Here's my selection of events in Rochester this week:
Thursday, October 30

• This afternoon at 4 p.m. in the Rush Rhees Library on the University of Rochester Campus, Stephen Greenblatt will discuss his book, The Swerve: How the World Became Modern.
  

  "Pulitzer Prize-winning Author Stephen Greenblatt describes a cultural disruption that changes the way people think," said Thomas Hahn, professor of English at Rochester and organizer of this year's symposium. "Through the years his writings have had a similar influence, shaping the way scholars approach literary studies."

  [source: City Newspaper events calendar, 2014-Oct-27]

• At 5:30 p.m. at Lento Restaurant is a Working For Nonprofits Mingle.
  

  Working for Nonprofits is a networking group based right here in Rochester. We're made up of nonprofit employees, volunteers, board members, and people who are looking to be a part of a nonprofit and would like to get to know the local nonprofit community a little better. The overall mission to to bring people, companies, and nonprofits together to be more collaborative, as we all have the same goal in mind, to make Rochester a better community.

  [source: Facebook, 2014-Oct-27]

• At the Flying Squirrel from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. is a discussion on Stopping Mass Incarceration: Next Steps.
  

  After a month of films, discussions, speakers, and interviews, come out and participate in the discussion on organizing to stop mass incarceration. What are the most effective uses or our collective energy to address mass incarceration? What networks and efforts already exist? How do we ensure that the people most affected by the prison industrial complex are the leaders in this struggle? The two-hour session will be a facilitated conversation.

  [source: Flying Squirrel website, 2014-Oct-27]

• Over at the Tap and Mallet from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. is an Art Opening of Character and Nature by John E. Ruggles, and Joseph D. Tarantelli. [source: Tap and Mallet website, 2014-Oct-27]
• The Dryden will screen a Double Feature starting at 8 p.m. of The Addiction (Abel Ferrara, U.S. 1995, 82 min., 35mm), and Habit (Larry Fessenden, U.S. 1995, 112 min., 35mm).
  

  In Abel Ferrara's (Bad Lieutenant, King of New York) The Addiction, Lili Taylor plays Kathleen Conklin, an NYU philosophy student bitten by someone on her way home from a late-night screening. As her illness takes hold, she becomes sensitive to the sun, has trouble keeping food down, and worst of all, begins to have an insatiable thirst for blood. When she meets Peina (Christopher Walken), an older "vampire," she begins to fully understand her addiction. Larry Fessenden directs and stars in Habit, the story of a recently heartbroken man who meets a mysterious woman at a Halloween party in New York City that haunts his mind. They begin dating but he soon notices a few red flags: she comes over only at night, she appears and disappears without a trace, she loathes garlic, and he's beginning to feel weak and hypersensitive to his surroundings. Is she a vampire or is there some other, more reasonable explanation?

  [source: Dryden website, 2014-Oct-27]

• Tonight starting around 8:30 p.m. at Skylark Lounge is Devil's Night with El Destructo, Lady Jane Fairchild, Adam Andr-O-matic and DJ Scott Free. [source: Facebook, 2014-Oct-27]
• From 9 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. in the Eastman Quadradrangle on the University of Rochester Campus is a Carillon Concert: The Eve of All Hallow's Eve.
  

  Bells toll the entry of the Halloween season. "Hallelujah" will announce a shadow box dance, look to the upper windows of the dome, bring your binoculars. Hear tolling bells, tortured bells, spooky bells, snippets of Jaws, Indiana Jones, Dr. Who surrounded by an inferno of crashing bell sounds including "Asteroids," "Emanations," and "This is Halloween!"

  [source: UofR website events calendar, 2014-Oct-27]

Friday, October 31

• Tonight at 6:30 p.m., 9:15 p.m., and at midnight in Hoyt Auditorium on the University of Rochester Campus, the UofR Cinema Group will screen The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, U.K. / U.S. 1980, 144 min.) in which "a family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil and spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future." [source: University of Rochester Cinema Group website, 2014-Oct-27]
• Starting at 7 p.m. at the Baobab, Dr. Sam Anderson will discuss Manifestations of Invisible Worlds: West African Masks in Action. [source: City Newspaper events calendar, 2014-Oct-27]
• From 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Tap and Mallet is Hell Freezes Over: A Benefit Party for Special Olympics to help raise money for Team Mallet Tappers in the upcoming Special Olympics Polar Plunge. [source: Tap and Mallet website, 2014-Oct-27]
• From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Flying Squirrel is Terror Prison.
  

