A week of events in Cambridge and Somerville, from a pie fundraiser to open art studios

Sunday November 13

Vietnam Veterans Memorial “The Moving Wall” 24 hours at the Great Lawn at Assembly Row, 399 Revolution Drive, Somerville. Free. This is the last day of a tour of a half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Bereavement counselors and volunteers will be on hand to assist visitors around the clock. Information is here .

Indoor Soapbox Rally 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at CambridgeSide Shopping Centre, 100 CambridgeSide Place, East Cambridge. Free. A good old fashioned rally up a hill (in an underground parking lot) for fastest craft car competition that relies on gravity to move. The information is here.

Nature festival in town 2-5 p.m. at the Magazine Beach Park Nature Center at the river end of Magazine Street in the Cambridgeport neighborhood. Free. The latest in a series of monthly festivals timed to coincide with the full moon that celebrate community, connect with the nature of the park, and offer meals from a food truck and live music. Nature-based games and activities, arts and crafts, and community workshops are suitable for all ages. The information is here.

Crush the patriarchy! Fundraising for Abortion 3-6 p.m. at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square, Somerville. Tickets are $15. People who are angry about threats to reproductive justice and abortion rights can come and break pottery to raise funds for abortion. The base fee buys three pieces of smashable pottery donated by Indigo Fire and Feet of Clay pottery studios, with additional pieces at $5 each. The information is here.

Monday November 14

Jessica Lander. (Photo: Julian Viviescas)

Jessica Lander reads an excerpt from “Making Americans: Stories of Historic Struggles, New Ideas and Inspiration in Immigrant Education” at 7 p.m. at the Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square. Free. Lander has anecdotes that bring to life the story of America’s efforts to educate immigrants — or defeat those efforts — and insights for educators and policymakers. She will be in conversation with Priya Tahiliani, Superintendent of Everett Public Schools. Properly fitting masks are required. The information is here.

Writing Science: Born in Cambridge 7-8:30 p.m. at the MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Kendall Square. Free, but registration is recommended due to limited seating. A panel reflects on how Cambridge has welcomed a surprisingly large number of innovative people and ideas in fields as diverse as literature, social reform, the candy industry, computer technology, genetics and popular culture , inspired by Karen Weintraub and Michael Kuchta’s book “Born in Cambridge: 400 Years of Ideas and Innovators.” Information is here.

Tuesday, November 15

Inside Stories: Development of the Covid vaccine in record time 7-8:30 p.m. at the MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Kendall Square. Free, but registration is recommended due to limited seating. Moderna’s Melissa Moore and Harvard Medical School’s Dan Barouch talk about the record pace of Covid vaccine development and look to what’s next, from new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to monkeypox. A reception follows. The information is here.

Wednesday, November 16

Songwriting with the Lilly Jazz Project 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the O’Neill Branch of the Cambridge Library, 70 Rindge Ave., North Cambridge. Free. Participants will explore songwriting from start to finish, discover how original lyrics can come to life in songs and spoken word, and have the chance to share their work. The information is here.

Anne Winkler-Morey. (Photo: Eric Mueller)

Conference on the book “Allegiance to Winds and Waters: Bicycling the Political Divides of the United States” for the benefit of Bikes Not Bombs 7-8:30 p.m. at Lamplighter Brewing, 284 Broadway, The Port. Free, but Bikes Not Bombs gets $10 for every book sold at this 21+ event. Minneapolis author and cyclist Anne Winkler-Morey traveled the contiguous 12,000 mile perimeter of the United States and emerged with this personal political memoir advocating solidarity across all kinds of borders. The information is here.

Eileen Myles reads an excerpt from “Pathetic Literature” at 7 p.m. at the Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square. Free. Poet Myles has compiled 106 plays into an anthology resetting the word “pathetic” to its original meaning of inspiring emotion or feeling. She’ll be in conversation with contributors Ama Birch, Tom Cole, Fanny Howe, Porsha Olayiwola, Abe Rybeck and Liev Xue to create “a teeming taxonomy of ways to think differently and live pathetically on a polarized and frightening planet.” Properly fitting masks are required. The information is here.

Thursday November 17

Renee McLeod. (Photo: Cambridge History)

Pies with Petsi: A Cambridge History Fundraiser with Renee McLeod 6-8pm at 26 Hubbard Park Road, West Cambridge. Tickets are $60, limited to 25 people. The local baker and founder of Petsi Pies – she retired in February 2021, handing the store over to Jill Remby – will demonstrate how to make classic pies for the upcoming holiday season. There will be light appetizers, an hour-long demonstration with recipes, and tastings during a Q&A session. The information is here.

