WEDNESDAY 1/10
(BOOKS) The last great discoveries in physics? The confirmation of the Higgs Boson in 2012 and the detection of gravitational waves in 2015. Chris Quigg, a physicist whose career is closely tied to the Higgs Boson (an elementary particle whose existence was only mathematical in the 1960s, when it was named after the British physicist Peter Higgs—he is still alive; he was awarded a Noble Prize a year after the Large Hadron Collider determined its reality). Quigg's new book, co-authored with Robert N. Cahn, Grace in All Simplicity: Beauty, Truth, and Wonders on the Path to the Higgs Boson and New Laws of Nature, vividly and clearly describes the path taken to what is also known as the "god particle." That path was high energy, and anyone who has read the greatest science fiction novel of the 21st century, Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem, knows the future of physics, from a Chinese perspective, is still in colliders. Grace in All Simplicity is built like an adventure novel, but instead of going outward, we go ever-inward, ever closer to the most basic parts of the whole picture show we see and feel every living day. (University Book Store, 4326 University Way NE, 6 pm, free, all ages) CHARLES MUDEDE
THURSDAY 1/11
Stranger Fruit: Work by Jon Henry
View this post on Instagram
(VISUAL ART) For his series Stranger Fruit, New York-based photographer Jon Henry composed powerful portraits of Black mothers holding their sons. The mothers and children range in age, and the settings are both indistinguishable and recognizable—among them public parks, backyards, a Target parking lot, and Montgomery Alabama’s capitol building where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “How Long, Not Long” speech in March 1965. In his statement about the series, Henry writes, “The mothers in the photographs have not lost their sons, but understand the reality that this could happen to their family.” It could happen any minute, anywhere. According to gun violence nonprofit Everytown, “Black, Indigenous, and Latinx people experience higher rates of gun homicides overall and fatal shootings by police than white peers” and Black people are 12 times more likely to die by gun homicide than white people. Stranger Fruit will make you feel those statistics in your bones. Henry will host an artist talk and reception at the gallery on Thursday, January 18, from 6-9 pm, where limited copies of his Stranger Fruit book will be available. (Photographic Center Northwest, 900 12th Ave, Mon-Thurs noon-9 pm, Sat & Sun noon-6 pm, through March 10) MEGAN SELING
FRIDAY 1/12
Magnetic Madness: The Citizen Kanes of S.O.V.
(FILM) S.O.V., short for "shot on video," is also perhaps the most honest movie-making medium. The Beacon deems these works "trashterpieces," which feels accurate in the best way, and the theater's series Magnetic Madness: The Citizen Kanes of S.O.V. screens a few of them every weekend in January. Up this weekend is Blonde Death, which was shot for a mere $2,000, followed by Suffer, Little Children (banned in the UK!), and the '89 hoser horror Things. (The Beacon, 4405 Rainier Ave S, Fri-Sat 9:30 pm, $12.50) LINDSAY COSTELLO
SATURDAY 1/13
Live at The Crocodile: Back to Belltown Vinyl Release Show
(MUSIC) Latent Print Records' latest compilation, Live at The Crocodile: Back to Belltown, is an ode to 2000s Seattle and the original Crocodile Cafe location at Second Avenue and Blanchard Street. Each of the album's 18 tracks features a different artist of the local rock scene, recorded at the Croc between 2004-2007. For this celebratory vinyl release concert, album contributors including Sweet Water, Goodness, John Roderick (the Long Winters), Kinski, the Divorce, and more will grace the stage. (The Crocodile, 2505 First Ave, 8 pm, $30, 21+) AUDREY VANN
SUNDAY 1/14
KEXP Presents: 24th Annual Expansions MLK Unity Party
(MUSIC) Join KEXP for the 24th annual Expansions MLK Unity Party in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy. The show will start with a live broadcast of Sunday Soul at the Clock-Out Lounge with DJ Supreme La Rock, followed by a special edition of Expansions brought to you by DJ Riz Rollins, Brit Hansen, Kid Hops, Alex, and Sharlese. If you're not able to make the in-person celebration, be sure to tune into KEXP throughout the day for a special holiday broadcast. (Clock-Out Lounge, 4864 Beacon Ave S, 6 pm, $12, 21+) AUDREY VANN
MONDAY 1/15
View this post on Instagram
(COMMUNITY) The Northwest African American Museum's annual MLK Day program promises arts and crafts activities for kids and families, vendors, film screenings, and remarks from local leaders and motivational speakers. During the celebration, NAAM will debut a new exhibit titled Interrupting Privilege. This immersive mixed-media experience hosted by the Center for Communication, Difference, and Equity will give attendees a chance to listen to recorded dialogues and learn about how to interrupt privilege in their own lives. (Northwest African American Museum, 2300 S Massachusetts St, 10 am-5 pm, free, all ages) SHANNON LUBETICH
Find more MLK Day events here.
TUESDAY 1/16
View this post on Instagram
(FOOD) Windy City Pie's cheeky sourdough sibling Breezy Town Pizza used to dispense hot deep-dish slices within the Beacon Hill venue Clock-Out Lounge before it closed last summer and was taken over by its successor Shady Lane Pizza & Pretzel. Shady Lane is now gone for reasons unknown, and the buzzy Burien pizzeria Stevie's Famous has opened in its stead. You might have heard of Stevie's from when it received a much-coveted boost from J. Kenji López-Alt (otherwise known as the "Kenji effect") or from its glowing Seattle Times review. I'm particularly excited to try the burrata-laden Normie MacDonald, which is apparently inspired by the burrata slice at L'Industrie Pizzeria in New York—I had the pleasure of trying the latter last year and it might just be the best pizza I've ever had. (Stevie's Famous, 4864 Beacon Ave S, inside Clock-Out Lounge, Sun-Thurs 4-10 pm, Fri-Sat 4-11 pm) JULIANNE BELL