  Blattco International, in conjunction with the Flying Squirrel, unveils New York State's first private prison! You are invited to come tour our dungeon facility…

  [source: Flying Squirrel website, 2014-Oct-27]

• This week's 7 p.m. movie at the Cinema is The Skeleton Twins (Craig Johnson, U.S. 2014, 93 min.) "Having both coincidentally cheated death on the same day, estranged twins reunite with the possibility of mending their relationship." The 8:35 p.m. movie is Kill the Messenger (Michael Cuesta, U.S. 2014, 111 min.) "A reporter becomes the target of a vicious smear campaign that drives him to the point of suicide after he exposes the CIA's role in arming Contra rebels in Nicaragua and importing cocaine into California." [source: Cinema coming soon page, 2014-Oct-29]
• A Sexy Robot Dance Party 2 – Night of the Living Throb Edition will be at Flour City Station (170 East Ave.) starting around 8 p.m. with fun ska from Mrs. Skannotto, Roots Collider, Thousands of One, Subsoil, and Personal Blend.. [source: JamBase calendar, 2014-Oct-27]
• Starting at 8 p.m. in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre is a screening of Phantom of the Opera (Rupert Julian, U.S. 1925, 92 min.) with live orchestral accompaniment by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. [source: RPO website, 2014-Oct-27]
• The Dryden will screen The Changeling (Peter Medak, Canada 1980, 107 min., 35mm) tonight at 8 p.m.
  

  Reputedly, ghosts have reasons for staying in the earthly realm: they want to finish an uncompleted task, or they want to impart information to someone. And there is the possibility that a ghost may want a bit of revenge for having been hard done by when they were alive. Peter Medak's The Changeling is a ghost story that deftly combines all three. George C. Scott is a man mourning a terrible loss who happens to rent a lovely, cavernous mansion while he picks up the threads of his life. Unfortunately, his grief draws the troubled spirit of a little boy long dead, and Scott is compelled to try to fulfill his last wish. The Changeling will be preceded by Rodrigo Blaas' animated short Alma, which puts a macabre twist on getting what we wish for.

  [source: Dryden website, 2014-Oct-27]

• Starting around 9 p.m. at the Joke Factory Comedy Club (911 Brooks Ave.) is Comedy on the Rocs with Flower City Improv. [source: City Newspaper events calendar, 2014-Oct-27]
• Starting around 9 p.m. at the Bug Jar is a reunion show for The Priests with Televisionaries, and The Fox Sisters. [source: Bug Jar calendar, 2014-Oct-27]
• Starting at 10 p.m. tonight and at 8 p.m. tomorrow at the MuCCC is Zombie Shakespeare! featuring "scenes of horror and mayhem by the Bard and other classic writers". [source: MuCCC website, 2014-Oct-27]

Saturday, November 1

• Today from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Our Lady of Mercy (1437 Blossom Rd.) is a Craft Show and Sale to benefit the Sr. Mary Francesca Scholarship Fund. [source: City Newspaper events calendar, 2014-Oct-27]
• Today and tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Village Gate is the fall Mayday Underground Crafts + Art. [source: Mayday Underground Crafts + Art website, 2014-Oct-27]
• At the Rochester Museum and Science Center (RMSC) is an Anthropology Section Event from 11:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m.
  

  Help celebrate International Archaeology Day with the Archeological Institute of America, Rochester Section. The anthropology section will participate with display tables of books, magazines and toys/activities for children, including hieroglyphic stamp and coloring projects at the RMSC. We will also have various artifacts on display, courtesy of the RMSC and members of both groups.

