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School just started, so kids’ heads are filled with fractions and spelling lists and historical facts to remember. Let off some steam with a play day in the park complemented by art activities with Painting Pandas, whose mission is to make art accessible to all with free, curated programming. As they say, “Art is an essential avenue for creativity, problem-solving, social development, and emotional expression,” so get out to the park for some nature-inspired art presented by Austin Parks Foundation, who put on tons of fun events at parks all over town. – Kat McNevins

Hump day just became, uh, no-slump day? Ah, sorry. I have to workshop my tight five. In the meantime, how about you enjoy some actual good comedy by attending this free show hosted by the hilarious Carlton Wilcoxson and Angelina Martin. They pull in Austin’s most engaging local talents, both emerging and headlining, to make the logs on Buzz Mill’s wall shake from thunderous laughter. “For the past 10+ years,” their event copy states, “this consistently entertaining show has earned its spot as one of the most fun things to do in Austin and with good reason: it never misses.” – James Scott

Next time you’re stuck listening to someone tell you their life story after you just asked where the breakfast taco line starts, hit ’em with this recommendation: “Have you ever tried memoir writing?” It’s easier than ever to start practicing the art of writing your life with this informal meetup hosted by Austin Public Library. Every second Wednesday, you and whoever else is out there with stories to tell can settle in to motivate each other. Need a little more push on what direction your work should take? The library provides prompts and suggestions to get the creative juices flowing. – James Scott

In hitting highly discussed topics like overstimulation with genuinely unexpected wordsmithery, Okay Kaya’s esoteric, danceable pop songs feel ready-made for the terminally online who would actually rather not be perceived. Known for stark arthouse visuals and collaborations with King Krule and Porches, the singer-songwriter was born in New Jersey, then raised in Norway. I return again and again to the false folky sweetness of “Insert Generic Name” and “Mother Nature’s Bitch” off her 2020 LP. Today, she tours an independent fourth album, Oh My God - That’s So Me, due Sept. 6. Inspired by a character in Tove Jansson’s Moomin stories, single “The Groke” summarizes, “She’s not a woman. She’s not an omen. She’s dark ecology.” A no-context video features flaming nipple tassels. – Rachel Rascoe

Autumn is the time for settling into a comforting nostalgia, a pleasant low-grade melancholy that will carry you through the colder months – making the shift to spring all the sweeter. And what better film is there to provoke ambient melancholy than Paris, Texas, Wim Wenders’ heart-wrenching epic of lost love and desert-wandering? Starring the most disheveled man in the world (Harry Dean Stanton) and the most radiantly blond woman in the world (Nastassja Kinski), Ry Cooder’s windswept slide guitar score draws you in and never lets go. – Lina Fisher

The only film that I know of that argues tops are gayer than bottoms – and you know what? I understand where the titular Querelle is coming from. Is topping the new praxis for all those attempting to queer the world? Hmmm. While I doubt this will be the topic of discussion at Saturday’s screening, enjoyers of cinema queerte will find much to chew on with Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s final film. Gay sailors, big penis statues, and games of cat and another, extremely horny cat, all supplemented by an in-person conversation with author/filmmaker Navid Sinaki (Medusa of the Roses). Since the screening’s part of AFS’s new collab series, Paper Cuts, with Alienated Majesty, you can also peruse the small-press bookshop’s pop-up pre- and post-film. – James Scott

In a different world, Miller Drake finishes directing Piranha II: The Spawning, and we never hear of James Cameron except as a special effects guy for B-movie legend Roger Corman. But Drake gets fired by bullying producer Ovidio G. Assonitis, who replaces him with Cameron and then fires him two and a half weeks later. Cameron, so disgusted by the experience of having no control over his set, makes his zero-budget sci-fi slasher on completely his own terms – and changes action cinema forever. Against his wishes and much as he has tried to disown it, Piranha II is listed as his first directing credit, but his Arnold Schwarzenegger-led film of a merciless robotic killer is his real debut. Catch this incredible new 4K restoration from the original 35mm negative, with new Cameron-approved Atmos sound mix. Plus, happy to report, Cameron and Drake remained friends. – Richard Whittaker