Hills and valleys and…"You're Fired"

Isthmus Picks for Sept. 17-24 considers a retrofuture and much more

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With the print version of Isthmus on pause, we thought it might be handy to have the Picks in a single weekly post. You can still find the Picks in the usual places online: collected here, and sprinkled throughout all the events.

Yaa Gyasi, Thursday, Sept. 17, 7 pm: Bestselling author Yaa Gyasi (pictured at top) joins the Wisconsin Book Festival (remotely, of course) to discuss Transcendent Kingdom, a follow-up to her best-selling and critically acclaimed debut novel Homegoing, which provided an intimate glimpse into the life of a Ghanaian family in Alabama. The author will talk about the books on Crowdcast with Brittle Paper founder Ainehi Edoro.

Madison Bike Week, Through Sunday, Sept. 20: Even during the pandemic, there are plenty of ways to participate in this year’s Bike Week, and ample opportunities (with social distancing and masks, of course) to nab some swag. Group rides include a Bell Joy Ride-Madison mountain bike ride designed for women and transgender folks, starting at 5:15 pm on Sept. 18 at CamRock County Park. The Madison Brewery Bike Race, from Delta Beer Lab to Hop Haus Brewing Company's Verona location, is a new self-guided ride on Sept. 20 (any time 11 am-7 pm; register here). Also on Sunday (2-4 pm, Warner Park), Capital Off Road Pathfinders is sponsoring pop-up "Wheel Spots" for both mountain bikers and skateboarders. And throughout the week, Free Bikes 4 Kidz is hosting donation stations for gently used bicycles (fb4kmadison.org for locations). For all events, visit madisonbikes.org.

Noël Ash + Emma Pryde, through Oct. 31, Arts + Literature Laboratory: Have you been to the new A + L at 111 S. Livingston St.? It's across East Main Street from The Sylvee and adjacent to the new city parking ramp there. The new galleries are a perfect blank canvas for visual art. Emma Pryde's Night Births in the Laboratory is a multimedia installation utilizing ceramics and acrylics. Noël Ash's Things Pile Up features oil paintings from everyday life and especially the junk we manage to accumulate in our living spaces —  something we can all relate to after six-plus months sheltered in place. The galleries are open from noon-5 pm Thursdays through Saturdays, or by appointment. Virtual artist talks and other events will be announced on artlitlab.org and its Facebook page.

Hill and Valley Exploration Tour, Sept. 18-20 and 26-27: It's an explore! The 4th annual Hill and Valley Exploration Tour provides a DIY but guided tour to introduce folks to the hilly pastoral area of northwestern Sauk and far eastern Richland counties. It could be a bike tour (if you're in good shape — the hills are massive) or a weekend drive. The event kicks off Sept. 18 from 5-8 pm at Reedsburg City Park, with music from the Union Road Band and wood-fired oven pizza from the Branding Iron Roadhouse. Follow the event map to check out farms selling produce, the actual Branding Iron Roadhouse tavern in Lime Ridge, big hay sculptures, a vintage trailer restoration shop in Cazenovia, and a folk art site called the Enchanted Forest in Valton. See the map and full event schedule at explorehillandvalley.com. Although most sites are outside, bring a mask and be considerate of those around you.

Cherene Sherrard + Heather Swan, Saturday, Sept. 19, 7 pm: Madison poets Cherene Sherrard (pictured) and Heather Swan read from their works for this Arts + Literature Lab Watershed Reading Series event. Swan's A Kinship With Ash is rooted in the troubled landscapes that retain a poignant beauty. The poems in Sherrard's Grimoire, just as timely, often focus on the experience of Black motherhood and Black and African American women's traditions of food and child-rearing. Join the livestream on Facebook.

Masquerade: Retrofuture, Saturday, Sept. 19, 9 pm: Crucible's monthly Masquerade dances continue in the virtual world with a "Retrofuture" theme: What ideas did people in the past have about what might be happening now and further ahead in time? Music will be provided on Twitch by WORT-FM radio host Ryan Parks (Something Wonderful); post pics of your at-home dance party and outfits on the Masquerade Facebook group page.

Black and Latino Unity Picnic, Sunday, Sept. 20, Penn Park, 1-5 pm: This annual Immigrant Workers' Union event promotes grassroots efforts to bring together Madison's communities. It's family-friendly and features folk dances and live performances, including spoken word by Damion and DJ Latino Fresh. There will be free food, but no specific kids' activities this year due to COVID-19.

