TUESDAY, SEPT. 25 

Tuesdays for the Birds Tranquil bird walks in local parklands, led by Bethany Facendini, from 7 to 9:30 a.m. Today we will visit Point Pinole. Call for meeting place and if you need to borrow binoculars. 525-2233. 

Community Action Forum on Health Inequities including discussions on asthma, obesity, youth issues, and violence at 6:30 p.m. at St. Paul AME Church, 2024 Ashby Ave. 981-5300. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/public 

health/newsevents/sept07forum.html 

Salsas from Oaxaca A cooking demonstration with Rebecca Sibrack from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Tuesday berkeley Farmers’ Market, Derby at MLK. 548-3333. 

End the Occupation Vigil every Tues. at noon at Oakland Federal Bldg., 1301 Clay St. www.epicalc.org 

Berkeley School Volunteers Orientation from 4 to 5 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. Come learn about volunteer opportunities. 644-8833. 

“Hijaking Catastrophe: 9/11, Fear & the Sellling of American Empire” A documentary at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Donation $5. www.HumanistHall.net 

Berkeley High School Governance Council meets at 4:15 p.m. to discuss ELL Budget, Proposed Change to Bylaws, WASC Plan and more in the Community Theater Lobby. 644-4803. 

Berkeley PC Users Group meets at 7 p.m. at 1145 Walnut St near the corner of Eunice. MelDancing@aol.com 

World Harmony Chorus meets to sing world music at 7:30 p.m. at Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, 1330 Lakeshore Ave., Oakland. See http://InstantHarmony.com  

Family Storytime at 7 p.m. at the Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043. 

Street Level Cycles Community Bike Program Come use our tools as well as receive help with performing repairs free of charge. Youth classes available. Tues., Thurs., and Sat. from 2 to 6 p.m. at at 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. 644-2577.  

Community Sing-a-Long every Tues, at 2 p.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. 524-9122.  

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 548-3991.  

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 26 

Birding with the Golden Gate Audubon Society at Lake Merritt Meet at 9:30 a.m. at the large spherical cage near Nature Center at Perkins and Bellevue. 834-1066. 

Walking Tour of Old Oakland around Preservation Park to see Victorian architecture. Meet at 10 a.m. in front of Preservation Park at 13th St. and MLK, Jr. Way. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com/walkingtours 

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Colloquium with Alexi Yurchak on “Transformations of Space in Post-Socialist St. Petersburg” at 1 p.m. at Wurster Hall, Room 315A, UC Campus. All welcome. laep.ced.berkeley.edu/events/colloquium  

Transportation for the Future: Getting Around without a Car at 1:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst. 548-9696. 

“East Bay Clean Energy: How You Can Support Community Choice Energy” Learn how communities can assume greater control over energy pricing and invest in renewable energy, at 6:30 p.m. at Bay Area Academy, 2201 Broadway, Suite 100, Oakland. 925-255-3110. EastBayCCA@gmail.com 

“Adapting to the Impacts of a Changing Climate” Learn and share ideas about what we can do as a community to deal with the impacts of global warming at 7:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5434. energy@ci.berkeley.ca.us www.cityofberkeley.info/sustainable/ 

Seldom Seen Acting Company Homeless actors share their life stories at 10:30 a.m. at St. Vincent de Paul Center, 2272 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. 636-4255. 

Writer Coach Connection Volunteers needed to help Berkeley students improve their writing and critical thinking skills from noon to 3 p.m. or from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. To register call 524-2319. www.writercoachconnection.org 

“Loving Maradona” A film on the Argentine soccer player at 7 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $6. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

“Stories of the Buddha Dharma” with Rev. Ken Yamada at 7 p.m. at the Jodo Shinshu Center, 2140 Durant Ave. at Fulton. Cost is $15. 809-1460. 

“After Capitalism: An Integrated Vision for a New World” with Dada Maheshvarananda at 7 p.m. at Green City Gallery, 1950 Shattuck Ave. Donation $10-$20.  

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. 548-9840. 

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

vigil4peace/vigil 

THURSDAY, SEPT. 27 

“Bungalows: The Ultimate Arts & Crafts Home” with author Jane Powell at 7:30 p.m. at the Hillside Club. Cost is $20. For revervations call 848-4288. 

