Bookslut Live! @ MCA

Bookslut's monthly reading series moves venues to the Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave., as part of the ongoing Literary Gangs of Chicago series. Commonwealth Writers Prize winner Jeffrey Moore will be reading from his work, The Memory Artists, and Marisha Pessl will be reading from her debut novel Special Topics in Calamity Physics. 6:30-8pm tonight in the MCA's Puck's Cafe. Free.

Lecture: "Timbuktu the Mysterious"

Dr. John Hunwick, a professor emeritus of African history at Northwestern University, will present a lecture titled "Timbuktu the Mysterious" tonight in the Fourth Floor Auditorium at East-West University, 816 S. Michigan Ave. Reception at 6:30pm, lecture at 7pm. Free. More info here.

Spectacle of Death Panel @ MCA

In conjunction with the exhibition of Andy Warhol’s Death and Disaster series, a panel of artists, academics, and journalists discusses how disasters shape culture. Free, 6 PM. 220 E Chicago Avenue. For more information and to reserve a seat, call 312-397-4010 or visit the website.

Historic Preservation in the Balance @ Archicenter

Part of a series called After Katrina, this Chicago Architecture Foundation program features Peter Brink, of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Brink discusses preservation efforts in the Gulf Coast region after the hurricane. In the John Buck Company Lecture Hall Gallery, 224 S. Michigan, 6 PM. Tickets are $10 to $20, or less if you purchase tickets for the whole series. For more information and to make reservations, call 312-922-3432 x225, or visit the website.

Naama Goldstein and Lara Vapnyar @ Abbey Pub

Nextbook presents this fiction reading featuring two Russian-American writers who published short-story collections in 2004. 7 PM, 3420 W. Grace at Elston. $8. For more information and to purchase a ticket, visit the Nextbook website.

Early to Bed's Sex Salon

Chicago women-owned sex shop Early to Bed is hosting a series of facilitated – yet casual – group discussions about different topics related to sex. They'll start with some wine and cheese and informal mingling, then sit down to talk about that night's topic. It might be philosophical, cultural, political or even spiritual. No lectures, no demonstrations. There will be some good questions posed, and the conversation will flow from there. No experience or special knowledge is necessary. Just curiosity and a willingness to share your ideas and listen to others. The salons are open to everyone over 18. For more information, call 773-271-1219. Early to Bed is located at 5232 N. Sheridan Road, just north of Foster Ave.

Tonight's topic: Fear of a Naked Breast

From 7-8:30pm, discuss any of the following:

From Janet Jackson's brief flash at the Superbowl to the flash of a backside during a football commercial, even brief flashes of nudity often elicit outrage and controversy. Why are public displays of penises, vulvas, breasts taboo or even illegal? What ideas about sexuality and sex organs shape these laws and taboos? Why do we protect children from any exposure to pictures or depictions of sex or nudity? What is the impact on young people? Why do we keep images of nudity or of sexual behavior out of the public eye? How do other cultures treat displays of nudity or sexual acts?