Town Hall Seattle

Kim Ricketts Book Events: Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner on 'SuperFreakonomics’

2009-11-03T03:00:00Z

Since its 2005 publication, Freakonomics has changed our understanding of how the world works, how we really make decisions, and even how we name our children. The revolutionary book spent two years on The New York Times bestseller list and spawned a new genre of books on behavioral economics – and now, hear an update by the authors who made economic sciences cool. SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance is based on all-new research and original studies by Steven D. Levitt (pictured), who was recently awarded the American Economic Association’s John Bates Clark Medal, given to the economist under age 40 who has made the greatest contribution to the field. Journalist Stephen J. Dubner is co-author of both books. Presented by Kim Ricketts Book Events.

Advance tickets (which include a copy of "SuperFreakonomics") are $30 at www.brownpapertickets.com or 800/838-3006, by emailing info@kimricketts.com, or by calling 206/632-2419.

Science: Eva Hoffman: Perceptions of Time

2009-11-03T03:30:00Z

Time is generally considered a great given, an impartial and objective force that cannot be circumvented, deconstructed, or wished away, no matter how much Botox or collagen we inject. But what is the nature of time in our time? And why do we feel we have less time, even as we live longer than ever? What effects do computers, video games, and instant communications have on our perceptions, and our bodies? The acclaimed novelist, memoirist, historian and critic Eva Hoffman is the author of a small but provocative work called Time, which asserts that we are tampering with time in ways that affect how we live, the textures of our experience, and our very sense of what it is to be human. Presented as part of the Seattle Science Lectures series, with Pacific Science Center and University Book Store.

Tickets are $5 at www.brownpapertickets.com or 800/838-3006, and at the door beginning at 6:30 pm. Town Hall members receive priority seating.

LEARN MORE:
Hoffman's biography
Read a conversation with Hoffman:

Brian Fagan: Water: The Elixir of Humanity

2009-11-04T03:00:00Z

If water is the magic potion that enables and sustains life, then what will we do in the face of prolonged drought? Archaeologist and archaeological writer Brian Fagan will discuss how earlier civilizations flourished or foundered during water crises, and what a future of deep drought could look like for us. Fagan, author of The Great Warming: Climate Change and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations, is professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of California at Santa Barbara and has written several books on historical climate change and related topics. Presented as part of the Walter P. Kistler Lecture Series, a program of the Bellevue-based Foundation For the Future.

Free, no tickets required. Visit www.futurefoundation.org or call 425/451-1333 for more information.

LEARN MORE:
www.futurefoundation.org
www.brianfagan.com

Rich Benjamin: The Implications of White Flight

2009-11-04T03:30:00Z

A prediction that made headlines 10 years ago is fast becoming a reality: By 2042, whites will no longer be the American majority. As immigrant populations—largely people of color—increase in cities and suburbs, more and more white people are moving to small towns and exurban areas that are predominately white. Journalist Rich Benjamin, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan public-policy research and advocacy organization Demos, calls these enclaves “Whitopias,” and from 2007 to 2009, he embarked on a 26,909-mile journey to some of the fastest-growing and whitest locales in our nation. Benjamin, author of Searching for Whitopia, explores the social and political implications of this phenomenon, concluding that Obama’s historical presidency has actually raised the stakes in a battle between two versions of America: one that is broadly comfortable with diversity yet residentially segregated (ObamaNation), and one that does not mind a little ethnic food--as long as it does not overwhelm a white dominant culture (Whitopia). Presented by Town Hall’s Center for Civic Life, with Demos and Elliott Bay Book Company. Series supported by the Otto Haas Charitable Trust.

Advance tickets are $5 at www.brownpapertickets.com or 800/838-3006, or at the door beginning at 6:30 pm. Town Hall members receive priority seating.

LEARN MORE:
www.richbenjamin.com
Read an In These Times interview with Benjamin

Science: Brad Matsen: The Life of Cousteau

2009-11-05T03:30:00Z

Under water and on land, the legendary Jacques Cousteau explored and explained the magnificent world of the oceans unlike anyone else. And, just like the seas he loved, his life held depth well beneath the surface of his global reputation as a celebrated oceanographer and environmentalist. With the cooperation of Cousteau’s collaborators, friends, and family, Vashon Island writer Brad Matsen’s biography Jacques Cousteau: The Sea King examines the people, the adventures, the science, and the lure of the sea that shaped Cousteau’s life. From his work for the French resistance during World War II to television’s Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau, Matsen has captured the essence of a man who profoundly changed the way we view, and treat, our planet. Presented as part of Seattle Science Lectures, with Pacific Science Center and University Book Store.

Advance tickets are $5 and are available at www.brownpapertickets.com, 800/838-3006 and at the door beginning at 6:30. Town Hall members receive priority seating.

