FRIDAY, APRIL 7 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Bernice Linnard & Dennis Kuby on “Why Shakespeare Matters” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $13.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. 526-2925. 

Inspiration Point Walk Meet at 4 p.m. in the Inspiration Point parking lot for this walk with stunning views. Walk at your own pace. Rain cancels. Sponsored by Solo Sierrans. 925-376-4529. 

Poison Safety Day at 11 a.m. at Habitot Children’s Museum, 2065 Kittredge St. 647-1111. www.habitot.org  

“To Bethlehem and Beyond” A report-back with Jim Haber at 7:30 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 2125 Jefferson St. 482-1062. 

Fundraiser for Sacred Ride to Albuquerque to promote green energy in the Native community at 7 p.m. at Fellowship Hall, Cedar and Bonita. Cost is $10. zacharyrunningwolf@yahoo.com 

American Red Cross Blood Drive from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at MLK Student Union, 5th Floor, UC Campus. To schedule an appointment call 1-800-GIVELIFE. www.BeADonor.com 

Berkeley Chess School classes for students in grades 1-8 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. A drop-in, rated scholastic tournament follows from 7 to 8 p.m. at 1581 LeRoy Ave., Room 17. 843-0150. 

Berkeley Chess Club meets Fridays at 8 p.m. at the East Bay Chess Club, 1940 Virginia St. Players at all levels are welcome. 845-1041. 

Women in Black Vigil, from noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. wibberkeley@yahoo.com 548-6310, 845-1143. 

Meditation, Peace Vigil and Dialogue, gather at noon on the grass close to the West Entrance to UC Berkeley, on Oxford St. near University Ave. People of all traditions are welcome to join us. Sponsored by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. 655-6169. www.bpf.org 

SATURDAY, APRIL 8 

Yard Sale and Bake Sale to benefit the animals of the Berkeley Animal Shelter from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1257 Hopkins St. http://share4shelter.org/ 

Berkeley Path Wanderers Association walk to explore the paths and gardens of the Claremont district. Meet at 10 a.m. at the historic plaque at the northeast corner of Claremont Ave. and The Uplands. Bring water and a snack. 524-2383. www.berkeleypaths.org 

Mini-Farmers in Tilden A farm exploration program, from 10 to 11 a.m. for ages 4-6 years, accompanied by an adult. We will explore the Little Farm, care for animals, do crafts and farm chores. Wear boots and dress to get dirty! Fee is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Toddler Nature Walk to look for different animal habitats at 2 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Especially for 2-3 year olds and their grown-ups. 525-2233. 

“Alternative Materials Cob and Strawbale” an introduction to two natural building materials from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Building Education Center, 812 Page St. Cost is $75. 525-7610. www.bldgeductr.org/seminars 

“Two Seas, Two Feet” with Andrew Skurka who walked the entire 7,778-mile transcontinental Sea-to-Sea Route, at noon at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Free. 527-4140. 

“Dilemmas of Getting Old: How Can We Cope?” A presentation by Nina Falk at 10:30 a.m. at Berkeley co-Housing Community Room, 2220 Sacramento St. Presented by OWL, Older Women’s League. 528-3739. 

Organic Vegetable Gardening Learn how to grow your own food from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the UC Village Community Garden in Albany. Cost is $10-$15. Registration required. 548-2220, ext. 233. 

Berkeley History Center Walking Tour: “Downtown! Culture and Character Before World War II” led by Steve Finacom, from 10 a.m. to noon. Cost is $8-$10. 848-0181. www.cityofberkeley.info/histsoc 

Bird Walk on Mt. Wanda led by Park Ranger Cheryl Abel. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Park and Ride lot at the corner of Alhambra Ave. and Franklin Canyon Rd., Martinez. Wear sturdy shoes and bring water and binoculars. Rain cancels. 925-228-8860. 

Beyond Good Intentions Equipping the Ministries of LGBT Allies from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Episcopal seminary in Berkeley, Church Divinity School of the Pacific, 2451 Ridge Rd. Free, but registration required. 204-0720. allytraining@gmail.com  

“Menopause: A Naturaopathic Perspective” at 4 p.m. at Pharmaca, 1744 Solano Ave. 527-8929. 

Preschool Storytime for 3-5 year olds at 11 a.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

Fasting Made Easy at 4 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services of Berkeley, held every Sat. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

Jewish Literature Discussion Group on “The Centaur in the Garden” by Moacyr Scliar at 2 p.m. at The Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043. 

SUNDAY, APRIL 9 

Garden Glory A walk through the native plant butterfly garden and a chance to lend a hand pulling weeds, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

“Green Sunday” on the The Criminalization of Our Culture with Mike Wyman, Green Party Candidate for Attorney General, at 5 p.m. at Niebyl-Proctor Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave. at 65th in North Oakland. 841-8678. 