“How Does Immigration Work in the Bay Area?” with Rosemary Langley Mellville of the U.C. Citizenship and Immigration Services, at 5 p.m. at Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters. 843-8824. 

“Numbers in the Courtroom: Statistics as Evidence” Learn how statistics can be used to help a court decide if a company has illegally discriminated against an employee with William Lepowsky, Mathematics Instructor at Laney College and statistical expert witness, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in Room G-209 at Laney College, 8th and Fallon Streets, Oakland, free. 464-3181.  

“Sentenced Home” A screening of the documentary and a panel discussion on the overlap between criminal justice and and immigration policy at 4 p.m. at Boalt Hall, Room 100, UC Campus. 643-7025. 

“Buddhism and Warfare” with Padmanabh S. Jaini, at 5 p.m. in the IEAS Conference Room, 2223 Fulton St. 6th Floor. 643-5104. 

“Iran, North Korea, and the Dream of a Nuclear Weapon Free World” wth Tad Daley at 7:30 p.m. in the Home Room, International House, 2299 Piedmont Ave. Cost is $5. 642-9460. 

“Covering California: Media and Democracy in the Golden State” The annual conference of the Travers Program in Ethics & Accountability in Government will feature speakers and panels on the interrelationships between the news media and democracy. Thurs. and Fri. from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Barrows Hall, UC Campus. 642-6323. http://polisci.berkeley.edu/department/calendar/index.asp  

“Exilio: Creating Home Away from Home” Chilean art, music and poetry Thurs. and Fri. at 7 p.m. at La Peña. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Bayswater Book Club meets to discuss “The Secret Team” by L. Fletcher Prouty at 6:30 p.m. Call for location. 433-2911. 

Meet a Humane Society Dog for ages 5 and up at 4 p.m. at the Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043. 

Babies & Toddlers Storytime at 10:15 and 11:15 a.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043. 

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 

FRIDAY, SEPT. 28 

Inauguration of the New Rosie-the-Riveter National Park in Richmond, with events Fri.- Sun. For more information call 232-5050. www.homefrontfestival.com 

Bike Tour of Berkeley Worker Cooperatives Meet at 5:15 p.m. at the Downtown Berkeley BART station for a 1.5 hour tour with guided tours of the Missing Link bike shop, Cheese Board pizza & cheese shop and Nabalom Bakery. The bike ride will also include stops by the Juice Bar, Mayback High School and the Berkeley Free Clinic. For more information see www.nobawc.org/conference 

Hopalong Animal Rescue 3rd Annual Fur Ball benefiting homeless dogs and cats of the Bay Area, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. at the International House, 2299 Piedmont Ave. Tickets are $50, and includes appetizer and desert buffet. 267-1915 ext. 500. www.hopalong.org 

“California Indian Songs and Stories” with Linda Yamane (Rumsien Ohlone), Mike Mirelez (Desert Cahuilla), Ron Goode (North Fork Mono), Clarence Hostler (Hupa/Yurok/Karuk), and Charlie Thom (Karuk) at 7:30 p.m. at Bancroft Hotel, 2680 Bancroft Way. Free, but RSVP requested 549-3564, ext. 316. lillian@heydaybooks.com 

“The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism” with author Naomi Klein at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2701 Harrison St. at 27th. Tickets are $10-$13. 559-9500.  

Red Cross Blood Drive from noon to 6 p.m. at UCB Unit 3, all purpose room, 2400 Durant Ave. To schedule an appointment go to www.BeADonor.com  

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Lori Fogarty on the development plans for the Oakland Museum of California. Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $14.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. 526-2925.  

Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival at 1:15 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 981-5190. 

Free Compost for Berkeley Residents from 8:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. at Berkeley Marina Maintenance Yard, 201 University Ave. First priority is given to Berkeley Unified School District and Berkeley Community Gardens. Please complete sign-in log before loading compost. 644-6566. 

Berkeley Women in Black weekly vigil from noon to 1 p.m. at Bancroft and Telegraph. Our focus is human rights in Palestine. 548-6310. 

Circle Dancing, simple folk dancing with instruction at 8 p.m., potluck at 7 p.m. at Hillside Community Church, 1422 Navellier St. Donation $5. 528-4253. www.circledancing.com 

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

SATURDAY, SEPT. 29 

Community Discussion of the Proposed Public Commons for Everyone Initiative from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center on the corner of Hearst and MLK. 981-2498.  

