JAZZ
ASCAP Salutes Alan and Marilyn Bergman (305), 7:30-9 p.m. Oct. 30, Northwestern University School of Law, Thorne Auditorium, 375 E. Chicago Ave.; $10. The veteran lyricists — who have penned words for tunes such as “The Windmills of Your Mind” and “How Do You Keep the Music Playing?” — reflect on their careers as songwriters, in an interview with Michael Kerker.
— Howard Reich
Brian Stokes Mitchell in Concert (307), 8 p.m. Nov. 2 at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave.; $25. After last year’s disastrous opening-night gala, which offered the semi-pro “curiodyssey,” this performance by master song interpreter Mitchell could mark a significant improvement. Still, it may be less artistically ambitious than the larger musical productions of previous years.
— H.R.
Songs of the Earth (519), 8-9:30 p.m. Nov. 4, Northwestern University School of Law, Thorne Auditorium, 375 E. Chicago Ave. The inspired banjo player and folklorist Michael Miles will lead an ensemble in music celebrating the planet. Anything Miles plays, however, is worth savoring.
— H.R.
Weathered Standards (817), 7-8:30 p.m. Nov. 11, Northwestern University School of Law, Thorne Auditorium, 375 E. Chicago Ave.; $10. Several first-rate cabaret singers take on meteorological phenomena. The roster includes Klea Blackhurst, Joan Curto, Beckie Menzie, Spider Saloff and Tom Michael. TV weatherman Steve Baskerville hosts — but will he sing?
— H.R.
HUMANITIES
Michael Lesy and James Marsh, “Wisconsin Death Trip” (408), noon-2:30 p.m. Nov. 3, Columbia College Chicago, 1104 S. Wabash Ave. Published in 1973, Lesy’s “Wisconsin Death Trip,” a montage of late 19th Century photographs and small-town newspaper stories about suicide, crime and death, is among the strangest, most striking, most compelling books ever put together. Marsh’s 2000 film based on the book will be screened, followed by a conversation between Lesy and Marsh.
— Patrick T. Reardon
Neil Hanson, “1666, The City in Flames” (506), 1-2 p.m. Nov. 4, Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St. Nothing is quite as terrifying as watching a fire citywide in scope and seeing the entire fabric of everyday life turned to ash. Two centuries before Chicago’s Great Fire, London underwent its own conflagration, as Hanson chronicled in his 2002 book, “The Great Fire of London: In That Apocalyptic Year 1666.”
— P.T.R.
“The Waste Land” (511), 2-3:15 p.m., Nov. 4, the Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave., and (518), 7-8:15 p.m., same location; $10 each. Published in 1922, T. S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land” is perhaps the greatest poem in English from the 20th Century. It’s certainly the most famous and most studied. The treat here is that the poem will be presented by a cast of actors, under the direction of Bernard Sahlins. Then Richard Christiansen, the Tribune’s former chief critic, will lead a discussion. (This item as published has been corrected in this text.)
— P.T.R.
“Mapping the Global Environment” (512), 3-4:30 p.m., Nov. 4, Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St. Maps aren’t just about getting from here to there. Part of the festival of maps, this panel discussion will feature three experts who use maps to study social issues: Tom Koch (the spread of disease), Mark Monmonier (environmental hazards) and John Cloud (the politicization of science). (This item as published has been corrected in this text)
— P.T.R.
William H. McNeill, the Baskes Lecture in History (703), 10-11 a.m., Nov. 10, Northwestern University School of Law, 375 E. Chicago Ave. A retired University of Chicago professor, McNeill authored two influential history books : “The Rise of the West” (1963), showing the interconnectedness of cultures and civilizations, and “Plagues and Peoples” (1976), among the first works to look at how the environment, specifically disease, has shaped the evolution of humanity. (This item as published has been corrected in this text)
— P.T.R.
Jonathan Kirsch, “The Book of Revelation Revealed” (717), 2-3 p.m., Nov. 10, Loyola University, Rubloff Auditorium, 25 E. Pearson St. Kirsch, an attorney, has carved out an interesting side job as the author of popular books about figures, events and books of the Bible, including David and Moses. His 2006 work, “A History of the End of the World,” examined the mystic final book of the New Testament and its impact on world history. (This item as published has been corrected in this text)
— P.T.R.
