Who's in town

Ken Salazar: The U.S. secretary of the interior gives a lecture about fresh water, fishing and farming, and other resource concerns in California and the American West. [9 a.m., Commonwealth Club, 595 Market St., S.F.]

Lectures

Fawaz Gerges: The London-based professor discusses the current state of al-Qaeda and how the recent democratic Middle East revolutions will affect al-Qaeda’s influence in the region. [6 p.m., World Affairs Council, 312 Sutter St., S.F.]

Robert A. Pastor: The former National Security Council official gives a talk titled “The North American Idea: A Vision of a Continental Future.” [Noon, Commonwealth Club, 595 Market St., S.F.]

Middle-income housing: Speakers discuss what we should we be doing to stimulate the development of middle-income housing in San Francisco. [12:30 p.m., SPUR, 654 Mission St., S.F.]

Joel Brinkley: The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist talks about his recent working trip to the Middle East and shares his perspective on the changes reshaping the region. [6 p.m., Commonwealth Club, 595 Market St., S.F.]

Frank Ackerman: The retired National Park Service ranger talks about conflicting forces driving decisions made in Death Valley, part of the park service for nearly 80 years. [6 p.m., Commonwealth Club, 595 Market St., S.F.]

Hirsh Goodman: The founder of the Jerusalem Report gives a talk titled “The Anatomy of Israel’s Survival.” [7 p.m., Jewish Community Center, 3200 California St., S.F.]

Literary events

Poetry night: John Sakkis and Lynn Xu read from their work. The evening includes an open-mic session. [7 p.m., Bird and Beckett Books and Records, 653 Chenery St., S.F.]

New fiction: Will Boast (“Power Ballads”) and Josh Rolnick (“Pulp and Paper”) talk about their story collections. [7:30 p.m., Booksmith, 1644 Haight St., S.F.]

At the colleges

Opera talk: The San Francisco Opera’s Clifford (Kip) Cranna discusses and presents excerpts from Puccini’s “Turandot.” [5:45 p.m., USF, Fromm Hall, 2130 Fulton St., S.F.; RSVP: (415) 422-6828]

Local activities

LGBT estate seminar: Hospice by the Bay and attorney Deb L. Kinney host an LGBT-geared seminar covering how to document estate wishes. [6 p.m., San Francisco LGBT Community Center,1800 Market St., S.F.]

Dancing outdoors: Dance on Market, a series featuring dance, music, and community receptions in the Central Market area, presents “Swing Night at U.N. Plaza.” [5 to 7 p.m., several venues; www.danceonmarket.com]