8 of the most interesting arts events to stream April 17-23

While we sit at home awaiting the day when we can gather for arts and culture events again, here are a few online diversions for the week, from near and far.

Northwest Film Forum

It’s National Poetry Month, so NWFF (which has moved a number of programs online; you can make your own popcorn at home) is presenting Cadence: Video Poetry Festival, in collaboration with Seattle author Chelsea Werner-Jatzke and artist Rana San. The festival, running April 15-19, celebrates the art of video poetry with screenings, workshops and discussions; events, all online, are pay-what-you-can (free-$25) and available to view for 24 hours after the announced screening time. Information: nwfilmforum.org

Museum of Pop Culture

MoPOP has begun a weekly horror-movie-watch-along on Friday nights, inspired by its exhibition “Scared to Death: The Thrill of Horror Film.” Each screening includes exclusive content from the museum’s oral history archive, special guests, cocktail/mocktail suggestions and a post-film discussion — all done via Zoom. This week’s movie is Karyn Kusama’s sly 2016 thriller “The Invitation,” screening at 7 p.m. Friday, April 17. See mopop.org (click on “MoPOP Don’t Stop”) for details.

Virtual Story Time

Seattle Public Library’s doors are closed until at least May 4, but Story Time lives on, with stories, songs and rhymes presented by SPL’s children’s librarians and available to everyone via the library’s Facebook page. (You don’t need a Facebook account to participate.) This coming week brings Family Story Time at 4:30 p.m. Monday, April 20; Preschool Story Time at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 21, and Thursday, April 23; Children’s Story Time (toddler and preschool) at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 22; and Baby Story Time (up to 12 months) at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, April 23. (Rumor has it that stressed-out parents find these stories soothing, too.) More information: spl.org/programs-and-services/

MOHAI History Café

The Museum of History & Industry presents a free webinar this week, moving its monthly History Café (third Wednesday of every month) online. The topic this time is “Puget Sound’s Maritime Highway,” presented by local author/geologist David B. Williams and based on research for his next book, in which he examines the 13,000-year history of the Puget Sound’s waterways. 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 21; preregistration requested at mohai.org

Elizabeth Kolbert

In celebration of Earth Day, Kolbert’s planned appearance at Seattle Arts & Lectures has been moved online. A New Yorker staff writer, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History” has traveled from Alaska to Greenland, talking to scientists to help us understand the debate over global warming. A digital pass for the lecture is $10; however, the Q&A with local journalist Sam Howe Verhovek following the lecture is available free to the public. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 22; Q&A begins at approximately 8:30 p.m. Information and tickets: lectures.org

Verlaine & McCann

Seattle burlesque duo Lily Verlaine and Jasper McCann (they’re the masterminds behind “Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker”) can’t present their popular spring production of “Through the Looking Glass: The Burlesque Alice in Wonderland” at the Triple Door this year, as they have for the past 12 seasons. But they’re doing the next best thing: “Through the Looking Glass: Wonderland in Quarantine” will be online April 22-26, with a three-hour experience that includes a pre-show peek backstage, a screening of the show with livestreamed commentary from the performers and a post-show cocktail-party Q&A. Tickets are $25 ($20 if you buy before April 22) and available through crowdcast.io/lvjmpresent

Sir Patrick Stewart

These days are challenging for us all, and what better way to begin them than by hearing Sir Patrick read a Shakespeare sonnet? The actor’s sheltering-in-place project is to read aloud (filmed by his wife, at their home) a sonnet a day, in order, with brief editorial comments. It’s a joy to see Sir Patrick at leisure (for sonnet #1, he’s wearing a hoodie and a Gillian Welch T-shirt) and to hear that majestic, soothing voice, speaking the most beautiful words. On Twitter (@SirPatStew) and YouTube; search for #ASonnetADay.

“Hamilton” reunion

If you are at all a “Hamilton” fan, you’ve probably already seen this, but here it is just in case because it’s pretty great and well worth a re-watch (confession: I just did). The original Broadway cast of “Hamilton” reunited online earlier this month, on John Krasinski’s YouTube show “Some Good News,” to the delight of a 9-year-old Florida girl named Aubrey whose family had bought tickets to a “Hamilton” performance that was ultimately canceled. Her mother had written to “Hamilton” creator/star Lin-Manuel Miranda on social media, letting him know that Aubrey had watched “Mary Poppins Returns” instead — and Miranda and Krasinski (whose wife, Emily Blunt, played Mary Poppins) concocted a plan. Turns out the original cast of “Hamilton,” like the rest of us, is at home and not too busy. They reunited over Zoom to sing a rousing version of the song “Alexander Hamilton” for Aubrey — whose mom tweeted later that “Aubrey’s still asking if she was dreaming” — and for all of us. Watch it online: youtube.com/watch?v=cqvVL8IurMw

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This article has been updated Friday, April 17, to give the correct movie streaming at MoPop.