What to do in Madison this week: Fran Lebowitz, Majeska Monday and more Isthmus Picks

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Thanksgiving Basket Drive, through Nov. 20, Goodman Community Center: Each November, the Goodman Community Center assembles meal kits for a full Thanksgiving dinner for Dane County families, and this year their goal is to serve 4,000 households (the deadline to sign up was Oct. 28). That's a lot of turkeys and other items to collect, and you can be a part of it by donating food items from the list or a monetary donation by Nov. 20. Find the grocery list, drop-off times and more info on donating at goodmancenter.org/thanksgiving.

Majeska Monday, Monday, Nov. 7, Up North Bar, 6 p.m.: At 30-plus installments and counting, Majeska Monday has grown into a must-see event for roots music listeners and players alike. Many shows feature a one-time only mix of musicians, coordinated by Armchair Boogie guitarist-vocalist Ben Majeska; he's joined this month by Dig Deep banjo player Oscar Noetzel and Sloppy Joe members Bobby Burns (mandolin) and Stef Lee (bass). Majeska also often brings along bands who haven't had the chance to play Madison too often, and November's lineup features northern Wisconsin bluegrass band The Foragers.

She's Beautiful When She's Angry, Tuesday, Nov. 8, Central Library, 6:30 p.m.: The local discussion group the Peregrine Forum presents a free screening of the 2014 documentary about the women's liberation movement, She's Beautiful When She's Angry. The woman-directed and -produced film highlights the founding of the modern women’s movement from 1966 to 1971, from the birth of NOW to more radical factions. C'mon babe, surely you can give us a smile about that. (Note: Rescheduled from Oct. 11.)

Fran Lebowitz, Tuesday, Nov. 8, Overture Hall, 7:30 p.m.: Caustic Fran Lebowitz has certainly earned her place in the pantheon of American humorists including Dorothy Parker and H. L. Mencken. She's a (transplanted) New Yorker to the core, a witty assayer of the zeitgeist from her debut essay collection, Metropolitan Life, to her more recent appearance in the Netflix documentary series Pretend It's a City, directed by Martin Scorsese. Triple M's Jonathan Suttin will introduce and interview Lebowitz. Tickets here.

Clean Lakes 101, Wednesday, Nov. 9, Edgewater Hotel, 8 a.m.: Emily Dickinson had a fanciful take on prairies: “To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee.” Charming, but to make a prairie one actually needs prairie seeds. And many volunteers collecting those seeds from other prairies. This Clean Lakes Alliance series talk, “Native Seeds for the Future: Dane County's Seed Program,” by Dane County Parks botanist Lars Higdon, will explain how the county creates its extraordinary prairie restorations with the aid of volunteers who collect native seeds to be used in more prairie restorations, all of which aid in environmental improvement for water and wildlife. The seeds collected will be used to restore hundreds of acres of land. Free, but registration is required (there is also a Zoom option).

Uncut Attire, through Dec. 14, UW Nancy Nicholas Hall-Mecklenburg Textile Gallery: The UW-Madison's Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection is one of the unsung assets of the school. For the exhibit Uncut Attire: How Weaving Informs Wearables, curators have drawn from the collection to examine how weaving, as a form, has influenced clothing design. Some cultures have developed woven forms for garments that involve no cutting or sewing — hence the name of this show, which ultimately prompts viewers to reconsider our own fast fashion trends. Find gallery hours at cdmc.wisc.edu.

Feeding Beatrice: A Gothic Tale, through Nov. 20, Overture Center-Playhouse: This dark comedy by up-and-coming playwright Kirsten Greenidge takes on both the familiar trope of the haunted house and social issues. In this second production of Forward Theater's season, a young couple buys an old house haunted by the spirit Beatrice, who keeps upping the ante on her invasion into their lives. Greenidge's exploration of race and class in Feeding Beatrice: A Gothic Tale will be augmented by programs before each Saturday performance (at 6:30 p.m.), discussing horror noire, the history of housing discrimination in Madison, and playwright Lorraine Hansberry. Performances are at 7:30 pm Wednesday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sundays, plus 2 p.m., Nov. 12 and 19.

Yes, Wednesday, Nov. 9, Orpheum Theater, 8 p.m.: After more than a half-century as a band, progressive rock pioneers Yes operate these days with a lineup containing no original members. But the music endures, as evidenced by the group’s decision to perform Yes’ fifth studio album, 1972’s Close to the Edge — a cornerstone of the genre — in its entirety on this tour. Yes also has been playing a selection of classic cuts, plus songs from the band’s latest album, last year’s The Quest. The tour is dedicated to longtime Yes drummer Alan White, who passed away in May at age 72.

Nehemiah: Celebrating 30 Years of Transformative Impact, Legacy and Change, Friday, Nov. 11, Monona Terrace, 6-10 p.m. (RSVP by Nov. 10): The nonprofit Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development has been working to help meet the needs of the Madison area's Black community since the early 1990s, and with its Justified Anger initiative has engaged non-Black allies to work to change the entrenched systems perpetuating racism. Join them to celebrate 30 years of leadership and progress at this event featuring social time, a program, and a dance party with music by Kinfolk. Purchase tickets by Nov. 10; find info at nehemiah.org/30th-anniversary.

CORRECTED TIME: Elly Griffiths, Thursday, Nov. 10, Crowdcast, noon: Mystery to Me goes back to its roots with mysteries with this Crowdcast discussion between local journalist Doug Moe and Elly Griffiths. Her new novel, Bleeding Heart Yard, concerns murder at a school reunion (actual, not just wished-for), with a cast of friends who also killed someone back in the day. Register here.

Madison Symphony Orchestra with Christina + Michelle Naughton, Nov. 10-13, Overture Hall: November's special guests for the Madison Symphony Orchestra's program “Enchanted Piano & Personal Favorite” are well-known to Madison audiences. Twin sisters and pianists Christina and Michelle Naughton grew up in Madison, and were two-time winners of the MSO's youth concerto competition in the '00s; since then they have performed around the world. For this concert they will take on Max Bruch’s Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra. The schedule includes an open rehearsal on Nov. 10 (free, but tickets required) and concerts at 7:30 p.m., Nov. 11; 8 p.m.; Nov. 12; and 2:30 p.m., Nov. 13. Find ticket info at madisonsymphony.org.

Amy Schumer, Thursday, Nov. 10, Orpheum Theater, 7 and 10 p.m.: Comedian Amy Schumer has essentially conquered most mediums since her sensational sketch show Inside Amy Schumer went on hiatus in 2016. Her resume now includes a bestselling book, a Best Actress Tony nomination on Broadway, a podcast, a couple television reality shows, co-hosting the Oscars, and even an arrest at the U.S. Capitol during a protest of Supreme Court then-nominee Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. We hope she keeps it up, because Schumer's incisive and irreplaceable worldview is needed right now more than ever. The early show on the opening night of Schumer's “Whore Tour” has been sold out forever, but tickets were still available as of this week for the late show.

Act a Lady, through Nov. 19, Bartell Theatre: StageQ takes on Jordan Harrison's play, Act a Lady, set in a Midwestern hamlet during Prohibition. The town's men decide to put on a play in which they portray women — and as we have known since Shakespeare's time, this is a situation ripe for both comedy and growing self-awareness. Harrison has a good feel for the complexities of gender roles and the script is a good fit for StageQ. Shows at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday (4 p.m. on Nov. 19) and 4 p.m., Nov. 13.

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

Editor's note: This post has been updated with the correct time for the Elly Griffiths book talk.