Dawnland
Taking indigenous children from their families and placing them in white homes has been common practice in many American communities, where child welfare systems have been part of a long history of cultural genocide. It’s an issue at the heart of Dawnland, a film that follows the work of a truth and reconciliation commission in Maine working to address injustices against the Wabanaki people. ASU Project Humanities is screening the film at Tempe History Museum, 809 East Southern Avenue, Tempe, at 6 p.m. on Thursday, November 1. Dawnland is part of a PBS Indie Lens Pop-Up series designed to engage communities in conversations about important issues. The film is free, but you should RSVP online before attending. Visit projecthumanities.asu.edu. Lynn Trimble
Brian Keating
Despite recognizing the achievements of those in the fields of science and the arts, the Nobel Prize has courted its fair share of controversy. Professor Brian Keating explores how the temptation of winning the award changed the course of a groundbreaking study in his nonfiction book Losing the Nobel Prize: A Story of Cosmology, Ambition, and the Perils of Science’s Highest Honor. In 2014, a clue to the Big Bang Theory revealed itself
The discoveries begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 1, at Changing Hands Phoenix, 300 West Camelback Road. This is a free event. For more information, visit changinghands.com. Jason Keil
The Scottsdale International Film Festival kicks off with the film Roma.
Courtesy of Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Maybe the names Sandra Bullock and George Clooney spring to mind when you recall the suspenseful 2013 film Gravity, which imagined two astronauts stranded in outer space. But don’t overlook Alfonso Cuarón, the man who co-wrote and directed it. He’s got a new film called Roma, which is the opening night selection for this year’s Scottsdale International Film Festival. Calling on his own experience growing up in Mexico, Cuarón explores the life of a young domestic worker living with a
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Take a break from yelling at politicians on your TV for a night and put your shouting skills to better use. Cast members from the Emmy-nominated TV show Whose Line Is It Anyway? are bringing their improvisational comedy tour to Mesa Arts Center, 1 East Main Street, Mesa, where they’ll be transforming audience suggestions into witty repartees of song and farce. The tour cast includes Greg Proops, creator of the hit podcast The Smartest Man in the World, as well as Ryan Stiles, Jeff B. Davis, Joel Murray, and Bob Derkach. Tickets for the 8 p.m. show on Friday, November 2, start at $34. Visit mesaartscenter.com. Lynn Trimble
Arizona State University Sun Devils
The Arizona State University Sun Devils commemorate Homecoming this week, but there really isn’t much to celebrate on the football field. In their Thursday night loss against Stanford a few weeks back, quarterback Manny Wilkins cried out his frustration while head coach Herm Edwards tried to explain away the team’s careless play. With alumni descending upon Sun Devil Stadium for an exciting PAC-12 matchup against the University of Utah, fans are hopeful this once-promising team can turn it all around.
This rivalry heats up at 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 3, at 500 East Veterans Way in Tempe. Tickets are $45 to $325. For more information, visit thesundevils.com. Jason Keil
Third Annual Bluegrass Festival
Porter Barn Wood has a reputation in local home improvement circles for being the place to procure reclaimed wood for your next do-it-yourself project. The store also knows how to throw a family-friendly party: The Third Annual Bluegrass Festival will feature five bands to pick from (sorry, we can’t resist a banjo joke) along with instruments that the kids can fiddle with (yes, we did it again). There will also be food trucks and woodworking demonstrations.
Get up for this hoedown from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 3, at 901 South Seventh Street. This is a free event. For more information, visit porterbarnwood.com. Jason Keil
Punk Rock Swap Meet
Music and pop culture memorabilia hoarders who are looking to sell your wares, be sure to visit The Record Room’s Punk Rock Swap Meet. This event isn’t limited to three-chord rock classics. There will be merchants selling patches, posters, pin-ups, and other assorted items. For those interested in local music, there will be plenty of merchandise celebrating the great music of the Valley’s past.
Hey, ho, let’s go from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 3, at 2601 West Dunlap Avenue, #21. This is a free event. Vendors can reserve a table for $10. For more information, visit facebook.com/therecordroom. Jason Keil
Arizona Fall Festival
If you’re all about showing the local love, you’ll want to hit the free Arizona Fall Festival, where local businesses will be sharing their wares in a friendly, casual environment complete with food tastings, crafts, live music, lawn games, and farmers market. Presented by Local First Arizona, it’s happening at Margaret T. Hance Park, 67 West Culver Street, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, November 3. It’s
Bacon, Blues, and Brews Fest
Ready for the intoxicating smell of sliced salt-cured pork? Head down to the East Valley to get your fill at the Bacon, Blues, and Brews Fest. Everything will be wrapped in everyone’s favorite breakfast protein, including lobster, burritos, and chocolate. If your heart is still beating after consuming these delicacies, there will be beer (bacon-flavored included) and music from guitarist Carvin Jones and the Moonshine Voodoo Band.
Fry up some delicious fun from noon to 9 p.m. on Saturday, November 3, at Founders’ Park, 22407 South Ellsworth Road in Queen Creek. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the event. VIP packages are $90. Kids 12-years-old and under are free. For more information, visit baconbluesandbrewsaz.com. Jason Keil
Tempe Book Festival
After Sue Halpern moved to a tiny town with no public library, she helped to start one. Then she wrote a book about it. Now the Vermont-based Guggenheim Fellow and Rhodes Scholar, who holds a doctorate from Oxford, is coming to Tempe Public Library, 3500 South Rural Road, Tempe. She’s the featured author for the Tempe Book Festival, a free event that celebrates reading, writing, books, and the communities they help create. Check it out between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, November 3. Dozens of vendors, including Kryptic Leaf and Wasted Ink Zine Distro, will be showing and selling their lit-related wares. Visit tempe.gov. Lynn Trimble
See Lalo Cota live painting during the Dia de los Muertos Festival at Azukar Coffee Shop.
