perform to the music of Five for Fighting on the Today show. We can name it whatever we want. Anyhoo, the Kareem Kandi Band will provide an awesome soundtrack of jazz standards, funky beats and a few holiday tunes for butterfly jumps, cherry-flips, layback spins - but mostly moves such as the unstable skating, the fall, the skid and the mixed-gender collision.

2. Hundreds of soupniks with big hearts will make the trek to Charles Wright Academy from 1-3:30 p.m. for one of the year's most heartwarming events: Empty Bowls, a Emergency Food Network fundraising event combining art, community, giving and tasty soups. Local and regional artisans will donate more than 1,400 one-of-a-kind bowls made from hand-tooled carved wood, colorful glass and hand-thrown clay. Bowls begin at $10. They make awesome gifts. Once selections are made and paid for, with all proceeds going to EFN, attendees make their way to eat free soup, donated by Pacific Grill, The Swiss, Adriatic Grill, Infinite Soups, AmeRAWcan Bistro, The French Hen, The Hub, Masa, Alina Soups and Chambers Bay. Warning: a line forms an hour before the doors open.

3. Doing its part to keep Tacoma's Thanksgiving celebrants from choking on family-friendly pabulum, the Tacoma Mob Riders will own the street again Saturday, this month disguising its bicycle booze cruise as a giant turkey. You might have seen one of the Mob's past rides through the streets of Tacoma, dressed as leprechauns, Easter bunnies, ghosts, moms, trees - what ever the nearest holiday called for - kicking the kickstand for a quick drink - bar after bar. Saturday's ride has been given the title "Turkicanus Bicyclette," which will launch at 7 p.m. at 2nd Cycle on Hilltop Tacoma. Gobble, gobble, wobble.

4. Rapper Mickey Avalon isn't the first musician to champion the motto, "Live fast, die young & look good in your grave" (as is printed proudly at the very top of Avalon's website). He's probably not even the most recent. But chances are Avalon is the only member of the esteemed, previously described crowd of self-destructive entertainers scheduled to play Jazzbones at 8 p.m. Reportedly a member of the Los Angeles-based graffiti crew CBS (Can't Be Stopped / City Bomb Squad), a one-time heroin addict and male prostitute, and a collaborator with former MTV VJ Simon Rex, it seems Avalon has experienced no shortage of excitement, drama, close calls and failures during his journey. These days he's experiencing a few of the positives life has to offer, most applicable to this space success within the world of music. A former member of rap group Dyslexic Speedreaders, and with a penchant for penning lyrics about the grittier side of life, Avalon's T-town gig should go off like gangbusters.

5. McCoy's Tavern will host one helluva party beginning at 9 p.m. The stars of the night, buttrockers Hellbelly (think a more melodic Helmet), will release their much-awaited CD release, Life of the Party, on Olympia's Vital Records. The Hardway and Full Moon Radio will be in the house, too.

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Saturday, Nov. 23 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

FRIDAY, NOV. 22 2013 >>>

1. Franciscan Polar Plaza ice rink opens at 4 p.m. The Polar Plaza is on its third year of setting up an ice-skating rink decked out in wintery goodness at Tollefson Plaza, just across from Tacoma Art Museum. With two fabulous years behind them, the Plaza folks put their heads together and found a few key ways to make this ritzy rink even better for 2013. What's New in 2013? Click here and discover the magic.

2. Hungry for holiday cooking inspiration and ideas? Hungry for real? Food lovers, there's a terrific 24-hour market in Tacoma's Proctor District offering great food samples, food advice, and so much more during the make or break week before the Thanksgiving holiday cook-off madness. From 3-6 p.m., Zola coffee and Somerdale Cheese nibbles are at Metropolitan Market.

3. It's been 10 years since Avenue Q, the racy Sesame Street parody for adults, garnered a raft of awards on Broadway, including the Tony for Best Musical. It uses hand puppets to represent 20-something New Yorkers dealing with the ennui of post-collegiate life. My friends, you are not precious daisies, and the landlord demands his rent no matter how hard you try at your failing artisanal muffin shop. Ain't existence crappy? Perhaps you can relate. So if song titles like "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist," "The Internet Is for Porn," and "What Do You Do with a B.A. in English?" sound intriguing, rest assured they brighten the mood of a deeply funny show, which begins at 7 p.m. inside the Fort Steilacoom Theater at Pierce College.

