Mark your calendars, Phoenix. From poetry and comedy to storytelling and bingo, there's more than enough to keep you entertained -- and out of the house -- this week.
Generally reserved for the white- or purple-haired crowd, bingo and board games make a weekly appearance at one of the Valley's gay hotspots: Apollo's Lounge.
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Typically played immediately following a screening of the popular RuPaul's Drag Race, whose newest season recently ended, Naughty or Nice Bingo is a not-safe-for-work version of the popular game of chance. Noted Phoenix drag queen Desiree Demornay is at the helm, telling jokes between calling numbers. Prizes vary, featuring bar gift cards, tabs, and perks. But most come for a friendly competition -- after all, anyone who says they don't like shouting out of turn is probably lying.
Spell out success with B-I-N-G-O starting around 8:30 p.m. on Monday, June 23, at Apollo's Lounge, 5749 North Seventh Street. Admission to game night is free to play and reserved for the 21-and-over crowd, featuring 2-4-1 "you call it" drinks specials. Visit www.apollos.com or call 602-277-9373 for details. -- Janessa Hilliard
Alberto Álvaro Ríos Poetry Reading
"Yes, but beyond happiness what is there? The question has not yet been answered." But perhaps it will be explored as Arizona's first-ever poet laureate, Alberto Ríos, speaks in Tempe this month. The award-winning author and poet who has written 10 books, three short-story collections, and a memoir, has made not just a name for himself but a language. This "third language," which combines the Spanish he spoke in his home in Nogales, Arizona, and the English he was forced to speak in school, makes a frequent appearance in his poems and has been praised by the Voice Literary Supplement as "both foreign and familiar, but always enchanting."
Poet Laureate Alberto Ríos will read from his works at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 24, at Tempe Public Library, 3500 South Rural Road. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.tempe.gov/library or call 480-350-5500. -- Katie Johnson
Salon Series: History of Fashion
Maybe you know the difference between a bell sleeve and a batwing, but your fashion knowledge most definitely doesn't stand up to that of Dennita Sewell -- even in stilettos.
Lucky for Louboutin lovers and aspiring walking encyclopedias, Sewell, who serves as Phoenix Art Museum's fashion curator, will serve up samples of her style knowledge on a weekly basis throughout summer. Dubbed the Salon Series, the lectures will break down garment trends by time period and look at fashion's role in a cultural context. On June 25, Sewell will discuss the second half of the 19th century, with a focus on designers Charles Worth, Emile Pingat, and Jacques Doucet. Other influencers included in the series are Coco Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, and Alexander McQueen.
The free talks continue on Wednesdays through July 30 at 1625 North Central Avenue. No registration is required, and attendees do not have to commit to attending more than one class. Visit www.phxart.org or call 602-257-1880. -- Becky Bartkowski
This week marks the second annual "Most of" edition of Lit Lounge, the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art's outside-the-box monthly speaker series. "Most of" is more of a "best of," featuring prominent national and local performers like Annabelle Gurwitch, Beth Lapides, Sonya Renee Taylor, and local playwright Kim Porter who share secrets and harsh personal truths with routinely sold-out audiences.
Hosted and organized by author, TEDx speaker, comedic performer, cancer survivor, and "Producer of Shenanigans" Tania Katan (wearer of many hats), this take on storytelling fuses life lessons and hilarity from people who know how to speak to audiences and, arguably more importantly, know how to speak about themselves. Thursday's line-up includes seven female performers, though Katan promises a mystery speaker will perform. The event also features live music between stories by local band Where Are All the Buffalo? and a cash bar.
Get Lit Lounge at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 26, at the Virginia G. Piper Theater at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 East Second Street. Tickets are $15. Call 480-499-8587 or visit www.scottsdaleperformingarts.org for tickets. -- Janessa Hilliard
Jack White has a record label, Third Man Records. As one would expect, his roster comprises primarily bands and solo musicians. So when Mr. White signs a comedian, it probably means that the esteemed rocker is a huge fan. And, if you've seen the way White dresses, you know he has a good -- albeit macabre -- sense of humor.
Anyway, comedian Rory Scovel can't be held responsible for the pallid wardrobe choices that his boss makes, but he can be quite funny. Having recently landed a role on the TBS show Ground Floor, the South Carolina native's stock has been steadily rising, and rightly so. His pot-tinged social commentary and his ability to deliver the goods without relying too heavily on comedic banalities make for an act that's at once honest and hilarious.
Scovel visits Stand Up Live, 50 West Jefferson Street, at 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday, June 27. The 21-and-over show is $17. Visit www.standuplive.com or call 480-719-6100 for details. -- Rob Kroehler
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