Wizard People, Dear Reader @ Four Treys

A unique film experience tonight at the Four Treys Tavern: the unauthorized Harry Potter film/performance/experience "Wizard People, Dear Reader" by Brad Neely. An alternate audio track to go along with the first Harry Potter movie, "Wizard People" will be performed tonight at 8:00 PM by Mr. Neely himself! Admission is $10, or $5 with a headshot and resume. Four Treys: 3333 N. Damen. Check the website for more info.

African American Vernacular Art @ Intuit

Intuit: The Center for Outsider and Intuitive Art presents a discussion of African American vernacular art, or artwork created and used in everyday life. Members of the discussion panel will include artist Lonnie Holley and women quliters from Gee's Bend, Alabama, and the presentation will also feature a slide presentation by scholar, curator and author William Arnett. For more information on the event, see this press release from Intuit. The event starts at 2:00 PM, and is free and open to the public. Intuit: 756 N. Milwaukee. (312) 243-9088.

Kristen Hersh @ Schubas

Yet another chance this week to catch Hersh, again at a reasonable early hour for those of us who require naps these days to make it past 11 p.m. Kristen Hersh (of Throwing Muses fame) plays the first show of the evening at Schubas tonight, with doors opening at 7 p.m. From Schubas: Hersh "has recorded six solo albums and her newest, 'The Grotto,' displays her work of inner poetry with piano, guitar and violin in a way that is finely focused. Beautifully strange and soulful Hersh is able to captivate any audience with her artistic voice and individual outward energy. It is safe to say her present work simply makes her past triumphs seem purely groundwork for the future." Tickets are $15 and Ben Weaver opens.

"The Children's Blizzard" @ Newberry

January 12, 1888, began as an unseasonably warm morning across the Great Plains, so mild that many children walked to school without coats. That afternoon, temperatures plunged, and by the next morning, 500 people, many of them children, lay dead in the snow. On Saturday, January 22, at 11 a.m., the Newberry Library hosts David Laskin for a discussion of his new book "The Children’s Blizzard" (November 2004, HarperCollins). Laskin traces the effects of this terrible storm on five plains families and argues that the blizzard marked a turning point in the minds of even the most steadfast of settlers. By the turn of the twentieth century, 60 percent of pioneer families had left the plains. Admission to “The Children’s Blizzard” is free and open to the public at the Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St., Chicago. "The Children’s Blizzard" will be available for purchase during the book signing. This program is co-sponsored by the Seminary Co-op Bookstore. For more information, call (312) 255-3700.

Protect Your Reproductive Freedoms

January 22 marks the 32nd anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. To commemorate the ruling that has allowed American women to choose safe, legal abortion -- and therefore control their destinies -- Chicago area reproductive rights advocates invite you to join them for Protect Your Reproductive Freedoms: A Look at the Past, Present and Future of Abortion Rights. The event will be held today at Harper College (1200 W. Algonquin Road in Palatine) in the theater in Building J. Parking is available in lots 5 and 6. The program begins at 1 pm. Listen to stories from before abortion was legally performed. Hear Illinois State Representative Rosemary Mulligan (D-65) discuss how the battle continues today. Find out what you can do to protect the future of your reproductive rights from Robyn Nardone, Manager of Public Affairs at Planned Parenthood/Chicago Area. Celebrate Choice with Planned Parenthood, NorthWest Chicago Choice, and the National Organization for Women. 

Gay Bike Winter Parade

Gay Bike Winter Parade: Bus turnaround, 3150 N. Halsted, 9:30 PM Bikers of all orientations are invited on a "cruise" of the Boy's Town neighborhood, ending with some bicycle bar-hopping.

Learn to Be a Drag King

This physical acting workshop led by Jessica Hudson and other members of the Chicago Kings uses gender stereotypes and drag as a springboard for character development within dance and theatre. This workshop is a synthesis of acting, movement, and gender studies where participants physically explore the ways traditional definitions of beauty may limit performers. This workshop is open to all levels of experience.

The workshop will be held Saturday, January 22 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Links Hall in Andersonville, located at 3435 N. Sheffield. To register, contact Links Hall at 773-281-0824. Cost is $25, $15 for students.