Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni.
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Saturday, May 11
"Yet Another Perl Conference North America," a conference dedicated to the Perl programming language, will be held at IIT June 26-28 from 8-5pm. Bonus classes June 29-30th bonus classes June 29th and 30th.
Speakers include Larry Wall and Damian Conway. Cost is $85 for the 3-day conference and $200 for a bonus class. More info at yapcchicago.org.
If you know what YAPC is without my prompting, then you're already signed up to attend. For the rest of you who have no idea what that is, YAPC::NA is the annual North American conference for users of the Perl programming language ("Yet Another Perl Conference"). This year's convention is in Chicago, and it happens June 26-30 at the Illinois Institute of Technology, in their Herman Union building. Please see the YAPC site for registration details.
This afternoon at 3 PM, a shadow puppet master from central Java, Purbo Asmoro, presents a Javanese puppet drama (wayang) accompanied by a 20-piece orchestra, or gamelan. Free, in Preston Bradley Hall. 78 E Washington St. For more information, call 312-744-6630 or visit the website.
This seminar introduces ways to “reincarnate” existing furniture rather than simply creating new furniture out of sustainable materials. Free, but advance registration is required. 10am to noon, 445 N. Sacramento Blvd. For more information, and to pre-register, call 312-746-9642, email greentech [at] cityofchicago [dot] org, or visit the website.
The 2006 Greater Chicago Jewish Festival, the heart and soul of Jewish Chicago, will be held on Sunday, June 11, at the Forest Preserve at Oakton (8000 N) and Lehigh (6300 W) in Morton Grove, from 11am-6pm. The multi-talented singer, songwriter Lisa Loeb will headline as part of continuous music and dance throughout the day.
Unique in its celebration of Jewish culture in America, the festival seeks to combine all aspects of the Chicagoland Jewish community. Four stages of music and dance create a vibrant background for over 40,000 attendees, who also can wander through the extensive art bazaar featuring artists from the U.S. and Israel.
The MAVerick Ensemble performs new music by Russian and local composers at this evening’s concert. $15 suggested donation. 7 PM, 2320 W. Chicago. For more information, call 773-227-5522 or visit the website.
The Neo-Futurists present their second annual Drinking and Writing Festival today from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Hopleaf (5148 N. Clark, near Foster). Lots of drinking, lots of writing, lots of writing about drinking (and drinking about writing). Plenty of poetry, prose, dancing, and even more drinking. Fun! Tickets are $15 or $20 at the door; see the Drinking and Writing Website for full details.
About Face Theatre presents the world premiere of M.Proust, written by Mary Zimmerman, based on the writings of Celeste Albaret. Albaret was housekeeper, confidante and surrogate mother (creepy!) to Marcel Proust. At Steppenwolf's Upstairs Theater (1650 N. Halsted), this evening at 7:30pm. Tickets are $25. For more information, call 312-355-1650 or visit the website.
If you’ve been growing vegetables this spring, consider this organic gardening class, which discusses how you can use beneficial inspects, physical barriers, and botanical insecticides to discourage garden pets. Cover crops are also discussed, both for pest control and soil nutrition. The class runs from 6 PM to 7:30 this evening, requires pre-registration, and costs only $5. 300 N Central Park Avenue. For more information, call 773-638-1766 or visit the website.
Goat Island presents a free work-in-progress showing of their new, yet-to-be-titled performance this evening at the Chicago Cultural Center (78 E Washington), starting at 6pm. For more information call 312-744-6630 or visit the website.
FOUND magazine returns to Chicago to promote the publishing of a second FOUND magazine book, an all-new collection of found notes, documents, drawings and other things that people have lost. Also appearing will be Frank Warren from Postsecret, who will be (according to the FOUND people) shot from a cannon. Don't want to miss that, do you? They'll be at Intuit Gallery this evening. Check the FOUND site's events page for full details. Intuit: 756 N. Milwaukee. (312) 243-9088.
