F iction and non- trade shots during the week while the weekend waves hello and goodbye, albeit not in that order.
Monday, April 30
“One hot afternoon Sean Kernan wandered into the Kampala Boxing Club in Uganda, because… there it was. Then he hung out there for the next seven years, returning again and again to film a deep dive into the far-off world of big-city boxing in Africa.” The resulting movie is The Kampala Boxing Club, “a meditation on the rough violence and surprising beauty of the fight game as it is played on that continent,” which Kernan, who lives in Branford, is presenting at 7 p.m. for $7 at Best Video (1842 Whitney Ave, Hamden; 203-287-9286).
Tuesday, May 1
Drawing upon at least one of the two bestselling books she’s co-authored, Ashley Merryman is coming to Yale’s Evans Hall (165 Whitney Ave, New Haven) to give a free 4:30 talk about “How to Be a Champion: The Science of Winning and Losing, from Olympic Trials to Final Exams and Beyond.”
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Wednesday, May 2
The Yale Center for British Art (1080 Chapel St, New Haven; 203-432-2800) is hosting a staged reading of Horace Walpole’s The Mysterious Mother (1768). Mysterious in its own right, “this underappreciated tale of incest and intrigue was initially circulated only among the author’s friends,” and “Walpole never permitted it to be performed during his lifetime except as a private theatrical event.” To learn much more about it, you can attend a symposium, which “[explores] aspects of both reading and staging Walpole’s play,” tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the YCBA.
Thursday, May 3
From 6 to 9 p.m., the Peabody Museum (170 Whitney Ave, New Haven; 203-432-8987) is throwing Bones & Beers, a festive gathering featuring specimen interactions, a scavenger hunt, music, prizes and “a selection of local brews curated by The Beer Collective.” Tickets, which include three 12-ounce pours, cost $25, or $20 for students, Peabody members and members of The Beer Collective’s Growler Club.
Also starting at 6, the Yale Bookstore (77 Broadway, New Haven; 203-777-8440) is hosting Yale alum Amanda Stauffer for a conversation about her debut novel, Match Made in Manhattan (2018), which “tells the story of serial monogamist Alison, who signs up for a popular dating site and resolves to remain open-minded and optimistic as she explores the New York City singles’ scene.” Stauffer’s conversation partner during the event is Cyd Oppenheimer, host of the WNHH program “Book Talk.” Free.
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Friday, May 4
The “grand finale” of the 68@50 event series, which has been marking 50 years since 1968 at Beinecke Library (121 Wall St, New Haven; 203-432-2977), is beginning at 6 p.m. outside on the plaza. That’s where an “unveiling of the winning entry for ‘Lipstick, Revisited,’ a competition… to reprise the gesture of Claes Oldenburg’s ‘unwanted gift to Yale,’ Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar Tracks (1969),” is taking place. Beyond that, organizers are being coy, saying the unveiling will be “followed by a happening and a night to remember…”
Saturday, May 5
The 8th Annual Fair Haven Family Stroll & Festival starts at 10 a.m. at the corner of Front and Exchange Streets, where families register for a 1.5-mile walk “over two bridges and through the historic riverfront district of Fair Haven.” Following the stroll is the festival, where attractions include “drums, parachute play, puppets, face painting, food vendors, ballet, bubbles, yoga, arts and crafts and a whole lot of door prizes,” as well as 35 information tables “highlighting resources available to families in Fair Haven and greater New Haven, from health clinics and healthy food to literacy [and] safety.” $10 suggested donation.
With the impending departure of its resident DJs, Sunken Disco, a monthly dance party at Stella Blues (204 Crown St, New Haven; 203-752-9764), is going out with a bang. The mix, which starts at 9 p.m., includes “funk, disco, mashups, breaks, glitch-hop, ghetto funk, house and (maybe) drum and bass,” while the twin themes of the night are “Disco at the End of the World” and “Disco Apocalypso”—with organizers encouraging (but not requiring) outfits evincing “full-on disco glam” or “end-of-the-world survival styles.”
Sunday, May 6
The weekly Edgewood Park Farmers’ Market, located near the corner of Whalley and West Rock Avenues, opens for the season today. Lasting from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., it features “10+ vendors with a variety of locally grown products including fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, artisan breads, milk and cheese, native plants, herbs and specialty food items.”
Written by Dan Mims. Photographed by Sean Kernan. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations and prices before attending events.
