26 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY february 1-7, 2024 www.montereycountyweekly.com tem can impact them. It promises to be an enlightening, family-friendly affair. Refreshments are provided, but seating is limited, so best to arrive early. If that all sounds like your jam, waddle on down. [DS] 10:15am Saturday, Feb. 3. Carmel Valley Library, 65 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley. Free. 647-7760, catalog.emcfl.org. Live Out Loud National high school poetry recitation competition Poetry Out Loud begins in the classroom and ends, potentially, with a trip to Washington, D.C. This weekend marks the county-wide level of the competition, where students from Alisal High School, Everett Alvarez High School, Gonzales High School, Notre Dame High School, Rancho San Juan High School, Pacific Grove High School, Palma School, Salinas High School and York School all take the stage to compete in the art of spoken word. The winner goes on to compete at the state level. Poetry Out Loud was founded in 2005 and since then it has been held in high schools across the U.S., reaching over 4 million students. The Arts Council for Monterey County organizes the local edition, which you can attend in person (seating is limited, please RSVP) or via livestream. North Monterey County High student Karina Torres won the county competition in 2023; 2022’s winner, Mahi Shah of Notre Dame High School, is now Monterey County’s Youth Poet Laureate. [TCL] 1-2:30pm Saturday, Feb. 3. CSUMB Alumni & Visitors Center, 100 Campus Center, Seaside. Free. arts4mc.org/services/poetry-out-loud. Pastures of Music Local chamber orchestra Ensemble Monterey presents the second concert of its spring 2024 season this weekend and it’s a special one—the world premiere of a new work by composer John Wineglass. The composition, Pastures of Heaven, was inspired by John Steinbeck and created “to celebrate our musical future with a vision of a past hero.” The performance will combine the musical prowess and powers of Ensemble Monterey, Cantiamo! and the Cabrillo Youth Chorus. Go an hour early to hear notes from the conductor. [TCL] 7pm Saturday, Feb. 3. First Presbyterian Church of Monterey, 501 Eldorado St., Monterey. $48; $120 for season tickets. 3331283, ensemblemonterey.org. Tuesday, Feb. 6 Move It Maybe you’re one of those people who loves to dance. This workshop is for you. Maybe you’re one of those people who doesn’t love to dance, but knows you’re really just self-conscious about what it means to be good at dancing (hand raised). Dance and yoga instructor Karen Devaney invites you to rethink that framework, and cites the Zimbabwean proverb: “If you can talk you can sing, if you can walk you can dance.” This is a long way of saying, everyone is welcome to this African dance workshop with live drumming, with an invitation to move your body and enjoy movement. The energy flows here through drums and dance every Tuesday night. Bring a yoga mat for cooldown and stretching. [SR] 5:30-6:30pm Tuesdays, next session Feb. 6. Wave Street Studios, 774 Wave St., Monterey. $15. 717-7959, kdevaney.com. Hot Picks by Tajha Chappellet-Lanier, Dave Faries, Celia Jiménez, Pam Marino, Rey Mashayekhi, Agata Pop˛eda, Sara Rubin and David Schmalz. Send ideas to calendar@mcweekly.com HOT PICKS Friday, Feb. 2 Broad Comedy Ilana Glazer is a comedian who has something serious and pointed to say about politics that resonates with young audiences. In her first comedy special in 2020, The Planet is Burning, she declared that the government is on fire, and so is the planet. “And the mean dinosaurs in office just don’t seem to mind, no. I think they want us to die, because they’re about to die. That is the ultimate FOMO,” she joked. (That’s “fear of missing out” for any dinosaurs out there.) Glazer, who co-created with Abbi Jacobson the critically acclaimed comedy series Broad City, has put her convictions into action, co-founding the Generator Collective, a nonprofit group that promotes voting and getting involved in politics. In her stand-up, Glazer is unapologetic in taking on anti-semitism, homophobia and misogyny, so expect biting words with a comedic finish. Four years after her special, the world is still on fire during what will be a tumultuous election year—expect a very raw, real and funny set from Glazer, now on her winter and spring 2024 tour, for ages 15 and up. [PM] 8pm, Friday, Feb. 2. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. $38-$78. 6491070, goldenstatetheatre.com. Saturday, Feb. 3 A Wet World Wetlands are in many ways the heartbeat of our planet. These ecosystems might be less jaw-dropping than cliffs or beaches or rivers, but they are beautiful in their own quiet way. Besides aesthetics, they and are host to an incredible biodiversity of species, and play an important ecological role. They also play a cultural role as gathering places with an invitation for all people to access nature. And for World Wetlands Day, Watsonville Wetlands Watch invites everyone to celebrate wetlands and learn more. This family-friendly event includes learning opportunities, litter cleanup, live music, food and a chance to appreciate the beauty of this important place. [SR] 9:30am-1pm Saturday, Feb. 3. Struve Slough trail, 1912 Main St., Watsonville. Free. 7281156, watsonvillewetlandswatch.org. Birds on Ice Unless you’ve traveled to Antarctica or thereabouts, or perhaps SeaWorld San Diego, you’ve probably never seen an emperor penguin, except on a screen. Standing at over 3 feet tall and weighing in at up to nearly 100 pounds, they are a species befitting of their name: They are taller and heavier than all other types of penguins, and they’re the only penguin species that breed in the Antarctic winter—among all avian species, none can endure harsher conditions. Gitte McDonald, an ecologist at Moss Landing Marine Labs, is coming to the Carmel Valley Library to share what she knows about this majestic species, and not only their outsized impact on the ecosystem as apex predators, but how changes in the ecosysThe same themes you loved laughing about in Broad City appear in Ilana Glzaer’s standup comedy: partnership, menstruation, the patriarchy and smoking weed might all appear in her Feb. 2 show at Golden State Theatre. lev radin High school students are again invited to the Poetry Out Loud competition at the county-wide level. It’s also an opportunity for the public to hear the poetry and experience the stage presence of a rising generation. Jess Soriano
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