ART

WAR STORIES Photojournalist Lori Grinker reads from her collection “Afterwar” (de.MO), which includes portraits and stories of veterans from conflicts all over the world. An exhibit of the same name is on view at Nailya Alexander Gallery through March 26. Friday, 6-8 p.m., Nailya Alexander Gallery, 24 W. 57th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-315-2111, free.

COFFEE AND OATMAN ZieherSmith gallery will open early Saturday during the final weekend of Michael Oatman’s installation “Conservatory.” Guests can enjoy coffee, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and a last chance view of Mr. Oatman’s working greenhouse hung with police mugshots from the turn of the century. Saturday, 9 a.m., ZieherSmith, 531 W. 25th St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 212-229-1088, free.

DEEP FREEZE Tony Stanzione’s site-specific sculpture “Cold Storage” consists of stacked steel bunk beds, bedpans, and pillows made of ice. Over the course of the exhibit, which closes Monday, water that corresponds to the temperature outside will freeze as it runs over the 15-foot-tall structure. Through Monday, noon-6 p.m., Black & White Gallery, 483 Driggs Ave., between N. 9th and N. 10th streets, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 718-599-8775, free.

BENEFIT

STYLE AND SAVVY Fashion designer Betsey Johnson is honored for her business acumen at a benefit for the New York City chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners. Her daughter (and fellow designer), Lulu, presents the honor at the gala “Signature Awards” dinner. Tuesday, 6-9:30 p.m., Tavern on the Green, Central Park West and 67th Street, 212-400-1170, $250 general, $165 members.

BOOKS

NO WONDERLAND WNYC’s Leonard Lopate interviews Brooklyn writer Lisa Dierbeck after she reads from her novel “One Pill Makes You Smaller” (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). The book’s protagonist, Alice Duncan, is 11 years old, speeding through puberty without stable parents to guide her. Trouble arises when she’s sent to an art camp where she encounters snooty twin sisters – Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee from “Alice in Wonderland.” A grinning seducer resembles the Cheshire Cat in human form. Saturday, 2 p.m., Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library, Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, 718-230-2100, free.

EMBARASSING POSITION Novelist Meg Wolitzer reads from her latest, “The Position” (Scribner), about suburban parents who write a surprise best-selling sex guide in the 1970s. Their four children are mortified – especially since it’s illustrated. Ms. Wolitzer is joined by Lauren Sanders, who reads from her novel “With or Without You” (Akashic). Sunday, 7-9 p.m., KGB Bar, 7-9 p.m., KGB Bar, 85 E. 4th St. at Second Avenue, 212-505-3360, free.

COMEDY

INDIAN STAND-UP The Indian Comedy Fest features stand-up comedians Ajay Bhai, Amod Vaze, Aziz Ansari, and others. The event is hosted by Rahul Siddharth. Saturday, 8:30 p.m., Don’t Tell Mama, 343 W. 46th St., between Eighth and Ninth avenues, 212-757-0788, $10 and two-drink minimum.

DANCE

AFTER BALANCHINE Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride discuss their partnership as dancers and choreographers, and their ties to George Balanchine, as part of the Guggenheim’s “Works in Process” series. The pair danced together at the New York City Ballet and currently serve as artistic directors of North Carolina Dance Theatre. At the talk, North Carolina dancers perform excerpts from Balanchine’s “Agon,” Alonzo King’s “Map,” and a work by Mr. Bonnefoux. Sunday and Monday, 8 p.m., Guggenheim Museum, 1079 Fifth Ave. at 89th Street, 212-423-3587, $20 general, $15 seniors, students, and members.

FAMILY

NOBEL CURVE An exhibit opening this weekend celebrates the Nobel Prize’s centennial. “Cultures of Creativity,” which includes short films about 32 Nobel laureates, examines the “impetus behind creative genius.” Saturday through May 30, Monday-Thursday, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m., Friday, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., New York Hall of Science, 47-01 111th St., between Roosevelt Avenue and the Long Island Expressway, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, 718-699-0005, $11 general, $8 seniors and children under 17.

