Events happening Saturday

BOOKS

“B Is for Bad Poetry” Great poetry is transcendent, but Pamela August Russell proves the other side of the coin also has its charms in reading from her new collection, a bent look at modern life featuring original works with such titles as “Nietzsche and the Ice-Cream Truck” and “A Beginner’s Guide to Mediocrity.” It may not be Whitman, but Russell’s verses are funnier. Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. 2 p.m. (310) 659-3110.

ART

“You Can Heal Your Life!” Ah, the ‘80s. A high time for capitalism, sitcom TV and New Age ideals. The latter serves as inspiration for “You Can Heal Your Life!” Named for the self-help book, the show explores religion, spirituality and self-help through performance, sculpture, painting and other media. Artists include Sister Corita, John Espinosa, Dawn Kasper, Jeni Spota. Circus Gallery, 7065 Lexington Ave., L.A. Opening reception: 7 to 9 p.m. Shows through Feb. 6. www.circus-gallery.com.

Soundsuits Artist Nick Cave’s (no, not that one) innovative exploration into the nature of sound as art is on display in “Nick Cave: Meet Me at the Center of the Earth” at Fowler Museum. The exhibition features 35 of his “soundsuits,” which are basically mixed-media sculptures made from scavenged materials that make interesting sounds when a person moves inside of them. Fowler Museum, UCLA, North Campus, enter from Sunset Boulevard at Westwood Plaza. Through May 30. Free. (310) 825-4361. www.fowler.ucla.edu.

POP MUSIC

The Glitch Mob The electro trio is doing its level best to make techno-centric live sets as physical and involving as possible. Pairing the richness and headiness of the best dance music with the head-nodding backbeats of hip-hop, they aim only to move you, and they by and large succeed. El Rey Theatre, 5515 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 9 p.m. $22. (323) 936-6400.