Steps for Peace: Peace Festival & Walk Around Lake Merritt Peace Social at 1 p.m., Peace Awards at 2 p.m., and Peace Walk at 3 p.m. at Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, 1330 Lakeshore Ave., Oakland. 625-0589, 336-3676. peacerising@sbcglobal.net 

California Horticultural Society’s Plant Sale, featuring thousands of unusual and rare plants and free lectures by gardening experts, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Lakeside Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Ave., off Grand Ave., Oakland. www.calhortsociety.org  

Red Oak Victory Ship Pancake Breakfast from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Berth #6, 1337 Canal Blvd., Richmond. Cost is $6, children under 5 free. 237-2933. 

National Women’s Political Caucus Susan B. Anthony Award will be presented to the California Nurses Association at 4 p.m. at the Montclair Women’s Cultural Arts Club, 1650 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. 549-2839. 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park Sat. and Sun. at 2 p.m. Call to confirm. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Peace walk around the lake every Sun. Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712. lmno4p.org 

Beat the Cycle of Stress at 1 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

“Feminism and Religious Dialogue” with Jewish scholoar Susannah Heschel at 11 a.m., brunch at 10:30 a.m. at Congregation Beth El, 1301 Oxford St. Cost is $5. RSVP to 848-0237, ext. 132. 

Passover Family Program: Feast of Freedom at 2 p.m. at the Magnes Museum, 2911 Russell St. For reservations call 549-6950 ext. 345. 

Tibetan Buddhism with Bob Russo on “Prayer Wheels for the West” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, APRIL 10 

Earthquake Day Make a house that keeps standing when the earth moves, from noon to 2 p.m. at Lawrence Hall of Science, Centennial Drive. Cost is $7.50-$9.50. 642-5132. 

“Punishment and Redemption: The Death Penalty in America” with Judith Kay and Elisabeth Semel at 4:30 p.m. in the Richard S. Dinner Boardroom, 2400 Ridge Rd. Free and open to the public, but RSVP appreciated. 649-2420. 

Annual Review of the Presidency: Second Term Troubles - President Bush Struggles with War, Natural Disasters, and Politics. Panel discussion with Michael Barone, Janet Hook, Michael Kinsley, and Nelson W. Polsby, at 7 p.m. at 155 Dwinelle Hall, UC Campus. Sponsored by the Institute of Governmental Studies. 642-9429. 

“Perspectives on Berkeley: Past and Present” Chuck Wollenberg’s Berkeley history class at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. Meets Mon. evenings through May 22. Free. 981-6150. 

Freedom From Tobacco A new series of free quit smoking classes, with the option of free hypnosis begins at 5:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, and runs through May 15th. To sign up call 981-5330. 

“End of Life Medical Issues” with Dr. McGillis at 10:30 a.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 981-5190. 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. Join us to work on current issues around police misconduct. Volunteers needed. For information call 548-0425. 

TUESDAY, APRIL 11 

“How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth” at 7 p.m. at 145 Dwinelle Hall, UC Campus. 643-7008. 

“China Syndrome: SARS and Globalization” with Karl Taro Greenfeld, former editor of Time Magazine Asian edition, at 5:30 p.m. at North Gate Hall Library, Hearst at Euclid. 

“Kayaking 101” a class with Brad Bostrom at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Free. 527-4140. 

Raging Grannies of the East Bay invites new folks to come join us the 2nd and 4th Tues, of each month, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. to sing(any voice will do), help plan our next gig, or write outrageously political lyrics to old familiar tunes, and have fun at Berkeley Gray Panthers office, 1403 Addison St., in Andronico’s mall. 548-9696. 

“Utilizing California’s Water Supply Efficiently and Effectively” with Tom Birmingham, General Manager, Westlands Water District, at 5:30 p.m. at the Goldman School of Public Policy, Room 250. Corner of Hearst and LeRoy. www.westlandswater.org 

“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” Film showing in a benefit for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at 9:15 p.m. at the Parkway Theater, Oakland. Tickets are $7.  

“Introduction to Judaism” Class on Tues. evenings through June 6 at Lehrhaus Judaica, 2736 Bancroft Way. Cost is $90-$100. To register call 845-6420. 

Stress Less Seminar at 6:30 p.m. at New Moon Opportunities, 378 Jayne Ave., Oakland Free, but registration required. 465-2524. 

Infant Massage at 10:30 a.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Tuesday Tilden Walkers Join a few slowpoke seniors at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot near the Little Farm for an hour or two walk. 215-7672, 524-9992. 

Free Handbuilding Ceramics Class 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at St. John’s Senior Center, 2727 College Ave. Also, Mon. noon to 4 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Materials and firing charges not included. 525-5497. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Share your digital images, slides and prints and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. We offer ongoing classes in exercise and creative arts, and always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12 

Great Decisions Foreign Policy Association Lecture with Sener Akturk on “Turkey” at 10 a.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Cost is $5. 526-2925. 

Native Plant Nursery Wetlands Restoration We need your help to prepare native seedlings for future plantings along The Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline and Damon Slough. From 1 to 3 p.m. at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland. RSVP required. 452-9261 ext. 109. www.savesfbay.org  

“Arsenal of Hypocrisy” a film about the space program and the Military Industrial Complex, and “Battle for America’s Soul” at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Donation of $5 accepted. 

