MONDAY 8/11 

Rax King Presents ‘Sloppy: Or: Doing It All Wrong’

(BOOKS) Like many readers, I first fell in love with Rax King’s writing via her insightful, moving pop-culture essay “Love, Peace, and Taco Grease: How I Left My Abusive Husband and Found Guy Fieri,” which details how she overcame her toxic, controlling marriage while finding uninhibited joy in the Mayor of Flavortown's persona. Her 2021 debut essay collection, Tacky: Love Letters to the Worst Culture We Have to Offer, presents “a nostalgia-soaked antidote to the millennial generation’s obsession with irony,” exploring the hidden side of everything from Sex and the City to the Cheesecake Factory. Now, her new book, Sloppy: Or: Doing It All Wrong, picks up where her last book left off, examining “sobriety, begrudging self-improvement, and the habits we cling to with clenched fists.” (Third Place Books Ravenna, 7–8:30 pm, all ages, free) JULIANNE BELL

TUESDAY 8/12 

'Polyester' (in Odorvision)

(FILM) Setting out to make a “movie that really stunk,” reigning king of filth John Waters took inspiration from the 1960s theater gimmick Smell-O-Vision and Douglas Sirk’s jewel-box melodramas for his first movie with an actual budget, Polyester. The film follows Baltimore housewife Francine Fishpaw (played by Waters’s trusty muse, Divine) as she turns to alcoholism while dealing with her cheating pornographer husband, badly behaved children, and needy mother, until she meets the man of her dreams, Todd Tomorrow. Just like the film’s initial theatrical release back in 1981, this screening will be enhanced by Odorama, aka scratch-and-sniff cards that include scents like roses, pizza, flatulence, and dirty shoes. (Here-After, 7:30 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN

WEDNESDAY 8/13 

Ethel Cain

(MUSIC) As her Southern Gothic stage persona Ethel Cain, Hayden Silas Anhedönia makes music that sounds like Flannery O’Connor by way of Lana Del Rey. Having been raised in a Southern Baptist family with a deacon as a father, she certainly has a wealth of material to draw from when it comes to the fanatical, the grotesque, and the unsettling. Now, she’s following up her instant-cult-favorite studio debut, Preacher’s Daughter, with her highly anticipated album, Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You. Her Daughters of Cain devotees are sure to line up in droves for her two-night run at the Paramount—expect lots of camo and frilly Picnic at Hanging Rock–esque white gowns. (Paramount Theatre, 8 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

THURSDAY 8/14 

Writers With Drinks: Superstars of Queer Sci-Fi/Fantasy

(BOOKS) San Francisco–based queer fantasy writer Charlie Jane Anders has been producing her legendary Writers with Drinks variety show for two decades, and this month, she’s bringing it to Seattle. Anders is always the MC, offering delightfully unhinged introductions to every reader. In Seattle, she’s bringing a deep bench with her: her partner and many-award-winning science/sci-fi writer Annalee Newitz; bi-gender, biracial, bisexual author of Daron’s Guitar Chronicles Cecilia Tan; Apache oceanographer and novelist Darcie Little Badger; scientist and hoodoo conjurer Andrea Hairston; and author of the Wayfarers series, Becky Chambers. “After a Writers with Drinks show, the fabric of reality will have looser stitches,” Anders promises, “and a bit more frilly lace on the edges.” (Town Hall, 7:30 pm) HANNAH MURPHY WINTER

FRIDAY 8/15 

KEXP BBQ

(MUSIC/FOOD) Cue Wendy Rene’s “Bar-B-Q!” After a 13-year hiatus, KEXP is reviving its beloved summer tradition. Enjoy live performances from psychedelic soul king Curtis Harding, local instrumental troupe True Loves, Cameroon-born indie-rock artist Vagabon, rock trio Monsterwatch, and more, along with sets from KEXP DJs, refreshing brews, and of course, delicious BBQ grub from Tomo, Seattle Samosas, and Seattle Pops. (KEXP Courtyards, 2 pm, free for kids under 12) AUDREY VANN

SATURDAY 8/16 

Alki Beach Pride

Alki Beach Pride is August 16. COURTESY OF ALKI BEACH PRIDE

(COMMUNITY) Alki Beach’s annual Pride celebration didn’t exist when I was a queer questioning teenager growing up in West Seattle, but I truly wish it had. It isn’t that I felt unwelcome or unsafe to explore my sexuality—it is Seattle, after all—but I suspect that seeing familiar faces (teachers, classmates, neighbors, local business owners, etc.) celebrating Pride would have created less suspicion about who would be supportive. I also love that Alki Pride takes over the beach in August—two months after Pride Month—because many families and passersby who were just expecting another day at the beach will witness (or hopefully join) the festivities, which will include a variety of LGBTQ musicians and DJs, local food vendors, and handcrafted goods. (Alki Beach, noon, free) AUDREY VANN

SUNDAY 8/17 

Smol Art Mart

(VISUAL ART) Four local artists—Mel of Miss Melbear, Nico of Niicomode, Ang of Pikarar, and Phong of Poiibo—are the brains behind this scrappy, spirited annual arts and crafts fair, which started out in 2023 with the goal of providing an accessible community for new and veteran artists alike. The nonprofit operation has gone from featuring around 15 vendors per event to over 150 and is now gearing up for this event at Magnuson Park Hangar 30, its largest venue yet. Besides browsing, you can spice up your boring old clothes with screen printing and participate in activities like a scavenger stamp hunt, Polaroid portrait drawings, and coloring stations. (Magnuson Park Hangar 30, noon–6 pm, free, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

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Weird Al Yankovic

August 15, White River Amphitheatre

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Contest ends August 13 at 10 am

Alabama Shakes

August 16, Climate Pledge Arena

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Contest ends August 13 at 10 am

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