LEARN MORE: here

James McManus: The Story of Poker

2009-11-06T03:30:00Z

You may think you know when to hold ’em, when to fold ’em, and even when Neil Patrick Harris should go “all in” on Celebrity Poker Showdown—but what about the real story of poker? Author, memoirist and inveterate poker player James McManus knows it all, from the game’s roots in China to its status as a global—and yet quintessentially American—phenomenon. Best known for writing on the game in his bestselling Positively Fifth Street (2001), McManus has long-explored the ways poker reverberates with our battlefield and business tactics: cheating and thwarting cheaters, leveraging uncertainty, bluffing and sussing out bluffers, and managing risk and reward. In his latest book, Cowboys Full, McManus says poker goes hand in hand with our national experience, reflecting who we are and how we operate through its pervasive cultural influence. Presented by Town Hall, with University Book Store.

Tickets are $5 at www.brownpapertickets.com or 800/838-3006, and at the door beginning at 6:30 p.m. Town Hall members receive priority seating.

LEARN MORE:
McManus’ Poker Listings profile
Read a New York Times story on McManus

Andrew Boscardin’s Zubatto Syndicate

2009-11-06T04:00:00Z

The Zubatto Syndicate, a new 12-piece ensemble under the direction of composer/guitarist Andrew Boscardin, debuts at Town Hall with a highly original take on Big Band and jazz orchestra traditions. Featuring a unique synthesis of reed instruments and electric sounds, brass and stand-up bass, Zubatto targets the musical place where Maria Schneider meets the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and the Roots meet Radiohead by way of Mingus. The music combines detailed arrangements and inventive harmonic ideas with rhythmic settings and idioms atypical of the jazz orchestra, as realized by some of the top improvising musicians in Seattle. Along with Boscardin on guitar, the band features Taina Karr on oboe and English horn, Jesse Canterbury on clarinets, Greg Sinibaldi on bass clarinet and tenor saxophone, Francine Peterson on bassoon, Clark Gibson on alto saxophone, Jim DeJoie on baritone sax and bass clarinet, Chad McCullough on trumpet, Chris Stover on trombone, Mack Grout on keys, Jon Hamar on bass, and Byron Vannoy on drums.

Advance tickets are $15 general/$5 students at www.brownpapertickets.com or 800/838-3006. For more information, call 206/409-4495.

LEARN MORE:
www.boscology.com

TownMusic: Marion Verbruggen Trio

2009-11-07T03:30:00Z

Internationally-acclaimed recorder virtuoso Marion Verbruggen is joined by 2005 Grammy nominee and Seattleite Margriet Tindemans, viola da gamba, and harpsichordist Jillon Stoppels Dupree, founding director of Seattle’s Gallery Concerts for a program featuring works by Telemann, Bach, Handel, and others.

‘If there is such a thing as an international recorder superstar, Verbruggen is it. The Dutch artist performs with astonishing virtuosity and nuance.’ (San Jose Mercury News)

Advance tickets are $18/$15 Town Hall members, students & seniors at www.brownpapertickets.com or 800/838-3006. $20/$17 at the door.

LEARN MORE:
About Verbruggen
About Tindemans
About Dupree

Perspectives on Environmental Spirituality

2009-11-08T02:45:00Z

In a benefit program for the Ignatian Spirituality Center called “Exposed on the Cliffs of the Heart,” four noted speakers will explore our relationship and responsibility to Earth. Dr. Terry McGonigal, Dean of Spiritual Life at Whitworth University, will discuss the biblical call to be stewards of the Earth; ecologist Mary Ruckelshaus will put the Puget Sound region’s environmental issues into global context; and novelist and salmon activist David James Duncan will join acclaimed writer Sherman Alexie in sharing appropriate selections from their works in response. Presented by Ignatian Spirituality Center of Seattle as part of its Ignatian Eco-Spirituality Series.

Advance tickets are $20 at www.ignatiancenter.org/programs/exposed-on-the-cliffs-of-the-heart or by calling 206/329-4824; $25 at the door. For more information, see www.ignatiancenter.org.
LEARN MORE:
www.ignatiancenter.org

Earshot Jazz: Evan Flory-Barnes

2009-11-09T04:00:00Z

As part of the 2009 Earshot Jazz Festival, Seattle bassist and composer Evan Flory-Barnes presents a world premiere titled "Inheritance, Authenticity and Healing: Acknowledgement of a Celebration," large-ensemble fusion of jazz, hip-hop, and classical music, complete with modern dancers and freestyle break-dancers. A standout in Seattle’s jazz scene, Flory-Barnes’ acoustic double bass skills, a combination of improvisation and classical training, have been featured in collaborations ranging from Brazilian pianist Jovino Santos Neto to hip-hop band Maroon Colony. Commissioned as part of a national series of works from Meet the Composer’s Commissioning Music/USA program, Acknowledgement of a Celebration is performed as a nine-movement orchestral cycle with 35 musicians and 10 dancers.