  [source: Rochester Academy of Science events page, 2014-Oct-27]

• Today from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at The Muar House Cafe (169 Lakeshore Dr., Canandaigua) is a Book Launch Party and Author Signing for What You Don't Know Now with author Marci Diehl, and Don Stevens from Merge Publishing. [source: City Newspaper events calendar, 2014-Oct-27]
• Today and tomorrow at 4 p.m., the Cinema is screening Guardians of the Galaxy (James Gunn, U.S. / U.K. 2014, 121 min.) "A group of space criminals must work together to stop the fanatical villain Ronan the Accuser from destroying the galaxy." [source: Cinema coming soon page, 2014-Oct-29]
• This evening starting around 7 p.m. at the Lovin' Cup is Hallo-Palooza featuring wicked fun, saxophone-driven, percussive groove-rock band The BuddhaHood, and great classic rock/soul band Anonymous Willpower. [source: Lovin' Cup website, 2014-Oct-27]
• At 7 p.m. on the NextStage ta Geva is a performance of The Cell.
  

  Lisa and Harry launch an affair while following the trail of a twenty-year-old environmental crime. In the process, they both must decide whether or not it's possible to let go of the past and—even more important—to change the future. Part of Geva's Regional Writers' Showcase, this play was given a staged reading this past spring, and chosen for further development during the Festival. The reading will be followed by a conversation with the playwright and a light reception.

  [source: Geva Theatre ticket website, 2014-Oct-27]

• The Jeweler's Shop by Karol Wojtyla opens tonight at Bread and Water Theatre, running Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through November 9.
  

  Love is "one of the greatest dramas of human existence." writes Pope John Paul II. In this illuminating three-act play—he explores relationships between men and women, the joys—and the pain—of love and marriage. The action unfolds in two settings at once: a street in a small town, outside the local jeweler's shop and the mysterious inner landscape of personal hopes and fears, loves, and longings.

  [source: Bread and Water Theatre website, 2014-Oct-27]

• At 8 p.m. in the Stardust Ballroom (41 Backus St.) is the 5th Annual Night of Comedy/Noche de Comedia featuring Will Morales, Sergio Chicon, and Cory Fernandez. [source: City Newspaper events calendar, 2014-Oct-27]
• The Dryden will screen Trash Dance (Andrew Garrison, U.S. 2012, 65 min., Blu-ray) tonight at 8 p.m.
  

  Garrison's camera follows Austin, Texas, choreographer Allison Orr as she observes and learns the work of trash collectors and then collaborates with them to turn the rhythms of their jobs into a dazzling dance routine. The culminating live performance of workers and their vehicles, presented on an airport runway before thousands of spectators, is not to be missed. While we have all seen trash collectors on our streets, this imaginative choreographer enables us to appreciate the skill and dignity of these workers in a new way.

  [source: Dryden website, 2014-Oct-27]

Sunday, November 2

• Daylight Saving Time ends this morning at 2 a.m. EDT / 1 a.m. EST. [source: Wikipedia, 2014-Oct-28]
• At 2 p.m. in the Memorial Art Gallery is a Golden Legacy Lecture with Sidney Wilkin, and Timothy Cosgriff.
  

  "Eloise Wilkin: The Golden Legacy." Sidney Wilkin reflects on the illustrations of his mother, Eloise Wilkin, who illustrated more than 50 Little Golden Books between 1946 and 1975. Wilkin is joined by his cousin Timothy J. Cosgriff, assistant to the dean at SUNY Empire State College-Genesee Valley Center.

  [source: MAG website, 2014-Oct-27]

• At 2 p.m., the Dryden will screen Glengarry Glen Ross (James Foley, U.S. 1992, 100 min., 35mm).
  

  David Mamet's scathing indictment of the world of real estate and '80s greed is brought to vivid life in this gripping film adaptation. Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris, and Kevin Spacey all give blistering performances as cutthroat salesmen who pull out all the stops in order to win a company sales competition. First prize is a Cadillac. Second prize, a set of steak knives. Third prize, you're fired!

