TUESDAY
Bonnie McFarlane + Jim Gaffigan
Feb. 23 at 7:00 p.m at The Strand, 828 Broadway
Bonnie McFarlane has made a career out of opening her mouth when she probably should have kept it shut, making people cringe in places like Last Comic Standing and The Jim Gaffigan Show. Her new book, You’re Better Than Me, follows in the footsteps of the popular genre of female comedian tell-alls (Mindy Kaling etc). With biting and hilarious prose it lays bare “the good, the bad and the ugly” of her life, with chapters covering everything from McFarlane’s childhood as a fish out of water on a Canadian farm, to finding “her people” in comedy. She will be joined by fellow comedian Jim Gaffigan.
THURSDAYÂ
Well-Read Black Girl presents: Reimagining the Literary Canon
Feb. 25 at 7:00 p.m. at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, 126 Crosby Street
About a year ago Glory Edim began the Instagram @wellreadblackgirl to highlight her literary loves and push the visibility of diverse writers. The effort quickly morphed into a popular book club and newsletter. Now the group is launching a reading series, just in time for Black History Month, to rethink how literature is taught. On Thursday hear from writers like Jenna Wortham, Camille Rankine, Bsrat Mezghebe, and Diamond Sharp.
The Future of Whiteness
Feb. 25 at 7:00 p.m. at Bluestockings Bookstore, 172 Allen Street
Whites growing up today may never know a country where they could tap into an “unchallenged default” of leadership and power. In The Future of Whiteness, Linda MartÃn Alcoff takes an unflinching look at where our political and cultural society is headed as white America is poised to dip below 50 percent of the population. We can already hear the strident backlash to these changes in “take America back” and “make America great again” rallying cries. But Alcoff argues that whites are also becoming more aware than ever of how they appear to non-whites, profoundly affecting the identity of North America.
SUNDAY
Memories of the Revolution: Celebrating the First Ten Years of the WOW Cafe
Feb. 28 at 5:30 p.m. at Dixon Place, 161A Chrystie Street
In 1980, Women’s One World Festival exploded onto the East Village scene – and in a way, it never left. The WOW Cafe, a feminist theater space, grew out of that experience and has been a fixture on the avant-garde and performance art scene ever since. To mark the publication of a book celebrating the early days of this legacy, Memories of the Revolution: The First Ten Years of the WOW Cafe, join some of the original artists who emerged from the WOW scene in a night of readings and, of course, performances. Participants include Lois Weaver (The Only Way Home is Thru the Show), Lisa Kron (Fun Home), Split Britches, The Five Lesbian Brothers, and the book’s co-editors Carmelita Tropicana, Jill S. Dolan and Holly Hughes.