BELCO Arts is back up again on Friday (November 26) with a snazzy exhibition by celebrated Australian author and illustrator Graeme Base, with local artists byrd and Hanna Hoyne also responding to Base’s otherworldly themes in fantastical, large-scale murals in the Generator Gallery. Details at belcoarts.com.au/other-worlds/

“READING the Room: The Podcast”, hosted by Dame Quentin Bryce, features Julia Gillard, Brian Schmidt, academics, ANU alumni, and students from Burgmann College reading “ A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf” on Zoom at 7pm, tonight (November 24). Registrations here

JOEL Swadling’s long-awaited book, “If This is the Highway (I’ll Take the Dirt Road) – The Formidable Encounters of David Branson, Esq” about legendary Canberra theatre-maker and musician David Branson, will be launched at the Street Theatre from 3pm-5pm on Saturday, December 11, but numbers are limited to 100. Registration details here

THE M16 Drawing Prize winners will be announced at 21 Blaxland Crescent Griffith, tomorrow (November 25) by judges Gina Mobayed and Dr Erica Seccombe, along with the inaugural Young Drawers Prize, a new initiative which will run annually alongside the main Drawing Prize. The resulting exhibition will be open to the public from noon on Friday, November 26 and continues until of December 10.

HENRY Smith fell in love with the Queanbeyan River when he first arrived a year ago from Alice Springs and has endeavoured to capture something of it in paint in his exhibition “Evocation”, showing alongside “Luscious Things”, a jewellery exhibition and the Karabar High exhibition. Rusten House Art Centre, 87 Collett Street, Queanbeyan until December 18,  Saturdays, 10am to 3pm. Smith will be giving an artist’s talk  at 2pm, Saturday December 4, book here

MEZZO-soprano Jacqui Dark will join the Phoenix Collective to perform “The Juliet Letters,” a song cycle written by Elvis Costello and the Brodsky Quartet. Wesley Music Centre, Wesley Music Centre, Forrest, Friday (November 26) at 6pm (book here ) and 7.30pm, (book here ).

“CHIAROSCURO,” the new play by David Atfield, will be showcased at the Courtyard Studio, November 24-27, as part of the Canberra Theatre’s New Works program. Book at canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 6700.