Asthma Walk with the American Lung Association Check in at 9 a.m., walk starts at 10 a.m. at Middle Harbor Shoreline Park, 7th St. and Middle Harbor Rd., Oakland. 893-5474. www.snipurl.com/Asthma 

Walk2007 

Walking Tour of Jack London Waterfront Meet at 10 a.m. at the corner of Broadway and Embarcadero. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com/walkingtours 

Toddler Nature Walk We’ll look for spiders, insects, and other creatures from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Creating an Ecological House A seminar with author and designer Skip Wenz from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Building Education Center, 812 Page St. Cost is $85. 525-7610.  

Mystery Dinner Theater Fund Raising Event for GRIP Homeless Shelter from 5 to 8 p.m. at the El Cerrito United Methodist Church. Tickets are $35. For details and for registration forms go to www.ecumc.net 525-3500. 

Nyingma Institute 35th Anniversary from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with activities, tour, lectures and receptions. For details call 809-1000. 

Magicians David Hirata and Kim Silverman at 6:30 p.m. at Kinnel Hall, Lutheran Church of the Cross, 1744 University Ave. Tickets are $15-$25 sliding scale, children under 14 free. Includes dinner. For reservations call 704-7729. 

Benefit Tennis Classic with Monica Seles and Corina Morariu at 11:30 a.m. at Berkeley Tennis Club, 1Tunnel Rd. Benefits Alta Bates Summit Foundation. Tickets are $25, includes box lunch. 204-1667. 

Time for an Oil Change? Learn how the fat you eat affects your health at 10 a.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Stress Less Seminar for Students at 2 p.m. at Lakeview Branch of the Oakland Public Library. 465-2524. 

Favorite Plants for the Landscape at 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens Nursery, 729 Heinz Ave. off 7th St. 644-2351. 

Fast Pitch Softball for Adults at noon on Saturdays in Oakland. For information call 204-9500. 

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

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

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

SUNDAY, SEPT. 30 

How Berkeley Can You Be? Parade up University Ave. at 11 a.m. with ArtCars, community groups and more, followed by a festival in Civic Center Park with live music, food and craft booths to 5 p.m. www.howberkeley.com 

Out and About in Rockridge Live music, craft and community booths and children’s activities from noon to 6 p.m. along College Ave. from Alcatraz to Broadway. 604-3125. www.rockridgedistrict.com 

Farm Stories and Songs with Tara Reinertson at 10:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden PArk. 525-2233. 

Working with Wool Learn how the spinning wheel turns wool into yarn, try a drop spindle and make a felt ball, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Halcyon Commons Community Potluck with live music at Halcyon Court at Prince St., from 5 to 7:30 p.m. 849-1969.  

“Nightmare Beyond Borders” The Iraqi Displacement Crisis and What Can Be Done To Stop It with Raed Jarrar, an Iraqi political analyst and consultant to AFSC's Iraq Program, at 3 p.m. at Berkeley Friends Church, 1600 Sacramento St. 415-565-0201, ext. 24. www.afsc.org/iraq/tour  

"An Unreasonable Man” The documentary about Ralph Nader at 2 p.m. at the Hillside Community Church, 1422 Navellier St., El Cerrito, between Potrero and Moeser. Tickets are $8. 526-0972. 

Victoria Lee “The Rumi Secret” at 10 a.m. and a Runi 800th Birthday Celebration, at 7 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

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 

Tibetan Buddhism with Robin Caton on “Meditation for Life” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, OCT. 1 

Celebrate Banned Books Week Read aloud from “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” from 3 to 6 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6223. 

Red Cross Blood Drive from noon to 6 p.m. at West Pauley Ballroom MLK Student Union, UC Campus. To schedule an appointment go to www.BeADonor.com  

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

Dragonboating Year round classes at the Berkeley Marina, Dock M. Meets Mon, Wed., Thurs. at 6 p.m. Sat. at 10:30 a.m. For details see www.dragonmax.org 

Free Boatbuilding Classes for Youth Mon.-Wed. from 3 to 7 p.m. at Berkeley Boathouse, 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. Classes cover woodworking, boatbuilding, and boat repair. 644-2577.  