“Doctor Atomic: Nuclear Weapons — Might They Become a Thing of the Past?” (816), 4-5:30 p.m. Nov. 11 at Thorne Auditorium, Northwestern University School of Law, Chicago Campus. A panel discusses our future with weapons of mass destruction. Panelists Peter Sellars, director of the forthcoming Lyric Opera Chicago production of John Adams’ J. Robert Oppenheimer opera, “Doctor Atomic”; Kennette Benedict, executive director of the Chicago-based Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists; and Jonathan Schell, whose brilliant 1982 book “The Fate of the Earth” was a sacred text for those of us horrified by the escalating nuclear rhetoric of the “Star Wars” era. (This item as published has been corrected in this text)
— Greg Kot
CLASSICAL
Chicago Sinfonietta: Concert (303), 7:30-10 p.m. Oct. 29, Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave.; $15. Native American flutist R. Carlos Nakai will join conductor Paul Freeman and the orchestra for a program celebrating our ties to the land and sky, co-presented with the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. A performance of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony will be accompanied by visuals signifying the changes — some subtle, some devastating — that are affecting the environment. Paul Freeman conducts. Pre-concert conversation in the Grainger Ballroom at 6:30 p.m.
— John von Rhein
Modern Minstrelsy: “Noye’s Fludde” (719), 2:30 to -4 p.m. Nov. 10, Roosevelt University, Ganz Hall, 430 S. Michigan Ave.; $5. Bass Andrew Schultze leads a recreation of the 15th Century English medieval mystery play based on the biblical story of Noah and the flood. Chicago actor Lawrence MacCauley takes the role of Noah in a performance combining spoken word with vocals by eight solo singers accompanied by players on period instruments. (This item as published has been corrected in this text)
— J.v.R.
Ars Musica Chicago: “Water in Sound and Symbol” (812), 2:30-3:30 p.m. Nov. 11, Roosevelt University, Ganz Hall, 430 S. Michigan Ave. The early music ensemble presents a program of Renaissance and early Baroque works in the key of H2O. The music will be augmented by readings of water-themed literature from ancient times to the present.
— J.v.R.
“Nurture Nature: Create Tomorrow Together,” (112), 5 p.m. Oct. 27, Northwestern University Law School, Thorne Auditorium, 375 E. Chicago Ave.; children younger than 17 free. Specially commissioned by the festival, the original 75-minute show is designed for all ages. Performers from the Fulcrum Point New Music project, Albany Park Theater Project, Merit School of Music and the Side Project re-address our relationship with the endangered environment through music, art, poetry and theater.
— J.v.R.
ARCHITECTURE
Sadhu Johnston, Region of Concern (109), 1:15-2:15 p.m., Oct. 27, The Notebaert Nature Museum, South Gallery, 2430 N. Cannon Drive . Johnston, Mayor Richard M. Daley’s deputy chief of staff and former environment commissioner, discusses Chicago’s vision and action plan for a sustainable city and region.
— Blair Kamin
Sustainable Building in Chicago — A Scorecard (304), 6-7:30 p.m., Oct. 30, Museum of Contemporary Art, Theater, 220 E. Chicago Ave.; free, but reservation is required. Chicago architect Elva Rubio moderates a panel of local experts that evaluates Chicago’s greening efforts. Participants include Erik Olsen, administrator of the City of Chicago’s Green Projects program, and sustainable architecture expert Helen Kessler.
— B.K.
Creative Reuse in Design (605), 7-9 p.m., Nov. 6, Museum of Contemporary Art, Theater, 220 E. Chicago Ave.; free, but reservation is required. Readymade magazine editor Shoshana Berger leads a panel that looks at the practice of recycling materials in contemporary art as well as everyday life. Participants include designer Cat Chow and industrial designer and educator Kevin Henry.
— B.K.
