April 1

  • Real Art Ways will be screening The Magnificent Seven at 1 p.m. A conversation will follow: “In the 1950’s, the Western got big and the screen got wide. By 1960, classical Hollywood was breaking down. Conversation addresses some of the causes, and some of the relics that hold the Western together – deadlines, static shots, and operatic violence. It also considers the pressure on postwar manhood and the role of Hollywood in global film culture.” General admission: $11.
  • The McGill Lecture in International Studies features “China and the United Nations” with Ambassador Liu Jieyi, Ambassador of China to the United Nations. This will take place at 4:30 p.m. in the Washington Room of Mather Hall at Trinity College. Free.
  • Get HYPEd at the Black Bear Saloon, 187 Allyn Street. They say: “Get HYPEd is a casual event that offers an opportunity to network with other young professionals. Join us for Get HYPEd at Black Bear Saloon and make sure to drop a business card for your chance to win a prize! At this Get HYPEd, our Community Involvement Committee is holding a Community Collection for Mercy Housing & Shelter Corporation. Their food pantry needs donations to be successful, and they’ve given us a list of most needed items. You can find the items needed here.” 5:30-8:30 p.m.
  • Talk & Book Signing: Coney Island 40 Years: Photographer Harvey Stein discusses the work in his book, Coney Island 40 Years. Starts at 6 p.m. at the Wadsworth Atheneum. Free.  Arrive from 5-6 p.m. to check out the awesome Coney Island exhibit before the talk.
  • Take a tour of MakeHartford, Show & Tell about your current project, hang out with the String Thing group. 6-9 p.m. at MakeHartford, 30 Arbor Street.

April 2

  • First Thursday After Hours: every month the Wadsworth Atheneum hosts a little party. Check out the museum, listen to music, take a tour, and make some art. This is from 5-8 p.m. Admission is $5. At 8, they will be screening Wild, so stick around for that.
  • Open reception at the Pump House Gallery for Resounding Images: 25th Anniversary of Judy Dworin Performance Project. This starts at 6 p.m. The exhibit runs through May 21. The Pump House Gallery is located in Bushnell Park.
  • Poet Mark Doty will be reading from his new book Deep Lane as part of the Cardin Series on the University of Hartford campus. This free, public event will take place in Wilde Auditorium at the Harry Jack Gray Center. 6-9 p.m.
  • The Professors of Sweet Sweet Music play at Peppercorn’s Grill, 7:30-9:30 p.m. Originals and cover songs. No admission charge.

April 3

  • Good Friday Neighborhood Procession: Begins at 12 noon at Trinity Episcopal Church, 120 Sigourney. Concludes around 3:15 p.m. at Immanuel Congregational Church. Brief service at each site. Free.
  • GAZE: LGBTQ happy hour at Real Art Ways, 5:30 p.m. Free.

April 4

  • Communities Committed to Peace: this is the seventh annual march, memorial, and peace rally organized by Rev. Brown and Mothers United Against Violence. Gather at the intersection of Albany and Main at 9:30 a.m. End in Keney Park around 11:30. This march intends to draw attention to gun violence in the city.
  • Want to learn about tree diversity, identifying common tree diseases, and preventing & treating injuries to trees? KNOX is offering a two day Tree Tenders Workshop, with the first one meeting today from 10 a.m. – 12 noon at the Pope Park Rec Center. Contact KNOX to rsvp.
  • Yvonne Buchanan‘s exhibit Into Blackness opens at Real Art Ways. The gallery is open from 2-9 p.m. Free.

April 5

  • You know what doesn’t shut down on holidays one may or may not celebrate? Hartford’s parks. Get outside and have some adventures. Among those to choose from: Bushnell, Colt, Elizabeth, Goodwin, Hyland and Rocky Ridge, Keney, Pope, and Riverside.

April 6

  • Teresa Eickel, Executive Director of the Interreligious Eco-Justice Network, will be giving a talk on “Cheap Oil: At What Cost to the Environment?” at the Hartford Public Library. This takes place from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. inside the Hartford History Center. Beverages provided; bring your own lunch. Free.
  • Trinity Human Rights Program and Court of Common Council meeting on “Cycling Infrastructure in Hartford, Connecticut” will feature presentations by Cameron Douglass and Alex Perez. This begins at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers of City Hall. Free.
  • The Ear Cave — a radio listening session — will be at the Carriage House Theater, 360 Farmington Avenue. 7 p.m. Suggested donation: $5.
  • Every Monday, listen to the Hartford Jazz Orchestra at Arch Street Tavern, 8-10 p.m. Free.
  • Hartford Jazz Jam: live jazz every Monday at Black-eyed Sally’s, 350 Asylum Street. 8-11 p.m.

