Calendar

READINGS

DUTY-BOUND Author Robert Ellsberg, right, discusses his book "The Duty of Delight: The Diaries of Dorothy Day" (Marquette) at the Museum of the City of New York. Mr. Ellsberg was a close associate of Day's during the final years of her life. He is also the editor of a book of her selected writings, "By Little and By Little" (Random House). In the new collection, he examines Day's personal accounts of founding the Catholic Worker Movement and of her tireless efforts defending the homeless. Her diaries, which she maintained from 1934 until a few days before her death in 1980, were sealed for 25 years after her death. Reservations are required. Tomorrow, 6:30 p.m., Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave. at 103rd Street, 212-534-1672, ext. 3395, $9.

MUSEUMS

FORM OF FLATTERY "Pipe, Glass, Bottle of Rum: The Art of Appropriation," an exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art, gets its name from a 1914 collage by Pablo Picasso in which the artist incorporated pieces of newspaper. By the 1960s, artists such as Roy Lichtenstein and Sherrie Levine were mining pop-culture imagery in creating their works. The pieces in the MoMA show "reflect the countless ways that later artists have commandeered and recontextualized images and materials," John Goodrich wrote in the August 14 New York Sun. Richard Hamilton replicates written works with a playful spin in "Untitled (Design for Collected Words)" (1982), above. Through Monday, November 10, summer hours through August 31: Saturday–Monday, Wednesday–Thursday, 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Friday, 9:30 a.m.–8 p.m., MoMA, 11 W. 53rd St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-708-9400, $20 general, $16 seniors, $12 students, free for members and children younger than 16.

DANCE

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT The Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company observes its 10th anniversary with a free performance of "Encore," a program-length piece meant to look like a rehearsal for a suite of dances set to jazz and popular music. The founder and director of the company, Mr. Gwirtzman, also dances in the piece. Today, 6:30 p.m., New York City Center, 130 W. 56th St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues, 212-543-1367, free.

FAMILY

BLESS THIS MESS Children are encouraged, for once, to get down and dirty at Slime Fest, held at Dugan Playground in Staten Island. An egg toss, slimeball pitching, pie-eating contests, and a baked-bean relay are all part of the lineup of messy activities geared toward youngsters. (Extra clothes and napkins are optional.) Tomorrow, noon-3 p.m., Dugan Playground, Mill Road at Tysens Lane, Staten Island, free. For complete information, go to nycgovparks.org.

MUSIC

THE LOVELY TONES Vocalist Amel Larrieux gives a concert at the Blue Note, performing songs from her most recent release, an all-jazz record titled "Lovely Standards." Since parting from the hip-hop/R&B duo Groove Theory in 2001, Ms. Larrieux has released four solo albums. Her cover of "Where Is the Love," originally recorded by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, earned her a Grammy nomination in 2003. Reservations are recommended. Today, 8 and 10:30 p.m., Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St., between MacDougal Street and Sixth Avenue, 212-475-8592, $20-$35.

CAPTAIN'S COMEBACK VibraphonistTeddy Charles performs with his quintet at the Iridium Jazz Club. Mr. Charles is known for his skill on the vibraphone and his collaborations with the legendary bassist Charles Mingus, and pianist Hall Overton, which produced the 1956 album "A Word From Bird." He returns to the jazz scene after several decades spent as a charter sailing captain in the Caribbean. Tomorrow-Sunday, 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., Iridium Jazz Club, 1650 Broadway at 51st Street, 212-582-2121, $30.

READINGS

SOUTHERN TALES The editor of "New Stories from the South: The Year's Best," fiction writer ZZ Packer, discusses the 2008 edition of the Algonquin anthology series. This installment of 20 stories representing voices originating from below the Mason-Dixon Line includes pieces by established authors such as Ron Rash and Clyde Edgerton, as well as emerging writers Kevin Brockmeier and Holly Goddard Jones. Ms. Packer is the author of the short-story collection "Drinking Coffee Elsewhere" (Riverhead). Tomorrow, 7 p.m., Housing Works Bookstore Café, 126 Crosby St., between Houston and Prince streets, 212-334-3324, $5.

STORY TIME Contributors to a new literary journal, Storyscape, celebrate the publication of the second issue with a storytelling session at Cakeshop. A short-fiction writer, Michael Hyde, reads a tale. Other participants include journalist Ryan Scammell, artist Chris Haske, and poets Hossannah Asuncion and Amber Boardman. Today, 7 p.m., Cakeshop, 152 Ludlow St., between Rivington and Stanton streets, 212-253-0036, free.

TALKS

'THE PEOPLE'S ACTOR' The Korea Society presents a discussion with a veteran Korean actor, Ahn Sung-ki, who talks about his life and wide-ranging career in the Korean cinema. Mr. Ahn has appeared in numerous films, including "North Korea's Southern Army" (1990), "Two Cops" (1993), and "Nowhere to Hide" (1999). A professor of comparative literature at the University of Georgia, Hyang-Soon Yi, is moderator of the discussion, which is presented in conjunction with the 2008 New York Korean Film Festival. Today, 6 p.m., Korea Society, 950 Third Ave., 8th Fl., at 57th Street, 212-759-7525, $15-$20 general, $10-$15 for members and students.

KEEPING SCORE Among the earliest baseball journalists, Henry Chadwick rose to prominence in the 19th century, designing innovative score-keeping practices and statistics methods. Andrew Schiff's new biography of Chadwick, "The Father of Baseball," traces the Hall of Famer's career and enduring contributions to the sport. Today, 6:30 p.m., Mid-Manhattan Library, 455 Fifth Ave. at 40th Street, 212-340-0863, free.

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