MOVIES
“Our Daily Bread” (906), directed by Nikolaus Geyrhalter, 8:30 p.m Thurs. Nov. 1, Facets Cinematheque, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave. Shooting all over Europe, Austrian-born filmmaker Geyrhalter casts a calmly unsettling spell with this documentary reverie on what we eat, and how it’s processed in an overwhelmingly mechanized age designed to make the concept of the family farm seem like a nostalgic joke. There’s no narration and no music, and you don’t miss either. Geyrhalter and his partner, Wolfgang Widerhofer (credited with creating and editing the film’s dramatic structure), take us inside slaughterhouses, chicken farms, a greenhouse where row upon row of peppers are picked by a solitary worker, and — from a thresher’s-eye-view perspective — a wheat field. Geyrhalter’s eye is painterly, but it’s more than that: The intuitive flow of the images is wholly cinematic, even though individual vignettes often unfold before a motionless camera. The images recall Kubrick in their extreme, head-on formality and tight, obsessive control; from another perspective, “Our Daily Bread” is “Fast Food Nation” envisioned, “Koyaanisqatsi”-like, on a grand scale: “Fast Food Planet.”
— Michael Phillips
“Children of Men” (912), directed by Alfonso Cuaron, 8:15 p.m. Wed. Nov. 7, Facets Cinematheque, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave. Director Cuaron imagines a hellish and spellbinding scenario for our planet’s near future, based on the harshest principles of the political present. Based loosely on the P.D. James novel, the story is set in 2027. Mysterious environmental factors have rendered the Earth’s population infertile. Great Britain is among the few nations still functioning as a country, albeit a totalitarian one. Foreign-born citizens are being deported. The refugee population has its defenders, however, including a covert terrorist group headed by Julian (Julianne Moore). She contacts her old lover, activist-turned-bureaucratic drone Theo (Clive Owen). A modern miracle has occurred: One of Julian’s colleagues, Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey), has conceived a child and is eight months pregnant. She is Earth’s last best hope. With the help of aging hippie Jasper (Michael Caine, exceptionally lively), Theo and Kee seek a safe haven in a nation under siege.
— M.P.
In Conversation: Philip Pullman (411), 12:30-1:30 p.m, Nov. 3, Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State St. To call Pullman’s world-hopping action-adventure tale subversive would be an understatement. Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” trilogy are multilayered allegories about the nature of religion, science and gender, hidden deep in a fun, white-knuckled read. The first book, “The Golden Compass,” gets its big screen debut in December, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig.
— Robert K. Elder
“Starship Troopers” Facets Film Series (903), 6:30-8:40 p.m., Oct. 31, Facets Cinematheque, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave. Paul Verhoeven’s ultra-violent adaptation of Robert Heinlein’s classic sci-fi novel only improves with age. Verhoeven (“Robocop”) dresses up Heinlein’s meditation on civic duty and war morality as a slick, space epic. Imagine the video game “Halo” cast with “Melrose Place” castoffs in lead roles. The results are mixed, but vastly compelling.
— R.K.E.
“The Island of Dr. Moreau”(804), noon-1 p.m., Nov. 11, Roosevelt University, Ganz Hall, 430 S. Michigan Ave . Sometimes, you need a cultural palate cleanser. I’m curious to see Lifeline Theatre’s adaptation of H.G. Wells’ dystopian vision about a mad scientist with a (furry) god complex, not to only give myself a refresher on Wells’ work, but also — hopefully — to paste over Marlon Brando’s campy performance as the title character in John Frankenheimer’s mess of movie from 1996.
— R.K.E.
VISUAL ARTS
Women Artists and the Environmental Movement. (107), 12:30-2 p.m. Oct. 27, Northwestern University School of Law, Thorne Auditorium, 375 E. Chicago Ave. Forty years of art production will be discussed by artists Tara Donovan and Ann Hamilton, critic Lucy Lippard, and writer and teacher Christine Wertheim.
— Alan G. Artner
Bill Morrison: Highwater Trilogy. (901), 6:30 p.m. Oct. 30, Facets Cinematheque, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave. Found footage of icebergs, hurricanes and floods make up the Chicago-born director’s 2006 vision of apocalypse, with a soundtrack by David Lang and Michael Gordon.
— A.G.A.
Complaints Choir. (414/419), 1-2 p.m. and 3-4 p.m. Nov. 3, Museum of Contemporary Art Theater, 220 E. Chicago Ave.; free, but reservation is required. A public art project, performed in 10 cities around the world, in which residents of the cities submit complaints and perform a large choral work made from them.
