Emory University offers a number of events and lectures open to the public each week. Here's a look at what's going on this week.

Tuesday, Oct. 4

• Yam Festival Kick Off, Tuesday at 12 p.m. at Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University, 571 S Kilgo Cir. NE

Dr. Jessica Stephenson, Curator of African Art, kicks off the Yam Festival with a talk about the yam festivals of Ghana and Nigeria and the importance of the yam in the ritual and daily life of the people of West Africa.  After her talk, dancers and drummers from Giwayen Mata will perform and lead a yam festival procession to the Emory Farmers Market where farmers will offer many varieties of locally grown yams and sweet potatoes.

Cost: Free

• Gallery Talk: Shadows of the Sun Exhibition, Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. at Robert W. Woodruff Library at Emory University, 540 Asbury Cir.

Join curator Kevin Young on a tour through "Shadows of the Sun: The Crosbys, the Black Sun Press, and the Lost Generation." Black Sun owners Henry and Caresse Crosby, their dedication to their small boutique press, and their friendships with writers Ernest Hemingway, D.H. Lawrence, James Joyce, Hart Crane and others are detailed in the exhibition.

Cost: Free

• Creative Writing Reading Series: Richard Bausch, Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Robert W. Woodruff Library at Emory University, 540 Asbury Cir.

Inaugurating the series this year is Richard Bauschon, author of eleven novels including Rebel Powers and Hello to the Cannibals, as well as eight collections of stories.  He is the recipient of two National Magazine Awards, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the 2004 PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in Short Story.

Cost: Free

• Dance in Progress, Lori Teague, Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, 1700 N. Decatur Rd. NE

A dance series with looking at the various stages of the choreographic process.  Choreographers may present after performances.

Cost: Free

Wednesday, Oct. 5

• Holocaust/Twin Experiment Survivor Speaks on Forgiveness, Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University, 571 S Kilgo Cir. NE

Speaker: Eva Moses Ker; Dinner/networking/book signing from 5:30pm to 6:15pm and 7:45pm to 8:30pm; Speaker/discussion from 6:15pm to 7:45pm

Cost: $30

• Author Richard Bausch Reading, Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Robert W. Woodruff Library at Emory University, 540 Asbury Cir.

Fiction writer Richard Bausch opens the 2011-2012 Creative Writing Program Reading Series at Emory University with a free reading.

Bausch is the author of eleven novels, including Rebel Powers, Violence, Hello to The Cannibals, Thanksgiving Night, and Peace.  A widely acknowledged master of the short story, he has published seven collections, including Spirits and Other Stories, The Fireman's Wife, and Someone to Watch Over Me.  His stories have appeared in numerous magazines, journals and anthologies.

Cost: Free

• The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. at Dobbs University Center, 605 Asbury Cir.

Theater Emory opens its 2011-2012 "Bloody, Breathless, and Bold" season with Martin McDonagh’s Tony Award-nominated, The Lieutenant of Inishmore.

McDonagh is the winner of the most promising playwright award in 1996, an Oscar winner for his short film Six Shooter (2006), and author/director of the hit film In Bruges (2008).  Described by critics as the bastard offspring of J.M. Synge and Quentin Tarantino, McDonagh is one of the most popular and controversial playwrights of the past fifteen years, claims the production’s director Donald McManus.

The cast includes professional actors Mark Cabus and Tim McDonough, as well as a host of Emory student actors.  Set design is by Kat Conley and costume design is by Rosalind Staib.  Sound design will be by Scott Little and lighting design will be by Robert J. Turner.

Cost: $18; $14 discount category members; $6 Emory students; Buy Tickets

Thursday, Oct. 6

• Author Richard Bausch Colloquium, Thursday at 2:30 p.m. at Emory University, 1256 Briarcliff Rd. NE

Fiction writer Richard Bausch opens the 2011-2012 Creative Writing Program Reading Series at Emory University with a free reading Wednesday October 5 and a colloquium Thursday, October 6 at which he will answer questions and discuss his works as well as his life as a writer.

Cost: Free

• Yam Festival: A Conversation with Scott Peacock: The Sweet Potato in Southern Culture, Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University, 571 S Kilgo Cir. NE

Renowned Southern chef and author Scott Peacock will share taste memories of sweet potatoes, one of the most important crops in the South, from his own Alabama youth and the stories he has gleaned from others in his years of oral history gathering.  He will prepare and share the simple pleasure of slow-baked "cured" potatoes, rich with their own syrup and served cold.  Bring your own memory or recipe to serve as part of the evening's conversation.

Cost: Free