SFist Tonight Has Answers

Ask a MacArthur "Genius" - ROVA presents a Q&A with composer John Zorn as part of its Improv 21 series. As well as being a composer and saxophonist, Zorn runs a music venue in NYC and his own label that releases an eclectic range of music, from free jazz to Japanese noise, to klezmer. Subjects for Q&A will be chosen improvisationally and jump-cut from topic to topic, probably including discussion of Zorn's artistic influences, his concepts on the artistic process, his mammoth recording output, and more. SF Performing Arts Library & Museum (401 Van Ness @ McAllister), 7pm.

Ask an Etiquette Expert Inforum and The Commonwealth Club (595 Market Street @ 2nd, 2nd floor) present Urban Etiquette: Manners And Civility In The 21st Century, a panel discussion featuring the VP of Match.com, a business etiquette instructor and the Social Grace columnist, who is actually a man named Charles Purdy. Have young people have lost their manners or just have adapted them for the 21st century? Someone go to this and tell us if Mr. or Mrs. Chris Daly's names come up! (6 pm)

Ask an underground poet - Celebrate the releases of "Stumpfucker Cavalcade", poetry by Joe Pachinko, and "The Freaky Mumbler's Manifesto", by Christopher Robin, at a reading at Moe's Books (2476 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley). From the PR: Joe Pachinko has been called "the urban guerilla of outlaw poetry." Weirder than Charles Bukowski, with a longer attention span than Richard Brautigan, Joe Pachinko's un-magical surrealism punches you in the gut, takes your shoes and all your spare change, but leaves you the half-empty bottle of cheap wino wine to console yourself. Christopher Robin lives in Santa Cruz, where he publishes Zen Baby Zine, helps run a regular poetry series at the Wired Wash Cafe. His new book has been described thusly: "Poems that belch, rant, scream at the skies and spit on Oprah. Poems you can't take home to mama." (7:30 pm.)