Tickets are $18-$24 at www.brownpapertickets.com or 800/838-3006. Visit www.earshot.org for more information.

LEARN MORE: Earshot Festival
Evan Flory-Barnes on Facebook
On <a href="www.youtube.com…
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi7RcOm710o">YouTube

POSTPONEDNan Aron: Bringing Justice to Torturers

2009-11-10T03:30:00Z

Attorney General Eric Holder, writes Alliance for Justice president and founder Nan Aron, is a man on a hot seat that’s getting hotter. Holder reportedly is considering authorizing a criminal investigation into the mistreatment of detainees by CIA interrogators, but President Obama has said he does not support a special commission for exploring the Bush administration. And some big, powerful names are sure to come up in any kind of investigation—Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Alberto Gonzales, George Tenet, John Ashcroft, and Condoleeza Rice. But Aron thinks Holder needs to go even further: While a full-scale investigation of the use of torture by the United States government will stir up passions on both sides, she writes, “it is our only hope for reaching some national consensus on the torture issue.” Aron has been a leading voice in public-interest law for more than 30 years, and helped defeat Robert Bork’s nomination to the Supreme Court in 1987. Presented by the Town Hall Center for Civic Life.

Advance tickets are $5 at www.brownpapertickets.com or 800/838-3006, or at the door beginning at 6:20 pm. Town Hall members receive priority seating.

LEARN MORE: Alliance for Justice Huffington Post

SOLD OUT Seattle Speaks: Preventing Youth Violence

2009-11-11T03:00:00Z

Youth violence is on the rise in Seattle. The city is responding with a community-based, multi-agency Youth Violence Prevention Initiative, the front lines of a fight that could mean life or death for kids aged 12-17. Over the next two years, the city will spend about $8 million to try to reduce youth violence, focusing on the youths who are at highest risk of perpetuating or being victimized by violence. But is it working? Is it realistic? And is it the best approach, and the best use of the money? Scheduled participants include Mariko Lockhart, director of the city initiative; Seattle City Councilmember Bruce Harrell; a representative of the Seattle Police Department’s gang unit; a former gang member; and youth who have experienced violence firsthand. Broadcast live and online at the Seattle Channel, this 90 minute interactive forum will lay out the extent of Seattle’s youth-violence problem, offer updates on and analysis of the initiative, explore innovative anti-violence strategies, and share experience from other cities. How do you feel about this issue? C.R. Douglas will moderate the conversation “in the round” to offer you a chance to share your opinions and suggestions, and electronic polling during the event will gauge responses from both the live and online audiences. Presented by Town Hall, with City Club and the Seattle Channel.

Registration is now closed. You can watch this program live on Seattle Channel and participate in the discussion by using special tools at www.seattlechannel.org.
Take a poll now and leave your thoughts and comments on youth violence here: www.seattlecityclub.org…

LEARN MORE:
cityofseattle.net…
seattlecityclub.org
www.seattlechannel.org

Alex Steffen: Building a Planet with a Future

2009-11-12T03:30:00Z

At the Copenhagen climate summit in December, the world’s leaders will try to reach agreement on a path to a climate-safe future. As debate rages about how to lift the developing world out of poverty while redefining affluence on dramatically more sustainable lines, Alex Steffen’s answers are increasingly influential. Steffen, the Seattle-based editor of the instrumental sustainability site Worldchanging.com, has become one of the world’s leading thinkers on the planetary future, and his ideas on “bright green” environmentalism—sustainable, dynamic, prosperous, and fair—have a wide following in Northern Europe. Steffen will be keynote speaker at three of the major events during the Copenhagen summit, but first he’ll deliver a special two-night talk at Town Hall exploring what a bright-green future means for the planet—and the perils and opportunities that future will bring for Seattle. Richard Conlin introduces tonight’s talk, which will focus on global issues and big trends. Presented by Town Hall’s Center for Civic Life.

Tickets are $5 at www.brownpapertickets.com or 800/838-3006, and at the door beginning at 6:30 pm. Town Hall members receive priority seating.

