Park Slope Weekday Events Spotlight: November 16-18

Park Slope Weekday Events Spotlight: November 16-18
Harpists Kathryn Andrews and Kristi Shade
Harpists Kathryn Andrews and Kristi Shade perform with Duo Scorpio in the Concerts on the Slope series this Tuesday, November 17 at St. John’s Episcopal Church. (Photo via Concerts on the Slope)

Thanksgiving isn’t here yet, so you can’t relax this week! With everything from the comedy night train, two brilliant harpists, and a talk on psychedelics and death, there’s plenty going on in Park Slope this week. Below are some of our favorite events from around the area.

For even more things to do around Brooklyn, and to add your own upcoming events (some of which we’ll feature in this roundup in the future!), check out our calendar.

Movie Night to Benefit CHiPS Soup Kitchen and Women’s Shelter
When: Monday, November 16, 7:00-9:00pm
Where: Brooklyn Colony, 274 4th Avenue at Garfield Place.
What: To mark National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, we’ll be hosting a screening of Storied Streets, a film about homelessness in the US. The movie will be followed by a Q&A with Professor Alex Vitale, an expert on the criminalization of the homeless, urban politics and social movements. All the money made will go to CHiPS, a Brooklyn soup kitchen and shelter for homeless moms and their newborns.
How much: $15, tickets available here.

Tango Dance Classes
When: Monday, November 16, 8:30-11:00pm
Where: Brooklyn Society For Ethical Culture, 53 Prospect Park West, between 1st and 2nd Streets.
What: Come join us, keep warm, dance and share our community table! With Malevaje Tango and Friends of Argentina Tango.
How much: $15 for full session / class & practica, $10 Class only, $10 Practica only.

Night Train with Wyatt Cenac
When: Monday November 16, 8:00pm (doors), 9:00pm (show)
Where: Littlefield, 622 Degraw Street (between 3rd and 4th Avenues)
What: Hosted by Brooklyn-based comedy favorite Wyatt Cenac (The Daily Show, King of the Hill), Night Train show features comedy from the best local and international stand up comedians, and–at times–special guest appearances by musicians, local celebrities, and the occasional surprise only found in Gowanus.
How much: $8 in advance.

Halyards Cinemateque – Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope
When: Tuesday, November 17, 8:00pm
Where: Halyard’s, 406 3rd Avenue at 6th Street
What: Get ready for the new Stars Wars release in December by re-watching the previous films in the series. With free popcorn, and $8 Dark and Stormy cocktails.
How much: Free.

Concerts on the Slope Presents: Duo Scorpio
When: Tuesday, November 17, 7:30pm
Where: St. John’s Episcopal Church, 139 St. John’s Place at 7th Avenue
What: With Kristi Shade, harp, Kathryn Andrews, harp, Bernard Andres: Le Jardin des Paons, Robert Paterson: Scorpion Tales, Andy Akiho: Two Bridges, Giovanni Piacentini: Magnetic, Nico Muhly: Fast Dances, Caroline Lizotte: Raga
How much: Free will donation.

Psychedelic and Death: A Brief Introduction, with Dr. Neal Goldsmith Ph.D
When: Tuesday, November 17, 8:00pm
Where: Morbid Anatomy Museum, 424 3rd Avenue (at 7th Street)
What: The concept–and at times the actuality — of death always attends the psychedelic experience. This lecture will provide a brief overview of the many ways in which death influences the psychedelic experience. It will also offer a recontextualization of that relationship, providing a broader conceptual umbrella for the various ways in which death infuses and informs the psychedelic mindset, in ways which better resonate with the modern worldview. The talk will draw implications for a new perspective on death, shedding new light on our fear of annihilation, resistance to our inner truest selves, and difficult (not “bad”) trips, along with our desire for illumination, clarity, and developmental transformation found through ego death.  It is this deeper, larger perspective on death  and life – that is provided by psychedelics and its great benefit to society.
How much: $8, tickets available in advance.

Rob Clearfield/Caroline Davis Quartet
When: Tuesday, November 17, 9:30pm
Where: ShapeShifter Lab, 18 Whitwell Place (between 1st and Carroll Streets)
What: Rob Clearfield is a lifelong resident of the Chicago area and has performed with a host of musicians including John Wetton, Rakalam, Bob Moses, Fareed Haque, Howard Levy, Grazyna Auguscik, Greg Ward, Zach Brock, Marquis Hill and many more. Mobile since her birth in Singapore, Caroline Davis now lives in Brooklyn, New York. She has shared musical moments with a diverse group of musicians, including Erin McKeown, Allison Miller, Jenny Owen Youngs, Matt Wilson, Ellis Marsalis, Bobby Broom, Dennis Carroll, Greg Saunier, Billy Kaye, Paul Bedal, and Cotyledons.
How much: $8, at the door.

Brooklyn By the Book: Mary Gaitskill
When: Wednesday, November 18, 7:30pm
Where: Brooklyn Public Library — Central Branch, Dweck Center, 10 Grand Army Plaza
What: The Mare, the long-awaited new novel from the critics’ favorite Mary Gaitskill, is a raw, vital American story. Velveteen Vargas is an 11-year-old, Fresh Air Fund kid from Brooklyn, sent to upstate New York. What follows is the story of her ever evolving relationship with her host family–Ginger, a failed artist on the edge of alcoholism, and Paul, a jaded academic–and a stable of horses down the road. With the same energy that charged her books Don’t Cry and Veronica, Gaitskill’s novel is a powerful take on contemporary racial and socioeconomic issues, framed around the classic story of a girl and her horse. Brooklyn By the Book is a collaboration between Community Bookstore, Congregation Beth Elohim, and the Brooklyn Public Library.
How much: Free, although RSVP here.

Comedians Chris Gethard: Career Suicide
When: Wednesday, November 18, 7:30pm (Doors) and 8:00 (Show)
Where: Union Hall, 702 Union Street (at 5th Avenue)
What: Chris Gethard performs an hour of stand up focusing on suicide, alcoholism, and all the other funniest parts of life. You may know Chris from his cult hit talk show “The Chris Gethard Show”, or as Ilana’s boss Todd on “Broad City”, or from his recent appearance in the critically praised “12 Angry Men Inside Amy Schumer” episode of Amy Schumer’s show on Comedy Central. He’s been heard a couple times on This American Life and was once named one of Variety’s Ten Comics to Watch. With Joe Rumrill.
How much: $8, tickets available here.