Thursday
So what do Celia Cruz, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald and La Virgen de Guadalupe have in common? They’re all cited as inspirations to Mayda Del Valle, the youngest person ever to win the 2001 National Poetry Slam Championship, not to mention the first Latina. Her fierce words might possibly turn into actual fire that spews forth from her lips, so be sure you’re at I.V. Theater at 8 p.m. to see this free event. For more info, call 893-8411. Also tonight, local jam band heroes Blue Room will be back in town, fresh from a tour in Japan, to get busy at SohO. They’ll be playing along with Fuzzy Logic starting at 9, but don’t forget, little ones, that this is a 21+ event.

Friday
Tired of making your roommates rate your best Hedwig-esque performance? Well, tonight’s performance, “A Night with the Drag Queens of the 801 Cabaret,” will likely ignite those cross-dressing fantasies as Sushi, Kylie Jean Lucille and Gugi Gomez take the stage at the MultiCultural Center Theater starting at 8. Tickets are $5. Also tonight, the wondrous Magic Lantern film series will bring yet another sparkling feature to I.V. Theater: “Elephant,” directed by Gus Van Sant (“Good Will Hunting,” “My Own, Private Idaho”). The film, which won the Palme d’Or and Best Director at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, presents one day at a high school where events eerily similar to the Columbine shootings take place. Screenings are at 7:30 and 10 with tickets at $4. For more info, visit www.magiclanternfilms.com.

Saturday/Sunday
Trivia alert! Which awesome, all-lady rock band is named after a road in Olympia, Wash.? That’s right! Sleater-Kinney may be mommies now, but that doesn’t mean they won’t shred tonight at the Ventura Theater starting at 7. Tickets are $17.50 and are available through Ticketmaster. The Ventura Theater is located at 26 South Chestnut St. in Ventura. Call 653-0721 for more info. Hooray! Hoorah! It’s the annual California Strawberry Festival in Oxnard this weekend! If you didn’t make it down for Saturday, be sure to get down to College Park, located at 3250 Rose Ave., to sample all the tummy-pleasing, strawberry-infused dishes. This annual festival celebrates Ventura County’s $230 million strawberry industry (!) and is free, free, free! For more information, call (888) 288-9242.

Monday
Yet more trivia! Who is the first Muslim woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize, you ask? Her name is Shirin Ebadi, and her tireless work as a human rights activist will more than inspire you to give a damn about your fellow brethren. Come hear her speak tonight at 8 in Campbell Hall for $10. Tickets are available through Arts & Lectures. Before heading down to Campbell Hall, be sure to swing by Storke Plaza between 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. to check out the 9th Annual Indian Festival, put on by the Bhakti Yoga Club. There’ll be music, information on karma and loads of yummy vegetarian and vegan food. Yay! For more information, call 562-8303.

Tuesday
OK, so you may not see children in your very near future, but chances are someday you’ll want a few tykes running around. Well, the MultiCultural Center plans to help you out, should the topic of transracial adoption become a factor in your decision-making. This free event will take place in the MultiCultural Center Lounge from 7 to 8 p.m. For more information, call 893-8411. So, we’re not quite sure where the Loft is exactly, but if you head down tonight to 1954 Goodyear Ave. in Ventura, you’ll hear the rip-roaring rock of bands like the Distance, Outbreak and Drugtest. This joint works much like the Hard to Find or Biko in that a canned-food donation knocks the ticket price from $7 to $6.

Wednesday
It’s time to dust off the cobwebs on that ol’ Huffy sitting around the garage and celebrate Bike to Work Day! Walk your bike off the bike path and indulge in free food and drinks in front of Campbell Hall from 7 to 9 a.m. Remember all day how much the environment loves you and how evil SUVs are. Good job. After working up a sweat on that bike of yours, pedal on over to see “The Spook Who Sat by the Door” at 6 p.m. in the MCC Theater. This free event showcases a legendary exploitation film you’ll have quite the time finding at Blockbuster. For more information, call the lovely folks at the MultiCultural Center at 893-8411.