What to do in Madison this week: Trish O'Kane, Lynne Arriale and more Isthmus Picks

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Citizens of a Stolen Land: A Conversation on Ho-Chunk History and Survivance, Tuesday, March 12, Chazen Museum of Art, 5 p.m.: The Ho-Chunk, or Hoocąk in their own tongue, lived in the Madison area (Teejop) long before white settlers came and decided it would be a stunning spot to place the state Capitol. The story of how European settlers claimed the Ho-Chunk’s native lands and how the Ho-Chunk resisted is the topic at this Friends of the UW-Madison Libraries talk featuring Josie Lee, Ho-Chunk Nation Museum & Cultural Center director, and Stephen Kantrowitz, UW-Madison history professor. The presentation will be followed by a reception and signing of Kantrowitz's 2023 book, Citizens of a Stolen Land, at 6 p.m. The event will be recorded but not livestreamed.; sign up here for a reminder and link to the recording available after the event.

Mary Mercier, Tuesday, March 12, Mystery to Me, 6 p.m.: Gearing up for Poetry Month (that’s April), Mystery to Me is hosting Madison poet Mary Mercier, whose new book, Five Reports of Fugitive Dust (Meadowlark Press) was a finalist for the Birdy Poetry Prize. Here we are part of nature, not onlookers — connected intimately with the natural world. She will speak about the work with fellow Madison poet Marilyn Annucci. Free but space is limited for the in-person event; a livestream is also available. Find sign-up info at mysterytomebooks.com.

Trish O’Kane, Tuesday, March 12, Central Library, 7 p.m.: As part of the Wisconsin Book Festival, former Madisonian Trish O’Kane reads from her new memoir, Birding to Change the World (HarperCollins). The environmentalist and journalist tells of her journey from a Katrina-ravaged New Orleans to Madison to join a Ph.D. program in environmental studies. But the true star of the book is Madison’s own Warner Park, where O’Kane found both dozens of species of birds and a pileup of threatening environmental issues, from over-paving to water-poisoning fireworks to goose-killing. O’Kane — now a lecturer in environmental justice at the University of Vermont — should pull a good crowd of old friends, but this is also a must for anyone who seeks meaningful engagement with one’s own neighborhood. Read Linda Falkenstein’s story here.

Message from Our Planet, through June 2, Chazen Museum of Art: This exhibit of new media works includes software and other digital technologies, video, and light-based works. In “Message from Our Planet,” visitors will see vintage examples of media devices from the 1960s to current models. Art is one of the ways we communicate with the future humans of this planet, the exhibit suggests, or even beings from other worlds. Curator Jason Foumberg was inspired by the cultural artifacts that were sent into space via Voyager 1 in 1977 that included music from Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Chuck Berry.

Lynne Arriale, March 12, UW Hamel Music Center, 7:30 p.m.; March 16, Cafe Coda, 8 p.m.: Being Human, the latest album from pianist and composer Lynne Arriale, was released March 1. The Milwaukee native offers 10 new compositions musically expressing concepts like “Courage,” “Faith” and “Heart” (all song titles); its positive and uplifting vibe is a mood-lifter. Madison audiences have two chances to hear Arriale: as a guest artist during a March 12 concert by the UW Jazz Composers Group and Contemporary Jazz Ensemble; and leading a trio with bassist John Christensen and drummer Mitch Shiner on March 16 at Cafe Coda (tickets at cafecoda.club).

Wayne Hancock, Tuesday, March 12, High Noon Saloon, 8 p.m.: Wayne “The Train” Hancock’s music is in the tradition of Texans comfortable with battering down genre barriers to mix up western swing, blues, soul, country and rock — think Joe Ely, Doug Sahm, Terry Allen. It’s been a while since Hancock released a new record but he’s remained a road warrior since emerging as a performer in the 1990s, excepting occasional bouts with motorcycle mishaps. Here’s betting some new songs emerged during his recovery downtime in 2023. Opening is Milwaukee-based folk artist Dandy L. Freling. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

Caroline Paul, Wednesday, March 13, Central Library, 7 p.m.: Aging is both inevitable and something we should spend more time doing consciously. Caroline Paul’s book, Tough Broad: From Boogie Boarding to Wing Walking ― How Outdoor Adventure Improves Our Lives as We Age, specifically focuses on how women can become more adventuresome, more active, more satisfied, and more likely to live longer. She also discusses the science and the psychology behind the theory, with Wisconsin Public Radio’s Jill Nadeau. This free event is part of the Wisconsin Book Festival.

The Surfrajettes, Wednesday, March 13, High Noon Saloon, 8 p.m.: As you might guess from deconstructing their name, The Surfrajettes are a girl-group surfer band complete with beehive hairdos and white go-go boots. The results might range from classic surf riffs to Britney Spears covers, all in good fun. The McCharmlys have a similar but more wide-ranging mid-1960s doo-wop guitar- and nostalgia-driven effervescence. Madison one-man garage rock frenzy ROBOMAN rounds out the bill. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

The Flag and the Cross: White Christian Nationalism and the Threat to American Democracy, Thursday, March 14, Zoom, noon: In 2022, a Pew Research Center survey found a stunning 60% of respondents thought the U.S. founders intended the country to be a Christian nation. Many have apparently not read the Constitution, as the idea is specifically denied by the First Amendment (part of the Bill of Rights and ratified in 1791, a few years after the Constitution). Philip Gorski, chair of the Yale University Sociology Department and a former associate professor at UW-Madison, has been studying Christian nationalism for many years, and is co-author of The Flag and the Cross (with Samuel Perry). Gorski will discuss the subject during a virtual talk hosted by the Havens-Wright Center; find registration info at havenswrightcenter.wisc.edu.

Wine in the Wilderness, through March 17, UW Vilas Hall-Mitchell Theatre: Playwright Alice Childress was perhaps better known for her young adult novels — you might remember her A Hero Ain’t Nothin’ But a Sandwich. Her 1969 play Wine in the Wilderness brings together the race riots of the mid-1960s and the oft-contentious theme of the relationships between Black men and Black women. Painter Bill Jameson is working on a large-scale work depicting his vision of Black womanhood; Tommy, his new model, who’s lost her home in the rioting, brings unexpected changes to the project. Shows are in Vilas Hall-Mitchell Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday, at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 7-17. Tickets are available by calling 608-265-2787, via artsticketing.wisc.edu or at the Mitchell Theatre Lobby Box Office one hour prior to performances.

Overprint, through March 16, Bartell Theatre: This original piece of Madison theater, written and directed by longtime author and WORT-FM radio host Jan Levine Thal, centers on a widow, Meredith, who is also facing the realities of the dying publishing industry. Despite the dire scenario, Overprint is a comedy — and there is dancing, with choreography by Heidi Hakseth. This Kathie Rasmussen (KR) Women's Theatre production is presented in cooperation with the Madison Theatre Guild. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday (except for 2 p.m. on March 16) and 2 p.m. Sundays; tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

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