LEARN MORE:
www.worldchanging.com
Watch Steffen’s talks at TED:
PopTech: www.poptech.org/popcasts/popcasts.aspx?lang=&viewcastid=45
And at the Danish Architecture Center:
vimeo.com…

Mark Danner: Reports from the World’s Hot Spots

2009-11-12T03:30:00Z

For the past two decades, author and award-winning journalist Mark Danner has reported from Latin America, Haiti, the Balkans, and the Middle East, exploring not only the real consequences of American engagement with the world, but also the relationship between political violence and power. From the fall of the Duvalier dictatorship in Haiti to the tumultuous rise of Aristide; from the onset of the Balkan Wars to the painful fragmentation of Yugoslavia; and to the invasion of Iraq and the legacy of the Bush administration, Danner, former staff writer at The New Yorker and author of Stripping Bare the Body, has visited some of the world’s most troubled regions, bringing back lessons on politics, violence, and war. Presented by Town Hall’s Center for Civic Life, with Elliott Bay Book Company. Series supported by RealNetworks Foundation, the Brown Foundation, and the Otto Haas Charitable Trust.

Advance tickets are $5 at www.brownpapertickets.com or 800/838-3006, or at the door beginning at 6:30 pm. Town Hall members receive priority seating.

LEARN MORE:
www.markdanner.com

Technology Commercialization in Difficult Times

2009-11-13T01:00:00Z

Seattle is famous for its techies and biotechies—they’re super-smart and filled with great ideas, but might not have the entrepreneurial know-how to turn those ideas into a product or a company, especially in today’s economic climate. But Lee Hood and Carl Weissman have a solid track record of translating ideas into successful businesses— and they’re willing to share their insight, which is considerable: Hood, co-founder and president of the Institute for Systems Biology, invented the automated genome sequencer and has co-founded more than 14 biotech companies. And Weissman, chairman and CEO of Accelerator Corporation, has led the company as it invested in 10 biotech companies, three of which have raised more than $114 million in additional rounds of financing. Hosted by the ISB Associates Network and sponsored by Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt.

Tickets are $10 at isbtownhall.eventbrite.com and at the door beginning at 5 pm.
LEARN MORE:
About Systems Biology
About Lee Hood
About Carl Weissman

Alex Steffen: Seattle's Bright Green Moment

2009-11-13T03:30:00Z

At the Copenhagen climate summit in December, the world’s leaders will try to reach agreement on a path to a climate-safe future. As debate rages about how to lift the developing world out of poverty while redefining affluence on dramatically more sustainable lines, Alex Steffen’s answers are increasingly influential. Steffen, the Seattle-based editor of the instrumental sustainability site Worldchanging.com, has become one of the world’s leading thinkers on the planetary future, and his ideas on “bright green” environmentalism—sustainable, dynamic, prosperous, and fair—have a wide following in Northern Europe. Steffen will be keynote speaker at three of the major events during the Copenhagen summit, but first he’ll deliver a special two-night talk at Town Hall exploring what a bright-green future means for the planet—and the perils and opportunities that future will bring for Seattle. Mike McGinn introduces tonight’s talk, which will focus on the local picture and what we can do right now. Presented by Town Hall’s Center for Civic Life.
Tickets are $5 at www.brownpapertickets.com or 800/838-3006, and at the door beginning at 6:30 pm. Town Hall members receive priority seating.

LEARN MORE:
www.worldchanging.com
Watch Steffen’s talks at TED

Seattle Public Library Presents: Clay Jenkinson as Thomas Jefferson

2009-11-14T03:00:00Z

Clay Jenkinson portrays some of the biggest names in American history: Theodore Roosevelt, Meriwether Lewis, and Thomas Jefferson (which landed him on The Colbert Report in 2006). One of the first winners of the nation’s highest award in humanities, the Charles Frankel Prize, Jenkinson performs monologues, followed by Q&A sessions as the character, in costume. Later, he steps out of character and answers questions as himself. Jenkinson, an American humanities Rhodes scholar, is co-founder of the modern Chatuauqua movement, a forum for public discussion about the ideas and lives of key figures in American history. Presented by Seattle Public Library as part of its 2009 McLellan/O’Donnell Living History Series.

Free; no tickets required.

LEARN MORE:
Hear Jenkinson’s syndicated radio show at www.jeffersonhour.org.
Watch his appearance on The Colbert Report (Jenkinson is “Jefferson One” in Colbert’s “America’s Top Jefferson” competition.)
www.spl.org

Saturday Family Concerts: Tahqua

2009-11-14T19:00:00Z

Native American ensemble Tahqua celebrates tradition and culture through performances described as “a delight and inspiration to the human spirit.” With creative and captivating performances of contemporary and traditional music, song, story, and dance, Tahqua’s vocal versatility and highly charged physical performance enrapture audiences of all ages. Series sponsored by ParentMap.

Tickets are free for kids 12 and under/$5 for adults. No children without adults; no adults without children. Tickets are required for children and adults and are available at www.brownpapertickets.com or 800/838-3006.

