What to do in Madison this week: Bone Holler, 'Poetry and Pi(e)' and more Isthmus Picks

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Poetry & Pi(e), Tuesday, March 14, Overture Center-Promenade Lounge, 6 p.m.: Outgoing Wisconsin poet laureate Dasha Kelly Hamilton and new laureate Nicholas Gulig overlap like a poetic Venn diagram as they read from their work. Gulig, a professor at UW-Whitewater, has already published several collections of poetry. “...I will try to break the sentence/into something/strange enough to trust,” he writes in “Of Genesis.” The other element in the night's festivities? Delicious pie from the Hubbard Avenue Diner! Because it's Pi Day. Tickets at wisconsinacademy.org.

Mark Borthwick, Tuesday, March 14, Zoom, 6:30 p.m.: Mamah Borthwick is usually remembered as Frank Lloyd Wright's “mistress,” the one who died in the lurid murder/arson at Taliesen. In the new, well researched bio A Brave and Lovely Woman, cousin Mark Borthwick reveals a confident, charismatic and intelligent woman who held a master's degree and was a pioneering feminist. UW Press and Taliesin Preservation are partnering to present a virtual launch of A Brave and Lovely Woman on Zoom, with a presentation by Borthwick followed by a question-and-answer session. Read Michael Popke's preview here. Info on registration at taliesinpreservation.org.

Bone Holler album release, Tuesday, March 14, Bur Oak, 8 p.m.: “Weasels in my meat-safe/bones in my basement” is a couplet in the song “Crazy Eyes” on the long-awaited self-titled album by Bone Holler. That evocative image may give you a thumbnail sketch of what their one-of-a-kind brand of roots music is all about, if you haven't heard them yet. A better way to get the message is to experience the Madison trio in-person at the release party for the album, especially as rumor has it chances to see them live may be rare in the future. With The Lonesome Cobras and Mackenzie Moore (who is planning a move to Los Angeles later this year).

A Wisconsin Actor, Thursday, March 23, University Club; RSVP due March 15: The University League's spring luncheon should whet the appetite of anyone waiting for this summer's American Players Theatre schedule. Madison native Sarah Day has been a member of APT's core acting company since 1986, as well as an actor and advisory board member for Forward Theater Company. Reservations are due March 15; find a reservation form and instructions at univleague.wisc.edu/programs.

Angel, Wednesday, March 15, High Noon Saloon, 7 p.m.: Angel is almost as famous these days for being discovered by Kiss bassist Gene Simmons as for their five 1970s studio albums. But their glam-friendly music has retained a fervent cult in American hard rock circles. Angel reunited with two original members in 2018, released a new album titled Risen in 2019 and will play at least four dates this month (including two in Wisconsin). Angel’s music will take you back to the heady pomp-AOR days of the late-'70s, which — depending on your tastes — sounds either heavenly or hellish. With a new studio album, Once Upon a Time, set for release in April expect some new tunes. With Autumn Grey, Mars Hall. Tickets at Ticketmaster.

Evelyn Asultany, Wednesday, March 15, Central Library, 7 p.m.: We live in an era where everything from the health care system to education seems to be broken. Add to that our society's treatment of Muslims. USC associate professor Evelyn Alsultany discusses various diversity initiatives in her book Broken: The Failed Promise of Muslim Inclusion. She examines depictions of Muslims in popular culture, hate crime laws and more. This is a Wisconsin Book Festival event.

WIAA State High School Boys Basketball Tournament, March 16-18, Kohl Center: The girls' tournament took place in Green Bay March 9-11, but the boys' state basketball finals still bring the action to Madison. All the area schools still in the running during the sectionals fell this past weekend; Marshall, Middleton, Mineral Point and Stoughton all were knocked out on March 9, and Belleville, Edgewood and McFarland followed on March 11. However, that just means you can settle back and enjoy the competition no matter the victor. The final 20 teams from around the state will converge on the Kohl Center March 16-18. Find final brackets and info at wiaawi.org.

Terri Laxton Brooks, Thursday, March 16, Mystery To Me, 6-7:30 p.m.: Reedsburg native and Madison resident Terri Laxton Brooks will discuss her no-holds-barred book, On Loneliness: How to Feel Less Alone In an Isolating World, with Doug Moe. Published late last year, the book explores Brooks' own struggles with feeling alone despite having a successful career, and it is the “culmination of four years of soul-searching conversations with America’s leading psychologists and psychiatrists about loneliness — how to cope with it, why it is a normal and necessary stage of healthy growth, and how to stop resisting it,” according to the author’s website. Seating is limited, but Brooks’ conversation with Moe also will be livestreamed on Crowdcast. Rescheduled from Feb. 9.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch, through March 25, Bartell Theatre: An unstoppable sensation since opening Off Broadway in 1998, this rock musical by John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask is sure to be as lively as ever when brought to the stage by StageQ (and featuring two casts, alternating nights). Hedwig and the Angry Inch tells the story of a singer's eventful life through a concert that ends up mixing in a lot of storytelling. Shows at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday (4 pm on March 25) and 4 p.m., March 19. Find tickets at bartelltheatre.org.

Project: Constellation, Thursday, March 16, Harmony Bar, 7:30 p.m.: Though the Harmony is under new ownership, the walnut burger remains unchanged, and the bar's stage also remains a favorite stop for touring artists and locals alike. Christina and Santiago Silva, aka Project: Constellation, are a great example of a Midwest touring band that now has another friendly venue home in Madison. The duo is based in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and specializes in folk and pop, with some punk thrown in. Their new EP, Psychological Hands is guitar and fiddle music with an attitude.

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