— A.G.A.
Richard Fishman: The Elm Tree Project. (608), 7-9 p.m. Nov. 8, Wilbur Wright College, Events Building Theatre, 4300 N. Narragansett Ave. A discussion of the unusual methods employed by faculty and students of Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design to extend the “afterlife” of a 100-year-old tree on the Brown campus that had to be cut down.
— A.G.A.
Cape Farewell. (720), 3-4:30 p.m. Nov. 10, Art Institute of Chicago, Fullerton Auditorium, 111 S. Michigan Ave. Reports on five years of journeys made by artists, writers, choreographers and others into the High Arctic aboard a century-old schooner to raise awareness of climate change.
— A.G.A.
PERFORMANCE
“Acts of Concern.” (209/213), 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m., Oct. 28, Next Theatre Company, Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes St., in Evanston. The skilled and provocative American playwrights Sarah Ruhl and Lisa Dillman were commissioned by the festival to write new one-act plays on the theme “Climate of Concern.” The two premieres will be read in public for the first time by actors from the Next Theatre Company and the Rivendell Theatre Ensemble. (This item as published has been corrected in this text)
— Chris Jones
“Tree Boys.” (206), 1:30-2:30 p.m Oct. 29, Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State St. The aptly named Canadian troupe, Green Thumb Theatre, presents the U.S. premiere of a kids’ piece for 7- to 13-year-olds about a boy who fights his father’s plans to cut down his favorite tree. (This item as published has been corrected in this text)
–C.J.
(mis)Understanding Mammy: The Hattie McDaniel Story. (214), 8-9:30 p.m., Oct. 28, Little Black Pearl Art and Design Center; $10. Hattie McDaniel endured Hollywood’s stereotypical casting and beat it. She transformed the subservient cliche of the servant by means of a sly undertone of grit, perspicacity and vision. Against the odds, you always felt she was the smartest character in so many movies (e.g. “Gone With the Wind,” “Alice Adams” and “Show Boat”). Capathia Jenkins enacts a staged reading of Joan Ross Sorkin’s play about McDaniel’s remarkable art, life and struggles.
— C.J.
W.S. Merwin: A Poetic Nature. (415), 2-3 p.m., Nov. 3, St. James Episcopal Cathedral. Few poets in our time have the gifts or stature of the early ecologist and anti-war Merwin, whose knack for truth and beauty is a national treasure. His 1970 title says it all: “Unchopping a Tree.” This is a rare chance to visit with a giant.
— Sid Smith
Ann Arbor/Chicago Dance Mix. (721), 3-4:30 p.m., Nov. 10, Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Center Auditorium. A sample of Midwestern dance. Ann Arbor’s Peter Sparling Dance Company returns for its second outing with the festival, a troupe led by Sparling, professor of dance at the University of Michigan. This time around, the company teams up with Chicago-based The Leopold Group, headed by Lizzie Leopold, a University of Michigan alumna.
— S.S.
Deeply Rooted Dance Theater. (212), 6:30-7:30 p.m., Oct. 28, Experimental Station; $10. The dancers of Deeply Rooted are smooth, muscular, powerful and among the most beautiful in town. They are always intensely emotional and entertaining, and, led by artistic director Kevin Iega Jeff, they promise here a collection of work inspired by the festival’s climactic theme.
— S.S.
LITERATURE
Alan Lightman: “Science and Faith.” (421), 3:30-4:30 p.m., Nov. 3, Columbia College Chicago, Film Row Cinema; $5. With the novel “Einstein’s Dreams,” Alan Lightman showed the world that physics and fiction were inextricably — and gloriously — linked. As an astrophysicist who doubles as a novelist, Lightman explores the delicate human beauty behind the dense thicket of contemporary scientific truths. The festival features three chances to hear Lightman and to explore his work: a discussion sponsored by the Great Books Foundation; a lecture by Lightman on his new novel “Ghost,” which aligns science and faith; and a panel discussion with Lightman, W.S. Merwin, Diane Ackerman;, Gretel Ehrlich; and Terry Tempest Williams, moderated by Donna Seaman. (This item as published has been corrected in this text)
— Julia Keller
Kim Stanley Robinson: “What to Do, and How.”(503), noon-1 p.m., Nov. 4, Columbia College Chicago, Film Row Cinema. Kim Stanley Robinson, whose speculative fiction is both swashbuckling and scientifically accurate, discusses the creative challenge of dealing with climate change — making it an adventure, that is, instead of a grim punishment. The author is known for his epic science fiction trilogy “Red Mars,” “Green Mars,” “Blue Mars,” but he is equally distinguished by novels such as “Forty Signs of Rain” and others that deal with the Earth’s changing environment. Robinson brings an artist’s eye — and a scientist’s focused squint — to the issue of global warming.
