BK Top 5: The best things to do tonight, from talking fear with Mara Wilson to talking parenthood

As I understand it, Brooklyn is about to be hit with a rainstorm of biblical proportions, a period of rain and gloom that hasn’t been seen since ol’ Noah was undertaking his exploits that would eventually earn him a Hollywood adaptation by Darren Aronofsky. The way I see it, you can either give in to the gloom and work on your Morrissey-inspired poetry, or you can slap on your rain boots and hit up one of these fun things to do found on the Brokelyn Events Calendar. I say do the second one, since if you brave the rain when no one else will, it’s a shorter wait for a drink at the bar AND you get to learn about sword swallowing or hang out with Mara Wilson.

MARA WILSON’S WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF?
Talking about your fears in front of an audience is hard, because your audience might decide your fears are stupid and you’re stupid and start laughing at you. I don’t think that’s gonna happen tonight though, because along with host Mara Wilson, the people sharing their fears are professional talkers like Susan Kent from The Moth and our old pal standup comic Sue Smith.
8pm, Over the Eight, 594 Union Avenue, Williamsburg, $5

THE MELVILLE HOUSE BOOK CLUB PRESENTS THE NEXT LEVEL
Fandom always has a tinge of obsession to it, but so does artistic ambition. The two collide in The Next Level, journalist Leon Neyfakh’s simultaneous account of the career of Juiceboxxx, who’s been termed “the worst rapper ever,” but also has stuck to his hip-hop ambitions despite years on the margins and Neyfakh’s own support of the rapper through the years. Also, there’ll be cookies, so there’s always that.
6:30pm, Rough Trade NYC, 64 North 9th Street, Williamsburg, FREE

HOW I LEARNED WE ARE THOSE PEOPLE NOW: STORIES ABOUT PARENTING (OR NOT)
Comedians have been asking what the deal with parenthood is ever since Oog saw Glub struggling with his kid’s tantrum at the rock market one million years ago. That being said, you shouldn’t skip tonight’s storytelling event, because in addition to writers and storytellers, Eugene Mirman will be there to share a story and perhaps his thoughts on kids and what the deal is with them.
7:30pm, Union Hall, 702 Union Street, Park Slope, $10

DOWN THE HATCH: THE HISTORY AND ANATOMY OF SWORD SWALLOWING
The biggest question you might have with sword swallowing is “Where does the sword go so that it doesn’t cut up the swallowers insides?” Great question, and it will be answered tonight by professional sword swallower Ilise “The Lady Aye” Carter, who’s one of the fewer than three dozen female sword swallowers in the entire world. And then after the talk, she’ll swallow some swords for your amusement too.
8pm, Morbid Anatomy Museum, 424A Third Avenue, Gowanus, $8

OWEN KING, MARK JUNE POIRIER AND NANCY AHN: INTRO TO ALIEN INVASION
Woooo Spring Break! That phrase takes on a whole other meaning though, if your plans for a quiet break from studying get interrupted by an alien invasion AND you have to confront romantic feelings for a friend at the same time. The good news is this isn’t happening to you, it’s the premise of a novel. The better news is the novel has all kinds of weird illustrations and that the authors AND illustrator will be around tonight to talk about the book.
7pm, BookCourt, 163 Court Street, Cobble Hill, FREE

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