The Five

Don’t-miss picks for Wednesday, November 12 through November 18, 2014

1 Stevie Wonder

Music: “As,” “I Wish,” “Sir Duke,” “Isn’t She Lovely,”—the number of now-classic songs on Wonder’s seminal album ‘Songs in the Key of Life’ make this rare live rendition of the whole album well worth your time and money.
11/14 at 8. $39.50–$465. United Center, 1901 W. Madision. ticketmaster.com

2 Lookingglass Alice

Theater: Lookingglass’s take on Alice’s descent into a hallucinatory wonderland is both fantastic and a bit scary, and features Cirque du Soleil-worthy aerial work.
11/12–2/15. $25–$80. Lookingglass Theatre, 821 N. Michigan. lookingglasstheatre.org

3 In Conversation with Ta-Nehisi Coates

Lectures: The author of the widely read Atlantic cover story “The Case for Reparations” gives a talk at the DuSable in conjunction with the museum’s exhibit on the transatlantic slave trade.
11/13 at 6:30. $10. DuSable Museum of African American History, 740 E. 56th Pl. eventbrite.com/e/in-conversation-with-ta-nehisi-coates-tickets-13157758209?aff=eac2

4 Dal Niente: Party 2014

Classical: A redux of a similar, free-flowing event back in 2012, attendees at this soiree can sit, stand, eat, drink, and make merry while an A-list roster of new-music talent, including John Adams, Thomas Adès, and David Lang, perform.
11/15 at 7:30. $30–$60. Jackson Junge Gallery, 1389 N. Milwaukee. dalniente.com

5 Types

Art: The design collective Display (headed by a senior designer from Google’s brand studio) creates an immersive typography installation. Workshops and lectures accompany this innovative space for lovers of creative writing, text art, and design.
11/13–12/13. Free. A+D Gallery, 619 S. Wabash. colum.edu/adgallery

What I’m Doing This Weekend

Up next in our series of weekend plans from notable, in-the-know locals—a.k.a. people we like: writer Jac Jemc. She reads at The Marrow on Sunday, November 16.

“Friday, I’m planning to go to the Eyeworks Festival at Nightingale Cinema. It’s a festival of experimental animation and there’s usually a lot of exciting stuff that they put together.

“On Saturday night, there is a performance happening at the Experimental Sound Studio. It’s a collaboration between the Chicago Film Archives and the Black Cinema House. They pair up artists to make short films and music to accompany those films. The first collaboration is with Marvin Tate and Joseph Clayton Mills. Marvin Tate I know primarily as an artist and a poet so I’m excited to what his project will sound like.

“Sunday, I’ll be reading at the nonfiction reading series The Marrow at Thalia Hall. Fiction is primarily my mode when I’m writing, but lately I’ve been trying to figure essays out.” —As told to Tomi Obaro

Freebie of the Week

Revolution Craft Show Chicago

Festivals: Get all the precious tchotckes your heart desires at this one-day stop shop, featuring more than 20 local designers and food truck wares from Pierogi Wagon and Döner Men.
11/16 at noon. Free. SalvageOne, 1840 W. Hubbard. revolutioncraftshowchicago.com