ART

IN STITCHES Artist Darrel Morris was introduced to quilting and embroidery while growing up in rural Kentucky. There, handicrafts were a hobby, not an art. Now a professor in Chicago, Mr. Morris creates small-scale textile works depicting scenes with men and boys – in one piece, an elderly fast-food worker straightens an order of fries, and in another, an older man fixes a young boy’s necktie. Mr. Morris first embroiders the image and then appliques the piece onto fabric cut from clothing.

Through Saturday, December 4, Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Lyonswier Gallery, 511 W. 25th St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, no. 205, 212-242-6220, free.

BENEFITS

PARTY PARTY An art auction and dinner honors artist and National Academy board member Sharon Korman. On the auction block are works by Wolf Kahn, Richard Estes, and Ms. Korman herself. Proceeds benefit the National Academy School of Fine Arts. Tonight, 6 p.m. cocktails, 7:30 p.m. dinner and live auction, 8:30 p.m. silent auction, 212-369-4880 ext. 202, $300-$1,000 general, $100-$300 for dessert and silent auction (arrival after 8:30 p.m.).

RIVER BANK Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dan Akroyd host a photography auction that benefits Riverkeeper, an environmental nonprofit that focuses on the Hudson River. Photographs by Annie Leibovitz, Steven Meisel, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Joel Grey, and Jacques Lowe are on the block. Tomorrow, 6:30 p.m. light supper and silent auction, 9 p.m. live auction, Boylan Studios, 601 W. 26th St., between Eleventh and Twelfth avenues, 14th floor, 845-424-4149 ext. 243, $100.

BOOKS

SMARTT TALK Madison Smartt Bell reads from the conclusion to his Toussaint Louverture trilogy, “The Stone That the Builder Refused” (Pantheon). The historical fiction series is about the leader of a successful slave revolution in Haiti.

Tonight, 7 p.m., Barnes & Noble Chelsea, 675 Sixth Ave. at 21st Street, 212-727-1227, free.

BUSHELS OF BOOKS Thousands of books are sold at half-price at a fair benefiting the Goddard Riverside Community Center. The event opens with a gala Book Bash, with food provided by Ouest and Ruby Foo’s, a live auction, and an early chance to gobble up the books for sale. Gala: Friday, 6-9 p.m., $125 in advance, $150 at the door, juniors (under 40) $75 in advance, $85 at the door. Sale: Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday, noon-5 p.m., Goddard Riverside Community Center, 593 Columbus Ave. at 88th Street, 212-873-4448, $5 general, $2 children.

COMEDY

CANDY MAN John Flynn’s new show “Themepark Superstar” tells the story of an earnest actor’s summer spent performing in the “rock” show at Hershey Park, in Pennsylvania. Mondays, tonight through December 27, 8 p.m., Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, 307 W. 26th St. at Eighth Avenue, 212-366-9176, $5.

KING OF COMEDY Catskills comic Freddie Roman and comedian Judy Gold discuss Alan King’s influence on American comedy. The tribute includes clips from King’s performances on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Tonight, 8:15 p.m., 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave. at 92nd Street, 212-415-5500, $25.

FILM

MUCH JARMUSCH Highlights of a retrospective of the work of independent director Jim Jarmusch include the 1989 Memphis drama “Mystery Train” (today, 4:30, 6:50, and 9:30 p.m.); “The Year of the Horse,” a 1997 documentary about Neil Young and Crazy Horse that was shot on 8mm film (Thursday, 7:30 p.m.), and the 1999 Forest Whitaker vehicle “Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai” (Friday, 2, 4:30, 6:45, and 9:15 p.m.). Festival: Through Friday, times vary, BAM Rose Cinemas, 30 Lafayette Ave., between St. Felix Street and Ashland Place, Brooklyn, 718-636-4100, $10 general, $7 students on Monday-Thursday, $6 members, seniors, and children under 12.

FOOD & DRINK

NOUVEAU RICHE The brand-new Georges DeBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau is debuted in high style at a dinner created by the executive chef of Payard Bistro & Patisserie, Philippe Bertineau. The menu includes braised short ribs, escargot, ice cream with a Beaujolais reduction sauce, and all-you-can-drink Beaujolais Nouveau. Beaujolais Nouveau, the first wine of every vintage from the Beaujolais region, is mandated by French law not to appear before midnight on the third Thursday of November. Thursday, 5:45-10:30 p.m., Payard Bistro & Patisserie, 1032 Lexington Ave. at 74th Street, 212-717-5252, $55 prix-fixe meal, $25 meal at bar also available.

