Friday 3/12 – Thursday 3/18
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13 SATURDAY The vague promise of warmer temperatures makes you want to cast off your winter coat and shimmy in the sun–but where? Well, there won’t be any tanning opportunities at tonight’s Carnaval, but the artists behind the nonprofit arts organization Collaboraction are doing their best to bring a bit of South America to the midwest. There’ll be a fashion show of Brazilian bikini designs and couture from the Wicker Park vintage shops Una Mae’s Freak Boutique and Lilly Vallente, plus samba dancers, Brazilian batacuda percussion, body and face painting, and a set by DJ Julio Bishop. The event is a fund-raiser for Sketchbook, Collaboraction’s annual festival of short plays, art, and music, which begins later this month. Admission is $20 and includes drinks, so you must be 21 or over; tickets must be purchased in advance. It’s at the MCA Warehouse, 1747 W. Hubbard. Call 312-226-9633 or go to www.collaboraction.org.
There’s no telling what you’ll find at the Chicago Rocks & Minerals Society’s 55th Annual Silent Auction of Rocks, Minerals, Fossils, and Lapidary Treasures: “I still curse myself for letting that lapis lazuli free-form carving go for 25 bucks a couple years ago,” says the society’s Jeanine Mielecki. Some of the goods and gadgets will likely appeal only to the trained geologist, but ordinary rock fans may find some cool fossils, jewelry, or a good book. The show opens at 5 and tables of items will come up for bidding in random order starting at 5:30. It’s at the Salvation Army-Irving Park Corps building, 4056 N. Pulaski. Admission is free; call 773-774-2054 or e-mail jaynine9@aol.com.
18 THURSDAY Columbia College’s Eighth Annual Story Week Festival of Writers–actually ten days of author readings, panel discussions, book signings, and more–kicks off today with a conversation between John McNally, whose novel The Book of Ralph was published this month by the Free Press, and Colson Whitehead, whose most recent work, The Colossus of New York, is a collection of essays about New York City. That’s at 2 and will be moderated by Mara Tapp; at 6:30 the writers will read from their work and answer questions from the audience. Both events are free and take place in the auditorium at the Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State. Upcoming events include a presentation on book and magazine publishing by Paris Review executive editor Brigid Hughes and literary agent Stephanie von Hirschberg and a conversation between authors Jane Hamilton (Map of the World) and Lorrie Moore. Most events are free; call 312-344-7611 or 312-344-8559. See the Story Week sidebar at chicagoreader.com for a full schedule.