  [source: Dryden website, 2014-Oct-27]

• This afternoon from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Lovin' Cup, great, witty acoustic soloist Maria Gillard, and charismatic acoustic soloist Scott Regan will perform together as on their new CD A Little Luck. [source: Lovin' Cup website, 2014-Oct-27]
• From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Joke Factory Comedy Club (911 Brooks Ave.) is FUNDWAYOSER: High Power Comedy For a Low Power Station to benefit WAYO 104.3 FM with Sarah Benson, Nate Clark, Hardwood, John Laurin, Dewey Lovett, and Charlie Wildey hosted by Woody Battaglia, and Maurice Fibb. [source: Facebook, 2014-Oct-27]
• This evening at 7:30 p.m. on the NextStage at Geva is a reading of Son House Stories by Keith Glover.
  

  Often referred to as the Father of the Delta Blues, Son House led a life that veered between his passion for preaching and his passion for the blues. After making a name for himself as a bluesman, House renounced music and moved to Rochester in the 1940's, where he lived in relative obscurity for nearly 25 years. In 1964, a trio of young musicians began scouring the country for him and other bluesmen, and eventually found House living in Corn Hill. With their encouragement, the 62-year-old man picked up the guitar again and re-launched his career as an internationally-recognized "folk blues" artist, performing around the world and recording several albums for Columbia Records before his death in Detroit in 1988.

  [source: Geva Theatre ticket website, 2014-Oct-27]

• Trio X performs at the Bop Shop tonight at 8 p.m. [source: Bop Shop website, 2014-Oct-27]
• Starting around 9 p.m. at the Bug Jar is "Through Being Cool", an Anniversary Show for Saves the Day, with Slingshot Dakota, and Department. [source: Bug Jar calendar, 2014-Oct-27]

Monday, November 3

• From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and tomorrow at the Downtown United Presbyterian Church (121 N. Fitzhugh St.) is No One Left Behind: The Art and Craft of Convergent Facilitation with Miki Kashtan.
  

  Have you ever dreaded going to a meeting or watched in dismay as a group collapses into conflict? Learn a unique decision-making process, developed by Miki Kashtan, which can be used in emergency situations to reach a quick decision, to break through a bottleneck within a group, or throughout the life-cycle of a long term project. Based on the principles of Nonviolent Communication, this process is fully collaborative and leads to decisions that allow everyone to be on board.

  [source: Gandhi Inistitute website, 2014-Oct-27]

• This evening from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at City Hall is a Mount Hope Cemetery Initiatives Open House.
  

  The City of Rochester is hosting an open house to highlight several Mount Hope Cemetery initiatives currently underway. Projects include the development of a master plan for the cemetery, reforestation efforts and preliminary design to restore pedestrian access through the decommissioned portion of Glen Avenue between Cedar and Grove Avenues. You are invited to attend this function to learn about and provide comment on these efforts.

  [source: City of Rochester website, 2014-Oct-29]

• This evening from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Monroe Branch Library, great modern-Americana one-man-band Hieronymus A. Bogs performs for Musical Mondays. [source: Monroe County Library website, 2014-Oct-27]
• At 8 p.m., Musica Nova, and the Eastman Wind Ensemble perform a Sydney Hodkinson 80th Birthday Concert in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. [source: Eastman School of Music calendar, 2014-Oct-27]
• Tonight starting around 8:30 p.m. at Abilene is Jon Dee Graham, and Mike June.
  

  Jon Dee Graham is a guitarist and songwriter from Austin, Texas. A former member of the True Believers with Alejandro Escovedo, Graham is the only musician ever to be inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame three times. Jon Dee Graham is most well-known for his solo work, including the critically acclaimed records "Escape from Monster Island," "Hooray for the Moon," and "Full." He is also well-known for his tenure in The Skunks, Austin's very first punk band, and roots-rock pioneers The True Believers with Alejandro Escovedo.

  [source: Abilene website, 2014-Oct-27]

• Tonight at 10 p.m., the Little kicks off their Mondo Mondays series of terrible films beginning with The Room (Tommy Wiseau, U.S. 2003, 99 min.)
  

  Written, produced, directed by and starring the one and only Tommy Wiseau, the film's plot, character development, acting, set and cinematography is so wonderfully terrible that it has compelled audiences to keep watching and laughing since its 2003 release.