CITY MEETINGS 

Civic Arts Commission meets Wed., Sept. 26, at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7533.  

Disaster and Fire Safety Commission meets Wed., Sept. 26, at 7 p.m., at the Emergency Operations Center, 997 Cedar St. 981-5502.  

Energy Commission meets Wed., Sept. 26, at 6:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5434.  

Planning Commission meets Wed., Sept. 26, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7484.  

Mental Health Commission meets Thurs., Sept. 27, at 6:30 p.m. at 2640 MLK Jr. Way, at Derby. 981-5213.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 25 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Wash, Rinse, Repeat ... Repeat” Exhibition of works by women artists. Reception at 4 p.m. at the Worth Ryder Gallery, Kroeber Hall, Bancroft at College. Exhibition runs to Oct. 12.  

FILM 

“Bella Bella” A film by Elizabeth Sher premiers at 7:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Center, Live Oak Park, followed by a discussion with the filmmaker and the Sculptor Bella Feldman. Tickets are $8-$10. 644.6893. 

“Home Movies: Autobiographical Films by Women” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Flash with Willis Barnstone and Steven Nightengale at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley City College auditorium, 2050 Center St. 525-5476. 

Readings from Viz Inter-Arts, a trans-genre anthology at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Erika Mailman introduces “The Witch’s Trinity” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Creole Belles at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Singers’ Open Mic with Kelly Park at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Tlen-Huicani at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Times 4 at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Jazzschool Tuesdays, a weekly showcase of up-and-coming ensembles from Berkeley Jazzschool at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 26 

THEATER 

Seldom Seen Acting Company Homeless actors share their life stories at 10:30 a.m. at St. Vincent de Paul Center, 2272 San Pablo Ave., Oakland. 636-4255. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Strictly Speaking with Garry Wills author of “Lincoln at Gettysburg” at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $10-$20. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

“Writing Teachers Write” with Sharon Coleman and Richard Silberg at 5 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Alice Medrich describes “Pure Dessert: True Flavors, Inspiring Ingredients, and Simple Recipes” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

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 www.starryploughpub.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Jazz Masters Concert with Café American, gypsy jazz, at noon at 12th and Broadway, Oakland.  

Wednesday Noon Concert, with University Symphony Orchestra at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

UC Jazz Ensembles at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $6. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Tamsen Donner Band at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. West Coast swing dance lesson at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

La Verdad at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Salsa dance lessons at 8 p.m. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

The Flux at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Baka Beyond at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Robben Ford at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $24-$28. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, SEPT. 27 

EXHIBITIONS 

“One Way or Another: Asian American Art Now” Guided tour at 12:15 and 5:30 p.m.at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Heading North: Journey to Atacama Desert, Chile” Photographs by Thea Bellos, at La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

“The Sacred in the Mundane” works by Pauletta M. Chanco at 5:30 p.m. at Joyce Gordon Gallery, 406 14th St., Oakland. 465-8928. 

Berkeley’s “Other” Revolution: Celebrating 35 Years of Independent Living, Disability Access, and Disability Rights. Photographs by Ken Stein on display in the windows of Rasputin Music, 2401 Telegraph Ave., between Channing Way and Haste, to Nov. 15. 525-2325. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Bungalows: The Ultimate Arts & Crafts Home” with author Jane Powell at 7:30 p.m. at the Hillside Club. Cost is $20. For reservations call 848-4288. 

Sam Quinones and Gustavo Arellano talk about their books and the issues of migration and immigration, at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. www.codysbooks.com 

Jane Smiley, Pam Houston and Lynn Freed read essays from “The Other Woman: Twnty-One Wives, Lovers, and Others Talk Openly About Sex, Deception, Love and Betrayal” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

New Century Chamber Orchestra with guest concertmaster Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg at 8 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Tickets are $28-$42. 415-357-1111. www.ncco.org 

“Exilio: Creating Home Away from Home” Chilean art, music and poetry Thurs. and Fri. at 7 p.m. at La Peña. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

ILGI at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Fiveplay at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $9. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Franco Nero, Joseph’s Bones, Guerilla Hi-Fi at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082 www.starryploughpub.com 

Robben Ford at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $24-$28. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