MUSIC

NEAPOLITAN NIGHTS A recital of Neapolitan songs from the 1940s and ’50s features tenor Antonio Guarna and pianist Antonio Esposito. Also at NYU’s Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo this week is the opening of a series of screening of films by Neapolitan directors. Recitals: Tonight and tomorrow, 5:30 entrance for members, 5:45 general seating, 6 p.m. performance. Film series opening night: Thursday, 6 p.m. All events: NYU Casa 968 1673 1049 1683Italiana Zerilli-Marimo, 24 W. 12th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-998-8730, free.

GREAT TIME Lincoln Center’s “Great Performers” series opens its eighth season of “What Makes it Great” sessions with a program focusing on vocal works. Baritone Christopheren Nomura joins series host Rob Kapilow for an exploration of Brahms, Wolf, and Mahler that includes discussion, performance, and audience participation. Tonight, 7:30 p.m., Lincoln Center, Walter Reade Theater, 65th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, 212-721-6500, $30.

MOVEABLE FEAST The popular city-news Web site Gothamist.com inaugurates its events series with a concert titled “Moveable Hype.” The bands Asobi Seksu and Snowden are among the performers. The hipster princesses known as the Tarts of Pleasure serve as DJs – Spin magazine’s Ultragrrrl, aka Sarah Lewitinn, is one-half of the group. Tomorrow, 7 p.m. doors open, 8 p.m. concert, Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard St., between Church Street and Broadway, 212-219-3132, $12 in advance, $10 at the door.

GREEK MYSTIQUE The New York Festival of Song presents “From the Grecian Isles,” a program of scenes and verses inspired by Greek mythology and poetry. The concert includes John Musto’s song cycle “Penelope,” Karl Loewe’s “An Sich Selbst” sung in both German and Greek, and works by Schubert, Ravel, Spathy, and Tsitsanis. Wednesday, 8 p.m., Merkin Concert Hall, 129 W. 67th St., between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, 212-501-3330, $45 general, $35 seniors, $22.50 for students a half-hour before show time.

PARTY

RIDICULOUS RELATIONSHIPS The Jewish Art, Music Association for Singles invites singletons to tell stories about “My Most Ridiculous Date.” After story-telling prizes are awarded, audience members mingle and meet – with the hope of creating a “my best date” story. Wednesday, 7 p.m., Madison Jewish Center, 2989 Nostrand Ave. at Avenue P, Brooklyn, 718-258-6140, $20, reservations requested.

SPELLING

MEN OF LETTERS Wordsmiths participate in a spelling bee that benefits the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses. Spellers include Jonathan Ames, James Frey, Myla Goldberg (author of “Bee Season,” a novel about spelling bees), Adam Haslett, Tama Janowitz, Heidi Julavits, and Francine Prose. The principal editor for the Oxford English Dictionary, Jesse Sheidlower, serves as judge. Tonight, 7 p.m., NYU Bobst Library, 70 Washington Square South, between Washington Square East and La Guardia Place, 212-741-9110 ext. 16, $75.

TALKS

COVERING IRAQ A discussion about Iraq and the press includes the editor of the Weekly Standard, William Kristol, cultural critic Edward Rothstein, and the Nation Institute’s Jonathan Schell. The president of the New School, Robert Kerrey, moderates. Tomorrow, 6 p.m., the New School, Theresa Lang Community and Student Center, 55 W. 13th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, second floor, 212-229-5353, free.

SNOW MAN The Weather Channel’s snow expert, Paul Kocin, talks about historical trends in New York City snowfall in a presentation that includes some rarely seen photos of Gotham winter storms. Tomorrow, 6:30 p.m., CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Ave. at 34th Street, 212-817-8215, $15.

THEATER

HISTORY’S MISTRESSES Artists Without Limits Project presents two staged readings of “The Mistress Cycle,” a new musical by Jenny Giering and Beth Blatt. The work tells the interlocking stories of five women from different historical periods who are involved with married men. Broadway actresses including Rebecca Luker and Stephanie Bast lend their talents. Today, 4 and 7 p.m., tomorrow, 3 p.m., Theatre at St. Clement’s, 423 W. 46th St., between Ninth and Tenth avenues, 212-591-0705, free, reservations required.

FEAR OF FEMALES Ken Urban’s new play “The Female Terrorist Project” takes place in a futuristic America where bombings and kidnappings are daily occurrences. The drama follows a historian who meets a mysterious woman while working on a chronicle of female terrorists. Laramie Dennis directs the Committee production. A benefit performance is followed by a reception (tonight, 8 p.m., $30). Play runs through Saturday, Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m., the Chocolate Factory, 5-49 49th Ave., Long Island City, Queens, 718-482-7069, $15.

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.