“Fortune befriends the bold.”  “Forever is composed of nows.” If you love Emily Dickinson, actress Barbara Dana portrays her as part of The Big Read, the annual March group read. Miss Dickinson, aka Ms. Dana, appears at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 6, at Copperfield’s Books, 140 Kentucky St. Call 762-0563 or visit copperfieldsbooks.com.

Are you a fan of the written word? In other words, do you practice any or all of the following crafts: writing, blogging, copywriting, screenwriting, editing, printing, publishing, illustrating, graphic arts, proofreading – oh, and especially reading. If so, there’s a mix and mingle evening especially for you, me, us – down at Aqus Café at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 5 at Second and H streets.Cost is $10. Visit aquscafe.com.

Most of us recognize the name Julia Morgan – prominent Northern California female architect of the late 19th and early 10th centuries, her best-known creation the dazzling Hearst Castle. But author Inge Horton has discovered Morgan did not work alone: many other women practiced architecture in the Bay Area during this era. Horton will discuss 50 early women architects of the Bay Area at 7 p.m. Friday, March 8, at the Petaluma Arts Center, 230 Lakeville St. Reservations are suggested: call 762-5600. Cost is $5. Visit petalumaartscenter.org.

Slap on a bandana and a cowboy hat and amble your way over to Petaluma Parent Nursery School’s Kids Cowpoke Carnival. Junior buckaroos and buckarettes can pan for gold, play games, create crafty items and have fun at a cakewalk. There will be food, music, a raffle and a silent auction as well, all from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 9 in the McKinley School auditorium, 810 Madison St. Admission is $5 for cowpokes (i.e., kids from 2 to 8). Their handlers (or adults) get in free. Proceeds benefit the PPNS. Call 778-4669.

Holding a full house or a quartet of aces. How about trying your luck at the third annual Tinsel Town Texas Hold’em Tournament. The event, a benefit for Southern Sonoma County Rotaract, is from 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday, March 9 at the Petaluma Community Center, 320 N. McDowell Blvd. Hors d’oevres, desserts, beer and wine, music and a silent auction will all be part of the fun. Player tickets are $50; non-players get in for $20. For tickets go to tinseltown2013.eventbrite.com or pick them  up at Petaluma Coffee & Tea Co., 212 Second St. For details, visit rotaractssc.org.

The springtime Feast of Corpus Christi was the occasion for the most famous mass by the most famous composer of the Renaissance: Josquin des Pres’ Missa Pange lingua, written in the early 1500’s. A century later, Claudio Monteverdi borrowed from that musical era with his masterful Missa in illo tempore. Circa 1600, Sonoma County’s early music vocal ensemble, performs both of these works a cappella, beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 9 in the United Church of Christ, 825 Middlefield Road. Tickets are $20, available at sonomabach.org or by calling 877-914-2224. A free lecture precedes the performance at 7:15 p.m. The performance repeats at 4 p.m. March 10 at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Sonoma.

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