FRIDAY, SEPT. 28 

THEATER 

Altarena Playhouse “Urinetown, The Musical” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at 1409 High St., Alameda, through Oct. 6. Tickets are $17-$20. 523-1553. www.altarena.org 

Aurora Theatre “Hysteria” Wed.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m. at 2081 Addison St., through Sept. 30. Tickets are $40-$42. 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org 

California Shakespeare Theater “King Lear” at the Bruns Ampitheater, 100 Gateway Blvd., Orinda, through Oct. 14. Tickets are $15-$60. 548-9666. www.calshakes.org 

Contra Costa Civic Theatre “Rumors” by Neil Simon, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., selected Sundays at 2 p.m. at 951 Pomona Ave. at Moeser, El Cerrito, through Oct. 14. Tickets are $11-$18. 655-8974. www.cct.org 

Impact Theatre “Sleepy” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave., through Oct. 13. Tickets are $10-$15. 464-4468. 

Masquers Playhouse “The Shadow Box” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., selected Sun. matinees, at 105 Park Place, Point Richmond. Runs through Sept. 29. This show is not recommended for children. Tickets are $15. 232-4031. www.masquers.org 

Ragged Wing Ensemble “Alice in Wonderland” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Envision Academy, 1515 Webster St., Oakland, through Oct. 13. Tickets are $15-$30. 800-838-3006. www.raggedwing.org 

Shotgun Players “Bulrusher” Thurs.-Sun. at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. through Oct. 28. Tickets are $17-$25. For reservations call 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Needle Lace: Borne of Thread and Air” featuring needle lace from the 16th through the 20th centuries. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles, 2982 Adeline St. 843-7290. http://lacismuseum.org 

“Wonderland, A Fairytale of the Soviet Monolith” Black and white photographs by Jason Eskenazion. Reception at 5 p.m., artist talk at 6 p.m. at the Graduate School of Journalism, North Gate Hall, UC Campus. 

FILM 

Girls Will Be Boys “Little Old New York” at 6:30 p.m. and “Queen Christina” at 9 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Vintage Films: “Safety Last!” at 1 and 7 p.m. at Piedmont Cinema, 4186 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. 464-5980. 

Midnight Movies “The Sandlot” Fri. and Sat. at midnight at Piedmont Cinema, 4186 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Cost is $8. 464-5980. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Denise Uyehara on “Shedding Light: Performance and Illumination at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way, enter on Durant. 642-0808. 

Naomi Klein describes “The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism” at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2701 Harrison St. at 27th. Tickets are $10-$13. 559-9500. www.codysbooks.com  

Parthenon West Review, new issue release party with readings by contributing poets at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. claybanes@gmail.com 

“California Indian Songs and Stories” with Linda Yamane (Rumsien Ohlone), Mike Mirelez (Desert Cahuilla), Ron Goode (North Fork Mono), Clarence Hostler (Hupa/Yurok/Karuk), and Charlie Thom (Karuk) at 7:30 p.m. at Bancroft Hotel, 2680 Bancroft Way. Free, but RSVP requested 549-3564, ext. 316. lillian@heydaybooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Global Drum Project with Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain, Siriru Adepoju and Giovanni Hidalgo at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $24-$52. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

University Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $4-$12.. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

“Exilio: Creating Home Away from Home” Chilean art, music and poetry at 7 p.m. at La Peña. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Rova Saxophone Quartet at 8 p.m. at The Berkeley Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Cost is $10-$15. 845-1350. 

Joel Dorham Octet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

The Vowel Movement, beatboxing, at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

April Verch at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

John Pallowich with the Danny Mertens Trio at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Sleepy Boy Moe and Adam Balbo at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

77 El Dora, Burning Embers, Tom Armstrong at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

What It Is at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

SATURDAY, SEPT. 29 

CHILDREN  

Active Arts Theatre for Young Audiences “James and the Giant Peach” Sat. and Sun. at 2 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $14-$18. 925-798-1300. 

“Pinocchio: The Hip-Hopera” Sat. and Sun. at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave. 452-2259 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Tides and Trees” works by Jill Bliss. Artist reception at 7 p.m. at Relish at Home, 2703 7th Street, Ste #112. 981-9400. 

