When We Sleep, Eric Volz, Maya Indie Films and more

COLLECTIVE DREAMS

Yeller Studio is a local art collective that’s put on some stellar shows in the past. From 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, the collective will be at it again, featuring art by Christina Liu, Tyler Cristobal, Clarke Forrest, Michael Tussey and Team Borito. The group show is titled When We Sleep, and each artist was asked to create dream-related works. The one-night event includes a narrative written by Richard Parubrub, a set by the band Mrs. Magician and food offerings from MIHO Gastrotruck. It’s all going down at Subtext Gallery, 2479 Kettner Blvd. in Little Italy. yellerstudio.com

Photorific: Now in its sixth year, the Art of Photography Show, an international photo competition and exhibition, showcases only the best of the best. This year, the 111 photos you’ll see were chosen from almost 14,000 photos received. That number is pretty startling (and was the highest yet), especially given that work from 67 countries was submitted. That’s a whole lot of photographs, and we’ll say this: We wouldn’t want to be the ones who had to choose, but we can’t wait to see the ones that made the cut. See the winning photos at the opening-reception gala from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, at the Lyceum Theatre Gallery (79 Horton Plaza, Downtown). artofphotographyshow.com

LADIES WHO VOTE

Did you know that Thursday, Aug. 26, is Women’s Equality Day? What better way to celebrate than by joining the Women’s History Museum at its 4th Annual Suffragist Parade, a modern-day re-creation of the Suffragist Parades held back in the day, before the passage of the 19th Amendment? Participants are encouraged to wear “Suffragist clothing”—straw hats with white ensembles and, of course, the requisite purple and gold sashes donned by the original Suffrage marchers. Marchers will meet at the Kate Sessions statue on the west end of the Laurel Street Bridge, in Balboa Park, at 5 p.m. and march to the Organ Pavilion for a free concert and a picnic. The museum will provide cheese, wine, lemonade and brownies, but you’re welcome to bringe your own food. whmec.org, nhwp.org Activism

Activism

BUILDING TO SPILL

According to IfItWereMyHome.com, had the Deepwater Horizon blown up near San Clemente Island, 78 miles off shore, the spill would be large enough to cover the Southern California coast from Long Beach to Tijuana. Scary, huh? From 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 26, San Diego Coastkeeper will host a public forum with three experts on the risks offshore drilling poses to San Diego. Signs of the Tides—a quarterly series—will include a panel presentation and small group discussions with Dr. Steve Weisberg of the South California Coastal Water Research Project, former Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook and a representative from the California Office of Oil Spill Prevention and Response. The free event is at the California Center for Sustainable Energy, 8690 Balboa Ave., Suite 100, in Kearny Mesa. sdcoastkeeper.org

ANOTHER MIDNIGHT EXPRESS?

When you hear stories like Eric Volz’s, you have to wonder: Why do Americans ever leave the country in the first place? A UCSD alum living in Nicaragua, Volz was convicted in late 2006 for murder, despite an overabundance of evidence (witnesses, mobile phone and IP logs) supporting his alibi. Volz was released a year later by an appeals court and is now touring the country promoting his memoir, Gringo Nightmare, a tale of corruption, railroading, kangaroo courts and prison violence. Whether Volz’s side of the story is true or not is up to the reader to decide (and perhaps future Nicaraguan courts, too; prosecutors are attempting to reopen the case). Volz will read from his book at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 26, at Warwick’s Books, 7812 Girard Ave. in La Jolla. warwicks.com

One little pill: Help celebrate the 50th birthday of The Pill by listening to Elaine Tyler May discuss her book America & the Pill: A History of Promise, Peril, and Liberation. From 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 31, at the San Diego History Center (Casa de Balboa in Balboa Park), May, a regents professor of American studies and history at the University of Minnesota, will talk about what led to the development of the birthcontrol drug, the politics surrounding its introduction (including even the foreign-policy and racial implications) and how it impacted women’s personal and professional lives in the years that followed. You might be surprised to learn what May argues was not one of the pill’s immediate impacts. Tickets are $8, not including a copy of the book. Reservations are requested: 619-232-6203 x129 or gabe.selak@sandiegohistory.org. sandiegohistory.org

REAL INDEPENDENCE

Before mainstream Hollywood took over Cannes, the international film festival screened movies that didn’t get distribution anywhere else. That’s pretty much changed, and, nowadays, truly indie movies can be hard to find. That’s why we should feel lucky to have the Maya Indie Film Series— which is visiting only eight cities this year—making a stop in San Diego. Showcasing a roster of international, independent films like Solo Quiero Caminar, Chasing 3000 and In Therapy, the traveling film series focuses on culturally diverse movies that you won’t likely see in theaters. The screenings are happening at Gaslamp Stadium 15 (701 Fifth Ave., Downtown) from Friday, Aug. 27, through Thursday, Sept. 2. Check mayaindieseries.com for the schedule.

Music

SINATRA LIVES!

If anybody can do justice to the songs of Frank Sinatra, it’s Michael Feinstein, a revivalist who’s mastered the Great American Songbook. Feinstein might not have the golden pipes of the late, great Chairman of the Board, but he still captures that sense of wistful romance with The Sinatra Project, in which he belts out classics like “I’ve Got a Crush on You” and “Begin the Beguine” with the support of a brassy big band. As part of the San Diego Symphony’s Summer Pops series, the acclaimed pianist and vocalist will mine the Ol’ Blue Eyes songbook at Embarcadero Marina Park South at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 27 and 28. Tickets range from $17 to $76. sandiegosymphony.com