January 18, Wednesday
WordsWest 22 West Seattle’s liveliest reading series begins 2017 with Hugo House writer-in-residence Anastacia Renee Tolbert and Seattle Times reporter Claudia Rowe, whose brand-new true-crime book The Spider and the Fly tells the story of her correspondence with a serial killer. The two writers will read on the theme of “dreams deferred.” C&P Coffee Co., 5612 California Ave. S.W., wordswest literary.weebly.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m. PAUL CONSTANT
Crybaby Studios Monthly Capitol Hill’s favorite easily flooded subterranean practice space continues its monthly concert series with this dreamy electronic-leaning bill. Headlining is the witchy goth stylings of Golden Gardens, followed by the hypnotic, floral synth-worlds of Lilac and the dark drone folk of Foie Gras. Daisy Heroin will provide his trippy, Terry Gilliam-meets-Aleister Crowley visuals throughout the night. Timbre Room, 1809 Minor Ave., timbreroom.com. Free. 21 and over. 9 p.m. KELTON SEARS
January 19, Thursday
A Word for Love Reading Visiting author Emily Robbins’ debut novel is about an exchange student who travels to Syria, falls in love with the language, and then falls in love with a Syrian. Robbins, who studied in Syria on a Fulbright Fellowship, will likely have some things to say about the intersection of fiction and nonfiction. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave., 624-6600, elliottbaybook.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m. PC
The Bad Plus For 16 years now, The Bad Plus has been pushing jazz to new frontiers. The Minneapolis trio is best known for rendering pop hits into jazz explorations—including Peter Gabriel’s “Games Without Frontiers” and TV on the Radio’s “Staring at the Sun” on its latest—but this is no modern-man’s Muzak. In its covers—and its originals—the band has redefined the piano trio into a more adventurous form, worthy of an audience even without the chart toppers. The Neptune, 1303 N.E. 45th St., 682-1414. $23.50. All ages. 8 p.m. MARK BAUMGARTEN
Dismal Fest Vice’s Noisey calls local headliners Eye of Nix “ritualistic,” “operatic,” and “feral.” Their diverse audiences reflect their sound, meeting at the ceremonial crossroads of metal, experimental, and high goth. This incredible night of heavy, weird art and sound, perfect for the darkness of winter, includes a rare performance from Microscopic Suffering, whose members invoke all the churning drudgery of early Swans or SRL, and a duet with alien cowboy noisepoetnobody and Seattle’s own haunted hurdy-gurdy man, Susiutl. With PRISONFOOD, Glacial, Condo Horro. LoFi, 429 Eastlake Ave. E., thelofit.net. $5–$15. 21 and over. 8 p.m. MEAGAN ANGUS
Dream, Girl American women are launching 1,200 new businesses every single day, according to a recent report. So why do only the Zuckerbergs, Jobses, and Gateses of the world become household names? The Seattle premiere of this 2016 documentary will showcase and celebrate badass women as they navigate the slowly shrinking gender gap in entrepreneurship, followed by a panel discussion with local female entrepreneurs from MOD Pizza, Seattle Girls’ School, Inflatable Film, and more. SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave. N., 324-9996, siff.net. $12. All ages. 7 p.m. SARA BERNARD
January 20, Friday
Occupy Inauguration Technically this isn’t a reading, but the truth is, the We Defy event with Sherman Alexie and Ijeoma Oluo at Town Hall tonight is already sold out (though they do often have standby tickets at the door if you feel like waiting in line), and tonight is a night for political action. Go be heard. Westlake Park, 401 Pine St. Free. 5 p.m. PAUL CONSTANT
Guayaba This Olympia singer/rapper’s latest record, Black Trash/White House, is easily one of the spiciest local records that came out last year, featuring genius Latin-trap rhythms and dexterous vocals that are even more impressive in person. Backing her tonight is ZELLi, another local talent to watch, who is bringing back 2000s-style diva rap, and R&B vocal-looper extraordinaire Paris Alexa. The Vera Project, 305 Harrison St., theveraproject.org. $6–$8. All ages. 8 p.m. KS
In the Noise 4 The In Arts NW has opened its doors to noise once again, this time in a phenomenally curated experimental series by Tyler Griffith and NewNoise Productions. This month features world-famous Contact Mike from New Zealand and a rare showing from the unparalleled ~adc, whose harsh sets are as blistering as they are brief. After shouting in the streets for the inauguration, come blow off steam with a good old-fashioned freakout. With Tangent, Big Blurrred, and Krista Lee Wolfe. The In Arts NW, 1633 17th Ave., inartsnw.weebly.com. $5 donation. All ages. 9:30 p.m. MA
Whim W’him Choreographer Penny Saunders returns to make a new work that’s all about making work. Play by Play follows an idea (played by Justin Reiter) as he’s dogged or encouraged by the rest of the company. Grace, Passion, Prudence, Folly, and others all get involved, but it’s Patrick Kilbane as Doubt who has the most influence. He’s always there—sometimes actively blocking the path, sometimes hovering just behind. See it with your New Year’s resolutions in hand. Cornish Playhouse, 201 Mercer St., 726-5011, cornish.edu. $25–$30. 8 p.m. Fri., Jan. 20–Sat., Jan. 21. SANDI KURTZ
January 21, Saturday
Jacob Lawrence: The Migration Series On the 100th anniversary of his birthday, SAM is opening a retrospective of one of Seattle’s most important visual artists. For the first time in 40 years, all 60 paintings from Lawrence’s “Migration Series” will be shown together on the West Coast. Painted on cardboard and rendered in his trademark “dynamic cubist” style, the series depicts the mass migration of African-Americans from the rural South to the industrial North following WWI. Seattle Art Museum, 1300 First Ave., visitsam.org. Free. All ages. 10 a.m.–5 p.m. KS
The Rock Lottery Here’s the concept: A collection of talented Seattle musicians—this year including members of Ravenna Woods, Earth, and Pickwick—are randomly divided into bands via lottery and tasked with creating something new to play at this show. The results are mixed, though often inspiring, and really just a lot of fun—which is the point. Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-4618. $12 adv. 21 and over. 9 p.m. MB
January 22, Sunday
Looking for Betty MacDonald Reading Betty MacDonald’s 1945 memoir about life on the Olympic Peninsula, The Egg and I, is an underappreciated Northwest classic. Seattle-area historian Paula Becker celebrates UW Press’s republication of three long-out-of-print books by MacDonald with a reading from her own book that celebrates MacDonald’s history and legacy. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave., 624-6600, elliottbaybook.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m. PC
Ending the School-to-Prison Pipeline and BeyondPioneering clinical psychologist and racial-justice advocate Dr. Edwin J. Nichols is known for helping reframe the way we understand race, racism, and the philosophical underpinnings of cultural difference. He’s traveled all over the world, speaking, teaching, and writing about everything from the NYPD’s “stop and frisk” policies to microaggressions; this time he’ll tackle the school-to-prison pipeline. Talk followed by a moderated Q&A. Seattle Central Library, 386-4636, 1000 Fourth Ave., spl.org. Free. All ages. 7 p.m. SB
January 24, Tuesday
This Is How It Always Is Reading No less a towering talent than the Northwest’s own Ruth Ozeki praises Seattle author Laurie Frankel’s third novel, This Is How It Always Is, for charging us “to look beyond the traditional binary oppositions of boy vs. girl, right vs. wrong, real vs. make-believe, and to find courage and beauty in the in-between.” Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave., 624-6600, elliottbay book.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m. PC