MINI MOVIES The BAMkids Film Festival screens 50 films from 20 countries, with music and face-painting in the lobby. Children can vote on their favorite films, with winners receiving a “BAMmie” award. Highlights: the New York premiere of “Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back,” an animated short film based on a Shel Silverstein story (Saturday and Sunday, 3:15 p.m., ages 8 to 13); “Taina: A New Amazon Adventure,” a live-action feature from Brazil about a young girl who rescues a rain forest (Saturday and Sunday, noon, ages 7 to 12, in Portuguese with English subtitles and actors narrating in English), and “Please, Baby, Please,” a one-minute animated short narrated by Spike Lee in a program for very young children (Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. and 12:15 p.m., ages 2 to 5). Saturday and Sunday, BAM Rose Cinemas, Peter Jay Sharp Building, 30 Lafayette Avenue at Ashland Place, Brooklyn, 718-636-4100, $10 general each screening, $7 children 13 and under, $6 members. Please go to www.bam.org for full schedule.

ERIN GO BROOKLYN An afternoon celebration of “Pipes & Potatoes” celebrates Brooklyn’s Irish immigrant farmers and looks forward to St. Patrick’s Day. Families can enjoy bagpipe music, help make potato soup, and watch Irish linen being spun. Saturday, noon-4 p.m., Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum, 5816 Clarendon Road, Brooklyn, 718-629-5400, free. Note: The rain date is Sunday.

TALL ORDER The Shinbone Alley Stilt Band performs a concert that incorporates juggling, acrobatics, and stilt walking. Sunday, 1:30 and 3 p.m., Brooklyn Children’s Museum, 145 Brooklyn Ave. at St. Mark’s Avenue, 718-735-4400, $4 general, free for members.

SOUTH-ASIAN SELECTIONS The Queens Museum of Art presents “South Asian Family Day,” with young performers from the Omna Ancient Art and Abha B. Roy dance schools. Families can participate in drop-in art workshops throughout the day. Sunday, 3-5 p.m., Queens Museum of Art, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, 718-592-9700, $5 suggested general, $2.50 suggested children and seniors, free for members and children under 5.

FILM

DESERT FRIENDS Israeli director Avi Nesher talks about his movie “Turn Left at the End of World,” after a screening that kicks off the “Women’s Places” series of new films from the Middle East. The film follows two teenagers, one Indian and one Moroccan-Jewish, who become friends in a desert settlement during the 1960s. “Turn Left”: Saturday, 2 p.m. Series: Saturday through Sunday, March 27, Museum of the Moving Image, 35th Avenue at 36th Street, Astoria, Queens, 718-784-0077, $10 general, $7.50 seniors and students, free for members.

BLACK-AND-WHITE PIRATE Douglas Fairbanks stars in the swashbuckling adventure “The Black Pirate” (1926), which is screened this weekend at Town Hall. The Alloy Orchestra provides live accompaniment to the tale of revenge and piracy. The screening is part of the “Before Talkies Silent Film Series.” Sunday, 2 p.m., Town Hall, 123 W. 43rd St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues 212-940-2824, $15 general, $12 children under 12.

INDEED, WHAT IS IT? Crispin Hellion Glover’s film “What Is It?” is screened this weekend as part of the New York Underground Film Festival. Mr. Glover has been working on the film for 10 years. It’s about a young man interested primarily in “snails, salt, a pipe, and how to get home.” He’s also dominated by a racist psyche played by the director. Mr. Glover is best known sans middle name, as the offbeat actor who played George McFly in “Back to the Future.” Sunday, 8:45 p.m., Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Ave., between 1st and 2nd streets, 212-505-5181, $8.50, ages 18 and older.