4. Though they have a song that's explicitly called "Surf Rock Band," it would be a mistake to call them one. A Happy Death plant their feet firmly in the court of garage-pop madness, seemingly content to thrash away in blissfully psychedelic, noisy bliss, while never crossing the threshold into noise-rock or brain-melting chaos. Mostly, reverb is utilized to create a haze of '60s revivalism, though it finds itself imbued with a sweetness frequently found in the hordes of garage nostalgists. Catch the Portland band at 8 p.m. with Thunders of Wrath and Our Burgundy at O'Malley's Irish Pub in Tacoma. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on A Happy Death in the Music and Culture section.

5. Mirrorgloss is a very new band, having only played a handful of shows thus far. Even still, their sound is so clearly drawn out and natural, so well-defined and - the best part - relatively novel for Tacoma. With the exception of a couple bands, like Death by Stars, there isn't much in the way of electro-rock to be found in these parts. Made up of singers Del Brown and Najamoniq Todd, guitarist Danny Kenny and drummer Bryan Robertson, Mirrorgloss is a dance-rock band in the vein of LCD Soundsystem. The band joins the Pecos and I Like Science at 8 p.m. in Medi's Pizza on Tacoma's Sixth Avenue.

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

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

THURSDAY, NOV. 21 2013 >>>

1. Antje Duvekot silky voice wraps around her songs like a nice hemp sandal. One song breaks out and tackles grittier social matters with razor sharp insights. The next song, her pitch perfect, sweet, delicate and poignant soprano voice waxes personal. Then, she'll sing a dark-eyed ballad about what becomes of people who fall short of the American Dream in uncomfortable detail. She is as understated as she is wise and her songs go down mentally as well as soulfully. Her voice has a sound of innocence and naivety, which makes razor sharp insights into the human condition. Catch the Boston folk darling at 8 p.m. in Morso Wine Bar in Gig Harbor.

2. Your smokin' local ticket to great art, cool venues, celebrity tour guides, shopping, delicious nibbles, special treats, games, raffles, and fun, fun, fun is just two words: Art Bus! Hop aboard this premier Tacoma art tour at 6 p.m. in front of the Tacoma Art Museum and explore the city, enjoy games, great giveaways and so much more with a wickedly wonderful local twist. Tonight, the Art Bus gives back to the community by donating non-perishable food items to help the hungry (those who donate get a VIP raffle ticket to say thanks).

3. The University of Puget Sound's Art + Science Salon series returns to the Tacoma Art Museum for a conversation about the intersection of science, literature and the printed medium at 6 p.m.

4. The last CONVERSATIONS RE: TACOMA urban design lecture series will center on the arts and its influence on the livelihood of a community, such as Tacoma, at 6:30 p.m. in the museum of Glass. The after party will be at The Social Bar and Grill where the topic will be how cocktails affect an arts discussion.

5. And just when you were about to reach karmic exhaustion and flip on South Park, the anthology Sarasvati Takes Pegasus as Her Mount - featuring poems by Peggy Barnett, Glenna Cook, Maria Gudaitis, Marjorie Rommel, Josie Emmons Turner, Connie Walle and 11 other women poets  - is released, with a 7 p.m. celebration at King's Books. And the calm flows into your skin like the cool rays of the morning sun.

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

SATURDAY, NOV. 16 2013 >>>

1. Erin Guinup knows her way around a concert stage. After earning her degree in vocal performance and music education from the University of Puget Sound, she went on to perform some of the best-loved roles in musical theater. She's directed, taught, conducted and acted her way around the entire region, performing for companies as diverse as Tacoma Opera and Shakespeare in the Parking Lot. Now she's returning to her alma mater for a one-night-only revue, which features female composers and lyricists of the last hundred years, from operetta to present-day Broadway. Catch The Ladies of Lyric and Song at 7:30 p.m. in the Schneebeck Concert Hall on the University of Puget Sound campus.

2. Tacoma's Arts Leadership Lab is hosting a full-day arts conference from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the University of Puget Sound. Sessions and forums cover topics such as arts education, funding, online engagement, public art, creative small businesses, and arts careers. The day will conclude with a rapid-fire presentation and panel discussion focused on the way space helps define arts programming.