April 7

  • The Hartford Board of Education will hold its monthly workshop meeting at 5 p.m. This will be held at Rawson School, 260 Holcomb Street. The public is welcome to attend, but there is no comment session.
  • The Heart City Story Club will hold its monthly open mic night from 6-8 p.m. at the Hartford Public Library. Tell your true, personal story without notes. Free.
  • Real Board (Games): game night at Real Art Ways, 6-10 p.m. Free. They will supply games, but you can also bring your own.
  • “A Year Without God” with Ryan Bell: They say: “Ryan Bell is a former Seventh-day Adventist pastor who chose to spend 2014 living as an atheist.  He chronicled those 12 months on his blog Year Without God, and at the end of the year, announced in an interview with NPR that he no longer believes in God.” This begins at 7 p.m. in the Mark Twain House & Museum. Suggested donation of $10.

April 8

  • Cynthia Wolfe Boynton, author of Remarkable Women of Hartford, will be giving a talk in the Hartford History Center at the Hartford Public Library, 6 p.m. Free. While you’re at the library, today is the last chance to see Head to Toe by Joe Bun Keo in the ArtWalk Gallery.
  • MakeHartford Open House: Weekly chance to meet makers and tour the space. Free. 6-9 p.m.
  • Other People’s Stories: Using no notes, tell stories that you have no firsthand experience in. You can also just come by to listen. 7:30 p.m. at Real Art Ways. Free.

April 9

  • Hartbeat Healthy Happy Hour: Stop by the Carriage House Theater (360 Farmington) at 5:30 for food, drink, and conversation. At 6, there will be a reading of The Beautiful Dark by Erik Gernand. Tickets are $10.
  • SYLLABLE SERIES: Childhood. They say: “Writers: we need your pieces inspired by the word “Childhood,” whatever that means to you. Go bananas. Poetry, prose, sketches, skits, short plays, songs– every genre is fair game as long as you do your literary best. […] Listeners: just come, listen, laugh at the funny parts. Syllable takes literary submissions of all kinds. No reading will last longer than 10 minutes (about 4 prose pages), so your submission must stand alone in that time frame. Shorter submissions are very welcome. Submission guidelines: www.syllableseries.com. Songs, diaries, plays, and creative interpretations of literature are welcome!” This is BYOB, suggested donation $5. This begins at 7 p.m. at Hartford Prints! on Pratt Street.
  • The Po’Diddlers play Black-eyed Sally’s at 8 p.m. They say the music is “New Orleans funk and reggae to classic rock, blues and top 40.” No cover.

April 10

  • Rubblebucket and Vacationer perform at Infinity, 8 p.m. Not free.

April 11

  • The second part of the KNOX Tree Tenders Workshop meets at the Keney Park Pond House, 10 a.m. – 12 noon. Contact KNOX to rsvp. 
  • Second Saturdays: free admission to the Wadsworth Atheneum on the second Saturday of each month, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
  • Open Mic for Veterans and Poetry Reading: There will be a half-hour open mic followed by musical accompaniment to author Nancy Fitz-Hugh Meneely reading from her book Letter from Italy, 1944. All vets in attendance will receive a free copy of the book. This is a free event at Hartford Public Library, 1 p.m.
  • Open Reception for the CT Women Artists’ Juried Member Show at ArtSpace Gallery, 555 Asylum. 2-4 p.m. Free.
  • Speak Up: short stories about money. This begins at 8 p.m. at Real Art Ways. May not be suitable for children.
  • Planet Dirt: 8:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. Christian Cajar and Whitney Bobby of Shag Frenzy will DJ; catch the Beat City Beauties performing burlesque. Artwork by Laura Victore will be on display. Grymm Studios will have its creations on display. Dress Code: steampunk, sci-fi, aliens, robots. Ages 18+ only. $15 — advance ticketholders receive gift bag. This is at the Dirt Salon, 50 Bartholomew Avenue.