NEW ‘KING’ Yul Brenner’s bald pate shines even brighter in a newly restored print of “The King and I” (1956). Marni Nixon, who provided vocals for Deborah Kerr in the film, is scheduled to attend the screening; she can also be heard (but not seen) in “West Side Story” and “My Fair Lady.” The Oscar-winning film is screened next week by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Monday, 7:30 p.m., Lighthouse International, Academy Theater, 111 E. 59th St., between Park and Lexington avenues, 888-778-7575, $5 general, $3 students and members.

FOOD & DRINK

GRAPE NUTS Wine Rave NYC lets wannabe oenophiles sip in a relaxed environment. More than 200 vintages are available, with drop-in seminars and food tastings. Friday, 5 p.m. open to VIPs, 6-10 p.m. general, Saturday, 3-10 p.m., Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W. 18th St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues, 212-352-9900 , $48 general, $80 VIP tickets.

PEA BRAINS A hummus taste-off asks, “Who’s got the best chickpeas in Manhattan?” Competitors include the Upper West Side’s Darna, the East Village’s Chickpea, and Soho’s Hoomos Asli. The audience will anoint a “People’s Choice” winner and expert judges will crown one restaurant “Chumus King.” (No matter how it’s spelled, it will be a tasty afternoon.) Sunday, 1 p.m., JCC in Manhattan, 334 Amsterdam Ave. at 76th Street, 646-505-4444, free.

GARDENING

GROWING GREENER The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is the setting for a daylong series of workshops on urban horticulture and community gardening. There are workshops on mixing edibles and ornamentals, incorporating compost, caring for street trees, and gardening with children. Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 900 Washington Ave., near Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, 718-623-7200 for directions, 718-623-7250 for other information, free, registration is required for workshops, early arrival suggested. Please go to www.bbg.org for details and flier that allows free admission.

MUSIC

SWEET TREATS The Bowery Ballroom presents a tasty twin bill: Licorice, a Brooklyn quartet, opens for the funk jam band Deep Banana Blackout. Yum! (Saturday, 8 p.m., Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey St. at the Bowery, 212-533-2111, $20 in advance, $22 at the door, ages 18 and over.) In other banana news, the musical/theater/acrobatics show “Planet Banana” kicks off next week. Subtitled “A Rock ‘n’ Roll Love Story,” every show ends with banana cocktails and a dance party (Friday, March 18 through Saturday, May 7, Thursday and Saturday, 8 p.m., Friday, 8 and 10 p.m., Ars Nova Theater, 511 W. 54th St., between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, 212-868-4444, $20).

SACRED SONGS William Byrd’s “Great Service,” a piece of Anglican church music, is the centerpiece of a concert copresented by Columbia’s Miller Theatre and Music at Riverside. George Steel conducts the Vox Vocal Ensemble at the early music concert, which includes works by Thomas Tallis and John Sheppard. Saturday, 8 p.m., Riverside Church Nave, 120th Street and Riverside Drive, 212-854-7799, $35 general, $21 students.

LOTS OF LIONEL Downtown performer Neal Medlyn performs his new Lionel Richie opera, composed entirely of songs from Mr. Richie’s greatest hits album, “Back to Front.” The “epic and tragic” tale sprung from Mr. Medlyn’s love of Mr. Richie and of “the photos I see from operas in the newspaper.” The performance is an installment of Mr. Medlyn’s weekly show at an East Side lounge. Sunday, 9 p.m., Apocalypse Lounge, 189 E. 3rd St., between avenues A and B, 212-228-4811, free but tips accepted.

READINGS

TWO BY ‘ONE’ One Story magazine, which every three weeks or so publishes a single piece of fiction, presents a reading by contributors David Lawrence Morse (issue no. 43) and Rattawut Lapcharoensap (issue no. 46). Friday, 7 p.m., Pianos, 158 Ludlow St. at Stanton Street, 212-505-3733, free.

RELIGIOUS EFFECTS Writers Dennis Di-Claudio, Lacy Schutz, and Jonathan Dixon read stories about religious experiences and how faith affected their childhoods. Sunday, 7:30 p.m., Magnetic Field, 97 Atlantic Ave., between Henry and Hicks streets, Brooklyn, 718-834-0069, free.

