THE ESSENTIAL A&E PICKS FOR SEP 10 - 16 

• Eugene De La Cruz

Drive-In Drag Show
It might seem that a performance style as big and theatrical as drag would be an ideal one to adapt for a drive-in production. Las Vegas-based drag performer Edie (pictured), however, notes that the touring production has required some adjustment. "The one big change to performing the show to rows of cars instead of in a theater is the lack of applause," Edie says. "We had to get used to honking. At first it was jarring, but then the audience got the hang of it. It didn't take long for the performers to adapt to cars honking as the new applause."

This week, Drive-In Drag Show comes to Utah (4998 Galleria Dr., Murray) for a three-night stand of performers doing all of their own live singing, accompanied by live back-up dancers. While this cast of pros is excited to bring their act to new audiences, there's a practical side for any performer impacted by the pandemic. "Everyone is suffering [financially]," Edie says. "Performing is in our blood, and when you take that away, it can be devastating. ... We were the first show—socially distanced, of course—of any kind to open in Vegas during a pandemic. It was so rewardingto bring joy to the community after months of gloom and doom."

Performances are scheduled for Sept. 10, 11 and 12 at 7:30 p.m. Ticket packages range from $59 for two people, to a $150 VIP Dinner and a Show for four people; visit driveindragshow.com to purchase tickets or for more information. A portion of the shows' proceeds will benefit local LGBTQ non-profits Encircle, Utah Pride Center and Equality Utah. (Scott Renshaw)

Amos N. Guiora: Armies of Enablers and Five Words That Changed America
University of Utah law professor Amos N. Guiora can't be pigeonholed. While much of the Israeli-born scholar's work has addressed counterterrorism and the legacy of the Holocaust, two new books demonstrate the breadth of his interests and the complexities of criminal law.

In Armies of Enablers: Survivor Stories of Complicity and Betrayal in Sexual Assaults, Guiora brings his study of Holocaust-era complicity to bear on the "Me Too" era. Based on thousands of pages of public records, Armies of Enablers visits high-profile cases involving U.S.A. Gymnastics, the Penn State University, Ohio State University and the Catholic Church, investigating not just those who actually committed the crimes, but the people and institutional structures that allowed the crimes to take place. It's a rare legal and moral journey into what survivors need from those who stood by and abandoned their responsibility. Guiora discusses the book at a virtual event through kingsenglish.com on Sept. 10 at 6 p.m.

Guiora and his U. of U. law colleague Louisa M. A. Heiny also bring us Five Words That Changed America, digging into the roots of a phrase familiar to any American who watches police procedurals: "You have the right to remain silent." Miranda v. Arizona, the 1966 Supreme Court case that formalized the rights of the accused, emerged in the middle of a turbulent era in American history, and Five Words That Changed America looks not just at the specific case that created the idea of "Miranda rights," but at its cultural context. Join the authors in conversation via kingsenglish.com on Sept. 16 at 6 p.m. (SR)

• Jennifer Nelson

Virtual Timpanogos Storytelling Festival
When she became director of the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, Jennifer Nelson probably didn't realize how much her background doing customer service for Word Perfect could come in handy. But when you're pivoting a live storytelling event into one based around video recordings, there are going to be technical hurdles. "Some of our storytellers are in their 70s, and only use their computers for email," Nelson says. "But they've been troopers—jumped on board and said, 'Teach me what I need to know.'"

That's the reality Nelson and the festival faced when they decided to go on with the show and support artists who have mostly been unable to perform live during the pandemic, while many other similar events around the country cancelled or scaled back drastically. Presentations by a dozen storytellers will be available Sept. 10 – 20 via timpfest.org, showcasing gifted raconteurs in a new way, with new challenges for everyone involved. "For our live event, we have a tent to put up," Nelson says. "Now we have 150 [video] stories to edit."

There are, however, new advantages to a virtual presentation—including for audiences. Where the live event would cost a family of six $200 for the three-day festival, a family now has access for just $25, including both the live-streamed evening presentations and the recorded stories that will be available for the entire 10 days. "If anyone was ever going to want to know what storytelling was, now is the time to find out," Nelson says. "Yes, we'll never replace that atmosphere of everybody on the grounds. But it's going to be great." (SR)

• Courtesy Photo

Utah Humanities Book Festival
Particularly during the early days of the pandemic—as much of the country was shut down and quarantining at home—people with a lot of unexpected time on their hands found themselves rediscovering the simple pleasures of reading. There's no reason not to keep up that habit, especially as the six weeks of the Utah Humanities Book Festival showcases authors both local and national, covering every imaginable genre.

Not surprisingly, events for the 2020 installment of the Book Festival will be exclusively virtual, which makes it even easier to get to know even more of the participating writers. The festivities kick off on Sept. 10 as Logan Library hosts University of Utah professor Julia Corbett reading from her 2018 book Out of the Woods: Seeing Nature in the Everyday, about re-examining our relationship with the natural world. Also on Sept. 10, Summit County Library presents Pam Houston and her memoir Deep Creek: Finding Hope in the High Country. Other events for the first week include celebrated New York-based poet Rachel Eliza Griffiths (pictured) offering a two-hour workshop on generative poetry on Sept. 12 at 6 p.m., and authors Lisa Yaszek, Chinelo Onwualu, Malka Older and Sheila Williams in a panel discussion about the rise of women of color in the science-fiction genre, at 11 a.m. on Sept. 12.

Events run through Oct. 22, and a full schedule is available at utahhumanities.org/index.php/book-festival-calendar. All events are free, though some events may require reservations, and some will be available for streaming for multiple days. Join the celebration of writers, and support local independent booksellers by purchasing their work. (SR)