April 12

  • HYPE Book Club: Originally scheduled for the same day as the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, this has been moved to now…10 a.m. until noon. The Children Act by Ian McEwan is the first book to be discussed. HYPE does not provide the books, so find your own copy. $5 Member, $10 Non-Member, Registration required. The book club will meet at Agave Grill, 100 Allyn Street.
  • The April in Paris Film Festival at Cinestudio begins today at 2:30 p.m. with Le Brasier Ardent. Trinity College President Joanne Berger-Sweeney will introduce this afternoon of silent cinema. Stay for French pastries after the show. Details here. Not free.
  • The Curtis Brothers perform in today’s Baby Grand Jazz series at the Hartford Public Library, 3-4 p.m. Free.
  • Ed Fast & Friends perform live Latin jazz at Majorca, 2074 Park Street. This free performance is from 3-6 p.m.
  • The Feinberg Brothers play at the Half Door, 4-7 p.m., in the Sunday Night Bluegrass Series. No cover.
  • Steve Davis and Friends Max Downtown 185 Asylum St, Hartford, CT 06103  6-9 p.m No cover! Call (860) 522-2530 for more details.
  • Congregation Beth Israel (just over the line into West Hartford) continues its 92Y live broadcast at 7:30 tonight. This one features an interview with Barney Frank. Admission is $10 — cash or check — at the door. CBI is located at 701 Farmington Avenue.

April 13

  • Every Monday, listen to the Hartford Jazz Orchestra at Arch Street Tavern, 8-10 p.m. Free.
  • Hartford Jazz Jam: live jazz every Monday at Black-eyed Sally’s, 350 Asylum Street. 8-11 p.m.

April 14

  • They say, “Author Andrea Wulf will recount how plants native to the Americas led to an English national obsession when she discusses her book The Brother Gardeners at the Connecticut Historical Society.” This event is free, but reservations are requested. 12:30-2 p.m. CHS is located at 1 Elizabeth Street.
  • The Planning and Zoning Commission meets at 5 p.m., 260 Constitution Plaza, Plaza Level Conference Room. This is open to the public.

April 15

  • At 1 p.m. Real Art Ways will be screening The 400 Blows. A conversation follows: “With the New Waves, the critic-revolutionaries and the “auteurs” came to the forefront and a host of new styles appear. Truffaut’s widescreen compositions and editing decisions are not like those prior, and his plots are looser. A new genre – the sentimental education story, seems to take the place of the artist’s biopic.” General admission: $11.
  • MakeHartford Open House and String Thing: tour the makerspace. Join in with String Thing, a knitting/sewing circle. 6-9 p.m. Free.
  • Sea Tea Improv does a live online improv show at 9:30 p.m. Go to e-mprov to watch.

April 16

  • Winter Market at Billings Forge: This farmers’ market in Frog Hollow takes place year-round. In colder months, it can be found inside the Studio at Billings Forge, 563 Broad Street, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
  • Cuarteto Latinoamericano, a Grammy-winning ensemble from Mexico, performs at Trinity College’s Austin Arts Center’s Goodwin Theater. 7:30 p.m. Free and open to the public.

April 17

  • The fourth annual Writers’ Weekend at the Mark Twain House & Museum starts today. Not free.
  • Tracking the Animal(s): this interdisciplinary conference begins today in the McCook Auditorium at Trinity College. At 3 p.m. Justin Eichenlaub will give a talk, “From Road Ecology to Traffic Justice: Humans and Other Animals on the Road.” At 4 p.m., Alexandra Rosati will present on “Decision-Making in Chimpanzees, Bonobos, and Humans.” A reception will follow in Hamlin Hall. This is free and open to the public.
  • See the Hartford Wolf Pack play Bridgeport Sound Tigers, 7 p.m., at the XL Center. Admission varies.
  • Sea Tea Improv’s Longform Showcase begins at 8 p.m. at Billings Forge, 563 Broad Street. Admission: $10.

April 18

  • Winter/Green Garden Build Day: help build raised beds, weed, and prep the Winter/Green Community Garden (17 Winter Street) with KNOX. Volunteers will be provided with breakfast and lunch. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Let KNOX know you will be helping.
  • The Tracking the Animal(s) interdisciplinary conference continues today in the McCook Auditorium at Trinity College. Coffee will be available at 9 a.m. What follows in the McCook Auditorium at Trinity College is a day of lectures and discussions, all free and open to the public:

  • Walk Hartford V: explore Hartford on foot at a slow pace. Gather at 1 p.m. Embark at 1:05 p.m. This is free. Route and starting point to be determined.

