Thursday, January 20 – Thursday, January 27

THURSDAY, JANUARY 20

  Storytime for children ages 3 and up, 4 p.m. at the Palisades Branch Library community room, 861 Alma Real.   Dr. Fran Walfish discusses ‘The Self-Aware Parent,’ 7:30 p.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore. A healthy relationship based on mutual trust is every parent’s wish. The bond between infant and parent is a natural phenomenon, but as children reach their preteens and form their own personalities, fireworks between the child and parent can ensue. Drawing on 20 years of clinical experience and new theories on attachment, Dr. Walfish (a consultant to Parents magazine) argues that parents need to distinguish their own personality types in order to make more informed decisions about how they interact and raise their own children.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 21

  This month’s free movie screening at the Palisades Branch Library features the 1999 film ‘October Sky’ with Laura Dern and Jake Gyllenhaal, 1 p.m. in the library’s community room, 861 Alma Real. Set in the 1950s, the film is about a young man whose life is changed when the first satellite, Sputnik, goes into orbit.   A concert by the Chamber Orchestra at St. Matthew’s, with baritone Jose Adan Perez, 8 p.m. at St. Matthew’s Church. Admission at the door is $35 ($10 students). Information and tickets: www.MusicGuild.org or (310) 573-7422.   Theatre Palisades presents ‘The Diviners,’ 8 p.m. at Pierson Playhouse, 941 Temescal Canyon Rd. The show runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8, Sundays at 2 p.m. through February 20. For tickets ($20-$16), call (310) 454-1970 or visit theatrepalisades.org. (See Danielle Gillespie’s review, page 10.)_

SATURDAY, JANUARY 22

Palisadian Robert Rosenstone will discuss his latest novel, ‘Red Star, Crescent Moon: A Muslim-Jewish Love Story,’ 2 p.m. in the Palisades Branch Library community room. The public is invited.

MONDAY, JANUARY 24

  Pacific Palisades Civic League meeting, 7:30 p.m. in Tauxe Hall at the Methodist Church, 801 Via de la Paz. The public is invited. New business: 645 Haverford (new two-story residence).

TUESDAY, JANUARY 25

  Palisadian Renee Agarwal offers tips on watercolor masking techniques for Palisades Art Association members and guests, 7 p.m. at the Woman’s Club, 901 Haverford. (See story, page 9.)

THURSDAY, JANUARY 27

  Pacific Palisades Community Council meeting, 7 p.m. at the Palisades Branch Library community room, 861 Alma Real. The public is invited.   Sandra Malamed discusses ‘Return to Judaism: Descendents from the Inquisition Discovering Their Jewish Roots,’ 7:30 p.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore. During the Inquisition in Spain and Portugal, many Jews were forcibly converted to the Catholic faith. During the 1990s, historian Sandra Malamed conducted a series of probing interviews with people of Spanish and Portuguese descent across the country and abroad, who considered themselves Christians or even non-believers, but who nonetheless practiced various Jewish traditions often without knowing where the traditions came from.