Photo: "Into the Gold" by BruceK, member of the blogTO Flickr Pool.

Events on Toronto's Radar for WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 28, 2009... lovingly handpicked from blogTO's events calendar.

MUSIC | Roky Erickson at Lee's Palace
When he was at the height of his career in the 1960s, no one would have expected Roky Erickson to live to survive to an old age. The psychadelica pioneer helped create an entire new genre of music but his heroic drug intake and bouts with mental illness seemed to make him a prime candidate for the untimely end so many rock stars meet. At the age of 62 the Texan has rediscovered a music career that was disrupted way back in 1969 when he was incarcerated in a mental institution. His show at Lee's tonight is a rare blessing indeed.
Lee's Palace, 529 Bloor St. W., $29.50, 9 pm

CONFERENCE | Creative Places and Spaces: The Collaborative City
For the next three days, some of the world's leading thinkers and planners come together to discuss the future of our city. The theme of the third edition of Creative Places and Spaces is inter-agency cooperation to achieve large-scale goals, and will be attended by artists, business leaders, politicians and community activists interested in ensuring ours is still a good place to live 20 years from now. Speakers include development guru Sir Ken Robinson and champion of the creative class Richard Florida. Tickets are pricey but there are $20 student passes available.
Various venues and times, $20 - $795

BOOKS AND LIT | International Festival of Authors
It's another jam-packed evening at the IFOA tonight, with readings and awards on the bill. Douglas Coupland will read from his new book Generation A, and fellow nominees for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize Annabel Lyon and Andrew Steinmetz will also read from their works. At a separate event crime novel superstars John Brady and Ian Rankin will share their stories, and still another event tackles the art not of writing a novel, but of selling one.
Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queen's Quay West, $15 and up, 8 pm

BOOKS AND LIT | Dracula: The Un-Dead
It's pretty apparent at this point that nobody writing books or making movies has any new ideas, hence two of this season's blockbuster films being based on stories originally written 46 and 167 years ago respectively. The new book Dracula: The Un-Dead is a sequel that at least has some claims of legitimacy, as it was written by Dacre Stoker, the great grand nephew of original Dracula author Bram Stoker and is the first Dracula book authorized by the Stoker estate. The Penguin Group launches the book with a spooky dramatic reading tonight.
Bathurst Street Theatre, 736 Bathurst St., $10, 8 pm

FUNDRAISER | Toronto Cyclists Union Fundraiser and Masquerade
The Toronto Cyclists Union is a non-profit group that aims to speak for cyclists in this city, fighting for more space on the roads as well as on Toronto's political agenda. They throw a two-part masquerade party today to raise some funds to keep their gears in motion. From 6pm - 9pm there will be music, an oyster bar, and a sneak peek at 2010's hottest bikes. From 9pm onwards it's stationary bike racing, djs, and drinking. Prizes for best mask, but can we all agree to not go dressed as... a bike?
Steamwhistle Roundhouse, 255 Bremner Blvd., $25 - $100, 6pm and9 pm

For full listings, head on over to our events calendar.
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