Asian American Jazz Festival @ HotHouse

The HotHouse presents the 2004 Asian American Jazz Festival, a two-day showcase of jazz, blues, spoken word and much more. Tonight's program focuses onAsian American women, and features Ester Hanna, Yoko Noge and Jazz Me Blues, Sarwat Rumi and many more. The program begins tonight at 8:00 PM, and tickets are $15 ($12 for students). HotHouse: 31 E. Balbo. (312) 362-9707.

Rhino Theater Fest: Hit Me Like a Flower

A new play by Beau O'Reilly for the Rhinoceros Theater Fest. "Hit Me Like a Flower continues O'Reilly's “Big Play” experiment: large casts, lots of story line, expanse. Sarah Wallace has come to an East-Coast waspish town to start her therapy practice and cast a watchful eye over her long-estranged college daughter Terry, known to her friends as “Oddhead.” Sarah’s patients: Arthur Moore, a psychopath with a bear suit and a 2 by 4; William Coughlin, a sometime novelist of minor fame who is recovering from a stroke; and Mrs. Chester, a woman who has been living on the streets but now is ready for a bus ride. Terry’s friends are Saul and Hannah, and they are in their 20’s, skating tough, and worried about the war." 7pm, Curious Theatre Branch, 7001 N Glenwood. $12 or pay what you can. Call 773-274-6660 for reservations.

Rhino Theater Fest: The Authentics

A new play by Paula Gilovich, as part of the Rhinoceros Theater Fest. "At the center of The Authentics is a plane crash from which only awkward, perverse David Wise has been pulled. The crash brings him Sarah Sharp, the reporter who covers his disaster, and a lost father looking for money. With the father comes a charismatic sidekick, and with Sarah comes a successful mother in the business of everyone's business. A wry look at the inherently absurd forces that create what's real, strange, funny, unromantic, fast, and furious is the universe of The Authentics. Sex, gender, death, disappointment, dismemberment, semi-celebrity, Chinese food, editors, and bus stations: this is life authentic." 9pm, Curious Theatre Branch, 7001 N Glenwood. $12 or pay what you can. Call 773-274-6660 for reservations.

Andersonville Arts Walk Weekend

Join friendly Andersonvillians around their neighborhood this weekend for the annual Andersonville Arts Walk. Galleries, shops, and restaurants will be open special hours to display local art and performances. Highlights include the NeoFuturist production of "Alice" told via a walking tour of the neighborhood plus visual art from over 100 artists. Call 773-728-2995 for more information, or look for the great brochures in Andersonville businesses with the kinda creepy lady on the front.

Defiant Theatre's Graverobbing Sale

Defiant Theatre closes its doors today after eleven years on the off-Loop theatre scene, and they're giving you a chance to pick up the detritus. The Graverobbing Sale offers up most of Defiant's inventory "to you, the filthy, bargain-hunting opportunist." With two weeks to go 'til Halloween, this would be a great place to find a unique costume—they promise a ton of costume pieces, "including vampires, witches, pirates, fairies, Popes, hats, wigs, masks, just about anything you could ever want!" In addition you'll find props, theatre equipment, office equipment, puppets, flats and platforms, multiple phalli, and much more. 10am to 4pm today at 3711 N. Ravenswood, just north of the Brown Line at Addison.

Halloween Chic-A-Go-Go taping

So you know Chic-a-Go-Go, right? The CAN-TV dance show for kids of all ages, hosted by Ratso the Rat (aka Jake Austen of Roctober) and Miss Mia (aka Mia Park of the Chicago band Kim)? They're taping their Halloween special this afternoon, and the special guest, for some weird reason, is designer and sock monkey enthusiast Paul Frank. So you KNOW you wanna go. The taping is from 3 to 6 PM at the CAN TV studios at 322 S. Green. Costumes are encouraged. For more information, see the Chic-a-Go-Go site.

Wander Indiana Ride

The 2004 Wander Indiana Ride takes place Saturday and Sunday October 16 & 17 (Rain date October 23 & 24). The ride consists of biking from Chicago to Indiana Dunes National Park (approx. 65 miles @ 10 m.p.h.). Ride Start Meet at Ronny's Steak House Corner Clark & Lake in the Thompson Center (312) 346-9488 at 9:00 a.m. Ride leaves at 10:00 a.m. On Saturday: Ride to Indiana Dunes National Park in Chesterton, IN via the Lakefront Path, Burnham Greenway, Erie Lackawanna Trail, Oak Savannah Trail, and Prairie Duneland Trail. Saturday Night: Camp at Dunewood Campground, IDNP ($15 for two tents). Optionally there is a Super 8 Motel just south of the park. On Sunday: Return to Chicago, reverse route, 10:00 a.m. If you only want to ride part of the way Saturday, they should arrive at the Oak Savannah trailhead inside Oak Ridge Prairie County Park in Griffith, IN at approx. 2 p.m. The ride is free. Pay for your own meals and camping expenses. RSVP Bob Matter at rjmatter@prodigy.net by October 10th. HELMETS REQUIRED and lights and mirrors strongly suggested.

Master Class with Stuart Dybek

There's a Master Class with Stuart Dybek today, Saturday, October 16, from 1:30-4:30 p.m. at the Gleacher Center (U.Chicago downtown campus). Dybek is a four-time winner of the O. Henry Prize for the best short stories published that year in the U.S., as well as a PEN/Bernard Malumud Prize "for distinctive achievement in the short story form." His publications include "Brass Knuckles," "The Coast of Chicago," "Childhood and Other Neighborhoods," and "I Sailed with Magellan." Cost: $125. For more information, including how to register, go here

Dance basics for couples @ Old Town School

This afternoon, the Old Town School of Folk Music presents the latest in a series of one-day workshops designed to give people two hours of instruction on a specific topic, without fear of commitment after the workshop. Today's workshop: dance basics for couples. Learn to do the one-step, the fox-trot, and the six-count swing. Registration is very limited, so sign up ASAP! (And if you miss this workshop, it'll be offered a couple more times this year.) The workshop runs from 1:00 PM to 2:50 PM, and the cost is $45 per couple. Old Town School of Folk Music: 4544 N. Lincoln. (773) 728-6000.

I Want a President Who @ Links Hall

As a part of a series of public artworks inviting people to share their thoughts regarding leadership and creating art in the process, the public art collaborative Anti Gravity Surprise has organized events every Saturday in October in Chicago. The third one is today from 1 to 4 p.m. at Links Hall located at 3435 N. Sheffield Ave. in Lakeview. The afternoon will feature election-inspired artworks, street performances, and an open discussion. At 3 p.m there will be a presentation by Netron Howard-Bernal, a community health advocate. For more information, email AGS@anti-gravity.info.