FREE EVENT: Mon., July 18 — Talk
In August 1936, a 14-year-old Hazelwood kid named Herbert Douglas Jr. followed the Berlin Olympics in the papers. To him, the big story was that “Hitler’s Olympics” became Jesse Owens’: The American track legend led a group of nine African-American medal-winners. Thanks largely to Hitler himself, the next Olympics wasn’t until 1948, but Douglas — who by then had graduated from both Taylor Allderdice High School and the University of Pittsburgh — was there in London (pictured), taking long-jump bronze. Today, Douglas, 94, lives in Philadelphia and is the oldest living African-American Olympian. On July 18, prefacing the Rio Games, he joins five fellow black Olympians for Barrier Breakers: An Evening With Olympic Greats. The Heinz History Center panel discussion includes Olympic-record-holding long-jumper Bob Beamon; John Wesley Carlos, the sprinter famous for raising a black- gloved fist in protest at the ’68 Olympics; and multiple gold-medalists Wyomia Tyus, Harrison “Bones” Dillard and Charles Lamont Jenkins. The talk will be preceded by a screening of “The Renaissance Period of the African-American in Sports,” a half-hour 2014 documentary, co-produced by Douglas and Robert Lott, of Teamwork Media Group International, that focuses on the ’36 Olympians. Says Douglas today, “Those nine African-American medalists in track and field showed us that we could compete with anyone in the world.” Bill O’Driscoll 6:30-8 p.m. 1212 Smallman St., Strip District. Free with advance registration. www.heinzhistorycenter.org/events
Fri., July 15 — Music
Thanks to TV shows like Little Big Shots and MasterChef Junior, kids with talent seem to be taking over entertainment. The trend continues this evening as East Liberty Presbyterian Church hosts 15-year-old German violin prodigy Elias David Moncado for his Pittsburgh debut. Moncado has won top European prizes including the Grande Prize at the International Young Paganini Competition. He will perform selections from Tschaikovsky and Massenet and will be joined onstage by his parents, and fellow musicians, Mooi and Bernard. Tyler Dague 7 p.m. 116 S. Highland Ave., East Liberty. $10 ($5 for children). 412-441-3800 or www.cathedralofhope.org
Fri., July 15 – Word
The Pittsburgh Poetry Collective holds weekly poetry slams year-round. But once a year, the chips are really down. Tonight, the season’s 13 top slam poets compete to represent Pittsburgh at the 2016 Individual World Poetry Slam, in Flagstaff, Ariz., in October. The three-round Steel City Poetry Championship is held at an atypical venue for the slam, City of Asylum Alphabet City Tent, on the North Side. BO 7-10 p.m. 318 Sampsonia Way, North Side. $10. www.pghpoetry.org
Fri., July 15 – Art
More than 30 years ago, Ruthanne Bauerle took a series of photography courses at Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, beginning a life-long exploration of the medium. Her latest exhibit, Recent Works, featuring more than 30 photos, opens with a reception tonight at Pittsburgh Filmmakers Galleries. The majority of the photos portray the beauty of nature in Pennsylvania’s Potter County; others, by contrast, are from Bauerle’s series Haunted by Dolls. TD 6-8 p.m. (free). Exhibit continues through Sept. 2. 477 Melwood Ave., North Oakland. 412-681-5449 or www.pfpca.org
Sat., July 16 — Words
Coffee & Crime might suggest a hold-up at Dunkin’ Donuts, but it’s actually a series of author events hosted by Mystery Lovers Bookshop. This morning, Colleen Shogan and Con Lehane stop by to discuss their recent novels. Homicide in the House (Camel Press) is the latest entry in Pittsburgh native Shogan’s Washington Whodunit series. Lehane’s new one is Murder at the 42nd Street Library (Minotaur Books). Questions are encouraged, and of course, coffee and pastries will be provided. TD 10:30 a.m.-noon. 514 Allegheny River Blvd., Oakmont. Free. 412-828-4877 or www.mysterylovers.com
Sat., July 16 – Festival
From landscape design to dance, from live music to photography — Wilkinsburg might be small, but the number and range of artists who live, work and create there is impressive. And the time to see as many of them as possible is the second annual Dream City Art. Today’s afternoon-long walking tour includes various artists’ studios, plus pop-up art exhibits and performances. The 14 sites showcasing 40 or more artists also include a painting party, flash-fiction and poetry readings, a sculpture garden and more. And if either walking or art makes you hungry, food trucks await. BO Noon-5 p.m. Wilkinsburg. Free. Venues and times at www.dreamcityworks.org