Volcanoes Explore the fire beneath the earth’s crust from noon to 2 p.m. at Lawrence Hall of Science, Centennial Drive. Cost is $7.50-$9.50. 642-5132. 

“Climbing Mt. Shasta: Tips for the Novice and Expert” with Chris Carr of Shasta Mountain Guides at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Free. 527-4140. 

Animal Communication at 7:30 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Poetry Writing Workshop, led by Linda Elkin, at 7 p.m. at the Albany Library ,1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters welcomes curious guests and new members at 7:15 a.m. at Au Coquelet Cafe, 2000 University Ave. at Milvia. 435-5863.  

Entrepreneurs Networking at 8 a.m. at A’Cuppa Tea, 3202 College Ave. at Alcatraz. Cost is $5. For more information contact JB, 562-9431. 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wed. and Sat. at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Acton St. 841-2174.  

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Everyone is welcome, wear comfortable shoes and a warm hat. Heavy rain cancels. 548-9840. 

Fresh Produce Stand at San Pablo Park from 3 to 6:30 p.m. in the Frances Albrier Community Center. Sponsored by the Ecology Center’s Farm Fresh Choice. 848-1704. www.ecologycenter.org 

Sing your Way Home A free sing-a-long at 4:30 p.m. every Wed. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720.  

Stitch ‘n Bitch Bring your knitting, crocheting and other handcrafts from 6 to 9 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198. 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center. Sing for Peace at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www.geocities.com/ 

vigil4peace/vigil 

THURSDAY, APRIL 13 

Cooking Demo and Book Signing for “GRUB: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen” with essays by author Anna Lappé and menus, musical playlists, and cooking tips from chef Bryant Terry at 3:30 p.m. at Berkeley Farmer’s Market, Shattuck and Rose. In case of bad weather the event will move to Black Oak Books, 1491 Shattuck Ave. 548-3333. www.ecologycenter.org 

Richmond Southeast Shoreline Area Community Advisory Group Meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Richmond Convention Center, Bermuda Room, 403 Civic Center Plaza at Nevin and 25th Sts. 540-3923. 

Teach-In and Vigil on U.S. Torture Policy, every Thurs. from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. outside the classroom of Prof. John Yoo, Boalt Hall, UC Campus. Weekly speakers. Sponsored by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship and other organizations. www.bpf.org 

“Defend Science: The Attack on Scientific Thinking and What Must be Done” A panel discussion with Kevin Padian, Phil Plait and Michael G. Hadfield at 7 p.m. at 1 LeConte Hall, next to Campenile, UC Campus. 384-1816. www.defendscience.org 

Quakes and Shakes Do some heavy shaking to learn about earthquake engineering at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Lawrence Hall of Science, Centennial Drive. Cost is $7.50-$9.50. 642-5132. 

American Red Cross Blood Drive from noon to 6 p.m. at East Pauley Ballroom, UC Campus. Also on Fri. To schedule an appointment call 1-800-GIVELIFE. www.BeADonor.com 

East Bay Mac User Group presentation on .Mac at 6 p.m. at Expression College for Digital Arts, 6601 Shellmound, Emeryville. http://ebmug.org 

Healthy Eating Habits Seminar at 6:30 p.m. at New Moon Opportunities, 378 Jayne St. Free, but registration required. 465-2524. 

Ask a Union Mechanic every Thursday, from 4:30 to 6 p.m., at Parker and Shattuck, until the strike is settled. They will offer advice on all makes of car. 

Historical & Current Times Book Group meets on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1249 Marin Ave. 548-4517. 

World of Plants Tours Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at 1:30 p.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $5. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

ONGOING 

Free Tax Help—United Way’s Earn it! Keep It! Save It! program provides free filing assistance to households that earned less than $38,000 in 2005. To find a free tax site near you, call 800-358-8832.  

Albany Library Free Drop-in Homework Help for students in third through fifth grades, Mon. - Thurs. from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Emphasis is placed on math and writing skills. No registration is required. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour is seeking volunteers who will spend a morning or afternoon greeting tour participants and answering questions at the free native plant garden tour, featuring sixty-four gardens located throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties on Sunday, May 7, 2006. Volunteers can select the garden they would like to spend time at by visiting the “Preview the 2006 Gardens” section at www.BringingBackTheNatives.net 

Public Art Opportunities Request for Entries The City of Berkeley is looking for artists for the 2006 Civic Center Art Competition and Exhibition. Entries are due April 18. For details contact the Civic Arts Program, 981-7533. 

Find a Loving Animal Companion at the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society Adoption Center (open from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday). 2700 Ninth St. 845-7735. www.berkeleyhumane.org  

Medical Care for Your Pet at the Berkeley East Bay Humane Society low-cost veterinary clinic. 2700 Ninth St. For appointments call 845-3633. www.berkeleyhumane.org 

CITY MEETINGS 

Council Agenda Committee meets Mon. April 10, at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St. 981-6900. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

citycouncil/agenda-committee 

Youth Commission meets Mon., April 10, at 6:30 p.m., at 1730 Oregon St. Philip Harper-Cotton, 981-6670. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/youth 

FRIDAY, APRIL 7 

CHILDREN 

Stage Door Conservatory Children’s Musical Theater presents “Into the Woods, Jr.” at 7:30 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $15-$20 sliding scale, for adults, $10, children. 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley “The Devil’s Disciple” by G.B. Shaw, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave. at Berryman, through May 6. Tickets are $12. 649-5999. www.aeofberkeley.org 

Berkeley Rep “Culture Clash’s Zorro in Hell” at 8 p.m. in the Roda Theater. Tickets are $45-$59. Runs through April 16. 647-2949.  

