Arts & Entertainment

Sexpert Opinion

This boundary crosser brightens up our week.

By Sarah Smarsh  ,  Annie Fischer ,  and  Rebecca Braverman

4/22 & 4/26
In the age of AIDS and the abortion debate, Playboy sex columnist and Internet radio star Susie Bright fuses the personal and the political. She gives the keynote address at the University of Kansas' Gay Pride Week, analyzing the April 5 Kansas vote to ban gay marriage. "The Politics of Sexual Representation" starts at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Big 12 Room of the Kansas Union, 1301 Jayhawk Boulevard. If you're not up for a Lawrence trip, catch Bright at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Unity Temple on the Plaza (707 West 47th Street). During the Rainy Day Books-sponsored event, she'll answers all questions, whether they're about shaving pubic hair or shaping the public sphere. Bright also autographs copies of the latest in her anthology series, The Best American Erotica, which took the genre mainstream and prompted The New York Times to call her "the avatar of American erotica." We think she's more than an avatar -- she's a battle-ax against misogyny. With 50 Cent rapping G's up, hoes down on popular radio, Bright has created an entire line of merchandise emblazoned with the phrase "Clits up!" For free tickets to the Kansas City event, call Rainy Day Books at 913-384-3126. -- Sarah Smarsh

Hell on Wheels
These gals roll -- and rock.

SAT 4/23
How badass are the women of the Kansas City Roller Warriors? So badass that they don't mess around with silly Rollerblades. Oh, no. They play it old-school -- in the sort of skates we once laced up before hitting the rink to show off our moves to Chaka Kahn's "I Feel for You." They're so badass that they have skating alter egos, such as Estee Slaughter and Boom Boom Von Doom, who think nothing of starting fights and pulling hair. Obviously that's part of the appeal -- especially for some of the little girls we've seen in the audience, whom we hope are practicing skating really fast and yelling at the top of their lungs. Saturday's match promises two still-unannounced mystery teams, plus halftime music from Honeywagen and burlesque entertainment from Sugar Puppy and the Lovely Dumplings. We don't know who exactly will skate, but we know that $10 gets you in the door at Winnwood Skate Center (4426 Northeast Winn Road, 816-452-1171) at 7:30 p.m. -- Rebecca Braverman

Book Burner
Fahrenheit 451 seems a perfect choice.

MON 4/25
Several weeks have passed since Janet Harmon and 500 or so parents from the Blue Valley School District raised hell about the classic literature their children were being forced to read in school -- scandalous titles such as The Catcher in the Rye and The Awakening -- and the hullaballoo has mostly dropped off the radar. But Afentra, the fantastic morning-show host on KRBZ 96.5, is still annoyed, and she's not about to let anyone forget it. She launches her own long-awaited book club in retaliation from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday at LatteLand (4771 Jefferson); the first selection is Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury's 1953 vision of an intellect-free future. Call 816-576-7965 for information. -- Annie Fischer

So Punk Rock

SAT 4/23
Despite the Crossroads Infoshop's never-ending need for more money, honey, it's putting on a free outdoor concert Saturday. But don't let that deter you from donating what you can to our city's favorite -- OK, only -- anarchist bookstore. The bands, including Midtown Hounds (who kinda set the thing up), Up to No Good, Hopeless Destroyers, Potlickers Run, Marching Powder and other yet-to-be-announced performers, start at 7 p.m. Saturday at 1830 Locust. Call 816-283-3510. -- Fischer