LEARN MORE:
www.genetagaban.com

Saturday Family Concerts: Tahqua

2009-11-14T21:00:00Z

Puget Sound Symphony Orchestra in Concert

2009-11-15T03:30:00Z

Now in its 10th season, Puget Sound Symphony Orchestra is known for passionate, virtuosic, and energetic performances that belie its all-volunteer membership. The orchestra’s season-opener at Town Hall will include Helios Overture, one of the most famous short orchestral works by Danish composer Carl Nielsen; Brahms’ Variation on a Theme by Haydn, first performed in 1873 by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Brahms’s baton; Wagner’s Prelude to Act I (from Lohengrin), marked by a grand, all-encompassing climax; and the dramatic one-movement Symphony No. 1 by Samuel Barber, the first American work performed at the Salzburg Festival.

Ticket prices are to be determined, at www.psso.org

LEARN MORE:
www.psso.org

Early Music Discovery: From Vielle to Viol

2009-11-15T21:00:00Z

EMG opens its seventh Discovery Concerts series with bowed strings expert Margriet Tindemans, founder and music director of Seattle’s Medieval Women’s Choir. Tindemans will introduce and perform on instruments from the medieval period through the Baroque, showing their development over 600 years and demonstrating the role of bowed string instruments in early Europe, in courtly circles, and in the homes of everyday people.

Tickets are $10/$5 students and seniors. Visit www.earlymusicguild.org or 206/325-7066 for tickets and information.

LEARN MORE:
www.earlymusicguild.org
Tindemans and the Medieval Women’s Choir

Ed Schultz: 2009 Tour for Change

2009-11-16T02:00:00Z

Ed Schultz, billed as “the most listened-to progressive radio talk-show host in America,” brings his Tour for Change to Town Hall with a two-hour interactive discussion of healthcare reform and other major issues. The meeting will be recorded for broadcast coast-to-coast on The Ed Schultz Show and recorded by MSNBC. With 3 million followers called “Ed Heads” and a 30-year broadcasting history, “Big Eddie” is heard locally on Progressive Talk AM1090.

Advance tickets are $20 general/$50 VIP (includes a pre-event meet-and-greet with Schultz and Team Fargo) here LEARN MORE:
www.bigeddieradio.com
Schultz’s YouTube gallery
On Facebook

Ellie Krieger: So Easy: Ten Foods That Can Change Your Life

2009-11-17T03:30:00Z

Whether you’re anticipating or dreading the season of holiday (over)eating, Ellie Krieger has an encouraging message for you: You can eat delicious food and maintain your health even when life is really hectic. A dietitian, host of Food Network’s acclaimed Healthy Appetite, and New York Times-bestselling author of The Food You Crave, Krieger specializes in offering real advice about food and healthy habits, without gimmicks or crash diets. In a manner at once easygoing and direct, she says that with the right tools and knowledge, anyone can have a healthy, conscious approach to nutrition without sacrificing a pure love of food.

Tickets are $15 at www.brownpapertickets.com or 800/838-3006, and at the door beginning at 6:30 pm.

LEARN MORE:
www.friendshealthconnection.org
www.elliekrieger.com

SOLD OUT Kim Ricketts Book Events: Al Gore

2009-11-18T03:00:00Z

Former Vice President Al Gore’s best-selling book (and Oscar-winning film) An Inconvenient Truth sounded the global-warming alarm and raised the world’s climate consciousness to a new level. Now, drawing on more than 30 "Solutions Summits" Gore has since led with top scientists, engineers, and policy experts, he offers real solutions to the climate crisis and describes a comprehensive global strategy to implement them urgently. Our Choice, the latest work by the 2007 winner of the Nobel Peace, argues that the bold decisions necessary to address the Earth’s climate can also be the foundations of policies worldwide to create new jobs and stimulate sustainable economic progress.

Advance tickets (which include a copy of Gore’s new book, "Our Choice") are $25 at www.brownpapertickets.com or 800/838-3006, by emailing info@kimricketts.com, or by calling 206/632-2419.

LEARN MORE:
www.kimricketts.com
Gore’s blog

Soundings from Island Press: Tony Barnosky: ‘Nature in an Age of Global Warming’

2009-11-19T03:30:00Z

In 2006, one of the hottest years on record, a “pizzly” was discovered near the top of the world. Half polar bear, half grizzly, this never-before-seen animal might have been dismissed as a fluke of nature, but Berkeley professor and paleoecologist Anthony Barnosky, author of Heatstroke: Nature in an Age of Global Warming, instead sees it as a harbinger of things to come. Everywhere on Earth, global warming is fundamentally changing the natural world and its creatures and, Barnosky says, climate change is more likely to wipe out species than to create them. Barnosky draws connections between the coming centuries and the end of the last Ice Age, when mass extinctions swept the planet, but says climate change is faster and hotter now and, for the first time, humanity is driving it—which means this time, we can work to stop it. Presented through the Town Hall Center with Island Press through the Town Hall Center for Civic Life, in association with IslandWood and Elliott Bay Book Company.

