What to do in Madison this week: Wisconsin Supreme Court Election Forum, Ryburn Dobbs, and more Isthmus Picks

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Wisconsin Supreme Court Election Forum, Monday, Jan. 9, Monona Terrace, noon: The Wisconsin Supreme Court will be ruling on consequential topics in the near future, from abortion rights to election law to the state's gerrymandered district boundaries. The spring primary, coming up Feb. 21, features two candidates supported by liberals (Everett Mitchell and Janet Protasiewicz) and two supported by conservatives (Jennifer Dorow and Dan Kelly). It's a nonpartisan primary, so the top two vote-getters advance to the April 4 election — which makes this primary doubly important. You can hear from these four candidates at a WisPolitics.com forum, which will feature questions from moderators J.R. Ross and Emilee Fannon as well as the audience. Register at wispolitics.com.

Alexander Bielakowski, Monday, Jan. 9, Zoom, noon: Alexander Bielakowski will discuss his book Proud Warriors: African American Combat Units in World War II in this Wisconsin Veterans Museum author talk. Each branch of the armed services treated African American soldiers differently; mostly, units were segregated. The author argues their roles in World War II led President Truman to desegregate the military after the war. The event is free but RSVP for the Zoom link.

State Constitution: Are Changes Necessary? Monday, Jan. 9, Zoom, 6:30 p.m.: During the 2022 session, the Wisconsin Legislature passed four proposed amendments to the state Constitution, regarding rights to bail, who is eligible to vote, using grant money to help administer elections, and the governor's ability to allocate federal funds. If lawmakers pass the proposals again in the current session, the amendments will be on a future ballot for voters to decide. The League of Women Voters of Dane County is hosting a forum on these proposed changes (and why the statewide LWV opposes them), with speakers including Dustin Brown (State Democracy Research Initiative), Jerome Dillard (EXPO Wisconsin), and Jeff Mandell (Law Forward). Find out more and register for the Zoom link at my.lwv.org/wisconsin.

Soup's On, pickup Tuesdays, FEED Kitchens, 4-5:30 p.m.: This fundraiser was born during the first dark winter of the pandemic to help restaurants in dire straits as well as providing pay-it-forward meals for those in need. It still puts money toward the Healthy Food for All food security program as well as benefiting participating food purveyors. You get frozen quarts of comforting homemade soup and, new this year, the option to add on FEED Bakery’s Cookie of the Week to your order. Soup's On is “on” weekly through March 2023. Orders can be placed weekly (Wednesday‒Saturday) at danebuylocal.com/soups-on and picked up on Tuesdays at FEED Kitchens. Delivery is also available.

Ojibwe Storytelling Series, Tuesdays, Jan. 10-31, Zoom, 7 p.m.: The winter months are for storytelling in Ojibwe culture, and the Wisconsin Historical Society invites you to listen. Join in on Zoom Tuesdays in January as tribal leaders share stories sure to be both interesting and educational. The group of Indigenous speakers — Mike Wiggins Jr. (Jan. 10), Valerie Barber (Jan. 17), Chris McGeshick (Jan. 24), and Wanda McFaggen (Jan. 31) — will share stories that entertain while teaching attendees about Native American culture and history. Register for each livestream at wisconsinhistory.org.

Group Photography Exhibition, through Feb. 3, State Line Distillery; reception Jan. 11, 5-8 p.m.: Photographers David Austin, Cori Keady, John Ladwig, Alex Grant, Todd Maughan, Rob Stebler, Miguel Vega and Cory Peterson are all Shopbop employees who have banded together to show their own creative work at a watering hole near their place of employ. Now that's teamwork-building.

Winter Words, Feb. 6 and 20, March 27, American Players Theatre-Touchstone, Spring Green, 7 p.m.: We're calling out this APT play-reading series early because it tends to sell out fast, and it's back in-person for the first time since early 2020. New works get to unfurl their wings; eventually they may end up as full-fledged APT productions. This year's lineup: a version of Chekov's Uncle Vanya by Nate Burger (Feb. 6); an adaptation of Aeschylus' Agamemnon by David Daniel (Feb. 20); and The Barber and the Unknown Prince by Gavin Lawrence (March 27). Tickets on sale at 10 a.m., Jan. 11, at americanplayers.org.

Ryburn Dobbs, Wednesday, Jan. 11, Mystery to Me, 6 p.m.: Following a decade working as a forensic anthropologist, Ryburn Dobbs used his expertise to write books. He released the first of the Sebastian Grey novels, The Comfort of Distance, in Sept. 2020, and is back with the third, Where Blood is Made, in which Grey is convinced that a 10-year-old missing person case is really a homicide. It’s up to him to convince the Custer County sheriff he’s right. Dobbs' talk about the book will also be livestreamed; registration info at mysterytomebooks.com.

Places to Love, Thursday, Jan. 12, Garver Feed Mill, 7 p.m.: Watch the premiere of a Madison-focused episode of Samantha Brown's PBS show Places to Love in one of the places she loves, Garver Feed Mill and Kosa Spa. Other highlights are the Mustard Museum, the Unitarian Meeting House, and a spotlight on curling.

Bob the Drag Queen, Jan. 12-14, Comedy on State: Non-binary comic and actor Caldwell Tidicue is Bob the Drag Queen — known as the season 8 America’s Next Drag Superstar on RuPaul’s Drag Race. In the HBO series We’re Here, Bob and two other former Drag Race contestants travel to small towns across the country and enlist inhabitants to participate in a one-night-only drag performance; the third season was released at the end of 2022. Join Bob for an unforgettable night of comedy and drag. Shows at 7:30 p.m., Jan. 12; and Jan. 13-14, 7:30 and 10 p.m.

Find the individual Picks collected here, and as part of the full calendar of events.