5 Best Things to Do in Metro Phoenix This Week

New Times picks the best things to do in metro Phoenix from Monday, May 9, to Thursday, May 12.

"(Un)certainty"
Remember that time Senator John McCain decided he’d sing a little ditty about bombing Iran? So not helpful. Fortunately, it didn’t dissuade Iranian artist collective 2Niks Pictures from bringing their work, which deals with issues of identity in contemporary Iranian society, to the U.S.

Their videos, titled Crisis Experience and My City Is My Clothes, are featured in the “(Un)certainty” exhibition at Tilt Gallery, 7077 East Main Street, Suite 14, in Scottsdale. The show marks the stateside première for both works – created by sculptor and performance artist Masoud Nikdel and documentary filmmaker Ehsan Nikbakht.

“(Un)certainty" also features works by three American photographers considering questions of identity. Hours for this free exhibition on Monday, May 9, are 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Visit www.tiltgallery.com. Lynn Trimble

Brendan McDonough
If you don’t know him by name, you certainly know him by the story. Brendan McDonough is the single survivor of the Yarnell Hill Fire – the Prescott-area wildfire that claimed the lives of 19 out of 20 Granite Mountain Hotshots on June 30, 2013.

McDonough has now released a memoir, My Lost Brothers: The Untold Story by the Yarnell Hill Fire's Lone Survivor, co-authored by Stephan Dalty. McDonough will read from My Lost Brothers – a recount of his rocky adolescence, his daughter, joining the Hotshots, and Yarnell Hill – at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 10, at Changing Hands Tempe, 6428 South McClintock Drive.

The book is $27 (plus tax), and comes with admission for two followed by a book-signing. Visit www.changinghands.com or call 480-730-0205. Lauren Cusimano

Wednesday Wind Up
Since Wednesday is often referred to as “hump day,” doesn’t it seem appropriate that there’s a midweek event that allows guests to bring their pooches?

“Bark Break and Lunch in the Park” is this week’s theme of the Wednesday Wind Up lunchtime series on May 11. Dine outdoors, furry friends in tow. No dog? No worries. The Arizona Animal Welfare League will be there with some cuddly creatures you can pet and adore. Bring lunch, or grab something from one of the food trucks that will be on hand. This pup-tastic gathering also includes games and music. Mingle with mutts from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 11, at Civic Space Park, 424 North Central Avenue. Admission is free. Call 602-262-7490 or visit www.phoenix.gov. Amy Young

Neil deGrasse Tyson
It’s been nearly five months since we lost our favorite starman, David Bowie, but Neil deGrasse Tyson is still here to take us to infinity and beyond. The astrophysicist, author, and host of the Peabody Award-winning documentary 2014’s Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey has helped make the wonders of the universe more accessible with his charismatic mix of humor and knowledge. Tyson’s not merely a genteel academic; the good doctor rips movies for their fractured science and earlier this year squabbled online with ATL rapper B.o.B. Forget joining the Flat Earth Society — Neil deGrasse Tyson’s come to meet us and we know he’ll blow our minds.

Tyson will appear at Comerica Theatre, 400 West Washington Street, at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 12. Ticket prices range from $35 to $80. For more information, visit www.comericatheatre.com. Jose Gonzalez

"Writing the Memoir in Real Time"
Keep a blog? Fine. Write a book? Totally. Do both at the same time? Not so easy. Good thing there’s a workshop for that.

New Times managing editor and KJZZ commentator Amy Silverman will host a writing workshop – “Writing the Memoir in Real Time” – at Changing Hands Phoenix, 300 West Camelback Road, on Thursday, May 12. The workshop runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and is free to those who purchased Silverman’s new book, My Heart Can't Even Believe It: A Story of Science, Love, and Down Syndrome – $21.99 before tax. For more information, call 602-274-0067 or visit www.changinghands.com. Lauren Cusimano