C ivilization, nature and supernature trade focus this week in New Haven.
Monday, October 30
At 4:30 p.m. in Yale’s Luce Hall, Manoj Mitta, a journalist based in Delhi, discusses his book Caste Pride: Battles for Equality in Hindu India. “In this masterful work, Manoj Mitta examines the endurance and violence of the Hindu caste system through the lens of the law. Linking two centuries of legal reform with social movements, he unearths the characters, speeches, confusions and decisions that have shaped the war on caste, mitigating how this ancient institution discriminated between Hindus across the board.”
The 2023 Latino and Iberian Film Festival at Yale, a.k.a. LIFFY, starts today and ends Sunday. The schedule spans dozens of screenings, Q&As, panel discussions and more, all but one of them free and open to the public.
Tuesday, October 31 – Halloween
Speaking of screenings, at 7 p.m. in the auditorium at 53 Wall Street, the Yale Film Archive and Yale Film Society present a 50th anniversary showing of The Exorcist.
Also today, as chronicled in our Halloween preview last week: themed tattoos, a sweet-toothed “witch parade,” a hoppy “brew maze,” an official trunk or treat, a spooky evening of poetry and a goth night out.
Wednesday, November 1
Gardening in winter is the topic of a 6:30 p.m. presentation at Madison’s Scranton Library. “The garden can be a magical place—even in winter! Stripped of summer foliage and flowers, the success of a winter garden lies in its structure, basic design and choice of plant material. This richly illustrated talk by landscape designer Jana Milbocker provides inspiration and tips on designing your garden for winter interest, choosing the best trees, shrubs and perennials, and grouping them to create arresting vignettes.”
With a 7:30 show by Everglow, College Street Music Hall offers a K Pop experience in a far more intimate format than the arena and stadium shows fans are used to.
Thursday, November 2
At 4 p.m. under the auspices of the Peabody Museum, Yale Ph.D. candidate Liam Taylor offers a virtual talk titled “Birds Go to Prom: Behavior, society, and sex in adolescent birds.” Taylor will highlight “the strange things that some birds need to do before they reproduce—from meeting a fishing buddy on a rocky island to finding a dance partner on a rainforest floor. Looking back through millions of years of evolution, we will uncover how behavioral, social, and sexual development continues to create new challenges and opportunities for adolescent birds.”
Starting at 4:30, with tickets available here, the Gateway Community College Foundation throws its 26th Annual Hall of Fame celebration in the college’s Curran Center. Party guests can expect “food, drinks, networking, and fun to celebrate community, corporate, and alumni leaders, and raise essential support for CT State Community College Gateway students.”
The Guilford Art Center’s 2023 Holiday Expo, an “annual holiday gift shopping event,” gets an opening reception today from 5 to 7. The expo fills the Center’s shop and gallery with “holiday gifts from American artists, makers and designers… includ[ing] accessories, candles, cards, ceramics, clothing, fiber art, glass, homewares, jewelry, leather, Christmas ornaments, soaps, specialty foods, stationery and more.”
At 7:30, the New Haven Theater Company opens their 2023-24 season with a two-weekend run of Sarah Ruhl’s Dear Elizabeth. This “play in letters”—an adaptation of 30 years of correspondence between the famed midcentury poets Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell—is “a celebration of the written word that will transport you to a world where letters transcend time, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of those who experience it.”
Friday, November 3
Firehouse 12’s seasonal Jazz Series always prioritize experimental acts, and tonight’s is no exception except that it might be unusually accessible. Performing with three additional collaborators, Grammy-nominated trumpeter John Raymond and Bon Iver drummer/backup vocalist S. (Sean) Carey are set to showcase their new album, Shadowlands, a “stunning, genre-bending collection of songs that combines the warmth and beauty of Carey’s aesthetic” with Raymond’s “improvisational, spontaneous nature.”
Saturday, November 4
At 10 a.m., the Barnard Nature Center offers a presentation starring “reptiles and slithering friends.”
“Don’t throw your pumpkin away—SMASH IT and turn it into compost that will nourish our soil at the farm!” So say the organizers of Common Ground’s First Annual Pumpkin Smash, held from noon to 2 at the school/far/environmental center’s West Rock campus. In addition to the pumpkin composting, the event promises a “leftover Halloween candy swap,” a fall farm stand, “fantastic treats” and “photo ops.” A note for composters: “Please remove paint, plastic, candles, and wax from pumpkins and take out as many pumpkin seeds as possible. Try them roasted instead!”
A 2 o’clock artist reception at Bethany’s Clark Memorial Library celebrates a duo of collections by New Haven photographer Phoebe M. Barron: Lines, Angles, and Reflections in Architecture and YES! In My Back Yard – A Much Closer Look.
At 4, a book launch event at the Institute Library showcases the culmination of years of effort by local photographers Robert Lisak and David Ottenstein: Capitol America, “an unprecedented photographic portrait of all 50 US state capitol buildings, exploring architecture, interior spaces, furnishings, landscape settings, and urban locations.”
Featuring “giant puppets, lights, dance and music,” Unidad Latina en Acción’s 2023 Día de Muertos Parade steps off from Bregamos Community Theater (off the rear lot of Erector Square) at 6. “At the end of the parade we will have a party with live music (salsa, cumbia), with home-cooked food and authentic hot chocolate.”
Sunday, November 5
Another New Haven Restaurant Week begins, with 25 restaurants from Heirloom to Olea to Christopher Martins to Geronimo offering pre fixe meals: two-course lunches priced at $25 and three-course dinners toggling between $45 and $55.
From noon to 3:30, three solo exhibitions—by Daniel Recinos, Brian Stephens and Kit Young—come together for a closing reception at the Ely Center of Contemporary Art. The festivities include light refreshments, a concert by Yale School of Music percussionist Makana Medeiros and a performance by Young.
Written by Dan Mims. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations, prices and other details before attending events.