Advance tickets are $5 at www.brownpapertickets.com or 800/838-3006, or at the door. Town Hall members receive priority seating.

LEARN MORE:
www.islandpress.org
And here

American Red Cross: Tsunami Recovery

2009-11-20T03:30:00Z

December marks the fifth anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami, one of the most devastating natural disasters in recent history. The tsunami affected people in more than 12 countries, killing more than 200,000 and leaving millions without homes. To commemorate the event and to explain its impact on disaster relief and risk-reduction efforts locally and globally, Jerry Anderson, senior director of the American Red Cross Tsunami Recovery Program, will address lessons learned during the response and present a photo exhibit highlighting the recovery of affected communities. Presented by the American Red Cross Serving King and Kitsap Counties.

Admission is free; no tickets required. For more information, call 206/726-3534, or visit www.seattleredcross.org.

LEARN MORE:
www.seattleredcross.org

Michael Tomlinson: Thanksgiving Concert

2009-11-21T04:00:00Z

In this season of gratitude, Seattle singer-songwriter Michael Tomlinson performs a concert in celebration of our local healing-arts community. Accompanied by the studio musicians who performed on his new release, The Way Out West, Tomlinson will perform acoustic-based songs from that CD, as well as earlier albums. Known for his friendly concerts, funny stories, and warm performances, Tomlinson writes and sings songs ranging from folk and pop to jazz and rock—all lyrically rich and uplifting. Wood & Steel has compared Tomlinson’s music to Bruce Cockburn, Danny O'Keefe, and David Wilcox, and longtime PI music critic Gene Stout calls his "clear, breezy tenor… strikingly beautiful.” A free preconcert reception begins at 7 pm.

Advance tickets are $25 at www.brownpapertickets.com or 800/838-3006, or at the door. For more information, visit www.michaeltomlinson.com/healers/index.htm.

LEARN MORE:
www.michaeltomlinson.com
On YouTube, singing “Seattle Skies”

Early Music Guild: Musica ad Rhenum

2009-11-22T04:00:00Z

Acclaimed American baroque flutist Jed Wentz returns with his Netherlands-based quintet to present works by Francois Couperin and Georg Philipp Telemann. Formed in 1992, the group’s intensely personal and highly emotional style has earned it a special place in the early music scene. Director Wentz has performed and recorded with such groups as Musica Antiqua Koln, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Capriccio Stravagante Paris, and the Gabriele Consort. A pre-concert lecture begins at 7 pm.

Tickets are $38/$35/$20. Town Hall members receive a $5 discount. Visit www.earlymusicguild.org or 206/325-7066 for tickets and information.

LEARN MORE:
www.earlymusicguild.org
Musica ad Rhenum
www.jedwentz.com

Na'alehu Theatre: Hawaiian Slack Key Festival

2009-11-22T22:00:00Z

Slack-key guitar is a treasured musical tradition in Hawaii, where it is called ki ho`alu, (literally, "loosen the key"). With their unique, finger-picked style, slack-key pieces typically reflect Hawaiian themes of stories, feelings, aloha, and nature. The Na'alehu Theater, an organization dedicated to Hawaiian culture and history, presents its first Seattle Slack Key Festival, featuring Grammy-winning slack-key master Cyril Pahinui.

Tickets are $25-$75 at www.brownpapertickets.com or 800/838-3006.

LEARN MORE:
About Na'alehu Theatre
www.cyrilpahinui.com
For more on the slack-key guitar

Joel Waldfogel: Rethinking Holiday Gifts

2009-11-24T03:30:00Z

The holidays: seasonal cheer, family get-togethers, and presents—lots and lots of presents. But did you really love that sweater from Grandma, or the singing fish from your uncle? And how many gifts did you buy without knowing what the recipient really wanted, or needed? What if it’s time to rethink the whole idea of gift-giving? Economist Joel Waldfogel believes that could be a gift in itself. The author of Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn’t Buy Presents for the Holidays, says it’s time to stop the madness; by spending $85 billion each winter, making poorly informed choices, maxing out our credit cards, and leaving recipients less than satisfied, we’re creating “deadweight loss.” Instead, Waldfogel proposes gift-giving alternatives that can reclaim the original spirit of the holidays. Presented by the Town Hall Center for Civic Life, with Elliott Bay Book Company.

Tickets are $5 at www.brownpapertickets.com or 800/838-3006, and at the door beginning at 6:30 pm. Town Hall members receive priority seating.