Masquers Playhouse “Relative Values” by Noel Coward. Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at 105 Park Place, Point Richmond, through May 6. Tickets are $15. 232-4031. www.masquers.org 

Shotgun Players “Bright Ideas” opens at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. and runs Thurs.-Sun. to April 23. Tickets are $15-$30. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Inside Out” Detail in Dress from 1850 to the Jazz Age. Reception at 6 p.m. at Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles, 2982 Adeline St. 843-7178. 

“Books Open, TV Off” An exhibition to promote reading. Reception at noon at Richmond Health Center, 100 38th St. (enter at 39th and Bissell), Richmond. Sponsored by ArtsChange. www.artschange.org 

“Headache New Work” Figurative sculpture and line drawings by John Casey and Lucien Shapiro. Reception at 7 p.m. at Boontling Gallery, 4224 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. www.boontlinggallery.com 

“Organics 3” Cibachrome prints by Kiyo Eshima. Reception at 6 p.m. at Fertile Grounds Café, 1796 Shattuck Ave. Through April 30. 548-1423. 

“Gigantic” A group show exploring scale, proportion, and impact in a variety of media. Reception at 7 p.m. at auto3321art gallery, 3321 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. 593- 8489. 

FILM 

65 Seconds that Shook the Earth Commemorating the 1906 Earthquake “Earthquake” at 8 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

2006 EarthDance: Short Attention Span Environmental FIlm Festival at 7 and 9 p.m., with receptions at 6 and 8 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California. Cost is $8. 238-2200. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

J. California Cooper reads from her collection of short stories, “Wild Stars Seeking Midnight Suns” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Iris Stone, violin, and Eva-Maria Zimmerman, piano, at 8 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. Cost is $12. 848-1228.  

Chamber Music at noon at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 

“Music in the Dharma, Dharma in the Music” Songs of the teachings of Buddha, at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Buddhist Monastery, 2304 McKinley Ave. 845-2215. 

Tchaikovsky Perm Ballet “Swan Lake” at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $36-$68. 642-9988.  

Future Action Villians, Coin Operated Machine, Stereo Chromatic at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8-$10. 848-0886.  

Monk’s Bones at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Rami Khalife & Kinan Azmeh, Arabic, jazz, contemporary and classical music at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $15-$18. 849-2568.  

Helene Attia/Owen Davis Quintet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ.  

Steve Lucky & The Rhumba Bums with Ms Carmen Getit at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Swing dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054.  

Judy Wezler, jazz, at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Del Rey & Steve James, Eric & Suzy Thompson, traditional American music, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761.  

Jon Steiner Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Nate Cooper and Jack Irving at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Oddua, Diamond Moodie, Judea Eden Band at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082.  

Brutal Knights, Tamora, Rabies at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

Shotgun Wedding Quintet, Felonious at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5. 548-1159.  

Stolen Bibles at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Joey DeFrancesco with George Coleman at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $15-$22. 238-9200.  

SATURDAY, APRIL 8 

CHILDREN 

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Bonnie Lockhart, interactive music for children, at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $4 for adults, $3 for children. 849-2568.  

Stage Door Conservatory Children’s Musical Theater presents “Into the Woods, Jr.” Sat. and Sun. at 5 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $10-$20. 

EXHIBITIONS 

The Crucible Student Art Show and Open House from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1260 Seventh St., at Union, Oakland. www.thecrucible.org 

“Paul Robeson: The Tallest Tree in Our Forest” A multi-media exhibition. Reception at 6 p.m. at the African American Museum and Library, 659 14th St., Oakland. Exhibition runs through July 8. www.oaklandlibrary.org 

Nancy Backstrom watercolor show from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sat. and Sun. at the Terrace Cafe, 5891 Broadway Terrace, at Clarewood, Oakland. 482-9602. 

FILM 

65 Seconds that Shook the Earth “Disaster at Dawn” at 7 p.m. and “Flame of the Barbary Coast” at 8:45 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“How Poetry Can End Global Warming, and Other Dilemmas” with Robert Aquinas McNally at the Annual Poets’ Dinner at noon at Spenger’s on Fourth St. Tickets are $25. 

Traditional Chinese Opera Lecture and demonstration with Grace Wang, Roger Lin, and Mark Kuo at 1:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge. 981-6136. 

Rhythm & Muse All Open Mic at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893.  

California Society of Printmakers annual business meeting and public program with Larissa Goldston, Pam Paulson and Renee Bott, from noon to 3 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

American Bach Soloists, with soloist Mary Wilson, at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $18-$40. 415-621-7900.  