Sat., July 16 — Talk
Trade deals are at the forefront of the U.S. presidential campaign. Get another angle on the global economy today as The Battle of Homestead Foundation’s summer series of lectures and films continues with the Struggle for Workers’ Rights in the Global Economy, this year’s Bernard Kleiman lecture from the United Steelworkers of America. Barbara Briggs, associate director of the Pittsburgh-based Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights, reports on efforts to help workers in Bangladesh’s dangerous garment factories and shipbreaking yards achieve decent conditions and basic rights. (Bangladesh is the world’s second-largest exporter of garments.) The talk, at the Pump House, in Munhall, is free. BO 1:30 p.m. 880 E. Waterfront Dr., Munhall. 412-478-5907 or www.battleofhomestead.org
Sat., July 16 — Music
The Nationality Rooms at the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning transport students and visitors to countries as diverse as India, Norway and Korea. Now the university plans to begin construction on the Philippine Nationality Room. This evening’s benefit concert, at the Alumni Hall auditorium, features renowned Philippine singers Bianca Camille Lopez and Aizel Izza Prietos-Livioco, now on their first international tour outside of Asia. The duo, known as The Nightingales, will perform operatic arias, Broadway tunes and timeless standards. TD 6 p.m. 4227 Fifth Ave., Oakland. $15. 412-427-9235 or www.nationalityrooms.pitt.edu
Sat., July 16 — Words
Here’s one: “lightning flash / how brief / the seeing.” Another: “no GPS / dashboard Buddha / smiling.” Don Wentworth is Pittsburgh’s resident master of brief poetry, and his third collection, With A Deepening Presence, is new on Six Gallery Press. A book launch and reading tonight at the Irma Freeman Center for Imagination features Wentworth and local poets including Kris Collins, Christine Starkey and Che Elias. BO 7:30 p.m. 5006 Penn Ave., Bloomfield. $5 or covered potluck dish. www.irmafreeman.org
Tue., July 19 — Games
It’s hard to believe the Nintendo 64 has been around for 20 years. But the appeal of games like GoldenEye, Super Smash Bros. and Banjo-Kazooie has sustained a fan base far beyond the N64’s now-outdated technology. And with the current revival of all things ’90s, James Street Gastropub and Speakeasy is getting in on the action. Tonight, the restaurant and bar hosts a tournament of the multiplayer classic Mario Kart 64. Sign-ups are free, but slots for the N64 Mario Kart Tournament are limited. TD 7-10 p.m. 442 Foreland St., North Side. Free. 412-904-3335 or www.jamesstreetgastropub.com
Wed., July 20 — Music
Cute as bugs and salty as sailors, Reformed Whores have made their (tongue-in-cheek) name with cheerful, harmony-sweetened country songs about female cunnilingus (“Eating Out”), juvenile masturbation (“Hump-a-Lot Bear”) and douchebags (“Douchebags”). Guitar, accordion and uke in tow, the music-and-comedy duo of Katy Frame and Marie Cecile Anderson has built an online and following toured nationally with the likes of Les Claypool. Tonight the ladies hit Club Café; Pittsburgh’s The Wreckids open. BO 8 p.m. 56 S. 12th St., South Side. $10-15. 412-431-4950 or www.clubcafelive.com
Thu., July 21 — Screen
This month’s edition of the Carnegie Museum of Art’s Third Thursday series brings back an old favorite: the 2 Minute Film Festival. The museum solicited films of 120 seconds or less, whether local or international; tonight they screen the sixth annual edition’s finalists, and viewers will vote for Audience Favorite. The evening includes tracks by EyeJay the DJ, and the usual Third Thursday chance to visit the galleries late, sample the late-night café menu and more. BO 8-11 p.m. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. $5-15. 412-622-3212 or www.cmoa.org
Thu., July 21 — Screen
For years, City of Asylum has been a haven for exiled writers, helping them to practice their craft and tell their stories safe from authoritarian harm. City of Asylum’s own programming includes the new Silenced Films series, screening suppressed cinema from around the world. Tonight’s entry is Daisies. Directed by Věra Chytilová, the 1966 comedy-drama was banned by Czech authorities. A story of two women named Marie who partake in a series of destructive and excessive acts, Daisies is considered one of the most significant feminist films of all time. It screens inside the Alphabet City Tent. TD 8 p.m. 318 Sampsonia Way, North Side. Free. 412-323-0278 or www.cityofasylum.org
