Evening Bell at the Sunset, ‘Woody Sez’ at the Rep, Anastacia Tolbert and More at Fred Wildlife Refuge

Monday, Jan. 23
After this past weekend, I’m looking forward to Dr. Edwin J. Nichols discussion on ‘Beyond The School To Prison Pipeline.’ When I was a teenager living in Kansas, I got a chance to speak at an event at the historic Brown vs. Board of Education building, where I learned that when some prisons are being built, the number of cells is based on the number of local students that failed 3^rd and 4^th grade. That information rocked me. I’ve already planned my questions for the Q&A. Stay woke. —Barry Johnson
Seattle Public Library (Central Library)

Monday, Jan. 23 – Wednesday, Jan. 25 
When any current pop act co-opts warm, Latin-tinged horns on their records, they’re pretty much cribbing from crossover trumpeter (and master co-opter himself) Herb Alpert. Dude’s got no reason to continue touring at age 80-something (as the co-founder of A&M Records, he’s not exactly strapped for cash), except for the fact that he genuinely loves playing. His wife Lani Hall‘s airy, samba-informed vocals fit his style like a crushed-velvet dinner jacket. –Tony Kay
The Triple Door

Tuesday, Jan. 24
Seattle is well-stocked with icons of the great outdoors, but few stand as tall as Jim Whittaker, the first America to summit Mt. Everest. Tonight he and his son Leif, an accomplished climber in his own right, will discuss stories from Leif’s latest book, My Old Man and the Mountain. –Jonathan Zwickel
The Mountaineers

Wednesday, Jan. 25
A Reading with Arisa White, Anastacia Tolbert, Natasha Marin and Naa Akua is a night of radical women writers of color, featuring poet White, author of You’re the Most Beautiful Thing That Happened, and guest-curated by poignant, pants-pissingly funny Hugo House poet-in-residence Tolbert. —Sarah Galvin
Fred Wildlife Refuge

Wednesday, Jan. 25
My favorite documentaries take me to a place I’ve never seen, in ways that transcend the art form’s tropes. That’s why I’m so excited about Loa, Georg Koszulinski’s impressionistic, visually immersive film about vodou practitioners in rural Haiti. Its unconventional structure and striking look have garnered it much positive buzz. Director Koszulinski will be attending the screening. –Tony Kay
Northwest Film Forum

Wednesday, Jan. 25 – Sunday, Jan. 29
If you could use a little feel-good inspiration, Woody Sez: The Life and Music of Woody Guthrie at Seattle Rep has got it. The folksy bio-musical about the great American musical revolutionary is both a tightly-woven narrative with great music, and a beautiful reminder of how much one voice can matter in dark times. –Gemma Wilson
Seattle Repertory Theatre

Thursday, Jan. 26
Joey Veltkamp is one of Seattle’s bright stars, and in recent years has turned from painting to textile arts and blown us away. His quilted blankets and “flags” are spangled with lyrics, homoerotic scenes of cowboys, or sometimes witchy spell-binding black holes. His one-night show at Vignettes, called Heartbreak Simulation, is about shared memory and pondering whether we’re currently hovering at the brink of a new future or the beginning of end times. Good question. –Amanda Manitach
Vignettes

Friday, Jan. 27 & Saturday, Jan. 28
New York’s Dan Soder is one of my favorite newer additions to the yearly calendar at Laughs. He’s got a dark sensibility but it’s paired with an unexpected sincerity. He doesn’t go for the cheap laugh but he’s not a smarty-pants either. He’s like the funny, cynical guy you’re legit glad you ended up talking to at a party full of strangers. ­–Brett Hamil
Laughs

Saturday, Jan. 28
They’re honorees of last year’s Best New Music issue and August’s Album of the Month, so you know Evening Bell is the real deal. The Ballard alt-country quintet is fronted by singer/keyboardist Caitlin Sherman and singer/guitarist Hart Kingsbery, a duo that sparkles with palpable chemistry. Moody, cinematic pedal steel and a subtle, insistent rhythm section fill in the rest of Evening Bell’s lustrous sound. –Jonathan Zwickel
Sunset Tavern