POETRY
Thursday, Nov. 8 – Friday, Nov. 9
GET POEMED!: VETERANS’ WEEK
What is ‘‘Get Poemed!’’? It’s an event where you can bring in a story, picture or other item to famed poet Wendy Morton, and she’ll compose a poem for you using that item as inspiration. These particular Get Poemed! events will be close to Remembrance Day, and so will follow that theme. If you have any old photos or stories of your Grandpa during the War tucked away somewhere, now would be the time to dig ‘em up. For more info, visit the events section at gvpl.ca. Saanich Centennial Branch, Nov. 8 from 2–4 p.m.; Central Branch, Nov. 9 from 11 a.m – 1 p.m.; Esquimalt Branch, Nov. 9 from 2–4 p.m. Free.
SCIENCE
Thursday, Nov. 15
AN ECOLOGICAL APPROACH TO MANAGING INVASIVE PLANTS WITH DAVE POLSTER
Dave Polster is the man when it comes to managing weeds and invasive plants. He’ll be telling you all about how weeds behave and thus how they can be controlled. Hosted by the Native Plant Study Group, this will be an essential lecture for anyone who’s got weeds on the brain. As for me, I’ve got nothing against weeds. Heck, some of my best friends are weeds. Like dandelions. Why do people have a problem with dandelions growing on their lawns? For more info, visit npsg.ca. UVic MacLaurin Building, Rm. D116. 7 p.m. Non-members: $3.
POLITICS
Thursday, Nov. 8
LECTURE: “WHY DON’T AMERICAN CITIES BURN?”
“What’s goin’ on?” asked legendary soul singer Marvin Gaye. Well, when it comes to the poverty and strife found in American inner cities, what’s goin’ on is a very thought-provoking question indeed. And University of Pennsylvania professor Michael Katz, who specializes in the study of the history of cities, class and education, will be speaking to that question during his provocatively titled lecture “Why Don’t American Cities Burn?”, based on his recent book of the same name. For more info, visit thecitytalks.ca and click Lansdowne Lecture. Legacy Art Gallery (630 Yates St.). 7:30 p.m. Free.
VISUAL ART
Thursday, Nov. 8 (Thursdays to Sundays through to Nov. 30)
STINKING FISH ARTISTS
I’d imagine that for most students in Victoria, Metchosin is a bit of a hop, skip and a jump away (it could be two or three buses in a trip), but if you like your visual art, why not take a quick getaway from the hustle and bustle of city life and head out to the Metchosin Art Gallery? There, the Stinking Fish Artists will be presenting an exhibition of artwork in various media including sculpture, oil paintings and stone. “Stinking Fish” is an interesting name to call an artists’ collective. It reminds me of seeing the salmon spawn in a river up in Alaska. The grizzly bears didn’t seem to mind it, but trust me, it was pretty darned stinky. For more info, visit metchosinartgallery.ca. The Metchosin Art Gallery (4495 Happy Valley Rd.). 12–5 p.m. Free.
MUSIC
Thursday, Nov. 8
CAGE 100: OPENING EVENT
Various venues and artistic institutions of Victoria will be hosting all kinds of celebrations to mark the 100th birthday of legendary artist and composer John Cage. Okay, I didn’t know much about John Cage before writing this listing, but I had heard of him. So I looked for him on YouTube and now, having seen some of his stuff, I know why people think he’s so awesome. Check out his piece “4’33”; no, he’s not joking. This opening event will include the UVic Sonic Lab performing Cage’s piece, “Imaginary Landscape No. 3.” These John Cage performances and exhibitions will be a must for music geeks or anyone looking to get inspired by cool, experimental stuff created well before I was even born. For more info, visit aggv.ca and click Events. The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (1040 Moss St.). 7–9 p.m. Free.
Saturday, Nov. 10
DIWALI CULTURAL SHOW 2012
If you’re even a little bit familiar with Bollywood cinema, you know it features musicals that are big into their giant, impressively choreographed song-and-dance routines. Well, the Diwali Cultural Show will certainly feature that — but so much more. A wise man once told me that people are “Here to groove,” and it’s fun to see how cultures from all over the world get down with their funky selves. So go check it out: this sounds fun! For more info, visit victoriahindutemple.com. UVic University Centre Farquhar Auditorium. 7 p.m. $15.
Thursday, Nov. 15
JULIE DOIRON
I saw Julie Doiron about three years ago. This was an interesting show for a couple of reasons: the audience was all hipsters (except me). Besides that factoid, the performances featured Doiron playing a distorted Les Paul guitar by herself without a backing band. And if she forgot how the next part in one of her songs went, she’d just stop and say, “No,” take a second or two to remember how the next part in the song went, and start again. (Stopping and saying “No” is something you do when you’re starting out as a musician, but then you learn to keep going through your mistakes when you get more musically experienced.) In Julie’s case, the starting and stopping of songs was pretty charming. I’m not sure if she’ll have a backing band with her this time around, but Julie can definitely charm you by herself (along with the distorted Les Paul!). For more info, visit atomiqueproductions.com. Lucky Bar (517 Yates St.). Doors at 8 p.m. $20 advance.