LEARN MORE:
About the book
About Waldfogel

Seattle Baroque Orchestra: Baroque Fire-The Promethean Violin

2009-11-29T04:00:00Z

Venice was already electrified by the 17th century, as the first generation of Baroque violin icons brought the fire of the gods to the benighted musical world of the Renaissance, igniting a virtuoso tradition that altered the musical landscape forever. Music Director Ingrid Matthews will be joined on violin by perennial favorites Tekla Cunningham and Carrie Krause for brand-new instrumental transcriptions of Luigi Rossi’s lovely lyric works for three sopranos, along with fiery sonatas by Dario Castello; a dose of whimsy in Biagio Marini’s comical "Ecco" sonata; and a continuo team including Nathan Whittaker on cello and John Lenti on theorbo, led by Byron Schenkman. Seattle Baroque Orchestra, known and loved by Town Hall audiences for its shining Messiah performances with the Tudor Choir, captures the vitality of 17th- and 18th-century music for contemporary audiences with historically informed performances. A free pre-concert lecture begins at 7 pm.

Tickets are $38-$29 Adult/$33-$24 Senior/$13-$10 Student. Town Hall members receive a 10% discount off the applicable price. Visit www.seattlebaroque.org for tickets and information.

LEARN MORE:
www.seattlebaroque.org

Panel Discussion: Climate Change and Justice

2009-11-30T03:00:00Z

In an event titled "Global Justice Forward: The Climate is Changing, and It’s Time for Solutions," internationally known activists will join Northwest organizers to discuss current ecological and environmental crises as well as how social movements are responding with solutions. Scheduled panelists include environmental author and activist Brian Tokar, development specialist Eric Holt Gimenez, and Canadian author and activist Maude Barlow. Presented by Community Alliance for Global Justice, an organization of volunteers who work toward a just local and global economy.

Advance tickets are $5-$10 at info@seattleplus10.org, or by calling 206/405-4600. Visit www.seattleglobaljustice.org for more information.

LEARN MORE:
www.seattleglobaljustice.org
www.seattleplus10.org

Science: Alan Boyle: Why Pluto is Planet-Worthy

2009-12-02T03:30:00Z

To its fans, Pluto’s the cutest and most unfairly maligned planet of all—but possibly not even a planet at all, thanks to its still-disputed “demotion” by the Astronomical Union in 2006. But the cosmic underdog remains an American favorite, and with good reason, says MSNBC.com science editor Alan Boyle: Pluto may have contained the building blocks of life billions of years ago, and may well serve as life’s last redoubt billions of years from now. Boyle, the Seattle-based author of The Case for Pluto: How a Little Planet Made a Big Difference and the award-winning blogger behind Cosmic Log, argues in favor of Pluto’s planetary status, exploring its discovery and strange appeal, and explaining how it is still changing the way we see the universe. Presented as part of Seattle Science Lectures, with Pacific Science Center and University Book Store. Series sponsored by Microsoft.

Tickets are $5 at www.brownpapertickets.com or 800/838-3006, and at the door beginning at 6:30 pm. Town Hall members receive priority seating.

LEARN MORE:
Boyle’s Cosmic Log blog
Boyle on Splitweet

Soundings from Island Press: Elizabeth Grossman: A Green Chemistry Revolution

2009-12-03T03:30:00Z

From baby bottles to kitchen cookware, Americans are more concerned than ever about chemicals and their effect on our health. The stories are unnerving: Our children play with toys that leach unsafe chemicals, our makeup and sunscreen carry toxins, and nearly every child born today carries hazardous chemicals in his or her blood. Even the air we breathe can alter our genes. Maybe we’ve had enough, on every level. Investigative journalist Elizabeth Grossman, author of Chasing Molecules: Poisonous Products, Human Health, and the Promise of Green Chemistry, thinks we have. A “benign by design” chemical revolution is brewing, she says, and its hope is the promise of green chemistry—a world where the pollutants stay out of products and out of people. Presented by Island Press through the Town Hall Center for Civic Life, in association with IslandWood and Elliott Bay Book Company.

Advance tickets are $5 at www.brownpapertickets.com or 800/838-3006, or at the door. Town Hall members receive priority seating.

LEARN MORE:
www.islandpress.org
www.chasingmolecules.org

Nomi Prins: The Ugly Truth Behind Our Financial Crisis

2009-12-04T03:30:00Z

The federal government’s financial bailout was a scary and maddening wake-up call for America. But former Wall-Street-insider-turned-journalist Nomi Prins, author of It Takes a Pillage, says our eyes aren’t all the way open yet. Prins, former managing director at Goldman Sachs and current senior fellow at Demos, knows Big Finance and big money, and says that amid the bailout’s exposure of greed, irresponsible regulation, and selfish mind-sets, the scariest part is that for all the trillions we’re spending or committing, our economic system remains in disarray—and Washington has no real plan for fixing it. Prins does, though. Presented by Town Hall’s Center for Civic Life, with Demos and Elliott Bay Book Company. Series supported by the Otto Haas Charitable Trust.

