[For those who do not get the Real Hartford newsletter, a quick explanation: I used to produce a monthly event calendar, and as much joy as it brings me to be helpful, it was a giant pain in the ass because I did all the heavy lifting for organizations, with few bothering to send coherent details by the due date. (Thanks to the handful who managed to know what they were doing from month-to-month) Not bitter, but sugarcoating this will not properly convey why I decided to stop creating what took hours of my time every month.

But, I am bringing it back — sort of. There has been a resurgence of unneighborly attitudes toward Hartford, and one of this quickest ways to squash that is to routinely show that (1) there is culture, and (2) what the haters think is dangerous actually is not, so won’t they stop with the thinly-veiled racist and classist tripe already?

Here’s the big difference between the old calendar and the new one: heavy curation. If you want to know what is going on every day, there are other calendars to serve that purpose. What publishes here will be what I think are the most intriguing events. If it is something that I would either not attend nor recommend to a friend, then it does not make the cut.]

ADD TO CALENDAR

  • SOLITARY: The Immanuel Congregational Church made Albert Woodfox’s memoir Solitary its summer reading book. This is about the author’s experience of spending decades in solitary confinement. There will be three online book discussions (September 10, 17, and 20) and an online author talk on September 23, 2020. Contact the church for video code and event times. In the meantime, visit the Solitary Garden at the Stowe Center to experience the size of the space where Woodfox spent years of his life.
  • UNSPOKEN TRUTHS: Kimberly Kersey, Shanna T. Melton, Daryl McGraw and Tiheba Bain will be speaking on the “Murder of George Floyd, Race Relations, and the Journey Towards Equity.” This virtual event is the result of a collaboration between Charter Oak Cultural Center, The Amistad Center for Arts & Culture, B’nai Tikvoh-Sholom, CT Mirror, HartBeat Ensemble, the Neshama Center for Lifelong Learning, and several others. The talk begins at 7 PM on September 10. This is free, but you will need to register online to attend.
  • TOXIC MASCULINITY, THE MUSICAL: If you must endure toxic masculinity, let it be in musical form. Sea Tea Improv will be hosting this show on September 11 and 12 at the theater (15 Asylum Street) at 9 PM. I can’t say this better than the NY Times: “The comedians Douglas Widick and Ken McGraw portray the dude-bros Gavin and Trent, bachelors who profess that they can teach anyone how to pick up women ‘through song, dance and even bromance.'” Tickets are $21 (fees and tax included).
  • POE IN THE PARLOR: It’s been a creepy year. Have some Poe. Actor Campbell Harmon will give dramatic performances of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart, and while in character, talk about the author’s life and death. This will be at the Isham-Terry House (211 High Street) on September 27, 2020, beginning at 2 PM. Tickets are $20; advance registration is required. This event appears to have been canceled.

Check with the venue in advance to confirm location and time, and review what policies guests are expected to follow, such as mask-wearing, etc.

ON A BUDGET

Whether you are newly broke (thanks, covid!) or have been here all along (thanks, gig economy!), you still need enriching shit in your life. Here are places you can go for free. Zoom in and click on the name to learn more. This will be routinely updated.