Tchaikovsky Perm Ballet and Orchestra “Swan Lake” at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $36-$68. 642-9988.  

African Music & Dance Ensemble at 8 p.m. in Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $3-$10. 642-9988. 

Claudia Schmidt at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $19.50-$20.50. 548-1761.  

Larry Stefl Jazz Group at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $3. 843-2473. 

Yancie Taylor Quintet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ.  

Son De Madera at 8 p.m. at at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12-$15. 849-2568.  

Gary Wade at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7 per family. 558-0881. 

The Highway Robbers, The Devil's Own, The Wiggle Wagons at 10 p.m. at The Ivy Room, 858 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $7. 524-9220.  

Jai Uttal & The Pagan Love Orchestra at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $15-$18. 525-5054. 

Last, Nasty Habits, Aliplast at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8-$10. 848-0886.  

Dick Conte Quartet at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Evan Raymond and Splintered Tree at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Tarnation, Last of the Blacksmiths at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082.  

Hostile Takeover, Annihilation at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

CV1 at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

SUNDAY, APRIL 9 

ARCHITECTURE TOUR 

Oakland Museum of California Tour of the building and gardens, designed by architect Kevin Roche and landscape architect Dan Kiley. Meet at 1 p.m. at the koi pond on the first level. 238-2200. 

EXHIBITIONS 

Berkeley Treasures Series 1 Opening Reception at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893. 

The Crucible Student Art Show and Open House from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1260 Seventh St., at Union, Oakland. www.thecrucible.org 

FILM 

65 Seconds that Shook the Earth Commemorating the 1906 Earthquake “The Night the World Exploded” at 6 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Laura Sims, Danielle Pafunda and Geraldine Kim, poets, at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Joanna Fuhrman, Donna De La Pierre and Joseph Lease will read at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

“Selections from the Collection” A gallery talk by Peter Selz with Timothy Dresser at 2 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Museum. 642-0808.  

Poetry Flash with Phyllis Stowell and Elaine Terranova at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Tchaikovsky Perm Ballet “Swan Lake” at 3 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $36-$68. 642-9988.  

Trio Tangria at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ.  

Grupo Folklórico, Reflejos de México at 2 and 4 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $5-$7. 849-2568.  

Bill McHenry Trio at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Willy Porter, guitarist and songwriter, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761.  

Flamenco Open Stage with Adela Clara & La Monica at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Philips Marine Duo at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe. 595-5344.  

Americana Unplugged at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

MONDAY, APRIL 10 

THEATER 

Shotgun Theater Lab: “Frankie & Johnny” Mon. and Tues. to April 18 at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. Tickets are $10. 841-6500. 

EXHIBITIONS 

Kawase Hasui & His Era: Masters of the Japanese Woodblock Print opens at the The Schurman-Scriptum Gallery, 1659 San Pablo Ave. 524-0623. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Michael Palmer and Douglas Blazek read at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

“Strictly Speaking” with New York Times associate editor Frank Rich at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $20-$32. 642-9988.  

“The Art of Gaman” Arts and crafts from the Japanese American Internment Camps at 7 p.m. at the Bade Museum, Pacific School of Religion, 1798 Scenic Ave. 

Poetry Express with Akelah Atumeril at 7 p.m. at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Zilberella Monday at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ.  

Parlor Tango at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Brubeck Institute Quintet at 8 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10. 238-9200. 

TUESDAY, APRIL 11 

CHILDREN 

Ventriloquist Tony Borders and his puppets in celebration of National Library Week at 6:30 p.m. at the Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043. 

EXHIBITIONS 

The Dirt Show 30 ceramic works created by members of Richard Shaw and Lesley Baker’s ceramic studio. Reception at 4 p.m. at the Worth Ryder Gallery, 116 Kroeber Hall, UC Campus. 642-2582. 

THEATER 

Shotgun Theater Lab: “Frankie & Johnny” Mon. and Tues. to April 18 at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. Tickets are $10. 841-6500.  

Berkeley Rep “The Glass Menagerie” opens at 8 p.m. at the Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. Tickets are $59. Runs through May 31.647-2949.  

FILM 

Vantage Points: New Documentaries by Women “How Little We Know Our Neighbors” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Tim Flannery discusses “The Weather Makers: How Man is Changing the Climate and What it Means for Life on Earth” at 7 p.m. at 145 Dwinelle Hall, UC Campus. 845-7852.  

Daniel Alarcon reads from his novel “War by Candlelight” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

David Hollinger, author of “Cosmopolitanism and Solidarity: Studies in Ethnoracial, Religious, and Professional Affiliation in the United States” at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Singer’s Open Mic with Ellen Hoffman at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. 841-JAZZ.  

Todd Sickafoose’s Blood Orange and the Myra Melford Group at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761.  

Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu, and the Devin Hoff Platform at 8 p.m. at AK Press, 674-A 23rd St., Oakland. A benefit for the The Prisoners Literature Project Cost is $8, or $7 with the donation of a book in good condition. 208-1700. 