TALKS

SURREAL SEMINAR A seminar explores the National Academy Museum’s “Surrealism USA” exhibit. Participants include art historians Martica Sawin, Donald Kuspit, and Angela Miller. Saturday, 1-4:30 p.m., National Academy Museum, 1083 Fifth Ave., between 89th and 90th streets, 212-369-4880 ext. 225, reservations required.

THEATER

STRANGE SUBURBIA Aliens serve as the Greek chorus in Constance Congdon’s comedy “Tales of the Lost Formicans,” which closes this weekend. It’s the story of a woman who leaves New York to live in the suburbs, where she encounters a strange batch of characters. Sharon Fogarty directs the Atolas Theatre Company production. Through Sunday, Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m., Sunday, 2 p.m., Greenwich Street Theatre, 547 Greenwich St., between Charlton and Vandam streets, 212-868-4444, $15.

METAMORPHOSIS In Keith Jarrow’s rock musical “Gorilla Man,” a 14-year-old wakes up one morning to discover that fur has sprouted on the backs of his hands. As he sets out to find his father, the mysterious Gorilla Man, the play makes the indisputable case that “Puberty is hard enough without the insatiable thirst for blood.” Mr. Jarrow, who plays the piano during performances, also penned last year’s Obie Award-winner “A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant.” Habib Azar directs. “Gorilla Man” runs in repertory with Yo u n g Jean Lee ‘s “Pullman, WA.” Through Sunday, March 27, Thursday-Saturday, 9 p.m., Sunday, 7 p.m., P.S. 122, 150 First Ave., 212-477-5288, $15 one show, $25 both shows.

ALL THAT CAZ The theater company Happy Accidents begins work on its plays by creating characters based on people its members know personally. Actors develop the characters, who then “meet” in a series of improvisations that become the basis for the scripted play. The new production “Caz Dies Alone” is about a poet, a cameraman, and a dancer who are roommates that don’t get along. Previews: Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m., Sunday, 3 p.m. Opening: Wednesday, 8 p.m. Runs: Through Saturday, March 26, Wednesday-Friday, 8 p.m., Saturday, 3 and 8 p.m., Sunday, 3 p.m., Abington Theatre Complex, Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th St. at Eighth Avenue, 212-561-0508, $15.

TOURS

EAST NEW YORK A Municipal Art Society tour explores the tough Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York. Urban planner Laurence Frommer leads the walk, which explores local development initiatives, the area’s history of low-income housing design, and its future. Saturday, 1 p.m., meet at LIRR ticket booth at Atlantic Avenue and Van Sinderen Avenue, one block south of the Broadway Junction/East New York subway stop, Brooklyn, 212-935-3960, $15 general, $12 members.

IRISH HISTORY A stroll led by Bowery and Canal Walking Tours explores the Irish history of the Five Points. Sunday, 2 p.m., meet at City Hall Park gates, Broadway and Park Row, 212-979-8013, $12 general, $10 seniors and students.

PHOTOGRAPHY

DREAMS COME TRUE Korean artist Yeondoo Jung acquired more than 1,000 drawings from children ages 5 to 7 while conducting art workshops for kindergarteners last year. For the series “Wonderland” he transformed 17 of their crayon drawings into dynamic color photographs. High-school students pose as characters the children drew, and designers helped construct the costumes, props, and settings specified in each picture. Reprints of the original children’s drawings are displayed next to Mr. Jung’s meticulous photographs at Tina Kim Fine Art. His photographs are sweetly precise recreations of the childrens’ drawings: No strange detail is written off as a slip of the crayon. Thus flowers can be twice as tall as humans, waves can be multicolored, and a magician hovers on a broomstick gazing at a high-rise cake display. At left is “Wanna Be – Singer” (2004) and below is the child’s drawing on which it was based. “At this age,” Mr. Jung says, children’s imaginations “are beyond those conceived of by adults.” Through Friday, April 1, Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Tina Kim Fine Art, 41 W. 57th St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, second floor, 212-716-1100, 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.