• At Howl: 4th Annual Celebration of Columbia’s Beats, the university will honor Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, two of the Beat Generation’s most widely- recognized personalities. Starting today at 3:30 p.m., Columbia will hold a panel discussion, student and alumni poetry readings, an exhibition in the Rare Book and Manuscript library and musical performances. Various events will take place in different locations across the Morningside campus, so bring your walking shoes.
• Sarah Vowell & David Rakoff, two authors who also contribute to Public Radio International’s This American Life, are stopping by Harvard’s Sanders Theater tonight for a little storytelling. Known for the uniqueness of their tales and the creativity with which they tell them, the duo will have you laughing and then pondering the meaning of life. The show starts at 8 p.m.
• Tired of seeing people at frat parties who think they can dance, but really can’t? Stop by Iron Gate Theater, located on 37th and Chestnut in Philadelphia, to check out UPenn’s only tap-dancing group: Soundworks Tap Factory. They will be performing their spring show, Soundworks on the Strip tonight at 8 p.m. and tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. It’s time for some real dancing.
• Looking to celebrate Valentine’s Day a little early? Brown’s Grant Recital Hall will host a night of romantic poetry and music this Sunday. The Aurea Ensemble will be there to provide the tunes, and the works of Paul Verlaine, Victor Hugo, William Butler Yeats and John Donne will be read aloud. The love begins at 7 p.m.