POLITICS: Samantha Power (where have we heard that name before?), a professor at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, is in town Friday night to discuss her book, Chasing the Flame. It's about the 2003 death of UN High Commissioner Sergio Vieira de Mello in Iraq, and how we might better deal with the challenges of religious extremism, refugees, terrorism, and ethnic struggle. She also wrote a book on genocide, A Problem from Hell, but what she thinks about Hillary Clinton ought to be the topic of the night.

7:30pm // Town Hall, 8th & Seneca // $5 at the door

BEER FESTIVAL: Saturday brings the Washington Cask Beer Festival, with its 50+ beer lineup. There are two sessions, an afternoon and evening one, and both are nearly sold out. Tickets were distributed to a bunch of outlets, though, so check to see who might have some left. "Cask-conditioned beer is unfiltered beer brewed in a traditional method that naturally conditions the beer without introducing artificial carbonation. At the end of fermentation the beer is transferred to a cask where live yeast continues conditioning the beer. This process creates a gentle, natural CO2 carbonation and allows the flavors to develop, resulting in a richer and smoother beer."

noon-4pm, 6pm-10pm // Seattle Center Fisher Pavilion, 305 Harrison St // Tickets: $35 advance, at outlets

DANCE PARTY: Saturday is also Kinetic 3, from Infinite Connections, not your average 4-room dance party, they tell us. Not just music, but vendors, performances, art (Christopher Gerber, Alice Englehardt, Houston S Wimberly III), and a spectacular setting (the Pacific Science Center). 18 and over are welcome, with bars for the 21+ crowd. We count 18 musical guests, including Kixotek, Jay West, and KnifeHandChop. These names mean nothing to us, but we're sure they do to people who dance until 4am.

9pm-4am // Pacific Science Center, 200 2nd Ave N // Tickets: $25-$50 advance, $30 at the door

SCI-FI CONVENTION: One of the largest regional science fiction conventions in the U.S., Norwescon runs all weekend down at SeaTac. While primarily literary (it hosts the Philip K. Dick Award), Norwescon realizes scifi is a big tent, and includes anime, costuming, and art. The Writer Guest of Honor is Dan Simmons; Artist Guest of Honor, Ciruelo (well known for his paintings of dragons), and Special Guest, Naomi Novik, a 2007 best new writer. Here's the schedule page.

Thurs-Sun // DoubleTree Hotel SeaTac, 18740 International Blvd // Admission: $30-$60

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Seattlest and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla.