Friday, April 22
Solidarity v. Cooptation: Black Lives Matter and White Folks
6 p.m., University Church Chicago, 5655 South University Avenue. Free, refreshments provided.
Leaders of the local Black Lives Matter movement will discuss how white community members can properly support the movement and be considerate allies.
The Perfect Woman: A Video Blog Play
9 p.m., Logan Center, Room 501
This play, written by and starring fourth-year Elisabeth Del Toro as part of University Theater’s New Work Week, centers on a young actress trying to write the ideal female character in a musical. The play is in the format of a series of video blogs, which will be released online after the show. $5 at the door, or $10 for a New Work Week festival pass.
Community Yoga with Chaturanga Seeds
9:30–10:30 a.m., Arts Incubator, 301 East Garfield Boulevard
A free beginner yoga class with both standing and seated poses. All necessary objects will be provided.
12–1:20 p.m., Cochrane-Woods Art Center, 5540 South Greenwood Avenue
An art history workshop about Brazilian art from its colonial period led by renowned professor Pablo Knauss, from the Universidade Federal Fluminense, and featuring David Recksieck, a Ph.D. candidate in art history. All papers are pre-circulated through the workshop e-mail list. Contact Luke Fidler for more information at lfidler@uchicago.edu.
7–9 p.m., Zen Garden (outside of Spiritual Life), 1212 East 59th Street
This event, sponsored by Hyde Park Pagans, is meant to honor the Beaver Moon in Scorpio. Visitors will be able to construct a beaver dam talisman. (Googling “beaver dam talisman” yields no results, so there is only one way to find out what this entails). Snacks, candles, and incense will be provided. Free.
Saturday, April 23
Poetry Reading– Jonathan Wells, Colleen Abel, Carlen Arnett, Mike Puican, and Vesna Neskow
2 p.m., Seminary Co-Op, 5751 South Woodlawn Avenue
Jonathan Wells will be reading from his latest poetry collection, The Man With Many Pens. His poems focus on the multi-faceted nature of love and song.
11 a.m.–1:30 p.m., Pick Quad (on the Main Quads)
Langar is a Sikh tradition that promotes equality between all humans. The event will feature a “service component” and then a meal at which people from all backgrounds can sit, eat, and talk in peace.
5:30–9 p.m., Chicago Theological Seminary, 1407 East 60th Street
This multimedia presentation follows the story of a rape survivor as she reclaims her body, sexuality, and self-esteem. The presentation also aims to educate the audience about sexual assault prevention.
Sunday, April 24
3–5 p.m,. Logan Center Performance Hall
The Pacifica Quartet will perform a diverse program including Mozart, Shostakovich, and Beethoven. The Pacifica Quartet is considered one of the most accomplished chamber groups of the last two decades. The quartet is in residence at the University of Chicago. Purchase tickets here: http://ticketsweb.uchicago.edu/categories/uchicago%20presents ($30, $5 for students).
Opening reception: Between the Ticks of the Watch (Max)
4–7 p.m., The Renaissance Society, Cobb Lecture Hall, 4th Floor
The opening reception for an art exhibition featuring five artists who “seek to examine the traces of how doubt can eat away at the foundation of understanding itself, which calls into question the very possibility of knowledge, or at least demanding recognition of its limitations.” The event will also feature a performance at 5 p.m. from one of the exhibit’s artists, Kevin Beasley.
3–5 p.m., 57th Street Books, 1301 East 57th Street
Hal Adams was a radical educator who worked under the assumption that even people ignored by society could contribute to the country’s intellectual life. At this event, ex-Weather Underground member Bill Ayers will host a discussion with the authors of a book of essays reflecting on his work.
Monday, April 25
12–1:30 p.m. Cobb Lecture Hall
The Secular Alliance will set up a table in front of Cobb to hang out, eat candy, and answer fun questions about atheism.
Kristin Chen: Soy Sauce for Beginners–SAMSU
6 p.m., Seminary Co-Op, 5751 South Woodlawn Avenue
Kristin Chen reads from her book, Soy Sauce for Beginners, at an event co-sponsored by the Singaporean and Malaysian Society at the University of Chicago. The book follows the story of a woman who returns home to Singapore, where her father runs a soy sauce business. She faces a conflict between familial obligations and her own ambitions.
6 p.m., 57th Street Books, 1301 East 57th Street
Russian-born French author Andrei Makine will read from two of his novels, *A Woman Loved* and *Brief Loves That Live Forever*. His works explore themes of love, freedom, and the uses of art against the backdrop of life under the Soviet regime and the eventual fall of Communism. Makine will be joined in conversation by Alison James, an associate professor of French at the University of Chicago, and the event is co-sponsored by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures and Center for East European and Russian/Eurasian Studies at the University of Chicago.
Turks and Armenians: Nationalism and Conflict in the Ottoman Empire
6–7:30 p.m., International House Assembly Hall
Justin McCarthy, professor of history and Distinguished University Scholar at the University of Louisville, will discuss his new book, Turks and Armenians: Nationalism and Conflict in the Ottoman Empire. In the book, McCarthy explores late Ottoman historiography and offers a new interpretation of the relationship between the Ottoman Empire and its Armenian minority. A Q&A and book signing will follow the event, which is co-sponsored by the Global Voices Lecture Series, the Consulate General of the Republic of Turkey in Chicago, the Turkish American Cultural Alliance, and the Seminary Co-Op Bookstore.
