Unless a birthday or anniversary or otherwise notable memorial date is involved, March can be considered, besides August, to be the worst month. The best and coldest days of winter are behind us, but it’s not yet warm enough to abandon any thought of layering before we walk out of the door. I’m neither Catholic nor white, nor named Patrick, and therefore March 17 means absolutely nothing to me. There are no national holidays that net many people a day off of work. It’s the worst month of school. I guess there are the March Madness tournaments, but they don’t even begin until the back half of the month, and they conclude in April. On top of all of this, March has 31 days. It just seizes that extra day to assert its gray dominance. And not even in a cool way, like January.
All that aside, and in the interest of practicing gratitude and generally living up to the version of myself my therapist wants me to be, I’m trying to find the good for the next four weeks and change. Spring arrives on the first of the month (meteorologically) or twentieth (astronomically). Spring also is rife with symbolism for “new beginnings,” which is fitting given a pair of Places You Should Check Out™ that are popping up in the Boston area. J. Kenji López-Alt has a new book, which is like a baby, but quieter and made of words.
High Street Place
100 High Street
Opens March 2
One thing the pandemic taught us is that lots of people don't actually have to go into an office to do work. It also taught us that a lack of people in business-heavy districts are detrimental to local business. Lauren Johnson, who manages High Street Place, is hoping the new, sprawling food hall will entice people (especially those who work in the Financial District) to stick around the neighborhood. At 20,000 square feet, High Street Place houses a number of restaurants — some of which are new locations of established local players (North of the Border, Fuji) and newcomers (Kutzu, Hum’Oveh) alike. The food hall is also home to a Newburyport brewing location, serve as a gathering space to watch sports and will host a number of live events including music and yoga.
March 3 at 7 p.m. at Ben Franklin Institute of Technology
Virtual, Registration Required
April 4 sees the premiere of documentarian Ken Burns’s latest film, a heady two-parter on the life of inventor, kite-enthusiast, publisher and general bon vivant Benjamin Franklin. Ahead of the release, Burns is setting up shop for a night at the Ben Franklin Institute of Technology for Franklin and Writing, a conversation featuring history professors Christopher Brown (Columbia) and Jane Kamensky (Harvard University). Bina Venkataraman of The Boston Globe serves as moderator.
Memoirs of a Black Girl Film Screening
March 8 at Cabral Center
5 p.m.
Free
For International Women’s Day, Northeastern University’s Africana Studies program is hosting a screening of Thato R. Mwosa’s "Memoirs of a Black Girl." This, her debut feature film, premiered last year at the Boston Globe’s Black History Month Film Festival, and picked up a pair of Best Feature awards at both the 2021 Hamilton Black Film Festival and the 2021 Roxbury International Film Festival. With "Memoirs," Mwosa tells the story of promising student Aisha (Khai Tyler), whose seemingly innocuous choice to “do the right thing” leads to unexpected social consequences. Stay observant and have your questions ready, Tyler and Mwosa are taking to the stage for a Q+A after the screening.
Volunteer as a Judge in a Citywide Debate Tournament
March 11, 3:30 p.m. -7:00 p.m.
March 12, 8:30 a.m. -12:00 p.m.
Debate is a skill; a game of honor and diplomacy. Sometimes great debaters go head to head in competition, presenting their sides to judges. In this case, that judge could be you: the Boston Debate League is looking for volunteers to judge a city-wide middle school tournament. If it's been a while since you actually took place in a debate, or if it's completely new to you, training is provided ahead of time via a short Zoom session.
Roadrunner
89 Guest Street
Opens March 15
Prices vary depending on concert and seating
Named for the Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers song of the same name, this new venue operated by The Bowery Presents opens its doors on March 15 with a show from guitarist Billy Strings. At 50,000 square feet, Roadrunner is what you’d call “like, really spacious.” The head of The Bowery Presents Boston office described to Boston Magazine, the venue’s “unobstructed sightlines [and] state-of-the-art sound, plus easy access to bars and restrooms,” making Roadrunnerquite possibly “a place for a relatively — perhaps absolutely — positive concert going experience.” But I won’t know until it opens on March 15. Also, it’s literally a two minute walk from the GBH office. See you there.
Anat Cohen
March 19 at Artists For Humanity EpiCenter
Sets at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.
$39-$69
The Celebrity Series welcomes back saxophonist/clarinetist Anat Cohen to present a new permutation of her tentet: Quartetinho. Israeli, Brazilian and American musicians join the celebrated Tel Avivian, who’s been in the game in some form or another for the past 20 years. Clearly, new musical experiments and ensembles are very much in her comfort zone.
Live with Brookline Booksmith! J. Kenji López-Alt with Dan Souza: The Wok
March 23 at Coolidge Corner Theatre
6 p.m.
$55
If you aren’t familiar with Kenji, you should know that he’s not just a good chef and cookbook author. He’s really knowledgeable about food, and he’s excellent at transmitting that knowledge to home cooks. The result? They don’t just know what to cook, they know how and — more important — why food behaves the way it does. When you read the "Serious Eats" founder’s culinary explanations, your kitchen adventures begin to feel like science experiments. Fitting then, that his ultra-popular cookbook was titled "The Food Lab." And lucky for those of us who like to cook (and eat), he’s back with another: "The Wok." It’s an introduction into cooking with that versatile pan that — if we’re being honest — we might be underusing, or using wrong entirely. This discussion at Coolidge Corner Theatre is moderated by Dan Souza of "America’s Test Kitchen" and "What’s Eating Dan?" fame. Your ticket secures a general admission seat, and a signed copy of Kenji’s delicious new tome.
Jazz Scene in Boston: Telling the Local Story
On View at Museum of African American History, Boston
Register for tickets here
Prices vary, $10 for Adults, $8 for Youth (13-17) $8 for Seniors, (62+) no fee for children under 12 or for members
Jazz is America’s music, but it’s popular image is dominated by a handful of cities, New York and New Orleans being chief among them (not to say anything of Chicago or LA or Kansas City). But jazz — however you’re choosing to define it — made a home in Boston, too. The Museum of African American History’s aptly named exhibit, on display at the Boston campus, takes museumgoers on a tour of the city’s Jazz roots. The memorabilia and artifacts on display encompass over four decades of musical history, and includes the family saga of local drummer (and Pretty Big Deal) Terri Lyne Carrington’s musical lineage.
