Thursday (4/26): Pulitzer Prize poetry finalist and former Fulbright Professor of American Literature at Beijing Foreign Studies University, Willis Barnstone has taught everywhere from Greece to Buenos Aires. Now, he’s coming to speak at UCSB, presenting a talk on Argentine poet Jorge Luis Borges at Girvetz 2124 today. The event starts at 3:30 p.m. and is being put on by the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center, the Spanish & Portuguese Dept. and the College of Creative Studies, so it’s free.

Friday (4/27): Take a different kind of trip than the one you took last Friday, and head back in time with the film “Don’t Bank on Amerika,” at I.V. Theater tonight. This movie chronicles the history of the I.V. countercultural movement and the riots that culminated in the burning down of the Bank of America building in 1970. The film screens at 7 p.m., and tickets cost $4 thanks to the folks at Magic Lantern.

Saturday (4/28): Bestselling authors and big-time comedians David Sedaris and Sarah Vowell will come together tonight at the Arlington Theater for what Arts & Lectures is describing as a tour de literary comedy. Expect plenty of sharp social satire and very little political correctness at this 8 p.m. event. Tickets are officially sold-out, but some tickets can still be found at www.stubhub.com.

Sunday (4/29): Fans of fine art should check out The Dwight and Winifred Vedder Collection, which just opened at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art yesterday. This exhibition of 13 works by artists such as Marc Chagall, Henri Mattise, Berthe Morisot and Anna Mary Robertson “Grandma Moses” is being integrated into the museum’s permanent collection and is worth checking out immediately – especially since admission to the museum is free on Sundays. Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Monday (4/30): Marisha Pessl is one of the most talented new authors on the literary scene, and her debut novel Special Topics in Calamity Physics is quite possibly one of the most interesting and innovative works of fiction to grace bookshelves in the past few years. Now, Pessl is coming to Santa Barbara, and speaking and signing books at the Victoria Hall Theater at 8 p.m. Admission is free thanks to Arts & Lectures.

Tuesday (5/1): Looking for a laugh? Comic genius and “Monty Python” co-creator John Cleese is introducing the hilarious and controversial comedy “Monty Python’s Life of Brian” at Campbell Hall tonight, as well as answering questions about the film afterwards. Tickets are just $10 for UCSB students, and the event starts at 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday (5/2): “The Bronze Screen: 100 Years of Latino Image in Hollywood Cinema” screens at the Multicultural Center Theater tonight. This film explores the history of Latinos in film and discusses the trends, opportunities and stereotypes that characterize Latino participation in Hollywood. The screening starts at 6 p.m., and tickets are free.

-Compiled by Mollie Vandor