Robert Pinsky reads at 7 p.m. at the Grolier Poetry Book Shop, 6 Plympton St., Harvard Square. Free, but registration required. The famous poet reads, with an introduction by Maggie Dietz, former associate poetry editor for Slate and director of the Favorite Poem Project – founded by Pinsky during his tenure as American Poet Laureate. Proof of vaccination and masks are required. The information is here.

US dollar symbolism 7-8:30 p.m. at Acropolis Boston, second floor, 2000 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square. Free. An exploration of all the weird icons and symbols in our currency, with the UN’s World Philosophy Day as the pretext for an event by New Acropolis, an organization that says it promotes the love of wisdom and respect for dignity human beyond race, sex, culture, religion. , social and other differences. The information is here.

Third Thursdays Jazz Series at 8 p.m. at Harvard-Epworth United Methodist Church, 1555 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square. Admission is $10. This harmolodic jazz series from Dave Bryant, keyboardist and composer who worked with Ornette Coleman, features bassist Frederick Williams, percussionist James Kamal Jones and trumpeter and bass clarinetist Matt Lavelle. The information is here.

Friday November 18

“Something Strange” by Walter Sickert and the Army of Broken Toys. (Photo: Crystal Ballroom via Twitter)

“Something Strange”, a tribute to the music and live dance of “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, at 8 p.m. in the Crystal Ballroom at the Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square (and continues on Saturdays). General admission is $12 and seating is $22. Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys presents a holiday theater experience – open to all ages with a warning that it comes with “partial nudity and suggestive situations”. The information is here.

“T: An MBTA Musical” 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. General admission is $29 for this 21+ show. There’s new relevance to this sarcastic play by John Michael Manship (book) and Melissa Carubia (music and lyrics), in which three 20-year-olds whose lives have been turned upside down by MBTA incompetence uncover a secret map that will allow them to reverse the transit system corruption. Songs include “The Shuttle Bus Song (We Can’t Handle It)”, “The People on the T”, and “The Bro Song”. All aboard, with masks. The information is here.

“Antigone” by Kallembach and “Phoebus und Pan” by Bach at 8 p.m. at the Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square (and continues Saturday). Free, but registration required. An unlikely duo directed by R. Lee Kratzer and directed by Ryan Turner examines the cycles of history and mythology, tracing a line from ancient to present day on themes of integrity, fate and free will , and how societies function after upheaval and disaster. It is accompanied by a content disclaimer on the discussion and depiction of war and war, the death of family members, references to World War II and the Holocaust, and other past conflicts and present. The information is here.

Saturday November 19

Brickbottom artist Bashar Attar works with copper. (Photo: Bashar Attar via Instagram)

Brickbottom/Joy Street Open Studios 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 1 Fitchburg St. and 86 Joy St., Inner Belt, Somerville (and continues on Sundays). Free. interactive installations and pop-up performances enhance the ability to browse and purchase art. The information is here.

“Something Strange”, a live music and dance tribute to “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (continued) at 3 and 8 p.m. in the Crystal Ballroom at the Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square (and continues on Saturdays). General admission is $12 and seating is $22. Morning information is here; Information on the evening show is here.

Student Showcase Esh Circus Arts at 7 p.m. at the Armory Center for the Arts, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. General admission is $22 (or $24.81 with service charge). Aerial stunts, group acrobatics, athletic dancing and clowning in a showcase of student talent. The information is here.

“Antigone” by Kallembach and “Phoebus und Pan” by Bach (continued) at 8 p.m. at the Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square (and continues Saturday). Free, but registration required. The information is here.

Smoke & Shadows: burlesque and variety show 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. Tickets are $28 for this 21+ show. Vaudeville, music and comedy, all studded with rhinestones in a monthly show that defies decades and genres, each time offering a mix of artists from here and elsewhere. Masks are mandatory. The information is here.

Sunday November 20

Boston’s Maison Green is among the vendors at the Holiday Plant Enthusiast Market. (Photo: Green House)

Holiday Plant Lovers Market 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Armory Center for the Arts, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville. Free. Nearly 40 local artists and small businesses will sell plant-related products around enclosures, raffles and an anonymous (give a plant, take a plant) plant exchange table. The information is here.

Brickbottom/Joy Street Open Studios (continued) 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 1 Fitchburg St. and 86 Joy St., Inner Belt, Somerville. Free. The information is here.

Tribute to “Let It Bleed” at 7 p.m. at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville. Tickets are $18.03. Once Somerville presents a show that is like seeing the Rolling Stones perform one of their best albums in a small venue. Scream with Billy, The Garage Dogs and “a cavalcade of local stars” perform. The information is here.

“Stages of Life” Graduation Recital at 8 p.m. at the Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St., Harvard Square (and continues Saturday). Free, but a donation of $10 or more is welcome. Pianist Yizixin An shows what he learned as a student of the famous Renana Gutman. The information is here.