Readings

Weds., May 19 Joe Wilson, weapons inspector, spy-spouse and Robert Novak-hater will be reading from his The Politics of Truth at Union Square Barnes & Noble (7, free). If he takes questions, we suggest, "So let me get this straight. The whole Nigerian uranium story was bogus and your wife is a spy?"

Thurs., May 20 Allegedly, when sitar maestro Ravi Shankar debuted before a Western audience, his band made some noise for a couple minutes, then were met with applause. Ravi thanked them and said they were tuning up. Repeat this incident when Ravi Shankar clears his throat before reading poetry tonight at the Asia Society (6:30, $12, $5 st.). With Tina Chang and Prageeta Sharma

Can Jews be funny? Find out tonight at "Heeb Storytelling: The Passion of the Shmoth" at Lansky's Lounge (8, $5). Readers/performers include Dan Naturman, Nick Kroll and Noah Tarnow.

Sat., May 22 The seemingly incompatible worlds of skateboarding and literacy collide tonight at the Bowery Poetry Club. Contributors to Life & Limb: Skateboarders Write from the Deep End literary anthology by skateboarders will grind the rails-of words (7, $7).

Mon., May 24 It's cause celeb night at Fez/Time Cafe with dramatic readings of celebrity autobiographies. Laugh until you cry with the first-person, jugular stylings of the famous, infamous and almost-were. Tonight it's Viva Las Divas with Aretha, Gladys and more. (6:30, $10)

Tues., May 25 Vittoria Repetto, called the "hardest-working guinea butch dyke poet on the Lower East side" by people who claim to be experts about such matters, hosts an open mic following a reading by poets Paola Corso and Corie Feiner tonight at Bluestockings (7, $3-$5 don.). Tonight at Creative Visions Bookstore, Jameson Currier, author of Where the Rainbow Ends, presents a new collection of gay erotica, Desire, Lust, Passion, Sex (7, free).

Asia Society, 725 Park Ave. (70th St.), 212-517-2472; Bluestockings, 172 Allen St. (betw. Stanton & Rivington Sts.), 212-777-6028; Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery (betw. Bleecker & Houston Sts.), 212-614-0505; Creative Visions Bookstore, 548 Hudson St. (betw. Charles & Perry Sts.) 212-645-7573; Fez/Time Cafe, 380 Lafayette St. (Great Jones St.), 212-533-7000; Lansky Lounge & Grill, 104 Norfolk St. (betw. Delancey & Rivington Sts.), 212-677-9489; Union Square Barnes & Noble, 33 E. 17th St. (betw. B'way & Park Ave. S.), 212-253-0810.