Calendar

GALLERY-GOING

LIT FROM WITHIN Ryan Foerster's exhibit at the Bortolami gallery concludes this week. The 25-year-old photographer's show consists of dimly lit images depicting his girlfriend, Julie, as in "Untitled (Julie Shower Curtain)" (2006–07), above. Despite the sparse light in Mr. Foerster's works, the photographs are luminous, often appearing to be lit primarily by Julie's milky-white complexion. Through Friday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Bortolami, 510 W. 25th St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 212-727-2050, free.

READINGS

MODERN HEROES The editors of "Who Can Save Us Now? Brand-New Superheroes and Their Amazing (Short) Stories" (Free Press), Owen King and John McNally, read from their new anthology at the McNally Jackson bookstore. With contributions from 22 writers, and illustrations by graphic artist Chris Burnham, a detail of whose work is shown at right, the collection introduces readers to some unlikely champions. The Meerkat overcomes his cute and cuddly image to fight evil, and the Silverfish puts his slippery identity to good use. Contributors Scott Snyder, Kelly Braffet, and Lauren Grodstein join Mr. McNally and Mr. King in the reading. Today, 7 p.m., McNally Jackson Booksellers, 52 Prince St., between Lafayette and Mulberry streets, 212-274-1160, free.

DANCE

REPLICATED Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet performs "The Copier," a dance-installation piece inspired by the concept of duplication. Choreographer Jill Johnson's new work is an interactive performance that integrates the audience, which remains standing throughout. The dance is set to original music by David Poe. Today through Friday, 7 and 8 p.m., Saturday, 2 and 3 p.m., Cedar Lake, 547 W. 26th St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 212-868-4444, $20.

POETRY IN MOTION A South India-born classical dancer, Mythili Prakash, performs a series of pieces titled "Kaavya: The Poetry of Dance." Trained by her mother, the renowned Indian choreographer Viji Prakash, Ms. Prakash dances the traditional Bharata Natyam, a spiritually inspired form that originated in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. She fuses the folk technique with the energy of modern performance art. Today, 9:30 p.m., Public Theater at Joe's Pub, 425 Lafayette St., between Astor Place and 4th Street, 212-539-8778, $15 cover plus a $12 food or drink minimum.

FILM

MEXICAN MEDLEY Socrates Sculpture Park hosts a south-of-the-border-themed evening of outdoor film, food, and live music. In "Duck Season" (2006), directed by the Mexican filmmaker Fernando Eimbcke, two 14-year-old boys, Flama and Moko, are enjoying an afternoon playing video games and eating junk food, when a visit from a pizza deliveryman and their 16-year-old neighbor, Rita, leads to an unexpected adventure. Before the film, the punk-fusion Mexican quintet Bachelor Sound Machín performs; the Astoria restaurant Mojave provides free samples. Today, concert, 7 p.m., screening, 8:15 p.m., Socrates Sculpture Park, 32-01 Vernon Blvd. at Broadway, Long Island City, Queens, 718-956-1819, free.

MUSIC

ADDIS TO THE ATLANTIC The musical collective Extra Golden combines the percussive rhythms of Kenyan benga music with the driving grooves of American rock. The band performs today as part of Lincoln Center's Out of Doors festival, a series of free programs at Damrosch Park. Also on the lineup is an Ethiopian musician known for his funk-based beats, Mahmoud Ahmed; a singer often described as the "Ethiopian James Brown," Alèmayèhu Eshèté, and the 10-piece Either/Orchestra, which formed in Ethiopa's capital, Addis Ababa, in 2004. The concert concludes with a performance by the Ethiopian saxophonist Gétatchèw Mèkurya, who plays with the avant-punk Dutch band the Ex. Today, 6 p.m., Lincoln Center Plaza, Damrosch Park, 62nd Street, between Columbus and Amsterdam avenues, 212-721-6500, free.

READINGS

MAD SCIENTIST Author Samantha Hunt reads from her novel "The Invention of Everything Else" (Houghton Mifflin), a fictional take on the life of the Serbian scientist Nikola Tesla, best known for his contributions in the fields of electricity and magnetism in the 19th and 20th centuries. In Ms. Hunt's tale, the eccentric 86-year-old inventor is living out his last days in 1943 at the New Yorker Hotel. Tesla communes with pigeons, chats with Mark Twain's ghost, and befriends a hotel chambermaid, whose father seeks a time machine, an invention he believes will allow him to visit with his dead wife. Today, 12:30 p.m., Library of the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen, 20 W. 44th St., 5TH Fl., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-840-1840, free.

FORTUNE TELLER Journalist Jennifer 8. Lee reads from "The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food" (Twelve), in which she traces the origins of the popular after-dinner treat. Ms. Lee explores the Chinese cuisine of American takeout delivery and interviews some of the people who prepare it, a mission that took her to six continents, 40,000 restaurants, and almost all 50 states. Among the stops on her journey was the hometown of General Tso, a military hero whose name has become synonymous with the flavorful, crunchy chicken dish. Today, noon, James Beard House, 167 W. 12th St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues, 212-675-4984, free.

To submit an event for consideration for the Calendar, please wire the particulars to calendar@nysun.com, placing the date of the event in the subject line.

To submit an event for consideration for the Calendar, please wire the particulars to calendar@nysun.com, placing the date of the event in the subject line.