Saturday 5/5
Acclaimed writer and Iraq War veteran Brian Turner headlines an evening of storytelling by those who have been part of the nightmare of combat. Turner is the author of Here, Bullet, a harrowing first-person account of his one-year tour of duty. Turner will be joined by Andrew Himes, director of the Voices in Wartime Education Project. Tickets $15. Sat., May 5, 7 p.m., Henry Art Gallery, 4100 15th Ave. NE.
Many Ugandan women are fleeing violence, living with HIV, and surviving on less than two dollars a day. Yet they are resilient and create beauty by turning recycled paper into beaded jewelry. BeadforLife, a group that fights world poverty by creating bridges of understanding between Africans and North Americans, presents a Beadware Party. It’s a rare chance to purchase the unique jewelry, priced from $5 to $30, as well as contribute to food, medicine, and school fees. 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., The Tea Gallery, 2707 California Ave. SW. Info: www.myteagallery.com.
The groundbreaking documentary Affluenza diagnoses the social disease caused by consumerism, commercialism, and rampant materialism. We have more stuff, less time, and a deteriorating quality of life. Using archival film, it reveals the forces that have changed our nation’s values from thriftiness to overconsumption. 7 p.m., Queen Anne Methodist Church, 1606 Fifth Ave. W.
Sunday 5/6
The fifth annual Northwest Biodiesel Forum features interactive booths and panel discussions on home heating, benefits to local farms, homebrewed fuel, regional transportation, and global warming. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Seattle Center Fisher Pavilion, 305 Harrison St. Info: www.nwbiodiesel.org.
Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake follows Gogol, who is afflicted by a name that is neither Indian nor American, and like many second-generation immigrants, he struggles to find his place in the world. Members from three leading South Asian cultural organizations — Chaya, Tasveer, and Trikone — lead an exploration of the themes of immigration, identity, family, and sexuality in Lahiri’s novel. 3 p.m., Seattle Public Library, 425 Harvard Ave. E.
Amy Fusselman is joined by King County Sexual Assault Resource Center in discussing her memoir, 8. The figure eights Fusselman skated as a child become a metaphor for examining childhood, motherhood, and the unexpected effects of past events. Her most pivotal life experience was the brutal rape by her babysitter’s husband and the mental struggle to break free from it. 7:30 p.m., Elliott Bay Book Company, 101 S. Main St.
Monday 5/7
Yale University Professor Ian Shapiro takes on the Bush Doctrine of preemptive war and unilateral action in his book, Containment. He argues that the War on Terror is a misguided adulteration of American values, and unfolds a bold vision for our nation’s security by drawing upon George Kennan’s 1946 “Long Telegram,” which helped the U.S. win the Cold War. Tickets $5. 7:30 p.m., Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave.
Wednesday 5/9
The International Socialist Organization hosts an evening of lively discussion and debate on the revolutionary ideas of Karl Marx. 7 p.m., Seattle Central Community College, Room 3202, 1701 Broadway.
Significantly darker than her white-skinned parents, nine-year-old Sandra Laing was reclassified as Coloured and expelled from her white school. She made international news and soon became the poster child for the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. Judith Stone shares from her latest writing, When She Was White, which digs into the misery and family strife Laing endured. 8 p.m., Elliott Bay Book Company, 101 S Main St.
Friday 5/11
When Canadian couple Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon learned that the average ingredient in a North American meal travels 1,500 miles to land on their plate, they set out to eat only food produced within a 100-mile radius of their home. Their book, Plenty, details their year of foraging forgotten fruit orchards, relying on World War II era cookbooks, and buying from maverick farmers. 7 p.m., PCC Natural Market, 11435 Avondale Road N.E., Redmond.
Calendar compiled by Dena Burke. Have a suggestion for an event? Email it to calendar@realchangenews