Your Chicago Curated Weekend, 4/21-24

We hope you had an outstanding 4/20, if you're into that type of stuff. If not, thankfully there's a lot of great stuff coming up to do in the city this weekend. Here are some of the highlights: THURSDAY, APRIL 21ST Bernadette Mayer Speaks with Jennifer Karmin + Stephanie Anderson @ Poetry Foundation, 61 W. Superior St., 12:00 PM WHAT: Poet and artist Bernardette Mayer brings an exhibition of her latest work to Chicago, where she’ll discuss it with fellow poets Stephanie Anderson and Jennifer Karmin. SO WHAT: From our lit editor, Emma Terhaar: “The art exhibit at the poetry foundation has only been shown once before and it’s huge, it takes an entire long wall. Looking at the photos, you get sucked into a summer in the 1970s, and there’s an intense sense of freedom, youth, sleepy/laziness, perhaps melancholy or growing pains or something like that. It’s easy to put yourself in place of the photographer. I Instagrammed it! I could just feel her when I looked at the pictures…Bernadette Mayer that is.” Definitely do this thang. NOW WHAT: The event is free; check out the Facebook page here. FRIDAY, APRIL 22ND Bernadette Mayer Reading w/ Jennifer Karmin + Philip Good @ Sector 2337, 2337 N. Milwaukee Ave., 7:00 PM WHAT: Bernardette Mayer launches her new book, Sexual Organs of the IRS, with a reading alongside fellow authors Jennifer Karmin and Philip Good. SO WHAT: With a name like that, how are you not reading this book? Also, our lit editor Emma Terhaar wants you to know that Jennifer Karmin is a local poet, Sector 2337 makes its books by hand, and things can never get more local, artsy, and cool than this. NOW WHAT: This is a free event, so go to it, silly gooses! Check out the Facebook event here. Vita Activa - The Spirit of Hannah Arendt @ Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St., 7:45 PM WHAT: The Chicago premiere of this in-depth documentary about the life and times of German-Jewish philosopher Hannah Arendt, centered on her coverage of the Eichmann trial in the early 1960s and her relationship with Martin Heidegger, among other things. SO WHAT: Arendt is one of the more important thinkers of the 20th century; often neglected in the popular mind relative to philosophers like the French existentialists Sartre and De Beauvoir, she expressed many important ideas about Nazism, feminism, and national identity in her writings. NOW WHAT: The documentary premieres tonight and continues through next week; tickets are $11. SATURDAY, APRIL 23RD 20x2 Chicago @ Schubas, 3159 N. Southport Ave., 7:00 PM WHAT: A show in which 20 people from all different walks of creative life—writers, musicians, filmmakers, web geeks and other bon vivants—get two minutes each to answer the question of the day in whatever way they like. This edition’s question is, “Why did you stop?” SO WHAT: Andrew Huff, the founder of our predecessor Gapers Block, is the host of 20×2, and he puts together an incredible show every time. You can bet we’ll be there to support our sage of local culture. NOW WHAT: Tickets are $10 online or at the door, and the show is all ages. Magic Man + The Griswolds @ Metro WHAT: Indie-pop heroes Magic Man and The Griswolds team up to ring in the warmer weather with a show at Metro. SO WHAT: If you’re a fan of bands like Walk the Moon, Bleachers, or MisterWives, this is a show you’ll really enjoy. Upbeat indie synth-pop doesn’t work too well in the winter or even in the early days of spring, but with things finally heating back up, it’s probably appropriate to resume dancing to songs like The Griswolds’ “Beware the Dog” and Magic Man’s “Paris.” NOW WHAT: Tickets are $24 and available online. SUNDAY, APRIL 24TH Party for the Planet @ Brookfield Zoo, 8400 31st St., Brookfield, 10:00 AM WHAT: It’s Earth Day this Friday, but perhaps acknowledging that Sunday will be a far more popular day to go to the zoo, the Brookfield Zoo has planned its Party for the Planet for today. There are a ton of Earth-friendly events going on, including Zoo Chats on giraffes, flower and acorn planting, and recycling of various items. SO WHAT: The Lincoln Park Zoo is awesome, but the Brookfield Zoo is just vast by comparison, and this is a good reason to go out there. NOW WHAT: General admission to the zoo is $17.85.