Paul Begala, Monday, Sept. 21, 6 pm (NOTE: new time): Among the mountain of books about He Who Must Not Be Named (aka 45; aka Orange Julius; aka insert your insult or encomium here), Paul Begala certainly wins the award for the dreamiest title if you are a lefty: You're Fired: The Perfect Guide to Beating Donald Trump. Begala served in the White House as a counselor to President Bill Clinton after helping strategize during the 1992 election, and he’s written several other politics-themed books (including a pair with James Carville), as well as being a commentator for CNN. He'll discuss the book at this Wisconsin Book Festival event on Crowdcast; for extra credit, keep hope alive by following his countdown to the election on Twitter.

Aria Hunt, through Sept. 27: The folks at Fresco Opera have always been committed to bringing opera to new locations and audiences, and their latest pandemic-inspired idea brings it up a notch. Once you sign in to participate, you will receive a series of clues to find various Madison locations. Once you get there, you are able to access a pre-recorded aria sung by one of the talented cast members (available on Spotify, YouTube and Apple Music). There's a story, too, and you are encouraged to take selfies to document your quest. Participants who discover all the locations are eligible for a reward. A per-person donation of $8 is requested.

Improving Communication Access in Healthcare During COVID-19 and Beyond, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 6 pm: UW-Madison continues its "Forward? The Wisconsin Idea, Past and Present" lecture series during the fall semester as a weekly livestream, Tuesdays at 6 pm. The topics to be covered could not be more timely: public health, the economy, public policy, inclusion and more. This week's talk on communication access in healthcare will be given by Waisman Center speech pathologist Sarah Marshall. For a link to the series, RSVP to facilitator Chad Alan Goldberg: cagoldberg@wisc.edu.

Behind the Seen: Making a Movie and a Movement, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 7 pm: While many film studios are on hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, the innovators at Bravebird studio are diving in and making a film, Trace the Line, about being an artist during the era of social distancing. This online event is a collaboration with Madison's Threshold space, and features a Q&A with members of the cast and production team and the director, Alex Miranda-Cruz. Donation-based tickets are available on Eventbrite.

Dolley Madison: The Lady Who Saved Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 10 am: The University League kicks off its 2020-21 event season with the traditional fall coffee gathering happening in a non-traditional place: Zoom. The event features a video performance by historical impressionist Jessica Michna as Dolley Madison, whose role in building a bridge between political parties in the 1800s is history that our current political leaders could learn much from. Sign up by Sept. 20 to receive a link to the presentation (it's free, though donations are welcome for the League's scholarship program).

Election 2020: Insights from UW-Madison Experts, Thursday, Sept. 24, 5 pm: The results of the upcoming Nov. 3 election have enough serious implications to keep one's brain spinning 24/7 until the polls close. Trump and Biden's first scheduled debate is Sept. 29, but before then, listen to what is currently spinning the brains of a cross-disciplinary sampling of UW scholars by signing up for the next Crossroads of Ideas livestream. The panel includes Kathy Cramer (political science), Steven Deller (ag and applied economics), Linda Greene (law), Baron Kelly (theater and Odyssey Project), Allison Prasch (politics and rhetoric), and Ajay Sethi (population health).

Pitch Perfect, Thursday, Sept. 24, Warner Park Duck Pond, 7 pm: Summer drive-in weather is waning, so this might be one of your last chances to check out Madison's safe outdoor movie viewing option. Pitch Perfect is a charming 2012 musical comedy about a university a cappella group, The Barden Bellas, striving to compete at the national competition. The ensemble cast features Glee's Anna Kendrick and the badass Rebel Wilson. Bonus: You can sing along while you tailgate.

The Lifespan of a Fact, through Sept. 27: Forward Theater Company returns, streaming on the Overture Center website. It's not a play reading via Zoom. It's not a video of the actors acting while wearing masks. It is "an innovative collaboration of theater-makers and video artists," says Forward Theater artistic director Jennifer Uphoff Gray. Well, we love innovative! And the play, a farce by Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell and Gordon Farrell, deals with issues very much of our time: A fact checker meets up with the writer of a magazine essay to find out how much of the story in question is true. What is fake, what is fact? The Lifespan of a Fact can be viewed any time from Friday, Sept. 11, through Sunday, Sept. 27; tickets may be purchased online at overture.org. (Pictured: Ensemble member James Carrington.