April 19

  • Today’s Baby Grand Jazz series features the Brian Marsella Trio. 3-4p.m. at the Hartford Public Library. Free
  • Ed Fast & Friends perform live Latin jazz at Majorca, 2074 Park Street. This free performance is from 3-6 p.m.
  • Steve Davis and Friends Max Downtown 185 Asylum St, Hartford, CT 06103  6-9 p.m No cover! Call (860) 522-2530 for more details.
  • Sewapalooza at Fixer’s Cooperative: Drop by MakeHartford to work on repairs that involve needles and thread. 6:30-9 p.m. Free.

April 20

  • Every Monday, listen to the Hartford Jazz Orchestra at Arch Street Tavern, 8-10 p.m. Free.
  • Hartford Jazz Jam: live jazz every Monday at Black-eyed Sally’s, 350 Asylum Street. 8-11 p.m.

April 21

  • Drop by the Lyceum, 227 Lawrence Street, for the forum on Public Housing Revitalization: Building Communities Together. Panelists will include Cathy Branch Stebbins, CONN-NAHRO; Betsy Crum, CT Housing Coalition; Daisy Franklin, Publicly-Assisted Housing Resident Network; Susan Harkett-Turley, HERC; Lynn Koroser-Crane, CT Housing Finance Authority; and, Nick Lundgren, CT Department of Housing. A second panel discussion will feature Neil Griffin, Housing Authority of the Town of Glastonbury; Carol Martin, Westport Housing Authority, Fairfield Housing Authority; and, Kelly McDermott, East Hartford Housing Authority. 8:30-11:30 a.m. Free, but rsvp requested.
  • The Board of Education’s regular meeting begins at 5 p.m. at M. D. Fox Elementary School, 470 Maple Avenue. If you plan to speak during the public hearing portion, show up early to get your name on that list.
  • This month’s edition of Keep Calm and Hartford On will focus on entertainment. The HYPE-sponsored event is Family Feud-style. Answer some questions in advance. 6-8 p.m. at the XL Center’s Coliseum Club, 6th floor of Civic Center Plaza. Free.
  • Trinity Jazz Ensemble Concert at 7:30 p.m. in the  Austin Arts Center, Goodwin Theater at Trinity College. Free, open to the public.
  • Watch a live interview with David Brooks as part of the 92Y Live broadcast series. View from Congregation Beth Israel at 701 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford. $10, cash or check, at the door.

April 22

  • MakeHartford Open House: Tour the space, meet other “makers.” 6-9 p.m. Free.

April 23

  • Celebrate the 40th anniversary of MATRIX at the Wadsworth Atheneum: listen to a conversation with MATRIX 171 artist Michael C. McMillen and MATRIX 22 artist Betye Saar. This begins at 6 p.m. Arrive from 5-6 p.m. to meander through the re-installed contemporary art galleries and attend a pre-lecture reception. Free.
  • Gross Domestic Product, a musical written by Julia Rosenblatt, debuts tonight at the Carriage House Theater. They say: “When a trailblazing senator holds a public forum to unveil her new economic agenda for mothers in America, she is slapped with realities that are far more harsh than she could have imagined. Gross Domestic Product is a musical look at motherhood as unpaid work. The story traverses the heartfelt as well as the outrageous while examining what this ‘labor of love’ is actually worth to our society.” General admission: $15. No one is turned away for lack of funds. 7:30 p.m.

April 24

  • Gross Domestic Product, a musical written by Julia Rosenblatt, continues tonight at the Carriage House Theater. They say: “When a trailblazing senator holds a public forum to unveil her new economic agenda for mothers in America, she is slapped with realities that are far more harsh than she could have imagined. Gross Domestic Product is a musical look at motherhood as unpaid work. The story traverses the heartfelt as well as the outrageous while examining what this ‘labor of love’ is actually worth to our society.” General admission: $15. No one is turned away for lack of funds. 7:30 p.m.
  • The Trinity College Organ Series presents the Clarence Watters Memorial Recital, featuring organist Michael Hey. This free, public performance begins at 8:00 p.m. in the Trinity College Chapel.

April 25

  • American Fine Craft Show: 135 jury-selected fine craft artists will have their work on display at the XL Center. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. General admission: $14. Proceeds benefit the Costume & Textile Society of the Wadsworth Atheneum.
  • Reel Youth Hartford Film Festival: They say that this festival is an “opportunity for youth of Hartford to make movies and share stories of the city we live in.” This will take place at Cinestudio. Doors open for the free, red carpet event at 5:30 p.m., with films starting at 6.
  • Gross Domestic Product, a musical written by Julia Rosenblatt, continues tonight at the Carriage House Theater. They say: “When a trailblazing senator holds a public forum to unveil her new economic agenda for mothers in America, she is slapped with realities that are far more harsh than she could have imagined. Gross Domestic Product is a musical look at motherhood as unpaid work. The story traverses the heartfelt as well as the outrageous while examining what this ‘labor of love’ is actually worth to our society.” General admission: $15. No one is turned away for lack of funds. 7:30 p.m.

