St. Louis

Celebrate African-American literature, culture and heritage at the fourth annual African American Read In at the Gateway Region YMCA.

Guest authors Candi Pettiford, Floyd Boykin Jr., and Sylveser Chison will share their stories, passion and journey as authors. There will also be literacy and art activities for families, resource tables, and poetry performances by students of Crossroads Preparatory School and spoken word artists. Refreshments will be provided.

For all ages. 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Monsanto Family YMCA. Free.

Celebrate aerospace technology at the new, highly interactive special exhibition at the Saint Louis Science Center: Above and Beyond. This special exhibition will immerse you in flight and space travel, with simulations that allow visitors to design and test-fly a supersonic jet, experience flight as a bird, and ride in a space elevator. 

Above and Beyond takes you faster, farther and higher for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It's produced by Evergreen Exhibitions in association with Boeing, in collaboration with NASA and the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.

The School of Rock St. Louis is showing their support for independent radio station KDHX with a benefit concert on Feb. 28 at The Stage. The concert will showcase the audition-only house bands from the Kirkwood and Ballwin locations of the School of Rock, made up of hard-working, talented students under the age of 18.

KDHX is an independent, non-commercial, listener-supported community radio station that offers a range of music along with cultural programming. KDHX plays local, regional, national and international music and supports St. Louis' thriving arts scene in many ways.

Watch St. Louis city high school students compete in the St. Louis regional Competition of Poetry Out Loud, a national poetry recitation contest in which the winner will advance to the state championships. 

The LUME Institute invites parents with children from birth through age 8 to a series of free parent workshops focusing on developing parenting skills and learning about child development.

The Parent Cafe sessions are opportunities to build relationships with other parents and hear from child development experts on the following topics:

Jan. 14: A Vision for Me

Feb. 11: Building Our Families

March 10: Empowering Community

Before he became "The Greatest," Muhammad Ali was just a boy named Cassius Clay growing up in Jim Crow Louisville, Kentucky. In a rage over a stolen bicycle, 12-year-old Cassius meets the white cop who will be his first boxing coach on his way to Olympic glory. This play, presented by Metro Theater Company and performed at the Missouri History Museum, is a true story of courage, conscience and community. 

Join the Saint Louis Art Museum for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Celebration, a free event commemorating the legacy of Dr. King through spoken-word and musical performances.