Debbie Poryes & Friends at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Jovino Snatos Neto at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s. Cost is $10-$14. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12 

THEATER 

The Marsh Berkeley “Faulty Intellegence”satirical songs by Roy Zimmerman, Wed.-Thurs. at 7 p.m. at 2118 Allston Way, through April 27. Tickets are $15-$22. www.themarsh.org 

FILM 

Film 50: History of Cinema “WR: Mysteries of the Organism” at 3 p.m. and Video: Recent and Strange at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Berkeley Treasures “A Conversation with Ariel,” artist and set designer, at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893. 

Philip Lopate in Conversation with David Thompson on “American Movie Critics: An Anthology From the Silents Until Now” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. 

Beshara Doumani, editor of “Academic Freedom after September 11,” at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585. 

Café Poetry hosted by Kira Allen at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña. Donation $2. 849-2568.  

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik and Three Blind Mice, at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5-$7. 841-2082. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert, “Japanese Music” at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864.  

Berkeley High Jazz Ensembles at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ.  

Ned Boynton Trio at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

The Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8:30 p.m. Cost is $18-$20. 525-5054.  

Famous Last Words, alt-rock and blues, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

John Scofield Quartet at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $12-$24. 238-9200.  

THURSDAY, APRIL 13 

THEATER 

Aurora Theatre “Small Tragedy” opens at 2081 Addison St. and runs Wed.-Sat at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $38. 843-4822.  

EXHIBITIONS 

“Everyting I Know, I Learned in the Movies” Color photography by Ann P. Meredith. Reception at 5 p.m. at Muse Media Center, 4221 Hollis St. at Park Ave., Emeryville. 655-1111. 

FILM 

Brave Outsiders: The Films of Kim Longinotto “Pride of Place” at 7 p.m. and “Dream Girls” at 8:45 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Robert Hass will guide a walking tour of the Addison Street Poetry Walk. Meet at 6 p.m. at Half-Price Books on the corner of Addison and Shattuck. 526-6080. 

“Earthquake Exodus, 1906, Berkeley Responds to the San Francisco Refugees” with author Richard Schwartz, at 7:30 p.m. at Builders Boooksource, 1817 Fourth St. 845-6874. 

Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance WIlliams discuss “The Game of Shadows: Barry Bonds, BALCO, and the Steroid Scandal that Rocked Professional Sports” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Megan Lynch with Tony Marcus, Kelly McCubbin, The Uke Apocalypse at 8 p.m. at DaSilva Ukulele Co., 2547 8th St., Suite 28. 649-1548.  

Steve Gannon’s Blue Monday Blues at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ.  

Pete Caragher Band, 735 Institution at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082. 

LoCura, music of Spain, Cuba and California at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $5-$7. 849-2568. 

Showtime @ 11 Hip Hop at 10 p.m. at the Ivy Room, 585 San Pablo Ave. at Solano. 524-9220. 

Dave Bernstein Duo at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Elemental Harmonics, dub, house, funk, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

?

All too often, films about the mentally ill descend into preciousness, romanticizing the drama and pain of madness. But The Devil and Daniel Johnston, a fascinating documentary opening today (Friday) at Shattuck Cinemas, does not fall into this trap. 

For this is not the story of a mentally ill man who happens to be talented, but rather the story of a great artist and the trials he faces in pursuit of his art—the most significant among them being manic depression. 

Daniel Johnston may be the best living artist you’ve never heard of. At one point the film places him alongside Van Gogh, Sylvia Plath, Virginia Woolf and Lord Byron. This may seem like hyperbole, but the comparison is appropriate; Johnston is truly a unique artist. 

Yet the word “artist” does not accurately convey his talents, for Johnston is more than that. He is a fine artist, a cartoonist, a filmmaker and a singer/songwriter. And he excels in each field.  

Johnston’s journey from suburban Boy Scout to cult legend has all the trappings of folk music mythology. Like the story about Robert Johnson making a deal with the devil at the crossroads, his life is full of archetypal imagery: devils and demons, divine revelations, wayward road trips, traveling carnivals, mental breakdowns, plane crashes, a “lost year,” falls from grace followed by triumphant resurrections. Johnston’s odyssey zigs and zags through wellness and illness, through the South, the Midwest and New York City, through folk music, MTV and early ’90s grunge rock. 

His story is one of salvation through art. He believes he has lost his soul to the devil in pursuit of fame; he believes that he is damned, yet is actively and forever seeking redemption. Though the man has clearly been through hell in his lifetime, his current state is more or less a season in Purgatory as he continually tries to purge his demons. 

“True love will find you in the end,” he sings, and he is singing of the love of God as much as love of woman. 

Earthly love, however, is also a major theme, specifically his desire for Laurie, the unrequited love of his life whom Johnston met in college. She became his muse, the Beatrice to his Dante, “the inspiration for a thousand songs.” Her image is his guiding light, a symbol of youth and beauty with whom he hopes to one day be reunited.  

In 1985, a 22-year-old Johnston arrived in Austin, Texas, where the critics and musicians in the city’s burgeoning folk scene were stunned by the brilliance of the music pouring forth from this strange kid. Word spread and soon Johnston became something of a local celebrity. When MTV came to town to document the local music scene, Johnston wormed his way before the cameras, thereby planting the seeds for a nationwide cult following. He went on to win several Austin Music Awards, including best songwriter and best folk artist, beating such soon-to-be-famous musicians as Nanci Griffith, Timbuk 3 and the Lounge Lizards.  