3. Beginning at 11 a.m. at the Tacoma Urban League, the Tacoma Chapter of The Zulu Nation, aka Z53 Zulu, is celebrating National Hip-Hop Month by hosting Food For Thought, an event centered on collecting warm coats and jackets for those in need during this chilly season, as well as offer information about regaining one's right to vote and getting one's record expunged if her or she have gone wayward of the laws. There will be a screening of Hidden Colors 2, the sequel to the first "controversial" film that examines race from an Afrocentric perspective. Oh yeah, there will be food for everyone - and it's all free.

4. It takes cajones to be a good storyteller! You have to impress a crowd with no props, no fancy lighting and no CGI-crafted battle scenes! Each year around the world, "Tellabration!" is celebrated to honor these brave souls and their fans! In its purest form, Tellabration! binds people together in the most wonderful way: with stories and exclamation points, told in all languages and drawn from all manner of cultures - a way of detaching yourself from the video games and gnat-sized attention spans! Since stories were invented the Mt. Tahoma Storytelling Guild has hosted the national celebration at Antique Sandwich Company! It's on again at 7:30 p.m.! Hurrah!

5. Perhaps Aan's best quality is that they hit you with big impressions right off the bat. The Portland band's song "Mystery Life" bursts out of the gates with such impact that it's hard not to take notice. That the song never, ever lets up, is positively intoxicating. Pounding drums and churning guitars explode from the word "go," but what is most affecting is the lead vocal from Bud Wilson. Though his voice initially sounds like a straining yelp, what eventually becomes clear is that you haven't yet heard the boundary-pushing energy that he has to offer. Their press kit compares Wilson's voice to Jeff Buckley's and, while it lacks the pure beauty of Buckley's, it does possess that rough elasticity. Aan performs with Gothic Tropic and others at 8 p.m. in Northern. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Aan in the Music and Culture section.

LINK: Saturday, Nov. 16 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

THURSDAY, NOV. 14 2013 >>>

1. In honor of National Pickle Day today, Lynnae Schneller of Lynnae's Gourmet Pickles will place nine jars of pickles in Tacoma businesses and on historic Tacoma monuments for fans to locate and win up to $1,000 in cash and prizes. Tacoma's Mayor Marilyn Strickland will announce the first clue for the location of the first jar of pickles via her Facebook page at 9 a.m. followed by clues posted hourly until 5 p.m. on the Lynnae's Gourmet Pickles Facebook page. For more information visit www.lynnaesgourmetpickles.com.

2. At the risk of sounding curmudgeonly, we believe that cell-phone use is a prime contributor to the breakdown of civility in society, but using the dastardly devices while driving a car is simply stupid, illegal and deadly. Bates Technical College agrees. The school has teamed with UNITE International's Arrive Alive Tour to educate the public about dangers associated with texting and driving. From 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. the Arrive Alive Tour will bring a distracted-driving simulator to the college's South Campus auto body program. Ah for cryin' out loud, you're texting a link to this story on your iPhone while you sip coffee and weave through morning traffic on Interstate 5 using your knees - JUST STOP IT.

3. The Greater Tacoma Community Foundation's "Foundation of Art Award" has been recognized as one the most notable art awards in the South Sound region. To celebrate the sixth anniversary of the Award, the Foundation is hosting an exhibit featuring the 12 talented artists that were nominated in 2013 through Jan. 10 at Fulcrum Gallery. The exhibit will also unveil the commissioned artwork created by the 2013 winning artist, Shaun Peterson. An artist reception for  Sean Alexander, Beautiful Angle, Laurie Cinotto, Scott Haydon, Ellen Ito, Chris Jordan, Nicholas Nyland, Chandler O'Leary, Shaun Peterson, Juliette Ricci, Holly Senn, Kenji Stoll and Britton Sukys will be held from 6-9 p.m. at the gallery.

4. Washington state is a hotbed of first-rank poets says Kathleen Flenniken, Washington State Poet Laureate. Flenniken will be at the Olympia Timberland Library from 7:30-9 p.m. to prove it. Joining her will be local poet and playwright Barbara Gibson, as well as students Savannah Berrington from Capital High School; Hope Dorris and McKenzie Murray from Olympia High School; and Maggie Neatherlin, Everett Werner and Tom Clewes from Nova Middle School, who will also read their work.

