THEATER: Stephen Belber, whose Tape was made into a riveting film by Richard Linkater, unveils his latest opus, A Small, Melodramatic Story at The Public Theater. Previews start tonight so there are no reviews yet, but the synopsis is intriguing: “In Washington, D.C., a widow struggles to figure out whether life is worth re-engaging with. In her path are the 1968 riots, the first Gulf War, the Freedom of Information Act, and herself. There's also an archivist named Keith, a cop named Perry, and a kid named Cleo. And finally there's the question of just how much about anything do we really need to know."

7pm // Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street // Call 212-967-7555 for tickets.

READING: With a last name like Vonnegut, what other industry would you go into? The famed Kurt's cousin, Laureen Vonnegut, has just published her first novel, Oasis, which she'll be reading from at the Astor Place Barnes & Noble tonight. - Krissa Corbett Cavouras

7pm // Barnes & Noble [4 Astor Place] // Free

COMICS: What could be cooler than Gary Panter, the pioneer of punk art comics and keeper of the wavy line, and Matt Groening, who created a little show called The Simpson, sitting down for a lil talk...? Not much.

8pm // 92nd St Y [1395 Lexington Ave] // $30

MUSIC: There are a ton of shows around town tonight, but we're gonna stick to the mellow one. It's Tuesday, after all. Over at the Brooklyn Lyceum, Jose Gonzalez and Death Vessel will rock you gently. Maybe Jose will sing his cover of "Heartbeats" that was used in this beautiful Sony ad.

8pm // Brooklyn Lyceum [227 4th Ave, Brooklyn] // $15