— J.K.
E.L. Doctorow: 2007 Chicago Tribune Literary Prize. (500), 10-11 a.m., Nov. 4, Symphony Centerl; $15. From “Ragtime” to “The March,” from “The Book of Daniel” to “Billy Bathgate,” from “Loon Lake” to “City of God,” Doctorow has given America a rigorous, distinctive but always bewitching picture of itself. One of the world’s preeminent novelists, the New York native combines a brisk narrative energy with a courageous engagement with thorny social issues. With his penetrating analysis, he is always on top of world events — but that prescience always comes in the form of great stories, through rich characters and crackerjack plots. (This item as published has been corrected in this text)
— J.K.
Greil Marcus: The Shape of Things to Come. (513), 3:30-4:30 p.m., Nov. 4 at Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State St. Marcus is more than just one of the best rock critics ever, he’s a provocative thinker capable of synthesizing disparate ideas into a coherent vision of who we are, how we got here and where we’re going. His latest book, “The Shape of Things to Come,” is quintessential Marcus in the way it weaves various cultural threads — the books of Philip Roth, the movies of David Lynch, the music of Pere Ubu’s David Thomas — into provocative cultural analysis.
— Greg Kot
WEEKEND EVENTS
Here are some additional Chicago Humanities Festival events, focusing on those that take place on the festival’s three weekends. Each event’s program number is provided to facilitate ticket ordering.
SATURDAY, OCT. 27
100. David Orr: Nature’s Design. Orr, professor of environmental studies and politics at Oberlin College, will present the keynote lecture to the festival’s two-day examination of the environmental issues and concerns relating to our own regional (Chicago and southern Great Lakes) habitat. He is best known for his pioneering work on environmental literacy in higher education and his recent work in ecological design as described in his book, “The Nature of Design.” 9:15-10:15 a.m., Notebaert Nature Museum, South Gallery.
102. Chicago Tribune Young Adult Fiction Prize: Gary Paulsen. Great for ages 8 and older. The 2007 Children’s Humanities Festival commences with the awarding of the Tribune’s annual book prize for young adult fiction, which, this year, will recognize author Gary Paulsen for his remarkable work over the past 20 years. Paulsen is perhaps best known for his multivolume “Brian’s Saga,” which includes the Newbery Honor Book “Hatchet.” Other Newbery Honors went to novels “The Winter Room” and “Dogsong.” A former sled dog racer, Paulsen has written more than 175 young adult books infused with his love of the outdoors, the wilderness and the importance of nature in our lives. 10:30-11:30 a.m., Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center Auditorium.
103. Animation Station! Great for ages 5 and older. Work with professional animators, and learn the art of animation through techniques such as pixelation, scratch-on-film and clay animation. Continual screenings of innovative short films from the National Film Board of Canada are part of the lineup. Arrive any time — screenings and workshops are ongoing. 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanter Education Center; free program, but reservations are required.
108. Roger Payne: Are Whales Now Singing Their Last Song? Payne, founder and president of the cetacean research organization Ocean Alliance, is best known for his discovery (with Scott McVay) that humpback whales sing songs, as well as his demonstration that the sounds of fin and blue whales can be heard across oceans. He will discuss recent findings from his institute’s ongoing trips around the world, including the darkening prospects facing the world’s whales owing to environmental depredations. 1-2 p.m., Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center Auditorium.
