Five Best Things to Do in Dallas this Week

There's plenty to do in Dallas this week from author talks to wine crawls. 

Authors Live: A.O. Scott
7  p.m. Monday 
It’s a fallacy that everyone’s a critic. Everyone has an opinion — that much is certain. But criticism implies critical thinking, insight and consideration, all or most of which are lacking in general discourse, Internet commentary, and your uncle’s Facebook posts about The Revenant. Author and professional film critic A.O. Scott posits that true critical judgments shape almost every aspect of our existence — from art to invention, from communication to basic tenets of civilization. His Better Living Through Criticism: How to Think About Art, Pleasure, Beauty, and Truth is an examination of his own experiences as a critic, his lessons learned, and his ideas about the symbiotic relationship between creativity and criticism. Hear him discuss the novel at Highland Park United Methodist Church, 3300 Mockingbird Lane, during the latest installment of their Authors Live series at 7 p.m. Monday. Admission is free, but for $30 you can also attend the Author’s Reception at 6 p.m. and receive an autographed copy of the book. More at hpumc.org.

Little Big Scene Podcast: Live!
7:30 p.m. Tuesday 
The podcast revolution started a few years ago, thanks to the likes of Marc Maron and Sarah Koenig. Dallas is just a few years behind, like usual, and in the past few months a plethora of podcasts have been flooding our streaming devices. A handful of talented young theatermakers have launched one of the better art-driven discussions with the Little Big Scene Podcast. Hosts Kelsey Leigh Ervi, Kathryn Taylor Rose and Jeremy Dumont chat about trends in theater, interview local actors and directors, and dissect various topics. At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, they’ll host their first live audience recording with a roundtable discussion on diversity in the theater scene. The conversation takes place at Theatre Three (2800 Routh St.) and there is a suggested $5 donation at the door. More at facebook.com/littlebigscenepodcast.

Andrea Amosson: Author Talk
7:30 p.m. Wednesday 
It’s easy to become frustrated with the portrayals of women in contemporary literature — they can be one-dimensional, trite and downright insulting. And even lit that bills itself as being woman-centric can sometimes lead us down that “damsel in distress” pathway that gets so very old. Chilean author Andrea Amosson’s short story collection Told from the Hips gives its readers a break from the fairy tales and views the lives of its characters through a lens of resourcefulness, resilience and self-awareness — all from a Latin American cultural perspective. She’ll share insight about the book as well as her inspiration for it as part of a discussion with the University of Dallas’ José Espericueta, an expert on Latin American lit, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at The Wild Detectives, 314 W. 8th St. The two delve into cultural context, international literature and gender representations as part of the event, which is free to attend. Learn more at thewilddetectives.com.

Deep Ellum Wine Walk: St. Patrick's Day Edition
6 p.m. Thursday
Bust out your green in time for St. Patrick's Day and if you're looking to skip the oddly colored beer, drink wine on a crawl through Deep Ellum instead. Grab a glass for just $10 and drag your shamrock to each of the stores in the neighborhood for a refill and a stamp for your passport. Anyone with all the stamps at the end of the night is eligible to win prizes. Hopefully the luck of the Irish will be with ya. Head to Kettle Art from 6-9 p.m. to pick up your cup. 

Deep Vellum Author Talk: Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer
7 p.m. Friday
While you’re itching to add some stamps to that passport this spring break, you’re bound to the Big D for the week — fulfilling responsibilities and hoarding cash like the adult you are. But you can still escape to the Netherlands, thanks to Deep Vellum Publishing and The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, who will host author Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer from 7 until 9 p.m. Friday. The Dutch writer, whose latest novel, La Superba, has been translated for Deep Vellum’s imprint, will engage in a literary conversation that explores the award-winning autobiography in the context of migration. The epic and hallucinatory perspective of the author will have you exploring far-flung locales from your seat at The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, 2719 Routh St. Admission is free; register online at dallasinstitute.org.