Tough Crowd

 WED 4/13
Dorothy Parker took her social lubrication at the Algonquin Round Table. Truman Capote threw weird, lavish parties packed with literati. Andre Dubus III, author of House of Sand and Fog, will roll with a slightly more sedate literary set when he comes to Shawnee Mission East High School (7500 Mission Road in Prairie Village) at 7 p.m. Wednesday, providing a midweek intellectual oasis as part of the Johnson County Public Library's "Read a Good Movie" winter program. House of Sand and Fog maps the collision of an Iranian immigrant in search of a way into the American dream and an alcoholic trying to hold on to her small piece of it. We suspect the writer will explore the ways in which his novel, a National Book Award finalist, was transformed into an Academy Award-nominated film starring Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly. But program participants have spent the past few weeks having thorough discussions about his book, so Dubus should expect a plot- and character-intensive question-and-answer session outside the usual realm of author-event questions ("Uh, how do you get your ideas?"). The event is free; refreshments will be served afterward, when there is the possibility of mingling with Dubus. Call 913-495-2400. -- Christopher Sebela

Covet Thy Coven
Double, double, toil and trouble ...

SAT 4/9
Our kindergarten teacher was a witch. She had the cackle, warts and black hair. Granted, she drove a piece-of-shit Datsun instead of riding a broom, but we're certain she ate several of our classmates during nap time. If we hadn't melted her with a bucket of water back in 1985, Ms. Beaudeaux would've been a shoo-in at the Witch Girls Tales movie auditions from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday at Westport Coffee House (4010 Pennsylvania). But thespians ages 11-13 and 25-40 who haven't been doused with H20 or crushed by falling houses can cast spells over talent scouts for roles in this "family fantasy feature film" based on the Witch Girls comic, popular with those whose cauldrons contain a dash of Harry Potter and a pinch of Sweet Valley High. Send résumés and head shots to imagineermac@aol.com; call 816-756-3222 for details. -- Nathan Dinsdale

Fortune Seekers

We'd like to buy a vowel -- as soon as Sajak takes a smirk break.

4/8-4/10
After years of shouting at the schmucks who flub their phonics on television, we can heckle them in person when Wheel of Fortune spins into town to tape three weeks' worth of theme shows -- "Mom and Me," "Big 12 College" and "Kansas City Week" -- in three days. Bartle Hall (301 West 13th Street) opens for a fortuitous few to become members of the studio audience at 3:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, but those who are hoping to give the wheel a whirl are SH-T O-T OF L-CK -- the contestants have already been chosen. Call 816-932-4142 for more information. -- Dinsdale

Sold!

SAT 4/9
Loose change, tooth fillings and Coors Light cans: all things we'll expect to see at the Lawrence Arts Center (940 New Hampshire) Saturday during the town's 25th annual art auction. Tickets, which are $25, allow patrons to view and bid on the works of more than 200 area artists. Doors open at 6 p.m. for silent bidding; the live banter begins at 7. Call 785-843-2787. -- Annie Fischer