Advance tickets are $5 at www.brownpapertickets.com or 800/838-3006, or at the door beginning at 6:30 pm. Town Hall members receive priority seating.

LEARN MORE:
www.nomiprins.com

Seattle Pro Musica: Music from Asia and the Pacific

2009-12-05T23:00:00Z

This matinee performance includes the wonderful music of the evening Eastern Lights concert, just in a shorter, one-hour version especially for children and families—plus, it includes stories and a chance to conduct. The innovative winter program features traditional songs and new choral music from Japan, Korea, China, India, Southeast Asia, New Zealand, and Australia, performed by the critically acclaimed, nationally recognized choral ensemble led by award-winning conductor and artistic director Karen P. Thomas. Named “among America’s very best choirs” by American Record Guide, Seattle Pro Musica consists of 70 talented singers with diverse backgrounds and a shared passion for beautiful and precise expressions of classical music.

Advance tickets are at $22-$32 general/$17 seniors/$12 students/free-$10 children, at www.seattlepromusica.org or 206/781-2766.

LEARN MORE:
www.seattlepromusica.org

Seattle Pro Musica: Music from Asia and the Pacific

2009-12-06T03:30:00Z

Seattle Pro Musica, a critically acclaimed, nationally recognized choral ensemble led by award-winning conductor and artistic director Karen P. Thomas, returns to Town Hall for its annual winter concert with a program titled "Eastern Lights." The innovative program features traditional song and new choral music from Japan, Korea, China, India, Southeast Asia, New Zealand, and Australia. Named “among America’s very best choirs” by American Record Guide, Seattle Pro Musica consists of 70 talented singers with diverse backgrounds and a shared passion for beautiful and precise expressions of classical music. A free preconcert talk by Thomas begins at 6:30 pm.

Advance tickets are at $22-$32 general/$17 seniors/$12 students, at www.seattlepromusica.org or 206/781-2766.

LEARN MORE:
www.seattlepromusica.org

Town Hall Seattle

Kim Ricketts Book Events: Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner on 'SuperFreakonomics’

Science: Eva Hoffman: Perceptions of Time

Brian Fagan: Water: The Elixir of Humanity

Rich Benjamin: The Implications of White Flight

Science: Brad Matsen: The Life of Cousteau

James McManus: The Story of Poker

Andrew Boscardin’s Zubatto Syndicate

TownMusic: Marion Verbruggen Trio

Perspectives on Environmental Spirituality

Earshot Jazz: Evan Flory-Barnes

**POSTPONED**Nan Aron: Bringing Justice to Torturers

**SOLD OUT** Seattle Speaks: Preventing Youth Violence

Alex Steffen: Building a Planet with a Future

Mark Danner: Reports from the World’s Hot Spots

Technology Commercialization in Difficult Times

Alex Steffen: Seattle's Bright Green Moment

Seattle Public Library Presents: Clay Jenkinson as Thomas Jefferson

Saturday Family Concerts: Tahqua

Saturday Family Concerts: Tahqua

Puget Sound Symphony Orchestra in Concert

Early Music Discovery: From Vielle to Viol

Ed Schultz: 2009 Tour for Change

Ellie Krieger: So Easy: Ten Foods That Can Change Your Life

**SOLD OUT** Kim Ricketts Book Events: Al Gore

Soundings from Island Press: Tony Barnosky: ‘Nature in an Age of Global Warming’

American Red Cross: Tsunami Recovery

Michael Tomlinson: Thanksgiving Concert

Early Music Guild: Musica ad Rhenum

Na'alehu Theatre: Hawaiian Slack Key Festival

Joel Waldfogel: Rethinking Holiday Gifts

Seattle Baroque Orchestra: Baroque Fire-The Promethean Violin

Panel Discussion: Climate Change and Justice

Science: Alan Boyle: Why Pluto is Planet-Worthy

Soundings from Island Press: Elizabeth Grossman: A Green Chemistry Revolution

Nomi Prins: The Ugly Truth Behind Our Financial Crisis

Seattle Pro Musica: Music from Asia and the Pacific

Seattle Pro Musica: Music from Asia and the Pacific

POSTPONEDNan Aron: Bringing Justice to Torturers

SOLD OUT Seattle Speaks: Preventing Youth Violence

SOLD OUT Kim Ricketts Book Events: Al Gore