WEDNESDAY 9/6
(BOOKS) Ann Patchett, an award-winning author and one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People in the World, is also living my dream life—she owns the ultra-quaint Parnassus Books in Nashville, where she sometimes shows up with her rescue pup, Sparky VanDevender. (Maybe Sparky is living my dream life, actually.) Anyway, Patchett's the author of many novels, nonfiction works, and children's tomes, and you've likely seen them lining the bestsellers tables at Elliott Bay Book Company. (Her novel The Dutch House was a Pulitzer finalist.) Melinda French Gates will join her for this event, and all tickets, with the exception of a limited number of pay-what-you-can tickets, will snag you a hardcover copy of Patchett's forthcoming novel Tom Lake. (McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St, 7:30 pm, $57-$132, tickets to stream the event online are also available) LINDSAY COSTELLO
THURSDAY 9/7
Pee-Wee's Party with Screening of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure
(FILM) This quote-along screening of '85 cult flick Pee-wee's Big Adventure honors the memory of Paul Reubens, everyone's favorite nasally, bow-tied, high-camp artiste who passed in July after a private cancer battle. I encourage you to note the similarities between Pee-wee's Big Adventure and a much more recent film, Greta Gerwig's Barbie—both are tinged with a shiny postmodern sarcasm and a half-toy, half-human, kitschy sincerity that seems to suggest Reubens's aesthetic was far more influential than we gave him credit for. If you saw Barbie recently, take Pee-wee for a spin—it's even weirder, and better, than you remember. (Central Cinema, 1411 21st Ave, 8 pm, $14) LINDSAY COSTELLO
FRIDAY 9/8
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(THEATER) Long before Chasing Amy, J-Lo, and Air, two Hollywood rapscallions watched the screenplay for Good Will Hunting descend mysteriously from the heavens, and realized they were being tested by a higher power. Although their careers and lives would diverge, one being more of a golden boy and the other being, well, Ben Affleck, the duo's friendship persevered. Matt & Ben is an acidic satire that spoofs Affleck and Damon's pursuit of a red-carpet dream, and the playwright understood the assignment—she's Mindy Kaling, after all. She's been on a red carpet or 20 herself. (ArtsWest, 4711 California Ave, various showtimes through October 1, $40-$45) LINDSAY COSTELLO
SATURDAY 9/9
2023 HUMP! Film Festival Encore Screening
(FILM) For one night only The Stranger hosts an encore screening of our 2023 HUMP! Film Festival. This is your chance to see all of this year's HUMP! films as they're meant to be seen—on a big screen in a theater full of friends and fellow HUMP!ers. This year's lineup has it all, quicksand, hot lesbians, tighty whities, cheese, and perhaps the funniest HUMP! film in the history of HUMP! from Seattle's own Betty Wetter. This is the last time these films will show in a theater in Seattle—don't miss out! Want to HUMP! at home, too? We have a new streaming library! Check out HUMP! Greatest Hits collections, catch up on past seasons, or dig into our newest offering, HUMP! Hardcore anytime you want. (SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N, 7 and 9:30 pm, $20, 18+) MEGAN SELING
SUNDAY 9/10
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(COMMUNITY/ART) Earlier this year Kaitlin Fritz founded the Cutie Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides free art supplies and mentorship to local young queer artists. One of Cutie Foundation's brilliant ideas is the Cutie Fest, a free-for-all arts and craft show. Unlike so many similar fairs, there is no jury, no application process, and no table fee. If you have stuff to sell or share, you're in! Just show up at Cal Anderson Park around 9 am and set up your table or booth or tent or blanket with your (legal-to-sell) goods. More than 150 artists are expected to participate this time around, offering everything from cute illustrated stickers and stationery to handcrafted jewelry to ceramic housewares to hand-knitted crop tops, so you can also just show up and shop. No artistic talent required. (Cal Anderson Park, 1635 11th Ave, 10 am-5 pm, free, all ages) MEGAN SELING
MONDAY 9/11
(COMEDY) Sound the alarm! Seattle has a new comedy night! The very funny Andy Iwancio—who is releasing a comedy album on Kill Rock Stars in the near future, btw—is starting a new weekly open mic night at Comedy/Bar on Capitol Hill. It's simple, really—Queers to the Front aims to prioritize queer comics of all skill levels and become another reliably great weekly option for comedy fans in Seattle. (See also: the Comedy Nest, which is every Tuesday at the Rendezvous in Belltown). Iwancio told The Stranger, "What we’re trying to do is create a space for queer folks to come grow their comedy in a space that will support radical ideas or stories that would be stifled elsewhere. Also, just to be a radically kind place for queer people to try out comedy for the first time. This whole thing is just me trying to give back to the comedy scene as best I can. It has changed a lot—just like what the word 'queer' means to people. I like the umbrella nature of it though. From gold star lesbians to agender pink furs to a guy who got fingered for the first time last week, I really wanna hear goofy puns from all of them." If you want to perform, signups are open every Saturday from noon-4 pm by emailing queerstothefrontcomedy@gmail.com. The lineup is announced on Sundays via the show's Instagram account. (Comedy/Bar, 210 Broadway E, 8:30 pm, $5, 21+) MEGAN SELING
TUESDAY 9/12
(VISUAL ART) This outdoor public art exhibition, a collaboration between the Seattle Art Museum, the Chicago-based arts organization blackpuffin, and the Central District's immersive community art project Wa Na Wari, takes its name from a poem by former Senegalese president Léopold Sédar Senghor. It's an ode to the power of Black women written while he was imprisoned in Germany during World War II. Wander through the Central District to admire work from female artists from Africa and the African diaspora, installed on lamp poles and at Black-owned businesses and art organizations throughout the neighborhood. Participating artists include photographer Sheila Pree Bright, painter Jordan Casteel, and multimedia artist M. Florine Démosthène. A map of all the art locations is available at femmenoireseattle.com. (Central District, various locations, daily through September 30) JULIANNE BELL
