The daily digest of Twin Cities culture | Secrets of the City

10,000 Arts Party

Join us this evening for a highly charged 10,000 Arts Party at The Bakken Museum. This electric event features the music of Bella Koshka and performances of Mary Shelley Finding Frankenstein by the Bakken Science Theatre. You'd think that'd be enough, but not even close! Tonight's event also features Four Seasons Dance, Live Action Set, Minnesota School of Botanical Art, The Bakken's Amber Jewelry Collection, Ear Things by Laura, Lowell Lundeen Jewelry, Lightening Photo Exhibit by Photopixels, Recycled Art by House of Balls, and a projected art show of MNartists' work by Clement Shimizu. Plus, enjoy beverage sampling and featured appetizers by Simon Delivers' local favorites.

6-9:30 p.m., The Bakken Museum, 3527 Zenith Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-926-3878.

THEATER & PERFORMANCE
Melancholy Play

You heard it here first, folks: Sarah Ruhl is the hottest contemporary playwright in the country right now, and her work is particularly popular in Minneapolis. While Ruhl’s The Clean House continues at Mixed Blood (through November 18), 3 Sticks, a gem of a troupe, takes on Ruhl’s remarkable Melancholy Play. (There’s more on the horizon, including Ten Thousand Things’ production of Ruhl’s Eurydicein February.) This contemporary farce concerns Ruhl’s distinction between depression and melancholy—the latter, she postures, can be a beautiful, even healthy, thing—but that’s not to say this is heavy material. After all, one character is so melancholic she turns into an almond. And the almond, as Ruhl writes in her notes for the play, is shaped the very same as the amygdala, the part of the human brain that processes emotion. —Christy DeSmith

7 p.m., Bryant Lake Bowl Theater, 810 W. Lake St., Minneapolis; 612-825-8949; $12-$15.

BOOKS & AUTHORS
Loft Instructors Read from Their Work

There's nothing quite so rewarding as hearing an author read his/her own work. Good or bad — the author's own rendition opens a new avenue for interpretation, and a very important one at that. Granted, I've heard my fair share of wretched readings in the past, suprising ones that blare out the distinction between pen and tongue, that remind us that writing is something to be done in silence. But somehow I highly doubt that's what is in store for us this evening as Loft instructors Cindra Halm and Carol Pearce Bjorlie share their work and show us how it's done. Surely Halm creates her poetry in a space between pen and tongue, the birthplace of sound and rhythm. And surely Bjorlie... surely Bjorlie... (Sorry, but it sounds so beautiful. See. Words do sound.) Surely Bjorlie can sing her poetry as masterfully as she plays that cello. “As a musician, I listen with every fiber of my being," claims Bjorlie. "As a writer, I listen for the 'still small voice' inside.” Tonight, we have a rare opportunity hear that 'still small voice' ourselves.

7 p.m., The Loft Literary Center, 1011 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-215-2575.

Protect and Defend

If you prefer a good political thriller over poetry, you might want to head out to Galleria this evening to meet New York Times bestselling author Vince Flynn. His latest novel, Protect and Defend, begins in the heart of Iran, where billions of dollars are being spent on the development of a nuclear program. As you can imagine, all hell breaks loose. Israel attacks. Iran cries out for blood. U.S. counterintelligence steps in — of course. And the threat of war ensues. How will Mitch Rapp save the day this time?

7:30 p.m., Barnes & Noble Booksellers Galleria, 3225 W. 69th St., Edina; 952-920-0633; free.

FILM
Perestroika

I have to admit (and please don't be offended by this), my favorite all-time movie line is from Slava Tsuckerman's Liquid Sky: "I kill with my [female body part]." (You figure it out.) It's no wonder his sci-fi heroin film became a cult classic. But tonight you can catch a different side of Tsuckerman, perhaps a more mature side at this point, in a test-screening — the first showing ever — of his new film Perestroika. The film, currently being prepared for the 2008 Berlin Film Festival stars the great F. Murray Abraham (Salieri from Amadeus, a role that won him the Oscar), Ally Sheedy and Sam Robards.

7:30 p.m., Oak Street Cinema, 309 Oak St. S.E., Minneapolis; $8 (students $6, members/seniors $5).

STYLE AND MORE
The Vengeful Virgin

“Low-cut gowns.” That’s all my boyfriend had to read (in the ad copy) before agreeing to accompany me to RetroRama, the Minnesota Historical Society’s celebration of ’50s pulp. Does Minnesota have a particular connection to pulp, other than the impressive collection of titles now residing in the dusty basements of a few area bookstores? I guess we’ll soon find out. As for me, I’ve found inspiration in a few of Gil Brewer’s titles: Satan Is a Woman, Backwoods Tease, Nude on Thin Ice, and, of course, The Vengeful Virgin. Not to be a dead giveaway, but I’ll be there with my trusty sidekick, monsieur Elph, so as to keep all eyes on the glorious cleavage—plus, with any luck, a few dozen sweater girls, ruby-red lipstick, sparkling jewels, and at least one stiletto through some sucker’s heart. The fellas are supposed to wear fedoras and blah blah blah … There’ll also be dancing and a performance by the Lit 6 Project. For tips on what to wear, visit the Historical Society’s handy, little tutorial (halfway down the page). —Christy DeSmith

7 to 11 p.m., Minnesota History Center, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul; 651-259-3000; $15, MHS members $12.