A Slave's Trade

MON 9/13

“It took Moses more than two weeks to come to understand that someone wasn’t
fiddling with him and that indeed a black man, two shades darker than himself,
owned him and any shadow he made.” With these words on page nine of his 2004
Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Known World, author Edward P. Jones
whisks the reader full-force into a seemingly topsy-turvy world wherein a freed
black slave in 1850s Virginia has become a slave owner himself. Although the
powerful, poetic book is purely a product of Jones’s imagination, it’s based
on a true but rarely discussed social phenomenon. This type of thing actually
did go on. A sort of inverted companion piece to William Styron’s fact-based
1967 slave-uprising novel The Confessions of Nat Turner, Jones’s
story might be incendiary, but his approach to it is humanizing. In the end,
the story is one of corruption that points the finger not at skin color but
at the mind-set behind slavery itself and the human frailty that succumbs to
it. Craving power, we’ll emulate anyone who wields it, Jones suggests.

Jones will be reading from The Known World, his first novel, on Monday (he has also published a highly acclaimed collection of short stories
called Lost in the City). His readings of The Known World never
fail to leave debate and disbelief in their wake. “I didn’t have any sort of
agenda politically in telling this particular story,” says the Washington, D.C.,
native. “It’s really just about human beings.” 7:30 p.m. Monday, September 13.
Alley Theatre, 615 Texas. For information, call 713-521-2026 or visit www.inprint-inc.org.
$5, free for students and seniors. — Scott Faingold

To the Bat Cave

SAT 9/11

If you’re a bat fan, but Adam West isn’t in town and you can’t afford the
red-eye to Transylvania, hop on board the Orange Show’s “Eyeopener Bat Cave
Tour.” The day trip to Austin will include some carnivorous munching at Stubb’s
BBQ, as well as visits to the Cathedral of Junk and the home of the late architect
Charles Moore. As the sun sets, jump on a bus headed to Bracken Cave between
Austin and San Antonio. And after a picnic supper, the main event: watching
millions of bats take flight toward the Austin skyline, perhaps to await attack
orders from their evil vampiric master, Rick Perry. 10 a.m. Saturday, September
11. Tour meets at Pico’s Mex-Mex Restaurant, 9401 Katy Freeway, 713-461-5161.
For information, call 713-926-6368 or visit www.orangeshow.org.
$200. — Bob Ruggiero

Patrias Party

Thumbing his nose at the whole separation-of-church-and-state thing, a fiery
priest named Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla stood in his small church in Dolores,
Mexico, and demanded independence from the ruling Spanish regime. It was September
16, 1825, a day that would later be recognized as the start of Mexico’s revolution
against Spain. Though the speech would mean martyrdom for Hidalgo — six months
later he was executed — Mexico eventually gained its independence. Now Mexicans
everywhere say gracias via fiestas patrias events such de Cinco
de Mayo in May and el Diez y Seis de Septiembre this month. You can get a jump-start
on the festivities today with the annual Fiestas Patrias International Parade
downtown. Expect parade staples such as marching bands, local celebs on floats
and drill teams, along with ballet folklórico dancers and zesty Mexican
music. Grab a spot early, as this parade packs ’em in well before the start
time. 10 a.m. Saturday, September 11. Begins and ends at the intersection of
Texas and Crawford near Minute Maid Park. For information, call 713-926-2636.
Free. — Steven Devadanam

Brain Surgery

Dissect a Spotless Mind at UH’s screening

SAT 9/11

Still trying to figure out the plot of the flick Eternal Sunshine of the
Spotless Mind? Try tapping in to David Malin’s brain. Malin, a UH professor
of psychology and neuroscience, will preface a screening of the Jim Carrey-Kate
Winslet film with a lecture on whether doctors will ever be able to eradicate
specific memories from our minds. Malin says humans tend to reconstruct memories
based on how they feel at the time, rather than re-create an exact replica of
the past. “The movie certainly reflects what we know about memory, but it’s
very difficult to erase a specific memory without deleting other memories,”
he says. “We don’t have to worry about this technology [the film] portrays being
in use next year.” Dang, we were really hoping to wipe out all traces of J.Lo’s
Gigli forever. 7 p.m. Saturday, September 11. University of Houston-Clear
Lake, Bayou Building, room 2512, 2700 Bay Area Boulevard. For information, call
281-283-2560. $1.75. — Greg Barr

Rare Cuban

Let’s face it: Unless you’ve got some serious connections, you’re not going to be able to hop on a flight to Cuba anytime soon. But Houstonian Roy Cullen offers the next best thing in his series of photos, “Messing with Texas, Lurking in Cuba.” Cullen’s snapshots reveal a Havana that few Americans get to see: dapper citizens driving old-timey cars, children playing, simple streetscapes. His photos also take a look at a locale right around the corner — Padre Island, Texas — where he documented a mammoth roundup of cattle being sent from the island to the mainland. Saturday’s onetime exhibit benefits the William A. Graham Artist Emergency Fund. (No word on whether Cullen nabbed any cigars, or if he’s willing to share.) 7 p.m. Saturday, September 11. Redbud Gallery, 303 East 11th Street. For information, call 713-854-4246 or visit www.redbudgallery.com. Free. — Steven Devadanam