COFFEEHOUSE REVIVAL Thea Iberall arrived in New England last year with a long resume. She’s a novelist, playwright, and computer programmer with a PhD in computational neuroscience. And for 20 years she performed as a clown.

But what she really enjoys is the art of the spoken word. And so very soon after she moved from California to Medfield, she set about creating the kinds of opportunities for storytellers and monologists that had been commonplace in her previous environs.

She took her idea to a local church, First Parish Unitarian Universalist in Medfield, which had held coffeehouses in the past and was interested in reviving the tradition. With the enthusiastic support of the minister and church members, the Expresso Yourself Coffeehouse debuts Saturday, Feb. 27, at 7 p.m., featuring storyteller Bruce Marcus, 2013 story slam winner at Sharing the Fire: The Northeast Storytelling Conference. Coffeehouse evenings will take place the last Saturday of each month, each one with its own theme. This month’s is “Ah, youth!’’

Each event will begin with a featured performer — perhaps a poet, storyteller, or singer — who will be followed by an open mike format, during which each participant will be given five minutes of floor time. The open mike opportunity, Iberall stresses, is not just for adults. “We welcome teenagers also. This is a creative outlet for people to share their thoughts and ideas and feelings and creativity.’’

Suggested donation is $5; students $3. Coffee and refreshments will be provided by series sponsor Starbucks of Medfield. Expresso Yourself Coffeehouse is located at First Parish Unitarian Universalist, 26 North St., Medfield. For more information, call 508-359-4594 or go to www.firstparishmedfield.org.

SCENES AND SNAPSHOTS Images by 21 members of the Boston Camera Club are on exhibit at the Needham Free Public Library now through Feb. 29. Founded in 1881, the club meets weekly in Brookline. Activities include photo competitions, critiques, educational lectures, studio portrait sessions, field trips to local points of interest, and special events and workshops led by well-known photographers. For more information on the club, go to www.bostoncameraclub.org. The library is located at 1139 Highland Ave., Needham. For library hours, call 781-455-7559.

GARDENS OF THE PAST On Saturday, Feb. 27, at 3 p.m., Historic Newton offers “Gardening through the Centuries,’’ a family-friendly program that takes participants back to the 1800s to explore the gardening practices of a typical local family from that era, including what plants might be grown and what they would be used for. The program takes place at the Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds, 286 Waverley Ave., Newton. Admission is $6 per person and includes museum admission and complimentary plants and seeds to take home. To register, call 617-641-9142.

FARREN COMES HOME Singer/songwriter Charlie Farren, a Nashoba Valley native best known as lead singer of the bands The Joe Perry Project and Farrenheit, will perform on Friday, Feb. 26, from 7-9 p.m. to benefit the Ayer Shirley Regional High School Drama Club Scholarship Fund. The fund-raising performance takes place in the high school’s auditorium, 141 Washington St., Ayer. Tickets are $20. For more information, call 978-772-2545 or go to www.jacneed.com/ASYD/AyerShirleyDrama.htm.

FANCY NANCY LIVE AND ON STAGE Boston Children’s Theatre performs “Fancy Nancy the Musical,’’ based on the popular children’s book series by Jane O’Connor, on Saturday, Feb. 27, and Sunday, Feb. 28, at 2 and 4 p.m. at the Regent Theatre, 7 Medford Street, Arlington. Tickets are $15 to $25 and can be purchased by visiting www.bostonchildrenstheatre.org or by calling 617-424-6634, x222.

SONGS AND MORE The Metropolitan Wind Symphony performs on Sunday, Feb. 28, at 3 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum, 33 Marrett Road, Lexington. The program includes the sounds of tuned wine glasses, whirlies, and the voice of teen soprano soloist Molly Callahan of Carlisle in Frank Ticheli’s “Angels in the Architecture,’’ the world premiere of “Alleles’’ by composer Jason Huffman, and clarinet soloists David Minot and Wolcott Humphrey in “Fantasy for Two Clarinets’’ by symphony director Lewis Buckley, who will deliver a pre-concert lecture at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $18 for adults, $14 for seniors, $6 for students, and free for children under 5. For tickets and more information, call 978-419-1697 or go to www.mws-boston.org.

Send ideas to nancyswest@gmail.com.