FILM 

Girls Will Be Boys “Little Lord Fauntleroy” at 3 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Vintage Films: “His Girl Friday” at 2 and 7 p.m. at Piedmont Cinema, 4186 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. 464-5980. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Louise Dunlap describes “Undoing the Silence: Six Tools for Social Change Writing” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Patricia Barber, jazz vocalist and pianist at 8 p.m. at Wheeler Auditorium, UC Campus. Tickets are $20. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

University Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $4-$12. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Hopkinson Smith, solo lute, “For Pope and King” works of Francesco da Milano and John Dowland at 8 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College at Garber. Tickets are $10-$25. 528-1725. www.sfems.org 

Mike Glendinning, guitar, at noon at Cafe Zeste, 1250 Addison St. at Bonar, in the Strawberry Creek Park complex. 704-9378. 

Akosua, Ghanaian-American singer-songwriter at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Jazz Express at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Fiesta Brasileira with Omo Aiye, Mestre Acordeon & Corpo Santo Capoeira Group and others at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10-$12. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Dave Lionelli and Ronnie Cato at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Socket at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Jami Sieber & Kim Rosen at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Happy Hour at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15-$18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Eliot Randall & Chris Volpe at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7. 558-0881. 

Royal Hawaiian Serenaders at 9 p.m. at Temple Bar Tiki Bar, 984 University Ave. 548-9888. 

The Bye Bye Blackbirds, Statuesque, The Family Arsenal at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Free. 841-2082.  

Maya Kronfeld Trio, jazz, at 9 p.m. at Downtown, 2102 Shattuck Ave. 649-3810.  

SUNDAY, SEPT. 30 

CHILDREN 

Farm Stories and Songs with Tara Reinertson at 10:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Gennifer Choldenko introduces her new book for young readers “If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period” at 4 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 559-9500. www.codysbooks.com  

FILM 

“Shanghai’et!” at 3 p.m. and “Morocco” at 5 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Vintage Films: “Spellbound” at 2 and 7 p.m. at Piedmont Cinema, 4186 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. 464-5980. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“One Way or Another: Asian American Art Now” Artist talk with Binh Danh at 2 p.m. at 3 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. 

Mark Kramer describes “Telling True Stories: A nonfiction Writers’ Guide from the Neiman Foundation at Harvard University” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Olga Borodina, mezzo-soprano, at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $36-$68. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Quinda Groove, Andean instuments mixed with folk rock at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Aleph Null at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Reggae Showcase with David Morrison, Army, Tuff Lion, Luv Fyah and others at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $12. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

William Beatty and The Unconditionals at 6:30 p.m. at The Mt. Everest Restaurant 2011 Shattuck Ave. at University. 665-6035.  

MONDAY, OCT. 1 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Eden Invaded” Paintings by Judith Wehlau. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Bucci’s Restaurant, 6121 Hollis St., Emeryville.  

FILM 

Vintage Films: “West Side Story” at 1 and 7 p.m. at Piedmont Cinema, 4186 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. 464-5980. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Actors Reading Writers: “Beasts,” stories by Angela Carter and Theodore Sturgeon at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave between Dana and Ellsworth. 932-0214. 

Subterranean Shakespeare “Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits” at 8 p.m. at Unitarian Fellowship Hall, 1924 Cedar at Bonita. Cost is $10. For reservations call 276-3871. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Valerie Bach at 7 p.m. at Le Bateau Ivre, 2629 Telegraph Ave. 849-1100. www.lebateauivre.net 

The title character of Berkeley native Eisa Davis’ Pulitzer Prize-nominated play Bulrusher, as produced by the Shotgun Players at the Ashby Stage, says, “I guess I can tell everybody else’s future because I don’t know my own past ... didn’t die like I was supposed to, so I’ve got a one-way ticket to the Land of Could Be.”  

She tells of her special provenance: abandoned as an infant, discovered floating in a basket among cat-tails in the Navarro River (thus, Bulrusher, like Moses—but also “foundling, illegitimate child” in Boontling, the old backdoor lingo of Boonville in Mendocino County), she’s carved out a niche for herself, first as a clairvoyant who “reads the water,” then as a fruit peddler, plying oranges and bananas, the only “piece of cut cabbage” (Boontling for black woman) in town. 

