Who’s in town

Classical pianist Yuja Wang appears in recital, performing music by Prokofiev, Chopin, Kapustin and Stravinsky. [8 p.m., Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave., S.F.]

Lectures

Marion Nestle: The nutritionist, professor and author of “Food Politics” discusses pressing food issues and how we can fight for the best food products in the marketplace. [6 p.m., Commonwealth Club, 595 Market St., S.F.]

Adam Steltzner: The NASA engineer discusses exploration of Mars and the kinds of investigations it might lead to. [7:30 p.m., SFJAZZ Center, 201 Franklin St., S.F.; www.longnow.org]

Norman Packard: The ProtoLife CEO and pioneer in the field of chaos theory discusses the history and future of living technology, including the rise of wet artificial life. [6 p.m., Commonwealth Club, 595 Market St., S.F.]

Brazil today: A reception and program celebrate Brazil’s world presence and culture. Eduardo Ramos, Brazil’s consul general in San Francisco, is the featured speaker. [6:30 p.m., World Affairs Council, 312 Sutter St., S.F.]

‘Ballots and Brews’: SPUR Young Urbanists host an informal gathering to examine what’s on the November election ballot. Bring your own ballot. SPUR supplies the beer. [6 p.m., SPUR, 654 Mission St., S.F.]

Literary events

Two poets: Alan Soldofsky (“In the Buddha Factory”) and Jack Marshall (“Spiral Trace”) read from their new poetry books. [7 p.m., Green Apple Books, 506 Clement St., S.F.]

Rosetta Constantino: The cookbook author discusses “Southern Italian Desserts.” [6 p.m., Omnivore Books on Food, 3885a Cesar Chavez St., S.F.]

At the colleges

Greta Christina: The atheist and feminist blogger talks about religion and sexuality. [7 p.m., Room 041, Jordan Hall, Building 420, Stanford University, 450 Serra Mall, Stanford]

At the public library

Children’s literature: Litquake presents a Kidquake program of readings, discussion and workshops designed to inspire the imaginations of kids in third to fifth grades. [10 a.m., Main Library, 100 Larkin St., Latino/Hispanic Room, S.F.]

Twitter 101: A professional social-media marketer conducts a workshop on Twitter basics, from setting up an account to using Twitter for your career. [6 p.m., Computer Training Room, Main Library, 100 Larkin St., S.F.]

Wind quintet

Quinteto Latino opens the Latin American Chamber Music Festival with an experimental and improvisatory music program. [7:50 p.m., Center for New Music, 55 Taylor St., S.F.]

Local activities

Singer-songwriter: Rock singer-songwriter Tim Kasher, frontman for the bands Cursive and the Good Life, performs a concert to promote his new album, “Adult Film.” [8 p.m., Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell St., S.F.]

Anniversary show: For the People Comedy celebrates four years of high-energy shows featuring humor and diversity. Comics Frankie Quinones and Joey Guila top the bill. [8 p.m., Punch Line Comedy Club, 444 Battery St., S.F.]

Words and music: The WordParty presents a night of open-mic poetry and live jazz. Poets Jennifer Barone and Ingrid Keir host the session. Nova Jazz provides the music. [8 p.m., Viracocha, 998 Valencia St., S.F.; www.thewordparty.com]

Dining out

Mission Beach Cafe: The filet mignon is highlighted today. It is served with rosemary red potatoes, snap peas, sweet corn, cipollini onions, wild mushrooms and sauce bordelaise. Also recommended: the rabbit gumbo and the hamachi crudo. [198 Guerrero St., S.F.; (415) 861-0198]artsQuinteto Latino