April 26

  • American Fine Craft Show: 135 jury-selected fine craft artists will have their work on display at the XL Center. 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. General admission: $14. Proceeds benefit the Costume & Textile Society of the Wadsworth Atheneum.
  • Last chance! Gross Domestic Product, a musical written by Julia Rosenblatt, continues tonight at the Carriage House Theater. They say: “When a trailblazing senator holds a public forum to unveil her new economic agenda for mothers in America, she is slapped with realities that are far more harsh than she could have imagined. Gross Domestic Product is a musical look at motherhood as unpaid work. The story traverses the heartfelt as well as the outrageous while examining what this ‘labor of love’ is actually worth to our society.” General admission: $15. No one is turned away for lack of funds. 2 p.m.
  • Hey Rim Jeon & Friends perform as part of the Baby Grand Jazz Series at the Hartford Public Library, 3-4 p.m. Free.
  • Ed Fast & Friends perform live Latin jazz at Majorca, 2074 Park Street. This free performance is from 3-6 p.m.
  • Dick Bowden’s Flying Circus plays at the Half Door in the Sunday Night Bluegrass Series, 4-7 p.m. No cover.
  • MakerMovie:  Iron Man and presentation by Kevin Marinelli, doctoral student at UConn, who will demo his thesis project of remote control gloves.  Potluck at 6 p.m., demo at 6:20 p.m., movie starts around 6:45 p.m.  All ages welcome; movie is PG-13. Free; donations welcome. This is at MakeHartford.
  • Steve Davis and Friends Max Downtown 185 Asylum St, Hartford, CT 06103  6-9 p.m No cover! Call (860) 522-2530 for more details.
  • Sea Tea Improv will be at City Steam Brewery’s Brew Ha Ha Comedy Club, 942 Main Street. Doors open at 6, show at 7. This is free. Anyone under 21 must be accompanied by an adult.

April 27

  • Every Monday, listen to the Hartford Jazz Orchestra at Arch Street Tavern, 8-10 p.m. Free.
  • Hartford Jazz Jam: live jazz every Monday at Black-eyed Sally’s, 350 Asylum Street. 8-11 p.m.

April 28

  • The A.K. Smith Reading Series presents poet award-winning Irish poet Sinéad Morrissey. This free, public event begins at 4:30 p.m. in the Smith House at Trinity College.
  • The Planning and Zoning Commission meets at 5 p.m., 260 Constitution Plaza, Plaza Level Conference Room. This is open to the public.

April 29

  • Finding Yourself in the Biblical Narrative with Rabbi Stephen Fuchs: 7-8 p.m. at Asylum Hill Congregational Church, 814 Asylum Avenue. They say: “Join us for an engaging evening with the rabbi emeritus of Congregation Beth Israel in West Hartford. Rabbi Fuchs invites people to enter a “sacred middle ground” where stories in the Bible represent a truth that is neither literal, historical, nor scientific, but teach us how to live better lives.” Free.
  • Trinity Department of Theater & Dance presents Dancefest. This free, public event begins at 7:30 p.m. in The Performance Lab at Trinity Commons, 240 New Britain Avenue.

April 30

  • Winter Market at Billings Forge: This farmers’ market in Frog Hollow takes place year-round. In colder months, it can be found inside the Studio at Billings Forge, 563 Broad Street, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
  • The CT Blues Society presents a Blues Competition of 4-5 bands vying for the chance to represent Connecticut at the finals in Memphis. This starts at 8 p.m. at Black-eyed Sally’s. No cover.

DISCLAIMERS

This is not intended to include all events in Hartford. Preference is given to what the widest range of Hartford residents can afford. Exceptions made on a whim.

We make every effort to ensure the accuracy of information, but keep in mind: (1) events get postponed or canceled due to weather (2) events get postponed or canceled due to a variety of other reasons that we may never know about (3) sometimes information is conveyed to us incorrectly. If you are concerned that a change in plans might wreck your entire day, confirm details with the venue.

If you want events listed on the May calendar, send pertinent info to realhartford@gmail.com on or before April 25, 2015. Once the calendar is published, nothing is added; the only changes made are in the case of typos or cancellations.