Poetry off the Shelf: Jana Harris – Poetry Foundation
7 p.m., Poetry Foundation, 61 West Superior Street
The Poetry Foundation presents Jana Harris, a poet whose most recent publication is entitled You Haven’t Asked About My Wedding or What I Wore: Poems of Courtship on the American Frontier. In addition to writing and publishing poetry, Harris also teaches creative writing at the University of Washington and is the editor and founder of Switched-on Gutenberg, one of the first electronic poetry journals in English.
Tuesday, April 26
Abrahamic vs. Non-Abrahamic Traditions: How to Bridge the Gap (Max)
4:30–5:30 p.m. Ida Noyes Hall, Room 034
An interfaith dialogue sponsored by the Spiritual Life Council that seeks to compare and contrast religions founded on Abrahamic origins with those that are not.
Will Howell – “Relic” – John Mark Hansen
6 p.m., Seminary Co-Op, 5751 South Woodlawn Avenue
William Howell, Sydney Stein Professor in American Politics at the University of Chicago, will discuss his new book Relic: How Our Constitution Undermines Effective Government—and Why We Need a More Powerful Presidency. In the book, Howell identifies the Constitution as the cause our ineffective government, arguing that a document designed for an agrarian economy cannot possibly address modern social problems such as healthcare and climate change. He will be joined in discussion by John Mark Hansen, Charles L. Hutchinson Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Political Science and the College.
6:30–9:30 p.m. International House Assembly Hall
This event is free and open to everyone. Attendees will have a chance to sing, dance, act, speak, or perform any other sort of talent in front of an audience. Sign-ups will begin at 6:30.
Wednesday, April 27
POWER TO THE PRESIDENT! A plan for more effective government
12:15–1:30 p.m. Institute of Politics
Professor Will Howell will discuss his book RELIC: How Our Constitution Undermines Effective Government and the inherently ineffective structure of the constitution with David Axelrod. The event is free, but attendees need to register through Eventbrite (http://www.eventbrite.com/e/power-to-the-president-a-plan-for-more-effective-government-registration-24575686540?aff=ebrowse). Lunch will be provided.
Literary Public Sphere: “After Scalia: Originalism v. The Living Constitution” – with David Strauss
6–8 p.m. Seminary Co-Op, 5751 South Woodlawn Avenue
Only three years separated the tenures of David Strauss and late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia at the University of Chicago Law School, but their stances on the crucial question of constitutional interpretation were dramatically different. Strauss advocates a living constitution; Scalia said, half-jokingly, that he preferred his constitution dead.
MEChA de UChicago presents: Jimmy Santiago Baca–Keynote Lecturer at the Social Sciences Building
6–8 p.m. Social Sciences Research Building, Room 122
“Author of the acclaimed book *A Place to Stand*, Jimmy Santiago Baca will give this year’s Latinx Heritage Series Keynote Lecture. Baca will discuss his previous literary work, his life experiences, and the Latinx identity. He will draw upon his knowledge to address the issues faced by Chicanx communities and the ways in which narrative has the power to transform and shape the future.” Featuring a lecture, Q&A session, and dinner reception.
AN EVENING WITH JOHN LEE (A.K.A. JOHN THREAT A.K.A. CORRUPT)
6:30–8:30 p.m. Center for the Study of Race, Politics & Culture, 5733 South University Avenue
Internet activist John Lee will be speaking about his history with Masters of Deception, a New York City hacker group and in the Great Hacker War of the early ’90s.
Kalapriya Center for Indian Performing Arts presents Aham Sita
7–8:30 p.m. International House Assembly Hall
A Justus Repertory production from India which blends poetry, music, dance, and theatre to tell the story of five crucial moments in the life of Sita, the metaphorical figure who is revered as the “perfect wife.” Director Gowri Ramnarayan and Choreographer Vidhya Subramanian set out in the performance to examine what makes the magic of Sita work. The dance portions provide energy and sensual elements, while the dialogues emphasize the resolute spirit of Sita. $20 for students, $35 general admission, $50 VIP.
New Voices in Nonfiction Reading by Jeff Hobbs
7–8 p.m. Logan Center, Seminar Terrace 801
Jeff Hobbs attracted national attention with his non-fiction book, The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace, which explored the double life of his college roommate, who remained tied to the brutal neighborhood of his youth while accruing conventional signs of success.
Thursday, April 28
José Orduña– “The Weight of Shadows”– M.E.Ch.A (Katie)
6 p.m., International House Coulter Lounge
José Orduña will be discussing his memoir, The Weight of Shadows, about his experience becoming a U.S. citizen in a post-9/11 world.
Bagley Wright Lecture Series on Poetry: Rachel Zucker– Poetry Foundation
7 p.m., Poetry Foundation, 61 West Superior Street
Rachel Zucker, a poet best known for her 2009 collection, A Museum of Accidents, will present her thoughts on poetry. “A poem,” she wrote in the Huffington Post, “is never going to be a copy of the real world or a mirror—it’s always a translation of experience and another experience in and of itself.
The Arabic Freud: Psychoanalysis and Islam in Modern Egypt
4:30 p.m., Franke Institute, 1100 East 57th Street
Professors at the Divinity School question how to examine historical evidence across multiple academic fields from law and science to theology and historiography. This conference, featuring University of California Davis Professor of History Omnia El Shakry and American University in Cairo Professor Khaled Fahmy, explores this topic while examining more specific ones such as psychoanalysis in modern Egypt and evidence in Islamic law.