A breakdown followed soon after, but he made a triumphant return to Austin a few years later. And that in turn was followed by tragedy. There seems to be something in him that won’t allow him to enjoy success, as if deep down he knows that salvation requires greater suffering. And if that anguish isn’t forthcoming, he’ll create some of his own. 

Johnston’s music is haunting. He has recorded 20 albums worth of stripped-down, no-frills songs and the film captures the context and drama of their creation. They are poignant and unadorned, their spareness allowing the listener to imagine the instrumentation and full production that might have accompanied them had Johnston had the means or ability to complete his vision. Though he can’t exactly sing and his guitar skills are rudimentary at best, he has a talent for piano and is a gifted and poetic lyricist, with an ear for melody and phrasing. His songs are powerful and his performances in the film are heartrending and raw. Much of his music is a lo-fi melding of blues and folk turned inside out. He was a quirky, geeky, white-boy deconstructionist before Beck even hit puberty. He has a knack for cleverly turned phrases and honest, soul-baring simplicity. 

The film effectively demonstrates that the power of Johnston’s art is in its immediacy. Every drawing and every song is a sort of exorcism, a method by which he continually divests himself of the tumult in his mind and heart. The creations themselves are not so important to him; he churns them out at an astonishing rate. He does not dwell on them; they are too many in number. Once the exorcism is complete, he is on to the next one. This is his most effective therapy. It is as if each day brings new demons that must be put down before dusk. “Do yourself a favor,” he sings, “become your own savior/And don’t let the sun go down on your grievances.” 

The Devil and Daniel Johnston is both inspiring and heartbreaking, a stylish yet simple and effective portrait of an extraordinary artist. The film leaves us with an image of Daniel and his parents in front of their current home in Waller, Texas. His parents are elderly and will not be able to support their son much longer. Though this seems to be a somewhat peaceful period in his life, it is clear that another life-altering change is just around the corner. One gets the feeling that the trials and tribulations of Daniel Johnston are hardly in the past. His most difficult years may still lay ahead. 

The Devil and Daniel Johnston 

Written and directed by Jeff Feuerzeig. 

Featuring Daniel Johnston, Bill Johnston, Marta Johnston, Louis Black, Jeff Tartakov, David Thornberry, Kathy McCarty 

Photo Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics 

Daniel Johnston has achieved a cult-figure status as an artist and singer/songwriter.›

“This week, she’s a nun—the one who gets captured by the Japanese!” 

As a young housemaid (Jennifer Carrier) tells the soap opera-ish cinema exploits of screen star Miranda Frayle (Emily Cannon-Brown) to the dour butler (Robert Taylor), the curious melange that makes up the style of Noel Coward comes to the fore in the opening minutes of Relative Values, onstage at Masquers Playhouse in Point Richmond: a cross (or cross-eyed look) between comedy of manners and a deadpan, decorous campiness. 

Frayle’s coming from Hollywood to the precincts of the gentry served by the backstairs folk assembled; she’s the betrothed of Nigel, Earl of Marshwood, young nobleman with many past loves. 

Between Crestwell, the savvy butler, and Countess Felicity (Loralee Windsor), Lord Nigel’s doting mother, it’s hard to choose who’s the driest. When Crestwell considers the issue on everybody’s mind, Nigel marrying below his station, he muses, “Class . . . I’ve forgotten what that means. I’ll look it up in the crossword dictionary.”  

“Ever since the news came, you’ve been behaving like a tragedy queen!” Lady Marshwood’s personal maid, “Moxie” (Marilyn Hughes) does indeed look under the weather. Asking to leave Felicity’s service immediately, she refuses at first to tell exactly why she’s so upset. But, when the truth comes out, it seems there’s a more awkward kinship at hand than the wedding in the works. And the secretive, bend-over-backwards adjustments to cover for the embarrassments that could happen, make this a merrier melodrama than any Miranda acted out on the silver screen. Drawling Texan glamor-puss Don Lucas (Kevin Hazelton), her former leading man in more ways than one, arrives on set, evading the Girl Guides from the local village in the shrubbery, stalking autographs, and slips into the manor, palling up to servants and peerage alike, as he maneuvers to confront Miranda about her engagement. 

“I ran across a movie one afternoon called Relative Values,” notes Taylor, who also directed, “I began to think that it would make a wonderful play. While watching the credits, I was surprised and slightly embarrassed to see that it was based on a Noel Coward play . . . I found it in a collection of his later writings.”  

Relative Values may be a bit of a rarity, but Coward’s sophisticated comedies form a part of the usual repertoire of community theater troupes—and are a problematic choice, due to the difficulty of putting an amateur-semi-pro ensemble onstage that can sustain the tone and timing of Sir Noel strewing his gems. 

Which is why it’s a pleasure to watch the Masquers do just that, each player deftly parrying each comic thrust with appropriate repartee. Everyone holds his own in the cast. 