Lynn Trimble
You’ve seen Day of the Dead, a holiday that elevates both life and those who’ve passed away, celebrated with altars, flowers, and processions. But the Día de
“Untamed: Wild Compositions by Frank Gonzales”
Half the fun of strolling through the desert is looking for birds and other wildlife. Now you can find birds with a hint of surrealism and abstraction painted by Phoenix-based artist Frank Gonzales when you visit Desert Botanical Garden, 1201 North Galvin Parkway. They’ve got a delightful art space called Ottosen Gallery, where “Untamed: Wild Compositions by Frank Gonzales” continues through January 6, 2019. Check it out between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday, November 3, when you can also explore the garden’s majestic fall offerings, plus the
Kathy Griffin
Kathy Griffin will talk candidly about being investigated by the FBI and getting fired from her New Year’s Eve co-hosting gig with CNN’s Anderson Cooper last year when she stops in Phoenix for the final stop of her Laugh Your Head Off tour. The snarky red-headed comedian, who notoriously lost her “D-list” status when she posed for a picture holding a fake, bloody, decapitated head of President Donald Trump, has fully embraced her newfound status as a leader of the opposition against the current administration and those who seek to stifle free speech.
Laugh and resist at 7 p.m. on Sunday, November 4, at Phoenix Symphony Hall, 75 North Second Street. Tickets are $20 to $129. For more information, visit phoenixconventioncenter.com. Jason Keil
Fifth Annual Día de
Bring pictures of loved ones who have passed on to the historic St. Mary’s Basilica Parish in downtown Phoenix and light a candle in their memory at the Fifth Annual Día de
The celebration lasts from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, November 4, at 231 North Third Street. This is a free event, but a donation of canned goods to benefit the St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank is suggested. For more information, visit saintmarysbasilica.org. Jason Keil
Go Vote 2018: A Concert and Rally
It cannot be overstated how important this year’s midterm election is to the future of our country. To remind you of your most crucial responsibility as a United States citizen, The Van Buren is hosting Go Vote 2018: A Concert and Rally, an evening featuring some of the state’s finest musicians, including The Gin Blossoms, Calexico, Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra, and Mariachi Pasion. Proceeds from the show benefit Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence. The leaders of the nonprofit lobbying organization, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford and Captain Mark Kelly, will be in attendance. Chris Bianco is providing the pizza.
The event begins at 8 p.m. on Monday, November 5, at 401 West Van Buren Street. Tickets are $15 with free admission given to anyone wearing a Democratic candidate’s volunteer shirt. For more information, visit thevanburenphx.com. Jason Keil
Phoenix Suns
How are the Phoenix Suns faring after trading Jared Dudley for Brooklyn’s Darrell Arthur? Find out when the home team welcomes the Brooklyn Nets to Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 East Jefferson Street. They’re playing at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 6, and tickets start at just $6. It’s a great excuse to recycle all that orange gear from Halloween with a creative purple
Goblin
It’s probably not a coincidence that Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin is touring their score for the 1977 horror film Suspiria just as the remake is being released into theaters. The Italian progressive rock band, who frequently collaborated with the film’s legendary director Dario Argento, is performing the operatic rock composition as the colorful classic plays onscreen. Though Radiohead’s Thom Yorke is receiving rave reviews for his scoring of the 2018 version of this
The show begins at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 6, at Marquee Theatre, 730 North Mill Avenue in Tempe. Tickets are $25 to $65. For more information, visit marqueetheatreaz.com. Jason Keil
Election Results Viewing Party
After you vote (and please tell us you did), stop by Kobalt and throw back a strong one (or five, depending on which direction the votes go) at the bar’s Election Results Viewing Party. There will be drink specials all night. Of course, if this Election Day surprises you as much it did two years ago, you can always sing away your sorrows after the results come in.
Tally up the votes from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, November 6, at 3110 North Central Avenue, #175. There is no cover charge for this event. For more information, visit kobaltbarphoenix.com. Jason Keil
Obama and Lincoln (Penny Portrait) (with detail on right) by Sonya Clark.
Courtesy of Lisa Sette Gallery
When Virginia-based artist Sonya Clark decided to make a portrait of President Barack Obama, she chose to use pennies bearing the image of President Abraham Lincoln. Often, Clark uses unusual materials, such as hair and Confederate flags, to explore what gallerist Lisa Sette calls “the legacy of craft, history
Felines can calm a worried mind, but sometimes more guidance is needed to assist in relaxing your spirit. Every Wednesday, La Gattara Cat Lounge and Boutique offers Meowdidation, a guided meditation class that brings serenity to a busy brain while helping to revive you physically and mentally. Music plays and kittens scurry about to gently lead you to a “resting sleep.” Wear comfortable clothes and bring a blanket, pillow, and a lint roller to this hour and fifteen-minute long session.
Take a deep meow and purr away the pressure at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, November 7, at 1301 East University Drive, #136 in Tempe. This class is $15. Reservations are required. For more information, visit lagattaracatcafe.com. Jason Keil
