Why we listen to poets

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention today’s five-year anniversary of the September 11 catastrophe. There are, of course, all kinds of memorial concerts going on this evening–at Landmark Center and at the Harriet Bandshell, to name just a couple. But Emigrant Theater is commemorating the event in an interesting way; they’re doing a series of play readings, by local writers, that are inspired by the events of that day. The lineup includes Alan Berks’s Blue Skies Forever and Matt Di Cintio’s Lady Liberty Gets Put Back Together. Cost is just ten bucks, with proceeds benefiting the Minnesota Fire Service Foundation. Showtime: 7:30 p.m., Mixed Blood.