This is another one of those magic weeks when I wish I could be in several places at once. Here’s why:
Mollie Katzen
The Book Larder, Thurs. 9/26 at 6:30 p.m. (book purchase required)
Bastyr University, Fri. 9/27 at 7 p.m. FREE
District Farmer’s Market, Sat. 9/28, 10 a.m. to noon, FREE
The renowned cookbook author and illustrator (most famous for The Moosewood Cookbook) will be the guest of honor at a host of events this weekend: a cookbook signing and talk at The Book Larder on Thursday night, a talk at Bastyr University on Friday evening, and a free demo and book signing at the U District Farmer’s Market on Saturday. Credited with bringing vegetarian cooking in from the fringe, Katzen is a whiz with veggies of all kinds. She also taught me to make perfect popovers, and the secret of adding cream cheese to tomato soup. Her newest (and 12th!) cookbook, The Heart of the Plate: Vegetarian Recipes for a New Generation, will be her focus this week, but The Vegetable Dishes I Can’t Live Without remains my favorite.
Mollie Katzen in (where else?) her garden. Credit: molliekatzen.com
Peter Bagge (with Cienna Madrid)
Town Hall, Thurs. 9/26 at 7:30 p.m., $5
A graphic novel biography of Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger? This seems so Seattle, so 2013 and so fantastically ingenious. Seattle graphic artist Peter Bagge will be at Town Hall to talk about Sanger’s activism and the book’s evolution, complete with original sample pages from Woman Rebel: The Margaret Sanger story. Afterward, he’ll talk with Stranger writer Cienna Madrid before signing copies of the book (which, if you don’t need, surely someone in your life does).
Diane Ravitch
UW Kane Hall, Thurs. 9/26 at 7 p.m., FREE
Author and all-around history of American education expert Diane Ravitch comes to town. I remember just a few short years ago when she was on The Daily Show discussing her book The Death and Life of the Great American School System. Now she’s taking aim at charter schools with Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools. The ever provocative Ravitch, whose work spans four decades, is unparalleled in her ability to dissect the short-term effects of ed movements such as testing and privatization.
SketchFest Local Showcase Prefunc
Thurs., 9/26 at 8 p.m., Eclectic Theatre, $15
SketchFest continues. You have until Saturday to take in some great sketch comedy from the Northwest and beyond. While the headliners hit the stage on Friday and Saturday night, local groups Broad Comedy, Philip Schallberger, Jason and Spike, and Princess (starring my friend Taylor) will be amusing the crowds on Thursday. Whatever your familiarity with sketch comedy (think SNL), now’s a great time to discover the local comedy scene.
Free Upcycle Event
Miller Community Center, Sat. 9/28 from 11-6, Sun. 9/29 from 10-1, FREE
Whether you are someone with things to get rid of, or like me, always looking for things to hoard, ahem, thoughtfully and purposefully COLLECT, this is a fun time. Local architecture and design firms (among many others) donate their color swatches, paint chips, tile samples, etc. for the creative public to paw through. These goods are awesome for your own projects, and even awesomer if you work with kids. Admission is free but try to reserve tickets in advance (at least 12 hours before) here.
Wallrus Mini Screening
Cal Anderson Park, the wall near cone fountain and the intersection of 10th and Denny, Sat. 9/28 at dusk (~9 p.m.), FREE
This screening, part of the Local Sightings Film Festival 2013 taking place all weekend at the Northwest Film Forum, is among the most unorthodox. Local filmmaker Britta Johnson is kicking off a six-month project, which will be taking place on the Seattle Experimental Animation Team’s portion of the red wall near the unending light rail construction. Tonight, she’ll showcase all the animation already made at the wall site.
Stranger Genius Awards
Moore Theatre, Sat. 9/28 at 8 p.m., $10
Fifteen nominees in five categories (Music, Visual Art, Film, Literature, Theater) will learn — along with the rest of us — who goes home with the Stranger’s 11th annual Genius Award. Past geniuses include Ellen Forney, Lynn Shelton, Sherman Alexie, and Grady West (aka Dina Martina). The Seattle Rock Orchestra will provide the score and some Madonna tunes afterward, and to top it off, the $10 tickets include a cocktail.
Eric Schlosser
Central Library, Tues. 10/1 at 7 p.m.
NYT journalist and Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser will be at SPL to read from another lighthearted book: Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety. The content is, of course, ever-relevant and Schlosser’s style is not only approachable but gripping. The New Yorker said it all: “It’s how nonfiction should be written.”
What are you doing this weekend? Let us know in the comments area below. And if you hear of any interesting – under $15 - events in or around our grand city, please email editor@crosscut.com.
