This Week in New Haven (May 17 – 23)

G oing out? Staying in? New Haven can accommodate.

Monday, May 17
Published 40 years ago tomorrow, Larry Kramer’s essay “A Personal Appeal” in the New York Native marked “the first notice” in the press “of what is known as AIDS.” During the latest virtual Mondays at Beinecke talk, Kramer’s official biographer, Bill Goldstein, is set to discuss Kramer’s “initial calls to community activism in 1981 and 1982, as the scope of the health crisis becomes clearer.” 4 p.m. Free.

sponsored by

The International Festival of Arts & Ideas

Wednesday, May 19
Stella Blues is back. Its first show since the pandemic sank in over a year ago promises live music from four local acts: Frederic Anthony, Ditch Boys, Furlow and Youth XL. As of this writing, the start time hasn’t been indicated online, so you should probably call ahead. 204 Crown Street, New Haven. (203) 752-9764.

Steep yourself in cinema three ways. First, at 3 p.m., is a livestream conversation between Emmy-winning, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Amy Ziering, whose latest project is the HBO docuseries Allen v. Farrow (2021), and “art curator, writer, and scholar” Natasha Boas. Second, at 7 p.m., is an online screening of The Donut King (2020), which “tells Ted Ngoy’s rags-to-riches story of a refugee escaping Cambodia, arriving in America in 1975, and building an unlikely multimillion-dollar empire baking America’s favorite pastry, the donut.” Third, at 8:30 p.m., is an outdoor screening of Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), the Freddie Mercury biopic, in Pitkin Plaza near Orange and Chapel Streets.

Also, the 13-day “Drinks Are On Us!” campaign, organized by the governor’s office and the Connecticut Restaurant Association, starts today, promising a complimentary drink when you purchase food and flash your vaccination card at participating restaurants. In New Haven, participants include Basta, Bears Smokehouse, Blue Orchid, Camacho Garage, Geronimo, House of Naan, Lazeez, the New Haven Hotel, Prime 16, Shell & Bones, Sherkaan, Soul de Cuba, Tarry Lodge, Union League Cafe and Zaroka.

Thursday, May 20
At 5 p.m., tune into the first “Ideas” event of the 2021 International Festival of Arts & Ideas, featuring a virtual conversation between current US poet laureate Joy Harjo and playwright and director Madeline Sayet. “Harjo, the first Native American Poet Laureate and a member of the Muscogee Nation, will reflect on her award-winning body of work, which includes nine books of poetry, two memoirs, and six music albums.”

Friday, May 21
Prompted by the administrators of Yale’s nearly finished Schwarzman Center, “students from around Yale submitted projects that spoke to navigating space, change, and truth during the pandemic.” The result is off the grid, which gets “a virtual gallery opening and reception” today from 4 to 5 p.m. where you can “meet the artists, engage with their work, and celebrate this unique collection of inspired pieces.”

“New Haven’s roots Americana queen” Stefanie Clark Harris plays a solo show at Cafe Nine (250 State St, New Haven; 203-789-8281) from 5 to 7 p.m., with doors opening an hour earlier. “Limited seating, no reservations” and no cover.

Written by Dan Mims. Image sourced from the Schwarzman Center. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations and prices before attending events.

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Dan has worked for a couple of major media companies, but he likes Daily Nutmeg best. As DN’s editor, he writes, photographs, edits and otherwise shepherds ideas into fully realized feature stories.

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