But another, like her in race and gender, though from another world, arrives alone from Birmingham, Ala.—and upsets the apple cart, both for lonely Bulrusher and for the other denizens of Anderson Valley and the webwork of secret kinships left unspoken in Bootling as well as plain English. 

Eisa Davis, who commented that her play was “a feat of the imagination,” has created a Romance—with a capital R—which, like The Scarlet Letter, uses the romances between characters in an idyllic setting to mirror their personal secrets, which in turn reflect, upside-down, the image of the greater world, outside and far away, with all its tribulation and strife—in particular, questions of race, family and identity, all being defined and redefined in the courts, schools and streets of the America of 1955, when the play is set.  

It opens on Lisa Clark’s great set of plank floors for cabins and town buildings rising out of the river waters, interlaced with reeds and overhung by big trees, with Bulrusher (Kirya Traber, a spoken word artist and Mendocino native) in an emerald dress, catching the drip from the branches in her skirt and tossing it back up in a shaft of light, then talking to the river, her “diary, church, everything,” and the redwoods overhead, rhapsodizing in words derived from a song Davis wrote: “Forgiveness is an insect that may one day draw my blood ... I am born into a new language.” 

Then an odd trio, a kind of triangle, is introduced under a milk glass chandelier hanging from an arch become a tree trunk, in the parlor of the town’s cathouse: Madame (Louise Chegwidden—“Not a businesswoman like Mary Magdalene!”) banters with two men, also named only by occupation—silent Schoolch (Terry Lamb), former teacher and (at first) mute straightman with a china cup and saucer and laconic glance and gestures, and the loquacious Logger (D. Anthony Harper), Boonville’s only black man, who stayed on when the sawmills gave way to orchards (which in turn have given way to the present sprawl of vineyards). “This woman’s an art-i-san!” says the Logger of Madame.  

The Logger found Bulrusher floating in her basket; Schoolch brought her up. And now she’s being pursued by Boy (Cole Smith), who declares her his girlfriend in sanguine flights of amorous oratory directed at her. (Madame, Logger and Boy in particular speak in the lapidary diction, peppered with Boontling argot, that give Bulrusher much of its lyrical, even rhapsodic, quality.) 

Then enter Vera (Jahmela Biggs), on foot from the nearest Greyhound stop, arriving “on the day of the only rain of the summer.” (“It’s pearlin’ out there!” exclaims Madame in Boontling.) She and Bulrusher are amazed at each other. “You never seen another colored girl before?”—“No,” Bulrusher admits, “I had to drink a beer to get over you!”  

Vera, like Odysseus walking inland with an oar over his shoulder, seems both shocked and glad Bulrusher doesn’t know the real score of race in America. But Vera has her own reasons for fleeing to Boonville; the Logger is her uncle, and Vera’s stunned: “I never thought I’d see a town full of crackers let a buck in their bordello!” The Logger sets her straight: “Indians, they’re the colored folk here now—and they got it bad, so don’t you go saying you’re part Cherokee!” 

The Logger takes her in, braids her sopping hair, recites Paul Laurence Dunbar poems, talks about “tongue and groovin’ my own cabin” and ironically laments, “All the trees are gone, and so is my youth. I got nothin’ to destroy.” 

There are many images and vignettes: Bulrusher in gumboots with a kerchief on her head, holding a highgun (shotgun); Logger cutting in on Schootch to dance with Madame at the Apple Show dance, while Boy finally holds Bulrusher, at least for a slow number, after he calls a square dance. And Bulrusher goes on a quest to meet her penitent mother; the Romance becomes a family romance. 

A family romance in a small town with its own jargon, tucked away in a valley of redwoods, while the wheels of change grind in the greater world outside—and everything goes round and round in Boonville ... so much, Bulrusher says, “Wait till I tell the river!” 

Ellen Sebastian Chang and Margot Hall have directed their well-cast company with both sensitivity and alacrity. The characters are crystal-clear, assisted by Valera Cobble’s costuming, and the three Equity actors (Chegwidden, Harper and Lamb) anchor the show solidly with their wry triangle. Jarrod Fischer’s lighting captures the liquid light and shadow of the north coast. Berkeley composer Clark Suprynowicz designed the sound and led a ten-player ensemble, playing bass and washboard himself, to record the superlative incidental music, wonderful motifs that shade the edges of theatrical tableaux.  