SUNDAY, OCT. 28
200. Curt Meine. Meine, a senior fellow with the Aldo Leopold Foundation and a research associate with the International Crane Foundation, will survey the natural history of the Chicago and southern Great Lakes region, especially in the context of mankind’s impact on that history. 9:15-10:15 a.m., Notebaert Nature Museum, South Gallery.
201. John Rogner. Rogner, field office supervisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Chicago Ecological Services Field Office, and an active leader of the Chicago Wilderness Consortium, will discuss the Chicago region’s remarkable biodiversity. 10:30-11:30 a.m., Notebaert Nature Museum, South Gallery.
205. Family Workshop: Animation Station! Great for ages 5 and older. Work with professional animators and learn the art of animation through techniques such as pixelation, scratch-on-film and clay animation. Continual screenings of innovative short films from the National Film Board of Canada are part of the lineup. Arrive any time — screenings and workshops are ongoing. 12:30-3:30 p.m., Hyde Park Art Center Studios; free program, but reservations are required.
SATURDAY, NOV. 3
400. Bill McKibben: American Environmental Writings. Author and environmental activist Bill McKibben (“The End of Nature,” “Deep Economy”) has edited “American Earth: Environmental Writing Since Thoreau,” forthcoming from the Library of America on Earth Day (April 22). He will discuss the project and present a selection of readings, performed by students from the Theatre School at DePaul University directed by one of the school’s leading acting teachers, Jane Brody. 10-11:30 a.m., Chicago Cultural Center, Claudia Cassidy Theater.
402. Diane Ackerman. The celebrated poet (“I Praise My Destroyer”) and non-fiction author (the best-selling “A Natural History of the Senses”) will read from a selection of her poems and also from her new narrative, “The Zookeeper’s Wife: A War Story.” The book chronicles a true story of World War II, in which Christian zookeepers at the Warsaw Zoo saved 300 Jews by capitalizing on the Nazi obsession with the environment, eugenics and pure-blood animals. 10-11 a.m., First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple.
412. Dan McAdams: America’s Redemptive Storehouse. What kinds of psychological resources will people need to draw on to face global climate change? McAdams, professor of psychology and human development at Northwestern, will explain how Americans repeatedly call upon a rich cultural storehouse of redemptive narratives to provide psychological support for their most ambitious and daunting tasks, especially those aimed at making the world a better place for generations to come. 12:30-1:30 p.m., Loyola University, Rubloff Auditorium.
418. Christopher Essex: Tales from the Greenhouse, or How I Stopped Overheating and Learned to Love Turbulence. Director of the program in theoretical physics and professor and associate chair of the department of applied mathematics at University of Western Ontario, Essex says: “Want to win a million bucks? There’s a prize offered. All you need to do is solve a puzzle that the most brilliant minds in history couldn’t crack to this day. Easy money. If you’re bored after that child’s play, your prize solution will be just a start at solving a science problem that’s really hard: climate. Yes, I know! The climate problem is allegedly ‘solved.’ But it’s not. Come to my talk, and I’ll explain.” Essex is co-author of “Taken by Storm: The Troubled Science, Policy and Politics of Global Warming,” winner of the Donner Book Prize. 2:30-3:30 p.m., Loyola University, Rubloff Auditorium.
SUNDAY, NOV. 4
509. Lecture: After Katrina; Panel: Emergency Preparedness and Environmental Justice. New Orleans 9th Ward Councilwoman Cynthia Willard-Lewis will talk on the state of her ward and what it suggests about future urban emergency preparedness, environmental justice, racism and classism in cities across the U.S. The panel discussion on preparedness and environmental justice will be led by Iva Carruthers, general secretary of the DeWitt Proctor Conference and a leader in the creation of the Katrina National Justice Commission report, “The Breach: Bearing Witness.” Panelists include Willard-Lewis; “Heat Wave” author Eric Klinenberg; University of Chicago graduate student Constance Pope; and Roderick Hawkins, Chicago Urban League director of communications and former deputy press secretary to Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco. 2-4 p.m., DuSable Museum of African American History.
517. Michael Lerner: The Globalization of Selfishness vs. the Globalization of Generosity. The rabbi and editor in chief of Tikkun magazine, a bimonthly Jewish critique of politics, culture and society, will offer his views on how to build American values and policies that reflect the growing understanding that our well-being depends on that of everyone on the planet. Lerner invites atheists, spiritual and religious people to develop a common agenda. 5:30-6:30 p.m., Northwestern University School of Law, Thorne Auditorium.