5. Every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Kim Archer performs old-school soul and funk, sultry blues and strong original tunes at the 502 Downtown in downtown Tacoma.

LINK: Thursday, Nov. 14 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

TUESDAY, NOV. 5 2013 >>>

1. Chambers Bay Grill Chef Josh Corcoran and his team offer a Junior Top Chef cooking class series for South Sound youth from 6-8 p.m. through Dec. 3. The series will cover basic kitchen etiquette right up to creating world-class desserts. As a final exam, the young chefs will prepare a formal dinner for special guests. Who knows? Maybe the next Anthony Bourdain will emerge from this class. Our money is on the trash talkin' kid.

2. Standing at a paltry 2.49 vertical miles compared to Mount Everest's 5.49, K2 compensates for its height disadvantage by actively trying to slaughter anyone who sets foot on it. The only reason K2 isn't skulking around a summer camp chopping up teenagers is because there isn't a goalie mask big enough to fit it. Freddy Krueger has nightmares about K2. The bone-chilling documentary The Summit attempts to piece together the events surrounding the worst tragedy in K2's infamous legacy; the series of accidents collectively known as the "2008 K2 Disaster." Catch the film at 2:40 at The Grand Cinema.

3. Learn more about Tacoma's historic 1908 Armory and the owner's vision for the adaptive re-use when Historic Tacoma hosts developers, architects and artists from 6-8 p.m. in the Armory's Main Drill Hall at 715 S. 11th St. in Tacoma. Interact with artists who'll have their work on display, discuss ideas for the building's future, and learn about Historic Tacoma during their annual meeting and reception.

4. Folksy, folk-writing folk hero John Denver - born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. - died Oct. 12, 1997, when the experimental plane he was flying crashed into Monterey Bay off the coast of California. Tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the Red Wind Casino fans both casual (which way to the slots?) and rabid (dude, "Rocky Mountain High"!) will cheer on Ted Vigil - born Ted Vigil - as he pays tribute to Denver - both visually and musically.

5. Energetic, melodic rock, with a powerful undertow and a strong message can best describe the sound produced by Queensland rock outfit Kizmet. The band have been touring and composing music together since the year 2000 and pops in for a 9 p.m. show with IBQT and GarlicMan & Chikn in Le Voyeur in downtown Olympia.

LINK: Tuesday, Nov. 5 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

MONDAY, NOV. 4 2013 >>>

1. Thanks to the ingenious marketing minds behind fine retail establishments everywhere, the holiday season has now commenced. But while many lament the loss of, say, fall, others look at the bright side: a longer holiday season means more time to chug eggnog and nosh on matzo balls, and even more excuses to go out on random weeknights, such as a Monday. With Tacoma School of the Arts moving into the second floor, and the addition of commercial and retail businesses, restaurants and pop-up boutiques and galleries, the conversion of the old downtown Tacoma post office into an urban village has sparked its surrounding businesses to unite as the Old Post Office District. Today, the merchants of the downtown Tacoma district will unveil holiday collections such as gift ideas, holiday décor and cheer.

2. Jim Oliver is a fine art photographer, known for capturing natural and urban landscapes in a variety of photographic styles. His work has been in more than 50 exhibitions since 2007. His latest solo show - a photographic survey of the experience of Solitude with the counterpoint of Blues - opens today at the Tahoma Center Gallery. Take a gander from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

3. The Bears take on the Packers tonight for Monday Night Football. OK, that's fine and dandy. Rock The Dock Pub and Grill hosts a MNF party with food and drink specials, progressive free football board, door prizes, and a chance to wine two tickets to the Colorado/UW game at Husky Stadium Nov. 9. Now we're talking.

4. The University of Puget Sound's Living Art Series hits the road with an artist discussion at 7 p.m. in King's Books. The conversation will be led by Mita Mahato, associate professor of English at University of Puget Sound. Mahato makes comic books using collage and is working on a longer narrative about end-of-life care and its subsequent grief and pain. On one side of Mahato will be Scott Kolbo, associate professor of art at Seattle Pacific University, who creates drawings, prints, and video projections that feature reoccurring characters and fragmentary narratives. On the other side will be Randy Bolton, a printmaker, who teaches at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan.

5. It's Monday, which means The New Frontier Lounge's jazz jam will explore straight ahead, funk and space beginning at 8 p.m.

