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01.29.09 "Speak Low", a Lost Nation Theater production based on the letters and diaries of composer Kurt Weill and his wife, Lotte Lenya. Mike's going this weekend. "I heard it was going to be cool," he says. Thursday-Saturday, January 29-31, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, February 1, 2 p.m. Montpelier City Hall, $15-20.

09.04.08 The Vermont Story Festival, a day-long celebration of literature and local history in Middlebury that includes events at the Vermont Folklife Center. Mike, a Midd grad, thinks the Folklife Center is rad. "They just do some really cool stuff down there." Saturday, September 6, various Middlebury venues, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Free.

03.20.08 Dahr Jamail's talk about Iraq at UVM. Jamail was an "un-embedded" independent journalist who spent eight months reporting from Iraq. Says Mike: "I heard an interview with him, and he sounds like a pretty righteous dude." Friday, March 21, CC Theater, Billings Hall, UVM, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

11.15.07 Why We Fight, an award-winning 2005 documentary about American militarism, showing as part of the Brownell library's November "Vets in Focus" programming. Filmmaker Eugene Jarecki of Waitsfield will be present for a Q&A. "I've heard a lot about this movie," says Mike. "I want to know what the filmmaker has to say about it." Friday, November 16, Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 6:30 p.m. Free.

06.07.07 Grace Paley reading in Johnson to celebrate the opening of a new writers' studio. "I just love her work," says Mike. "She was snarky before anyone knew what it was." Friday, June 8, Lowe Lecture Hall, Main Street, Johnson, 8 p.m. Free.

05.31.07 Resource Pirates, a reading by three authors who write about global water-rights activism. "I'm into water lately," says Mike, "and it's a good excuse to get over to Montpelier." Saturday, June 2, Black Sheep Books, Montpelier, 6:30 p.m. Free.

04.26.07 Bike for the Climate. Mike won't be biking from Burlington to Montpelier with the other avid cyclists, but his band, Mr. Starch and the Whole Grains, will play at the post-ride Statehouse Rally. Says Mike, "If I had to describe us, I'd say we were the most impressively mediocre fake bluegrass band you've never heard of, north of Nashville." Worth the ride to Montpelier, for sure. Saturday, April 28, leave from Ira Allen Chapel, Burlington, 9 a.m. Statehouse rally at 2:30 p.m. Free.

03.08.07 The Chili Cook-Off Dinner in Richmond. "Chili is one of those under-appreciated art forms -- like mud wrestling -- I wish I spent more time obsessing over," says Mike. Saturday, March 10, Richmond Congregational Church, Entry deadline 4:30 p.m. Judging 5 p.m. Dinner 5:30-7 p.m. $8, includes cornbread, salad and ice cream.

03.01.07The Ripton Community Coffeehouse "Ripton's a magical spot anyway, so when I head there to hear folk music, I feel as if I'm getting away with something," says Mike. "Plus -- and this is no small detail -- the set-break brownies are thick and fudgey." Saturday, March 3, Ripton Community House, open mike 7:30 p.m., concert 8:30 p.m. $7.

01.12.07 "Let Freedom Sing! A Celebration of the American Negro Spiritual and the Life and Words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr." at Middlebury College. Mike is singing in a choir directed by Francois Clemmons, founder of the Harlem Spiritual Ensemble; a New York-based actor will also be delivering some of King's speeches. "It's really important to keep awareness of civil rights in the public eye," says Mike, "and this a great way to do that. It's joyful, too." Monday, January 15, Mead Chapel, Middlebury College, 7 p.m., free.