SATURDAY, NOV. 10
702. Jeremy Young: Coccolithophores — Sublime, Microscopic Deep Sea Beauty. The oceanic ecosystem is fueled by phytoplankton, minute unicellular plants that capture solar energy and convert carbon dioxide into complex organic molecules. They are abundant, extremely delicate — and uncannily beautiful. Young, a research scientist from the Natural History Museum in London, will explore the form and function of a particularly elegant form of phytoplankton, the coccolithophores, focusing on their role in our understanding of past climate change and the possible impact on them from ocean acidification. 10-11 a.m., Loyola University, Rubloff Auditorium.
710. Wars of Scarcity. Wars in the future are likely to be fought over access to resources: oil, land and especially water; many current ones already are. John Prendergast, senior adviser to the conflict-prevention organization International Crisis Group, will join in discussion with Sudanese refugee Valentino Achak Deng and author Dave Eggers, whose 2006 book “What Is the What” recounts, in the form of a “novelized biography,” Deng’s experiences in war-torn, atrocity-plagued — and oil-rich — Southern Sudan. 5-6 :30 p.m., Northwestern University School of Law, Thorne Auditorium.
711. Journal of Ordinary Thought: Getting Around. Through poetry and narratives accompanied by African drumming, writers from the Neighborhood Writing Alliance, publishers of the Journal of Ordinary Thought, will illustrate the impact of transportation on our lives and city, examining the topic from various perspectives, including: getting around the city, traffic, public transportation, stress, time, noise, pollution and safety, as well as the barriers to mobility and access. Noon-1 p.m., Roosevelt University, Ganz Hall; free program, but reservations are required.
718. Ourselves as Others See Us. How is the U.S. depicted in foreign media? Former Chicago Tribune columnist Charles Madigan, now presidential writer-in-residence at Roosevelt University, will moderate this year’s edition of our forum that brings together prominent, U.S.-based international journalists for a discussion of the day’s biggest domestic stories and how they are presented to a foreign audience. This year’s panel will include Washington- and New York-based reporters from India, Mexico, the Netherlands, France and other nations. 2:30-4 p.m., Northwestern University School of Law, Thorne Auditorium.
727. May Berenbaum and Neil Shubin: The Disappearance of Species. In paired lectures, May Berenbaum, professor of entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Neil L. Shubin, provost of academic affairs at the Field Museum and associate dean of organismal and evolutionary biology at the University of Chicago, will consider the alarming rate of species extinctions. 5:30-7 p.m., Field Museum of Natural History, Simpson Theater.
Max Eastley in concert. A featured event of the “Arctic: Soundscape” installation, composer Max Eastley will perform. Eastley will play an extended solo on his “bow monochord,” a hauntingly beautiful-sounding single-string electro/acoustic instrument he invented, to complement — and comment on — Arctic’s recorded soundscape and visual projections. 7:30-8:30 p.m., Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion; free program, no reservations required.
SUNDAY, NOV. 11
803. Mike Klarman: The Unfinished Business of Racial Inequality. The author of the Bancroft Prize-winning “From Jim Crow to Civil Rights” will discuss his new book, “Unfinished Business” (a volume in the “Inalienable Rights” series from Oxford University Press), which illuminates the course of racial equality in America while revealing that we have made less progress than we think. Klarman will consider the variety of social and political factors that have influenced the path of racial progress — migrations, urbanization, legal culture and shifting political coalitions — culminating in a consideration of the intersection of race and environmental justice. Noon-1 p.m., Alliance Francaise de Chicago.
807. Gary Alan Fine, Wayne Wendland: Meteorologists and the Culture of Prediction. In his new book, “Authors of the Storm,” Northwestern professor of sociology Fine delves into the method and manner by which meteorologists and forecasters predict the weather. Meteorological forecasts, he shows, are often shaped as much by social and cultural factors inside local bureaus as they are by approaching cumulus clouds. So how will the politics of global warming affect the profession? Fine will be joined in discussion by Wendland, an emeritus professor of geography at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and former state climatologist with the Illinois State Water Survey. 1-2 p.m., Loyola University, Rubloff Auditorium.