And the opening night audience was with the Masquers all the way—proof that the mission of community theater is community enjoyment. 

“It’s not the first time an English peer has married an actress; in the old days, they hardly stopped!” The quips and asides never stop, even slyly comparing the predicament to the best of English stage comedy—to Mr. Somerset Maugham (then a rival, later bosom friend of fellow-survivor Sir Noel). 

The last word is voiced by delightful Loralee Windsor, ever-poised as aptly-named Felicity: “You must pretend that nothing has happened—and when you analyse it, not very much has!” 

Masquers Playhouse presents Relative Values, Fri. and Sat, 8 p.m., at 105 Park Place, Point Richmond, through May 6. Tickets $15. For more information, call 232-4031 or see www.masquers.org. ?

Mondays At Moe’s features an unusual pairing of poets this coming Monday at 7 p.m. when Michael Palmer and Douglas Blazek split the bill at the popular reading series on Telegraph Avenue, programmed by Owen Hill. 

Blazek’s reputation for poetry, associated in the 1970s with Charles Bukowski and with Cleveland poet d. a. levy—as well as various other writers dubbed “The Meat Poets”—would seem at a considerable remove from Michael Palmer’s work, associated with older poets like Robert Duncan and Robert Creeley, as well as experimentation with language. 

But Blazek, who lives in Sacramento, has been long involved in an intense transformation of his own writing, and credits the example of Palmer’s as a source of inspiration for his changes. 

“I don’t think that I write like him at all, but his work helped me to turn some corners,” Blazek said. “By the theories he applies to his work, and some of the results in his poems, he—and others—gave me, at a crucial time in life, the permission to explore how language works. Not just a change in subject matter, or in the description of experiences in this world, but the language in poetry itself.” 

Blazek’s “restoration” of his work began a quarter century ago. 

“Somewhere in the mid-’80s, I started looking back,” he said. “I’d published hundreds of poems in hundreds of places. But they were lacking something, not as realized as they could be. I was going through a deep life transformation, slowly evolving into a considerably different person than the one associated with my older poems. I started to draw back, go into a cave. My appearances in periodicals dwindled, calculatedly, while I worked exceptionally diligently on the poems, rewriting a great many of my earlier poems, and drafting notes for new ones while rewriting.” 

Blazek has produced seven unpublished full-length manuscripts, besides the one he will read from Monday. 

From two unpublished poems: 

To fall out of step. 

To fall through the dance-thinned floor. 

No earth but a bonfire of light 

and the gesticulations of wind 

—from “Revision” 

“So what if winter 

scales down the hands 

we once entertained 

with the tree of our mind? 

Whatever wavering 

there is 

is change fitting 

together.” 

—from “Attendance Shifting Its Absence To Another Presence”  

Blazek says that reading with Palmer is “symbolic of how far I’ve departed from where I came from.” 

Palmer recalls that Blazek had seemed to disappear, to become “a voice from that curious past” of the ’70s. Then “he showed up at a reading I did with Eliot Weinberger at Cody’s last fall, and asked if I’d be willing to read with him at Moe’s in the spring.” 

Palmer said he hadn’t had any idea until then of Blazek’s self-recreation—and that he hasn’t seen his newer work. 

Palmer is a familiar figure to readers of poetry. He arrived in San Francisco in 1969 from Massachusetts, attracted by “the openness of culture,” he said. “For the kind of exploratory work I wanted to do, Cambridge was not so welcoming.” 

The scene in the Bay Area was then “sort of in between—the age of the S.F. Renaissance, of, say, Jack Spicer had ended a few years before,” Palmer said. “By the mid-’70s new poets had flooded into the area, with dual communities in San Francisco and Bolinas, which made for a very exciting, portentious time. It was a very supportive community, which kept me going.” 

His work has changed in recent years, he said, by “moving a little bit away from radical syntax into the mysteries of ordinary language, in the philosophical if not every day sense. It probably looks less unusual on the page. And I’ve been interested in the infinite, ingathering potential of the lyrical phrase—not confession, but the voicing of selves that make up the poetic self, from Greek lyrics to the Italians, to modern poets like Mandelstam. It’s a parallel development to empire, to materialism, but provides both a counter-voice and an echo chamber of other poets you’re overwriting. ‘Circulations of song,’ Dante called it in his homage to Rumi; voices that pass through us, rather than the notion of a singular psyche.” 

“Una Noche (after Bandeira),” from Company of Moths. 

Then El Presidente 

uncoiling his tongue, 

’You cannot stop time 

but you can smash all the clocks.” 

And so seeking Paradise 

we have burned down the bright house 

to the ground. 

A necessary act. 

We have invented glass 

and ground a dark lens 

and in the perilous night 

we continue to dance. 

The tarantella, the tango, 

the passadoble and the jig, 

the bunnyhop, the Cadillac, 

the Madison and the sarabande, 

mazurka and the jerk, 

the twist on tabletops, 

Roling our eyes, flailing our limbs. 

It’s how we keep time, 

our feet never stop. 

Michael Palmer and Douglas Blazek read Monday at 7p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave.e