LINK: Monday, Nov. 4 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, NOV. 3 2013 >>>

1. The 2014 International Blues Challenge will consume Memphis's famed Beale Street beginning Jan. 21. More than 150 acts will fill 16 venues through the following Saturday with the finals in the beautiful Orpheum Theater. The number of competing acts in the competition has more than doubled in the past five years, from 69 acts in 2003 to 125 bands and 80 solo/duo acts from 34 states and eight countries last year, including entries from Finland and India as well as Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Taiwan and the United States. If you haven't heard Finnish blues, you ain't heard nothin'. And the guys from Tacoma are no slouches either. That's right, The Randy Oxford Band (band) and pianist Arthur Migliazza (solo/duo) will rep the South Sound, after they won the harts of the crowd and judges over several competitions held earlier this year, thanks to the South Sound Blues Association. The SSBA hosts its second Back to Beale Street Blues 2014 Fundraiser Concert today to help pay costs and to provide the South Sound with one hell of a blue concert.The following will blast Jazzbones with awesome blues from 4-10 p.m., in order: Michelle Taylor and the Blues Junkies, Nolan Garrett, Blues Redemption, Maia Santell and her All Star Blend, Arthur Migliazza and the Randy Oxford Band.

2. Celebrating Day of the Dead in grand community style, the Tacoma Art Museum caps a month of events with a free community celebration today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Museum. Held in conjunction with Centro Latino and Proyecto Molé, the festival celebrates Dia de los Muertos with traditional music and dance, art activities, sugar skull decoration, and displays of art that include a traditional Tapete, or sand painting, and community altars honoring passed loved ones, as well as student artwork demonstrations. This family friendly event, the ninth in so many years, brings together cultural iconography with activities that bring to light how a grim subject can be celebrated - and enjoyed - by all ages, inviting conversation about loss, remembrance, and the rich fabric of diversity.

3. The Chihuly Weekend Experience continues from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Museum of Glass. Stop by and watch Dale Chihuly and his team create pieces inspired by the "Irish Cylinders" - originally created in 1975 - with artist Seaver Leslie and glass artist Flora C. Mace in the cone.

4. The 12th annual Tacoma Studio Tour wraps up today from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Some of Tacoma's better artists open their studios up to the public. If yesterday's tour is any indication, expect a lot of demonstrations today. With 39 participating artists or art groups, you will not be able to visit them all, so study the guide to decide which studios you want to visit. If you're looking for recommendations, click here to see the five artists whose studios Weekly Volcano art critic Alec Clayton would like to visit. If you're looking to kick back and have someone else do the driving, hope on the Art Bus.

5. Dirty rhymes, sexy times, shit-talkin', costume-wearing, debauchery and brilliant parodies have led many to cite Blowfly as the father of rap. Since the early '70s Blowfly has made more than 40 albums, some clean, under his birth name Clarence Reid, and most dirty, with titles like "Funk You" and "'Electronic Pussy Sucker." Now, Blowfly is on tour promoting his new album, Black in the Sack, and will hit up The Brotherhood Lounge in Olympia at 9 p.m. with local rawkers Mosquito Hawk, who have their own special blend of sexy songs and space travel.

LINK: Sunday, Nov. 3 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

FRIDAY, NOV. 1 2013 >>>

1. New Directions is an award-winning a capella group made up of veterans who have gone through the New Directions program as well as spouses and family members of vets. Members have recovered from and triumphed over mental illness, alcoholism, homelessness and other challenges. The choir sing with a message of help and hope - if they can overcome, so can you. The New Directions Veterans Choir performs at 7:30 p.m. at Tacoma's Theatre on the Square. Read Kristin Kendle's full feature on the choir here.

2. November is Art at Work Month in Tacoma. It's not only a showcase of the best, brightest and most unique on the local art scene, but also a time that makes art accessible to everyone. Like last year, you can find out what's on when via ArtAtWorkTacoma.com, which replaced the printed booklet of yore. Fret not, for the website is even better than last year's and has a growing list of things to do. Also, find out what happens when Grace Kelly and Katniss Everdeen find themselves transported from their films and into Art at Work Month.

