March 1, Wednesday

Ben Fountain OK, so Ang Lee’s film adaptation of Ben Fountain’s novel Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk was a total bust. But that doesn’t detract from the book: Fountain’s debut novel stabbed into the heart of American self-regard. Come celebrate one of the brightest young talents to appear on the scene in the past decade. Benaroya Hall, 200 University St., 215-4747, lectures.org. $20. All ages. 7:30 p.m. PAUL CONSTANT

I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying Can you really satirize Donald Trump? How do you make a caricature out of someone who is already a caricature? Did The Daily Show actually have any tangible political effect, or just prove that confirmation bias is very real? Tonight, Future Is 0 host Claire Buss addresses all this and more in a conversation with UW professors and local comedians alongside political sketch comedy clips from the past 50 years. Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave., nwfilmforum.org. $8. All ages. 7:30 p.m. KELTON SEARS

INCOME TAX NOW!

Join the Transit Riders Union and City Councilmember Lisa Herbold as they demand that Seattle city leaders pass a progressive income tax. Here’s the thing: Income taxes are illegal in Washington, per a 1935 state Supreme Court decision. But many believe that today’s court would rule differently. In effect, these activists are asking city leaders to go to court to try to lift the statewide ban on income taxes. Seattle City Hall, 600 Fourth Ave. Free. Noon–1:30 p.m. CASEY JAYWORK

Reading Through It

The Seattle Review of Books and Seattle Weekly present our monthly current-events book club. This edition focuses on Arlie Russell Hochschild’s Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right. Hochschild, a sociologist from Berkeley, reports on what happened when she went to deep-red America to figure out what makes Republicans tick. Third Place Books Seward Park, 5041 Wilson Ave. S., 474-2200. Free. All ages. 7 p.m. PAUL CONSTANT

March 2, Thursday

Milk Like Sugar Kristen Greenridge’s Obie Award-winning script takes its audience into the unknown—not so much the inner-city setting of this 2012 play, but the life of its fast-talking main character, a 16-year-old girl at a crossroads. At the helm of this production is director Malika Oyetimein, a product of Intiman Theater’s Director’s Lab who did great things with Robert O’Hara’s Bootycandy two years ago and who has recently been attached to this year’s Intiman festival. Expectations are aloft. Artswest, 4711 California Ave. S.W., 938-0963. $17–$37.50. 7:30 p.m. Ends March 25. MARK BAUMGARTEN

Ty Segall Rarely going a year without releasing a new album, Segall can seem to encompass the entire history of rock ’n’ roll. He’s a punk with a reverence for the British Invasion, a lo-fi guitar strummer entirely comfortable in a five-piece surfer jam. If rock is a relic, then it needs its preservationists, and Segall is one of the best. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9442. $25. 8 p.m. Also Fri. & Sat. (Fri. is sold out). DANIEL PERSON

Rambunctious Iteration #3 When people emigrate, they bring part of the culture with them, and choreographer Donald Byrd of Spectrum Dance Theater wants us to hear more of it. For this edition of his Rambunctious series he’s using music by immigrant composers, including works influenced by the sonic traditions of Cuba, China, Iran, Mexico, and Russia, folding them into his signature high-intensity dancing. Cornish Playhouse, 201 Mercer St., spectrumdance.org. $21–$42. 7:30 p.m. Ends Sun., Mar. 5. SANDRA KURTZ

Immigration 101 Join the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and the Seattle Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs for a tutorial on the rights of immigrants in the age of Trump. What’s up with the travel ban? What due-process rights are afforded to noncitizens? Come find out. Seattle Public Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., 386-4636. Free. All ages. 6–8:30 p.m. CJ

Finding Common Ground in America On the long list of journalists who screwed up during the 2016 presidential election, you won’t find Matt Taibbi’s name. Unlike most pundits, the Rolling Stone writer never discounted the rise of Bernie Sanders or the victory of Donald Trump. Tonight, Taibbi converses with progressive activist Joel Berg. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 652-4255, townhallseattle.org. $5. All ages. 7:30 p.m. PC

March 3, Friday

Genre Bender Forget all those online dating apps—City Arts plays matchmaker every year for its Genre Bender event, pairing artists who’ve never worked together for a program full of new connections. This year’s edition includes dance artists Molly Sides (working with No Touching Ground) and Dani Tirrell (matched with Mary Anne Carter), among others, all taking a chance on art. Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, 104 17th Ave. S., cityartsonline.com. $20. 8 p.m. Also Sat. & Sun. SK

March 4, Saturday

Saturday on Mars! Seattle author Kevin Emerson launches (haw-haw) his new sci-fi middle-reader novel Last Day on Mars, about a young man who lives on Mars after the destruction of Earth. The Bureau of Fearless Ideas celebrates with a fun party including a reading, cake, science experiments, and readings from young BFI writers. Bureau of Fearless Ideas, 8414 Greenwood Ave. N., 725-2625. Free. All ages. 1 p.m. PC

March 5, Sunday

LVL UP This New York quartet is a kind of Rorschach test for those of us who found our musical footing in the ’90s, recalling, at times, Guided by Voices, Pavement, Built to Spill, and Neutral Milk Hotel. The sound, as heard on the band’s Sub Pop debut Return to Love, can be charmingly delicate and thoroughly fuzzed-out, capable of coaxing pure elation through layers of noise and given to the odd, endearing broken guitar solo. A delight. With Gust Palm. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 538-0556. $12. All ages. 7 p.m. MB

Words From the Café Washington’s poet laureate, Tod Marshall, helps celebrate a new book/CD compilation from local publisher Raven Chronicles Press. Edited by Anna Balint, Words From the Café allows Seattleites suffering from addiction, mental illness, and/or homelessness to tell their own stories in their own words. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave., 624-6600, elliottbaybook.com. Free. All ages. 2 p.m. PC

March 6, Monday

Paul Havas Art critic Matthew Kangas’ newest book, Paul Havas, focuses on the life, letters, and work of an underrated Seattle-area artist. Havas focused primarily on rural landscapes that were unmistakably Northwestern: gray skies over lush landscapes, mountains, calm waters reflecting tranquil scenes. Come learn about an important figure in the Northwest art tradition. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., 634-3400. Free. All ages. 7 p.m. PC

March 7, Tuesday

Artificial Emotional Intelligence Richard Yonck has done a lot of thinking about what will happen when our machines think faster and more deeply than we do. His latest book, Heart of the Machine: Our Future in a World of Artificial Emotional Intelligence, investigates what might happen when we get out-thought by our own creations. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 652-4255. $5. All ages. 7:30 p.m. PC