October in New Haven means discussing insightful, earnest political notions in depth, even if our presidential candidates wonโt; welcoming heralded performers with charmingly oddball sensibilities; and kicking off an annual monthlong arts bonanza that has appreciators of fine things dizzy with possibility.
Monday, October 3
Today at 4:30 p.m., Keith Wailoo, a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, visits Yaleโs Sterling Hall of Medicine (333 Cedar St, New Haven) to talk about โThe Politics of Pain: Medicine, Social Difference and the Gatekeepers of Relief in America.โ Along the way he plans to examine how divergent responses to various kinds of sufferings and sufferersโโfrom disabling pain to end-of-life pain to fetal pain,โ as well as beliefs about โwhose pain is real and who deserves reliefโโhas helped โ
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Tuesday, October 4
Part of Yaleโs โCelebrate Sustainabilityโ weekโa โseries of events that recognizes the sustainable actions of individuals, departments and groupsโ at the universityโwriter Michael McCarthy discusses โNature and Joy: A New Defense of the Natural Worldโ at 5:30 p.m. inside Yaleโs Kroon Hall (195 Prospect St, New Haven). An award-winning columnist for the Independent newspaper and, as his bio there puts it, โone of Britainโs leading writers on the environment,โ heโll explain his view that our detached sort of thinking about the environment will have to change if weโre going to save it from ourselvesโand that, in the doing, weโll receive the gift of realizing that a โbond with natureโฆ is at the heart of what it means to be human.โ Free.
Wednesday, October 5
The hyperactive minimalism of the Violent Femmes, exemplified by the bandโs best-known song, โBlister in the Sunโโand many othersโis the result of a single odd decision: to be an acoustic punk band. So they can blow your hair back without blowing out your eardrums tonight at College Street Music Hall (238 College St, New Haven; 203-867-2000), where theyโre topping a two-act, 8 p.m. bill. The opener, Ava Mendoza, is definitely worth catching as an experimental guitarist who wows with weird and wonderful compositions. $27-35.
Thursday, October 6
The Shubert Theater (247 College St, New Haven; 800-745-3000) hosts โAn Evening with David Sedarisโ tonight at 7:30. A mild-mannered humorist known for his โsardonic wit and incisive social critiques,โ whoโs been actively publishing and performing for more than two decadesโand whoโs currently in the midst of a national tourโSedaris has conquered both print and record, with eight bestselling books and three Grammy nominations between his audio versions and live recordings. Tonight, heโs โoffering a selection of all-new readings and recollections, as well as a Q&A session and post-show book signing.โ $53.50-$63.50.
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Friday, October 7
This yearโs City-Wide Open Studiosโa massive, multi-weekend, inter-neighborhood art show staged each Octoberโgets a big opening party tonight from 5 to 8. Located in and around the headquarters of CWOSโs organizer, Artspace (50 Orange St, New Haven; 203-772-2709), a customary gallery show previewing the weekends to comeโfeaturing one piece of work from each of more than 300 participating artists, whose disciplines run the gamutโis the anchor of an itinerary thatโs otherwise in motion, including an outdoor dance party and an obstacle course pinging this yearโs โGame On!โ theme. Meanwhile, Noodles On9, a โnoodle festivalโ engaging with nearby restaurants that traffic in the soft, satisfying strands, happens from 6 to 8.
Saturday, October 8
Today marks the start of CWOSโs official weekend showcases, which number four this year instead of the usual three. Thatโs because the arts-heavy Westville neighborhood is, for the first time, getting a Saturday-and-Sunday all to itself. Westville Weekend, in which visitors can rove through many of the โvilleโs public-facing galleriesโlike Kehler Liddell Gallery, shown above during CWOS 2015โand normally private studios, happens today and tomorrow from noon to 6 p.m.
Outside city limits, two local farms are in a mood to celebrate autumn. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Hindinger Farm (835 Dunbar Hill Rd, Hamden; 203-288-0700) hosts a Harvest Festival with family-friendly diversions like pumpkin bowling and an obstacle course; balloon-making and live bluegrass music; and an apple- and pumpkin-themed menu of sandwiches and desserts, plus pizza. From 1 to 5 p.m., Massaro Community Farm (41 Ford Rd, Woodbridge; 203-736-8618) hosts a Family Fun Day featuring โsack races, a tug-of-war, face painting, hay rides, pumpkin painting, a bake sale, music and more!โ Free to attend.
Sunday, October 9
Inside Wesleyan Universityโs Beckham Hall (55 Wyllys Ave, Middletown), WESU 88.1 FM hosts its annual Fall Record Fair from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. โDozens of vendors from across the northeast
Written and photographed by Dan Mims. Image depicts Keith Johnson and some of his photography at Westvilleโs Kehler Liddell Gallery during CWOS 2015. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations and prices before attending events.