3. Last night you cowered behind darkened doors, hoping the pint-size ghosts and goblins didn't invade when they discovered you were keeping the candy for yourself. Time for a change of tradition. This year, introduce mini-monsters to the Mexican practice of Dia de Los Muertos (The Day of the Dead). Descending from an ancient Aztec ritual, the festivities honor departed family members while celebrating the continuing cycle of life. Kiddies (and the young at heart) will dig the Sixth Avenue Business District's Day of the Dead procession, a night of parades, altar ceremonies, music, words and a party. It begins at 5:30 p.m. in front of 6th Ave Photography. Don't be caught dead missing it.

4. Les Rhinoceros make experimental music that vacillates from the understatedly regal ("Seepy Seepy") to defiantly abrasive ("Brea Spiders") and everything in between. Incorporating elements of noise-rock, world music, progressive rock, and ambient electronica, Les Rhinoceros make for a difficult band to pin down. From song to song, or even moment to moment, this is a band that seems utterly determined to take the listener on a journey of surprise after surprise. Catch the band with No Body at 7 p.m. for an all-ages show at Le Voyeur in downtown Olympia.

5. Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright Sarah Ruhltransforms the reputation of the vibrator from Seattle Fringe Festival prop to serious theatrical subject matter in In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play) at 7:30 p.m. in the Norton Clapp Theatre at the University of Puget Sound. With pre-show hype claiming it's "a story of repressed sexuality and physical exploration with equal doses of humor and emotion," In the Next Room revolves around the prim Victorian medical practice and home life of Victorian-era gyno Dr. Givings and his wife, Catherine. They just had their first child, but they are forced to hire a wet nurse, bringing the bereaved Elizabeth into their lives. As Catherine gossips with Elizabeth, and meets more and more of her husband's patients, she learns about the mysterious, new therapy.

LINK: Friday, Nov. 1 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

NANOWRIMO WRITE IN, NOV. 2

In my four years working for the Weekly Volcano, I'd say I've averaged roughly 1,000 written words per week, which adds up to 4,000 a month. Not too bad. But, in the month of November, a few hundred thousand people will be putting me to shame as they each churn out at least 50,000 words as part of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).

Beginning Nov. 1, participants in NaNoWriMo will have 30 days to start and complete their novel. Once they've finished, they will turn them in to nanowrimo.org for verification and receive a certification of their accomplishment in return.

Why do something like this? I dunno. Personally, the very idea of it sends homework anxiety shivers down my spine. But, if you've had this idea in the back of your head that would make for a good short novel, but you've never had the gumption to just go ahead and do it already, NaNoWriMo is the perfect excuse to take a month and force yourself to make some art. There's nothing like having a deadline to wring all that creative juice out of your head - warts and all.

To commemorate the beginning of National Novel Writing Month, King's Books will be holding a "Write In" - a sort of meet-up and support group for NaNoWriMo participants to get together and vent and plan the rest of their novel-writing flurry. Creativity doesn't grow in a vacuum, so it doesn't hurt to meet other people who are working for the same goal.

NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH MEET-UP, 3-7 p.m., King's Books, 218 St. Helens Ave, Tacoma, no cover, 253.272.8801

JET CITY COMIC SHOW, NOV. 2

Jet City Comic Show's (JCCS) origin story finds it rising up to humbly take its place as Tacoma's premier comic book convention, amid a wasteland of out-of-town events. JCCS fills a void in Tacoma, creating a place for disenfranchised Tacoma nerds to gather in safety, free to browse every rare reissue and alternate timeline experiment and up-and-coming graphic novel auteur. The amount of talent and creative freedom on display at a comic book convention such as Jet City Comic Show is staggering, and well worth the time for even the casual comic enthusiast.

Of most interest to serious comic fans is the programming on tap for JCCS, including an intriguing talk from GeekGirlCon's Jennifer K. Stuller on the mythology of women in comics, and a Q&A featuring Neal Stephenson and Mark Teppo of the epic Foreworld Saga.

Mainly, though, this is an opportunity to take in all of the brilliant work on offer and to add more items to your no doubt exhaustive collection - or to make the first entry into your inevitably expansive library. Either way, Jet City Comic Show is a great way to meet new artists, with like-minded people, and get your geek on in fully regal costume. Any way you wish to nerd.

JET CITY COMIC SHOW, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center, 1500 Broadway, Tacoma, $8, jetcitycomicshow.com

ALERT!: The official Jet City Comic show Drink-N-Draw returns on the night before the show at the Harmon Brewery & Eatery in Tacoma