Tonight, economist, columnist, and professor Paul Krugman will speak in conversation with longtime journalist and KPFA radio host Larry Bensky in a benefit for KPFA and Pacifica Radio. The event is at 8pm in the auditorium of Martin Luther King Middle School (1781 Rose Street in Berkeley). Tickets are $15 advance, $20 door. Tickets can be purchased in advance at several indie bookstores, including Black Oak, Cody's, and a few others in the east bay. In the city, you can get tickets at Modern Times.

The left-leaning Krugman is renowned for being an economist with a gift for making the topic accessible to laypeople, so it ought to be a lively event, as indeed it is billed. Of course, being a benefit for KPFA and being held in Berkeley, SFist thinks it's a bit of preaching to the choir. But you know, the choir really shouldn't be taken for granted -- they practice hard all week just for you. Give 'em a break, willya?