808GB. Great Books Discussion: Grace Paley. A discussion of selected works by Grace Paley precedes the tribute to the late author. Reading material will be available at the site. Noon-1 p.m., Roosevelt University, Room 320; free program, but reservations are required.
808. Grace Paley: A Tribute. Paley, best known for her short stories, died in August. Her efforts as a peace and environmental activist, early feminist and agitator served as inspiration to her life’s work of telling the stories of ordinary people in wry, honest fashion. In celebration of her life, writers, artists, actors and humanists will read selections from her stories, poems and essays. 1:30-2:30 p.m., Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center Auditorium.
813. Donald Hey: Nutrient Farming. Hey, president and co-founder of The Wetlands Initiative Inc. and director of Wetlands Research Inc., will share an ingenious land-use concept: the “growing” of wetlands on flood-prone areas as an alternative to corn, soybeans or industry/housing. In addition to expanding flood storage capacity and eliminating commercial enterprises from risky flood plains, expanded wetlands would produce a “harvest” of nitrogen and phosphorus. 3-4 p.m., Loyola University, Rubloff Auditorium.
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Ordering festival tickets
Online: www.chfestival.org
View comprehensive program listings and order tickets 24 hours a day. To order your tickets online, visit the individual listings page that records the programs you wish to attend. Click on “order tickets” and you will be taken to your own order page which will record the programs you select, “shopping-cart” style. You can always go directly to your order page by clicking “view order.” Orders are processed in the order received within one business day.
By phone: 312-494-9509, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Monday-Friday.
Ticket Information
Prices: $5 in advance, unless otherwise noted. A $2 surcharge per ticket may apply to purchases at the door.
Payment: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, cash or check. A $5 processing fee will be added to all online and phone orders.
Special offers: Free tickets are available to students and teachers with valid ID, and 2007 registered volunteers. All free ticket orders must be made in person or by phone.
Refunds/exchanges: All ticket sales are final. Tickets are non-exchangeable and non-refundable, except in the event of program cancellation. If you are unable to attend an event for which you have purchased a ticket, please call the CHF ticket office to donate your ticket.
Admission policy: Ticket holders and Red Badge members are only guaranteed admission 10 minutes prior to program start time. Unclaimed seats may be reassigned.
Waiting lines: CHF limits its advance reservations and ticket sales to the capacity of its venues. However, because of audience attrition, seats may be available at “sold out” programs. If available, tickets will be sold at the door, first-come first-serve, 10 minutes prior to start time of each program.
Customer service: 312-494-9509.
Programs, dates, venues and presenters are subject to change without notice. For up-to-date program information visit www.chfestival.org.
Where to find it
Alliance Francaise de Chicago
54 W. Chicago Ave.
The Art Institute of Chicago
111 S. Michigan Ave.
Chase Auditorium
21 S. Dearborn St.
Chicago Cultural Center
77 E. Randolph St.
Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center
400 S. State St.
Columbia College Chicago
1104 S. Wabash Ave.
David Weinberg Collection
300 W. Superior St.
DuSable Museum of African American History
740 E. 56th Pl.
Experimental Station
6100 S. Blackstone Ave.
Facets Cinematheque
1517 W. Fullerton Ave.
The Field Museum of Natural History
1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple
77 W. Washington St.
Hyde Park Art Center
5020 S. Cornell Ave.
Little Black Pearl Art and Design Center
1060 E. 47th St.
Loyola University
25 E. Pearson St.
Millennium Park
Randolph Street entrance
Museum of Contemporary Art
220 E. Chicago Ave.
The Newberry Library
60 W. Walton St.
Next Theatre Company
927 Noyes St.
Evanston
Northwestern University School of Law
375 E. Chicago Ave.
The Notebaert Nature Museum
2430 N. Cannon Drive
Roosevelt University
430 S. Michigan Ave.
St. James Episcopal Cathedral
North Wabash Avenue and East Huron Street
Steppenwolf Theatre Company
1650 N. Halsted St.
Symphony Center
220 S. Michigan Ave.
Wilbur Wright College
4300 N. Narragansett Ave.