Bulrusher is a quiet triumph—for Shotgun, who show how they’re advancing a kind of housestyle of production—and for Eisa Davis, who commented, “I discovered what my themes are as a writer, what archetypes populate my landscape.” One of the themes is stated by the title archetype, Bulrusher the outcast: “Don’t judge people by what never happened!” 

BULRUSHER 

Presented at 8 p.m. Thursday-Sunday by the Shotgun Players through Oct. 28 at the Asbhy Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. $17-$25. 

841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org.

“If you would be a poet, write living newspapers. Be a reporter from outer space, filling dispatches to some supreme managing editor who believes in full disclosure and has a low tolerance for bullshit.” 

—Lawrence Ferlinghetti,  

from the opening of  

Poetry as Insurgent Art  

(to be given away by Moe’s as a  

broadside at the Oct. 2 reading) 

Lawrence Ferlinghetti, famed Beat poet, publisher of Allen Ginsberg’s notorious Howl and proprietor of City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco’s North Beach, will read from his new and ongoing “ars poetica,” Poetry as Insurgent Art (New Directions), 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2 at Moe’s Books at 2476 Telegraph Ave. Admission is free.  

“We’re happy Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s going to cross the Bay to read at Moe’s,” said Owen Hill, organizer of the Moe’s reading series. “He hasn’t read in Berkeley for a while, and I was told that the only other Bay Area reading from his new book will be at his own store. I think it’s fitting he’ll be reading here, on Telegraph, across from the Cafe Med, where Ginsberg reputedly wrote part of Howl, and at Moe’s, the other literary gathering place besides City Lights. He’s said he’s eager to read here, to support another independent bookstore—and Moe’s, like City Lights, has managed to survive a long time.” 

Ferlinghetti, a native of Yonkers, N.Y., served as a naval officer during World War II, later crediting his longtime pacifist beliefs to witnessing the aftermath of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki as a member of the occupation force there. After attending Columbia in New York and the Sorbonne in Paris on the G.I. Bill, Ferlinghetti moved to San Francisco, at the urging of Kenneth Rexroth, whom he had met in Paris. 

In 1953, City Lights Bookstore, the first all-paperback store in the U.S., was opened by Ferlinghetti and Pete Martin, known for his deadpan wit, who had published a magazine of the same name, after Chaplin’s film title. Two years later, Martin went back to New York, and Ferlinghetti started the press, and its Pocket Poets series, which leapt into the news in 1956, with the impounding of Howl, published shortly after its premiere at the famed 6 Gallery reading, for obscenity and its successful courtroom defense. His own popular books, Pictures of the Gone World and A Coney Island of the Mind, came out in 1955 and ‘58, respectively, which helped define Beat poetry and sensibility, and which launched a career that has seen over 30 books published. 

In 1994, an alley in North Beach was named in Ferlinghetti’s honor. He was declared Poet Laureate of San Francisco in 1998, and in 2000 received a lifetime achievement award from the National Book Critics Circle. He continues to work at City Lights, to write and to paint and exhibit. 

Of his book Poetry as Insurgent Art, Ferlinghetti has written, “After a lifetime, this (r)evolutionary little book is still a work-in-progress, the poet’s ars poetica, to which at 88 he is constantly adding. The earliest version ... was transcribed from a KPFA (FM) broadcast by the author in the late 1950s.” 

Moe’s Books will host an event tonight (Tuesday) at 7:30 p.m. to celebrate the publication of Viz Interarts: Event, A Trans-Genre Anthology with readings by Laura Moriarty, who teaches at Mills College and helps direct Small Press Distribution; haiku poet and teacher Gary Gach; writer, editor and publisher Mary Burger and spoken word artist and Sister Spit promoter Michelle Tea. The anthology’s 250 large-format illustrated pages contain writers and artists such as Dadaist Tristan Tzara, the late Objectivist poet Carl Rakosi (whose poem is collaged by Anne Waldman), George Hitchcock of Kayak, well-known Beat and New York School poets, Situationists and Fluxus artists, Language poets and well-known Bay Area poets and writers of the present, like Michael Palmer, Norma Cole and Joanne Kyger.  

2476 Telegraph Ave.  

849-2087 or moesbooks.com.