This Week in New Haven (April 10 - 16)

Dark notions and light switch off and on this week in New Haven.

Monday, April 10
Casting it as the response to a high-casualty chemical attack perpetrated by Syria’s government against its own civilians, President Trump ordered a missile strike against a Syrian air base last Thursday, marking an escalation of America’s involvement in that country’s civil war and bringing already-plummeting relations with Russia, Syria’s ally, to a new low. Coincidentally, at 5:30 this evening in Yale’s Luce Hall (34 Hillhouse Ave, New Haven), longtime war reporter Nancy Youssef, now a national security correspondent for Buzzfeed News, is joining a panel discussion about “Covering Civilian Casualties of War: The Cases of Iraq and Syria.” Joined by Yale professors Zareena Grewal and Hani Mowafi, topics include “lessons from field reporting,” “insights as to how the U.S. military handles these events” and “the challenges and recent history of conducting scientific studies of mortality in conflict and humanitarian crises.” Free.

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Tuesday, April 11
Organized and carried out by administrators and students of Gateway Community College’s hospitality program, the Chefs of Our Kitchen (C.O.O.K.) series, whose next installment begins today at 6 p.m., offers pre-dinner drinks, hors d’oeuvres, cooking demonstrations and three-course meals prepared in Gateway’s impressive teaching kitchen. Built around menus conceived and demoed by guest chefs, tonight the honor goes to a duo of French culinary titans: internationally renowned TV personality/cookbook author Jacques Pepin and locally revered Union League Cafe owner Jean Pierre Vuillermet. 6 p.m. $110. 20 Church Street, New Haven.

Wednesday, April 12
At 4 p.m. in Yale’s Dunham Laboratory (10 Hillhouse Ave, New Haven), social psychologist, 2014 MacArthur Fellow and Stanford University professor Jennifer Eberhardt presents “Race & Crime: A Social Psychological Perspective.” Demonstrating a good sense of social psychology when it comes to enticing event attendees, organizers say “snacks will be provided, and a larger reception will follow the lecture” at nearby Kirtland Hall (2 Hillhouse Ave, New Haven).

Thursday, April 13
In conjunction with its exhibit Road Trip!, which “ the fun and adventure of the all-American auto expedition,” the New Haven Museum hosts Chris Dobbs, executive director of the Connecticut River Museum and “self-proclaimed ‘diner aficionado,’” for a talk about “The Architecture of the American Diner: From Wagon Wheels to Stainless Steel.” Among other aims—like elucidating the four features that make a restaurant a diner—Dobbs intends to “trace the evolution of diners in America.” 5:30 p.m. 114 Whitney Ave, New Haven. (203) 562-4183.

Friday, April 14
Two related arthouse flicks are lighting up the big screen at the Whitney Humanities Center (53 Wall St, New Haven) this weekend. Tonight at 7—to be followed by a discussion with the film’s director, Laura Israel—it’s Don’t Blink – Robert Frank (2015), a sometimes black-and-white but always colorful documentary about the influential and crotchety photographer named in the title. Tomorrow night at 7, the feature is a vintage, black-and-white, 35mm print of the Robert Frank-directed Candy Mountain (1987), “an underseen take on the road movie” that, with cameos from music legends like Joe Strummer and Tom Waits, follows “a struggling musician on a quest to meet a legendary guitar maker.” Free.

Saturday, April 15
With Tax Day pushed to April 18 this year, advance filers, tax procrastinators and the pre-income alike can enjoy a nice diversion today: the second annual Flair Fair, “a vendor fair focusing on small pieces of wearable and collectible art” that “ the modern resurgence of pins, patches, buttons and more.” Organized by New Haven’s flair retail headquarters, Strange Ways, the event’s host is Lyric Hall (827 Whalley Ave, New Haven; 203-389-8885), where, from noon to 5, a dozen companies with names like Killer Acid, Mean Folk, Stationery Bicycles and The Tiny Hobo are set to hawk their wares.

Sunday, April 16 – Easter
There are church services and Easter brunch menus galore, plus a pair of shows at one of the workingest of local workhorses, Cafe Nine (250 State St, New Haven; 203-789-8281). Whatever you’re up to, our recommendation is simple: set aside some outside time during the afternoon, because, at the time of this writing, weatherpeople are predicting temperatures in the deliriously comfortable-sounding high 60s.

Written by Dan Mims. Image depicts Robert Frank in a still from Don’t Blink – Robert Frank. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations and prices before attending events.