Listen Up

And have some java too

THU 7/28

Getting your drink on around Fort Lauderdale's Himmarshee Village doesn't necessarily mean downing Jack and Cokes all night and dancing to booty music (though that is loads of fun). Sometimes that drink is nothing more than a latte at Brew Urban Café (209 SW Second Ave., Fort Lauderdale). And sometimes -- Thursday night, for instance -- the only sounds are the spoken words of touring writers like Andrew R. Touhy and Rose Haynes, who stop by for a reading titled "Two Coasts."

Split between short fiction (Touhy) and poetry (Haynes), the San Francisco-based writers cover themes mostly dealing with relationships -- a fact that's not surprising, given that the two are a couple. Haynes' abstract, philosophical poems explore the relationship between language and thought. Touhy, on the other hand, employs more traditional storytelling in his prose, albeit with strange characters like Elvis, a headless chicken.

"It's interesting being in a relationship with another writer because we often come up with ideas together, and then there's the question of who gets to use them," Haynes says.

Let's hope they don' t have any intellectual copyright problems on the flight over. The reading starts at 7:30 p.m. Call 954-523-7191. -- Jason Budjinski

Beat It!

Groovin' in Hollywood

SAT 7/30

Ever feel like you need more rhythm? It's not a matter of being on the beat but rather being one with it and letting it take you over. Arts promoters Professor Slap and Recreate and Move will show you how when they bring world-renowned dancer Mouminatou Camara and master percussionist Mohammed Camara to Hollywood. Saturday's master dance class with Mouminatou (from 3:30 to 5 p.m.) at the Arts Academy of Hollywood (1955 Harrison St.) will arm you with a vocabulary of authentic movements from Guinean classical dances. You'll be jumping higher and squatting lower than you ever have before -- all to that wonderful b-e-a-t. Mohammed teaches a master drumming class at the Goddess Store (2017 Harrison St.) from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Beginners and advanced levels are welcome. The dance class costs $10, the drum class $15. Call 954-649-9432 or 954-822-7189. -- Makkada B. Selah

Wish Upon a Date

And bring your checkbook

FRI 7/29

It's time again for the Make-a-Wish Foundation's Annual Bachelor/Bachelorette Auction, a chance to support a good cause and get a date at the same time. Word is that at last year's auction, a guy ponied up $4,500 -- the average cost of making a wish come true -- for a date with one of the bachelorettes. It was the highest bid in the auction's history. But don't let that deter you from bidding. Volunteer daters include a professional golfer, a yacht broker, a Coast Guard officer, attorneys, sales managers, and other professionals. It all begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Gryphon nightclub (5711 Seminole Way, Hollywood). Tickets cost $20. Call 954-967-9474, or visit www.sfla.wish.org. -- Dave Amber

Eat the Rich -- or Laugh at Them

SAT 7/30

What could be juicier than a book that offers "fun at the expense of the ultra-rich as they romp through the season confronting grumpy gardeners, malicious maids, and subversive butlers"? That's how E.E. Liberty describes her novel Heat, Gin, Despair: Palm Beach Idles, which she'll sign at Waldenbooks in the Boynton Beach Mall (801 N. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. -- Deirdra Funcheon