Out & About
Thu 13
Noam Elcott on Artificial DarknessBook Culture, 536 West 112th St.
7 p.m. Free
Elcott gives an in-depth look at how darkness, both artificial and controlled, plays a large part in art and media history.
212-865-1588
‘Polarization Today: Its Causes and Consequences’West Side YMCA, 5 West 63rd St.
7 p.m. Free
John Batchelor and Hoover Institution senior fellow Richard Epstein discuss.
westsiderepublicanclub.org/
Fri 14
Anne Nesbet 450 Columbus Ave.7 p.m. Free
Nesbet discusses her new novel, “Cloud and Wallfish,” an account of growing up in East Berlin during the late 1980s.
212-595-1962
Hallett Nature Sanctuary: Open Hours Central Park, East Side from 60th to 62nd Streets
2-5 p.m. Free
Explore the abundance of wildlife and plants in the normally-closed Hallett Nature Sanctuary.
212-310-6600
Sat 15
It’s My Park!Riverside Park
10 a.m.-1 p.m. Free
Help beautify Riverside Park with other volunteers within the community. Efforts include planting, weeding and spreading woodchips. RSVP for specific park locations.
212-870-3073. grassroots@riversideparknyc.org
Instant Shakespeare CompanyRiverside Library, 127 Amsterdam Ave.
1-3 p.m. Free
Listen as the Instant Shakespeare Company prepares a reading of The Third Part of Henry the Sixth, by William Shakespeare.
212-870-1810. www.nypl.org/locations/riverside
Sun 16
Alan LomaxSymphony Space, 2537 Broadway, at 95th St.
5 p.m. $14; members, $10; senior/student, $12
The first documentary about folk music aficionado Alan Lomax in this series profiling the late activist and filmmaker.
212-864-5400
‘American Heiress’New York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West5 p.m. $38; members, $24
Join New Yorker staff writer Jeffrey Toobin and moderator David M. Rubenstein, philanthropist and co-CEO of The Carlyle Group, as they recount the kidnapping of Patty Hearst, heir to the Hearst family fortune.
212-485-9268
Mon 17
Abigail Washburn and Wu FeiSymphony Space, 2537 Broadway, at 95th St.
7:30 p.m. $25; members, $21; 30 and under, $20
Musicians Abigail Washburn and Wu Fei put on a cross-cultural show by performing traditional Chinese and Appalachian music.
212-864-5400
Parks and Environment Committee Meeting250 West 87th St., 2nd Floor
7-8 p.m. Free
The Central Park Conservancy will present improvement plans for landscape and perimeters, as well as path reconstruction at West 86th Street.
212-310-6600. www.nyc.gov/mcb7
Tue 18
Gotham JazzmenNew York Public Library for the Performing Arts, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza
Noon. Free
The Gotham Jazzmen group will perform a concert consisting of of traditional jazz.
917-275-6975
Jade ChangBarnes and Noble, 2289 Broadway, at 82nd St.
7 p.m. Free
Chang discusses her new book, ‘The Wangs vs. The World,’ a tale about an immigrant businessman who struggles in the midst of the financial crisis, despite building a cosmetics empire.
212-362-8835
Wed 19
Election 2016Pulitzer Hall, 1150 Amsterdam Ave.
6-8 p.m. Free
Columbia’s School of Professional Studies hosts a panel discussion, “Political Communication & Mediatization of the 2016 Campaign.” RSVP by Oct. 14
communications@sps.columbia.edu
CB7 Land Use Committee8-10 West 70th St.
8 p.m.
Congregation Shearith Israel will apply for an extension of time to finish construction to the Board of Standards and Appeals.
www.nyc.gov/html/mancb7