Few poets and authors deserve a posthumous roasting more than Edgar Allan Poe. The Master of the Macabre, whose tales of woe and fright have haunted us for more than 150 years, will be "slammed" both literally and figuratively, again, on Saturday, January 15, at the fourth annual Poe Celebration at the Paper Heart, 750 Grand Avenue. Of course, "celebration" is a loose term here as well, according to Paper Heart owner Scott Sanders, who says that Poe inspires both love and hate from the event's performers. "It's definitely a little of both," Sanders says. "There is a lot of gauging, I suppose. It always turns out to be a wild show." Starting at 8 p.m., local slam guru and Poe emcee Stephen G. Roy presents the spoken-word exploits of poets and performance artists Jeff Falk, Robert X. Planet, Peter Petrisko, Kevin Patterson and others. The Poe roast benefits the local literary arts society Anthology, Inc., with a $5 admission charge. Call 602-262-2020 or see www.thepaperheart.com. -- Joe Watson
Past Time
Appraiser evaluates local tchotchkes
1/14 - 1/15
Everything old is new again at the Antique Appraisal Fair from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, January 14, and Saturday, January 15, at the Cave Creek Museum, 6140 East Skyline Drive. Independent appraiser Sean Morton will evaluate the retro relics of attendees hoping their trash is worth cash. Past shows have seen Morton scooping out such rarities as a Tiffany & Co. clock worth $3,500, but this is the exception rather than the rule. "Sometimes people aren't interested in price; they want to know the origin and history of their antique," Morton says. Admission is $15 per day. Call 480-488-2764. -- Benjamin Leatherman
Three's Company
When DJs battle, everyone on the dance floor wins
SAT 1/15
Lonely? Bored? How about a three-way? No, we don't mean a love pretzel, hornypants -- we're talkin' about the grand Pooh-Bah of dance events, the "Ménage à Trois," to take place at a secret location on Saturday, January 15. More than 35 DJs will be bumpin' hardcore, drum 'n' bass, breaks, techno, and trance music, and there will be DJ battles between Chicago's Delta 9 and New York's DJ Delirium, the boyfriend-girlfriend duo of Cetra vs. Twilight, Poss vs. Frequency, and Rhinox vs. Tranceducer. Other DJs spinning include Abel, Napp-E, Awol, Nimrod, Infiltrata, Jefe, Nexone, Brandon DeCarlo, and Defcon4. With all those turntablists, it's a wonder they didn't name the event "Massive Orgy" instead. Tickets for the event cost $15 in advance, $20 the day of the event, and $25 at the door. Call 480-829-7746 for tickets, and 480-871-6009 for directions on the day of the event. -- Niki D'Andrea