Book Worms Crawl
SAT 5/17
Most book lovers have a neighborhood bookstore they treat as a second home. In midtown, you’ve got your poetry-writing liberals hanging out at Prospero’s, pipe-smoking atlas-collectors at Spivey’s and, at Bloomsday, mannered sorts showing appreciation for literary greats while contentedly nursing cups of coffee.Saturday’s Midtown Book Crawl offers an ideal opportunity to venture off your own turf. “It’s an attempt to cross-pollinate the reading public,” says Tom Wayne of Prospero’s. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., all three bookstores offer entertainment, food and drink — the better to entice people away from their inner circles.
A packed day at Spivey’s (825 Westport Road, 816-753-0520) includes readings by poets Roger Kirschbaum, Tony Gardner and Timothy Pettet; a signing by David D. Myers (author of Confessions of a Hollywood Publicist); and a performance by Lawrence musician Michael Buck.
Prospero’s (1800 West 39th Street, 816-531-9673) spotlights music by folk singer Dan Bliss. Meanwhile, Bloomsday (301 East 55th Street, 816-523-6712) plans music by Eddie Delahunt and readings by Rush Rankin, Stan Banks and Janet Banks. Other big-name locals may also join the roster at the last minute.
For every $20 that book crawlers spend on Saturday, the stores will donate $2 to Literacy Kansas City, an organization that trains people in the community to tutor functionally illiterate adults.— Gina Kaufmann
My Lousy Greek Marriage
FRI 5/16
Sure, models for ancient Greek statues had rippling abs, but would they have made good husbands? Robert Cohon, ancient art curator at Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (4525 Oak Street), answers no with Twenty-Five Excellent Reasons Why I Would Never Marry a Greek Man From the Fifth Century B.C., part of an evening of Greek food, music and art. His R-rated lecture, at 7 p.m., touches on sex — and whether Greek men really looked like those statues. “Most of them had to serve in the military, and they were in good shape,” Cohon says. “But they still found women to be erotically threatening.” Admission is free, but the Rozzelle Court dinner — lamb, grouper and appetizers — requires dollars, not drachmas. For information, call 816-561-4000. — Charles Ferruzza
Devil’s Food
FRI-SAT
The Blue Devil Barbecue Cook-off at the Kansas City, Kansas, Community College (7250 State Avenue) starts Friday with the BBQ Bash. Pay $25 for all the ribs, sides, pop and beer you can handle. Yep, beer is now allowed on campus. It’s no coincidence that this is the first year for the cook-off to be held at the school. The eating rush lasts from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and is followed by silent and oral auctions to benefit a student scholarship fund. Meanwhile, reggae band Green Card plays from 7 to 10 p.m. The contest starts at noon on Saturday, when the band plays again and classic cars will be on display. For more information, call 913-288-7632 or 913-288-7675.— Sarah Smarsh
Breast Bowl
SAT 5/17
There are many things we all can (and should) do for boobs, but from 7 to 10 tonight, we recommend Bowling for Boobs. Thirty bucks at the door of Mission Bowl (5399 Martway in Mission) gets the breast-loving bowler three games, a pair of bowling shoes and beverages. Proceeds go to the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, helping to fund and sustain breast-health programs in every region of the country. Some people might want to stick around after 10 p.m. to enjoy the outdoor miniature golf course just outside the bowling alley. What you do for boobs after you leave Mission Bowl is entirely up to you. For information, call 913-236-5212.— Kaufmann
