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Are you smart or maybe wish you were or sometimes pretend you are? Get closer to true greatness at 92Y's 7 Days of Genius, a gathering of certifiably smart people for the ages.
The week-long fest (March 1–8) features a star-studded lineup of luminaries in science, art, religion and many other fields, as well as competitions for potential geniuses like you. The list of events, running from $10-$61, includes a free screening of Selma with an introduction from Gayle King (Feb 27 at 6pm, free, Kaufmann Concert Hall), a night of neuroscience and how the brain does improv with science rapper Baba Brinkman (March 1 at 8pm, $30, Buttenweiser Hall) and the genius of religion with Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Rabbi Peter J. Rubinstein (March 3 at 8:15pm, $40, Kaufmann Concert Hall). Other faces to see include actor Ethan Hawke, past MacArthur fellows in dance, and the only two-time Man Booker Prize novelist, Dame Hilary Mantel.
If you want to get in on the action and join the competitions, you have until March 31 to submit your genius start-up idea or design for bettering the world. Prizes include three months of pre-paid co-working space and a consultation with Cornell Tech for start-up innovators, and up to $10,000 toward building your product for designers. Pretty nifty.
You can also vote for the Ultimate Genius Showdown, currently in the semifinals stage. Does Steve Jobs, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Martin Luther King Jr., or Marie Curie get your vote?
We give you permission to continue to pretend that playing games at the bar somehow makes you smarter.