  [source: Little Theatre e-mail and not on the coming soon page—thanks a lot, 2014-Oct-29]

Tuesday, November 4

• Updated: Today is Election Day when we collectively fill in little circles on a piece of paper then insert it into the Ballot Disposal Unitâ„¢. Remember that you can download a copy of your ballot at the Monroe County Voter Information Page. Also, don't be surprised by the three proposals on the ballot to which I respond: "(1) this won't solve the problem, (2) ok, but probably a waste since point 3 is not possible, and (3) more technology in classrooms is a waste of money when we should stop 'teaching' how to pass standardized tests." A November 2, 2014 e-mail from the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) recommended voting no on Proposition 1 and had this to say:
  

  Proposition 1 appears to remove politicians from the election district equation by creating a "Redistricting Commission" to perform that task. But it's a sham: Under the proposal, the politicians whose careers are at stake will keep the final say on how district lines are drawn.

  1. Revising States Redistricting Procedure: "The proposed amendment to sections 4 and 5 and addition of new section 5-b to Article 3 of the State Constitution revises the redistricting procedure for state legislative and congressional districts. The proposed amendment establishes a redistricting commission every 10 years beginning in 2020, with two members appointed by each of the four legislative leaders and two members selected by the eight legislative appointees; prohibits legislators and other elected officials from serving as commissioners; establishes principles to be used in creating districts; requires the commission to hold public hearings on proposed redistricting plans; subjects the commissions redistricting plan to legislative enactment; provides that the legislature may only amend the redistricting plan according to the established principles if the commissions plan is rejected twice by the legislature; provides for expedited court review of a challenged redistricting plan; and provides for funding and bipartisan staff to work for the commission. Shall the proposed amendment be approved?"
  2. Permitting Electronic Distribution of State Legislative Bills: "The proposed amendment to section 14 of Article 3 of the State Constitution would allow electronic distribution of a state legislative bill to satisfy the constitutional requirement that a bill be printed and on the desks of state legislators at least three days before the Legislature votes on it. It would establish the following requirements for electronic distribution: first, legislators must be able to review the electronically-sent bill at their desks; second, legislators must be able to print the bill if they choose; and third, the bill cannot be changed electronically without leaving a record of the changes. Shall the proposed amendment be approved?"
  3. SMART SCHOOLS BOND ACT OF 2014: "The SMART SCHOOLS BOND ACT OF 2014, as set forth in section one of part B of chapter 56 of the laws of 2014, authorizes the sale of state bonds of up to two billion dollars ($2,000,000,000) to provide access to classroom technology and high-speed internet connectivity to equalize opportunities for children to learn, to add classroom space to expand high-quality pre-kindergarten programs, to replace classroom trailers with permanent instructional space, and to install high-tech smart security features in schools. Shall the SMART SCHOOLS BOND ACT OF 2014 be approved?"
• At the Central Public Library, Michael Lasser will discuss his new book America's Songs II: Songs from the 1890's to the Post-War Years from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
  

  Michael Lasser, host of the Peabody Award-winning public radio show Fascinatin' Rhythm, shares the stories behind the popular songs featured in his latest book, America's Songs II. There will be an opportunity to purchase autographed copies of Michael Lasser's books after the program.

  [source: City Newspaper events calendar, 2014-Oct-29]

• In the Project Space at Visual Studies Workshop at 5 p.m., Rebecca Deroo will converse with Christine Shank on her project, our first year together.
  

  Shank's ever-evolving project, our first year together, consists of images that seem unrelated and intentionally enigmatic but are bound together by their treatment and tone. In developing this work, she has been pushing at the boundaries of what is thought of as a series of photographs. The subject matter, locations, materials, photographic techniques, or methodology will typically hold a photographic series together. However, by using sequence as a strategy, the quiet and often very subtle connections between the images are what bind this work.

  [source: VSW e-mail, 2014-Oct-28]

• Over at Cure from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. is (585) magazine's Nov/Dec Launch. [source: Facebook, 2014-Oct-29]
• At 5:30 p.m. at the Little is a screening of the Lunafest 2015 short-film festival from Girls on the Run of Greater Rochester.
  

