

It’s Nerd Nite time again, Ann Arbor friends! We have an exceptional lineup of Valentine’s Day-adjacent topics presented by a lovely assortment of local nerds that we are delighted to be bringing to the LIVE stage on Thursday, 2/16. It’s Nerd Nite time again, Ann Arbor friends! We have an exceptional lineup of Valentine’s Day-adjacent topics presented by a lovely assortment of local nerds that we are delighted to be bringing to the LIVE stage on Thursday, 2/16.

Romance novelist Celia Mulder will lead a ridiculous romp through the world of romance novel subgenres – from time-traveling Vikings to firefighting cowboys to shapeshifting were-creatures – and so much more.

Rich Retyi and Brian Peters, the beer-drinking, local history-loving duo behind the Ann Arbor Stories podcast, will bring the story of Ann Arbor’s seedy underbelly to (red) light.

Physicist Brian Worthmann says pink is bulls&%# and he’ll give a whole spectrum of reasons why in this colorful talk.

So bring someone you love, like, or love to hate, and join us for Red Light Romance: A Very Nerdy Valentine at LIVE on First St, Thursday, 2/16, doors at 6:30 pm.

Time Traveling Vikings: Or, the many layered subgenres of romance novels

Within the romance genre there are dozens of subgenres, some well known, some very unknown. Most people can name a few – contemporary, historical, or paranormal for example. Some people have even heard of Amish romance, westerns, or highlanders. This talk isn’t about any of those. It’s about the subgenres that almost no one’s heard of, the time traveling viking romances that we never knew we were missing.

About Celia Mulder: She is a first year Master student at the University of Michigan School of Information. She happens to be a huge romance fan but she honestly can’t tell you what her favorite book is, there are just too many. In addition to reading the smutty stuff, she writes it too. Her first book comes out this October.

Prostitutes, Politicians and Pornography: The History of Ann Arbor’s Red Light District

There was a time in Ann Arbor’s history when the Fourth Avenue area of downtown was known as the red light district. Lined with prostitutes, adult bookstores and massage parlors, Ann Arbor’s red light district was presided over by the Pied Piper of Porn, Terry Whitman Shoultes. Take a trip into the seedy underbelly of Ann Arbor’s dirty past.

About Rich Retyi and Brian Peters: These gents produce Ann Arbor Stories, a podcast featuring stories from Ann Arbor’s distant and not so distant past. Rich runs digital and social media strategy for the University of Michigan hospitals and enjoys writing, playing with his kids, and Friday beers. Brian is the Operating Officer for Ghostly International, a multi-platform cultural curator and record label, as well as co-owner of local indie label, Quite Scientific; he enjoys fishing, camping, mustard, and surprise surprise – Friday beers.

Pink i s Bullshit

The question is – which ‘Pink’ am I referring to? Perhaps this talk will be about gendered color-coding of children’s toys. Or maybe it’ll be about breast cancer awareness. Perhaps it’ll be about Victoria’s Secret’s advertising campaign for college-aged women. Or maybe the Grammy-award-winning pop singer from the early 2000s. Or perhaps it’ll be about all the overdose deaths associated with the powerful synthetic opioid eight times stronger than heroin. But as you might have guessed – this talk will be about none of these things!