Now, get ready to mark your Google calendars with these nine events coming to metro Phoenix this June.
Burn Black & Tenderspeck Tour
Hit rent day hard with the Burn Black & Tenderspeck Tour: "Healing Thru Writing, Zines, & Art" at Wasted Ink Zine Distro. Burn Black Zine’s Rory Bee Britt and Brian Tagle and Tenderspeck’s Elly Dallas will host a workshop on the healing power of words and art, and read from the brand new Burn Black #6 issue. You’re encouraged to bring in old journals and writings for a look back at how you may have made “trauma into triumph via art.” Join the discussion from 7 to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 1, for free at Wasted Ink Zine Distro. See the Facebook event for more details.
Summer Lovin’
First Fridays at the Heard Museum mean free evening gallery admission, late night food and drink at The Café and Cantina, and scheduled events like Summer Lovin’, which is hosted by the impressive collage-making group CUT + PASTE PHX. Summer Lovin’ has all the materials to create your own collage – no doubt a throwback to the summer nights of your youth for some of you – plus local DJs, food, and more from 6 to 10 p.m. on Friday, June 2. See the Heard Museum website for more.
Classic Simpsons Trivia: Bi-Mon Sci-Fi Con
How would Bart suggest you solve a Rubix cube? Who voiced Mindy Simmons? Name the Libertarian recluse wrote the episode "Itchy & Scratchy Land"? These are just some of the questions we could only assume will be asked at the Classic Simpsons Trivia: Bi-Mon Sci-Fi Con – a team trivia night focusing solely on The Simpson’s first 10 seasons. The night is free, open to all ages, and runs from 8 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, June 3, at The Coronado. See the Facebook event for more details.
RPM Orchestra presents: A Trip to Mars
Picture it: The 1918 silent film A Trip to Mars, a classic space opera subgenre of science fiction film – screens while RPM Orchestra, “proto-Industrial Americana music with a dash of old-fashioned hiss and scratch,” provides the film score. This one-night-only experience is happening at FilmBar at 10:15 p.m. on Saturday, June 3. General admission is $12. See the FilmBar website for tickets and details.
Brekan's Picasso.
Ralph Michael Brekan
In case you didn’t know, Ralph Michael Brekan – whose acting work has been seen on the HBO Westworld series, NCIS, and more – is a graduate of McClintock High School in Tempe. His expansive portfolio of pop art has been exhibited in seven countries across three continents, and his old hometown is currently holding an exhibition of his work titled “25 Years of Pop Art.” See colorful works of art depicting Tempe landmarks and more now through July 2 in the Community Room Gallery at the Tempe History Museum. The museum is closed Mondays, and open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, as well as 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, see the Tempe History Museum website.
Read on for a book talk about The Handmaid's Tale, a convention dedicated to Supernatural, and more.
Alexis Bledel in The Handmaid's Tale show. Now talk about the book.
George Kraychyk/Courtesy of Hulu
The Handmaid's Tale is popping off as a new television series, but the dystopian novel has been around since 1985. Barbara VanDenburgh, reporter for The Republic and resident First Draft Book Club moderator, is hosting a discussion group about Margaret Atwood's book that'll touch on the work's current-day relevance. Join the discussion at Changing Hands in Phoenix at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 8. The talk is free, and the book ranges in price from $15.95 to $22 before tax. See the Changing Hands website for more information.
Supernatural Phoenix 2017
Since TV shows are such a huge part of our lives, why not have a convention around just one of them? Yes, Supernatural Phoenix 2017 is three days and nights all about “American television’s longest running genre series” Supernatural. Attendees can meet the show's stars, check out events like a pajama or karaoke party, shop through the vendor area, and see the house band Louden Swain. Supernatural Phoenix 2017 runs from Friday, June 9, to Sunday, June 11, at the Renaissance Glendale Hotel. Tickets range from $30 for Friday entry only to $199 for a weekend pass to all kinds of packages and VIP experiences. Visit the Supernatural Phoenix 2017 website for way more information.
Learn the make and model of this little guy at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park.
Courtesy of Arizona State Parks & Trails
Guided by “Wild Man Phil” Rakoci (this sounds good already), the Learn Your Lizards Guided Walk is an educational yet entertaining walk through the Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park in Superior. You’ll spot and learn all about what’s being billed as “Arizona's most common, colorful and charismatic little reptiles” starting at 8 a.m. on Saturday, June 10. Adult entry is $12.50, and includes the walk. You don’t have to register, just be around the Visitor Center breezeway at 8 a.m. or earlier. See the Boyce Thompson Arboretum website for more details.
The Fifth Element
By now, who hasn’t practiced saying “multipass” just like Leeloo? If you have no what we’re referring to here, now’s your chance to check out 1997’s The Fifth Element – a tale of a hardened taxi driver in the year 2257 tasked with saving the world by protecting Milla Jovovich in probably her most recognizable costume. Cult Classics presents a 20th anniversary screening of the seriously Oscar-nominated film at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 24, at Pollack Tempe Cinemas. Tickets range from $11 for general admission to $40 for entry, a print, and a shirt. See the Cult Classic website for details and tickets.