  The 2015 Lunafest includes eight films which will compel discussion, make you laugh, tug at your heartstrings and motivate you to make a difference. Incredibly diverse in style and content, Lunafest is united by a common thread of exceptional storytelling — by, for and about women.

  [source: Little Theatre website, 2014-Oct-27]

• The Dryden will screen The Goose Woman (Clarence Brown, U.S. 1925, 75 min., 16mm) tonight at 8 p.m.
  

  Louise Dresser and Jack Pickford star in this tale of a reclusive retired opera singer who revels in the publicity following the discovery of a murder victim on her derelict farm. The newfound attention turns sour, however, as her cravings for recognition and revalidation of her seemingly wasted life lead to tragic consequences. This early work by Clarence Brown combines pathos, mystery, and tension in one of the most unusual American films of the 1920s.

  [source: Dryden website, 2014-Oct-27]

Wednesday, November 5

• From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Johnny's Irish Pub is Rochester's Improv Plate with the Broken Couch.
  

  The Rochester improv duo, the Broken Couch, brings back a great Rochester Comedy Tradition: The Improv Plate. Hosted at Johnny's Irish Pub, the Improv Plate brings together all improvisors in the Rochester area to play on teams made up on the spot. People from all levels of improv experience are welcome to throw their name in the hat and play. Teams will be picked at 6:30.

  [source: City Newspaper events calendar, 2014-Oct-27]

• Tonight at 6:30 p.m., the Little will screen Rocks in My Pockets (Signe Baumane, U.S. / Latvia 2014, 88 min.) with director Signe Baumane "in-person for a discussion following the show"
  

  In the new animated gem Rocks in My Pockets, Latvian-born artist and filmmaker Signe Baumane tells five fantastical tales based on the courageous women in her family and their battles with madness. With boundless imagination and a twisted sense of humor, she has created daring stories of art, romance, marriage, nature, business, and Eastern European upheaval-all in the fight for her own sanity. Employing a unique, beautifully textured combination of papier-mâché stop-motion and classic hand-drawn animation (with inspiration from Jan Svankmajer and Bill Plympton), Baumane has produced a poignant and often hilarious tale of mystery, mental health, redemption and survival.

  [source: Little Theatre website, 2014-Oct-27]

• At 7 p.m. in the Conable Technology Building of Genesee Community College (1 College Rd., Batavia), Dan Hamner will discuss Uncle Tom's Twentieth Century Transformation: From Martyr to Mickey Mouse and Muhammad Ali. "This talk will describe the transformation of the 19th Century's greatest media icon and provide historical insights into our changing memory of Uncle Tom, American Slavery and the Civil War." [source: City Newspaper events calendar, 2014-Oct-27]
• Starting at 7 p.m. at Writers and Books, Diane Ravitch will present a lecture titled Would a Metropolitan School District be Good for Monroe County?
  

  Diane Ravitch, former Assistant Secretary of Education under President George H.W. Bush, will kick off a series of forums with a keynote presentation on September 10th. Our aim is to use the forums to both inform a wide spectrum of our community about current educational issues and motivate them to become more involved in shaping the future of public education in the greater Rochester area.

  [source: City Newspaper events calendar, 2014-Oct-27]

• The Eastman Wind Ensemble performs in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre tonight at 8 p.m. [source: Eastman School of Music calendar, 2014-Oct-27]
• The Dryden will screen Stagecoach (John Ford, U.S. 1939, 96 min., 35mm) tonight at 8 p.m.
  

  In making this film—an outing often considered the first "adult" Western—ford told a story some have labeled Grand Hotel on wheels. He also introduced two elements that would be of great significance in his work. First, he launched John Wayne into national consciousness. Second, he introduced us to Monument Valley, the stunning Navajo territory of sandstone buttes and towers that would become iconic in this and eight later Ford pictures.

  [source: Dryden website, 2014-Oct-27]

• Tonight starting around 9 p.m. at the Bug Jar is Cello Show, Trio Killzone, and The Steel Double Trio. [source: Bug Jar calendar, 2014-Oct-27]