Thurs. Nov. 9

We happen to think ex-Sudbury resident Paula Poundstone is one of the funniest women around, and clung to that belief even during her much-publicized battles with the authorities over her drinking and child-rearing.(Nothing funny about the situation; she's just someone we really wanted to see conquer her demons and get right.) Observational, off-the-cuff humor is no easy trick, and we've seen Poundstone, a former Mother Jones columnist and current NPR commentator on "Wait, Wait ... Don't Tell Me," pull that off time and again. Once at the Paradise, the power went out and she went around, literally, from table to table telling jokes. That's not likely to happen at Sanders Theatre Thurs. Nov. 9 and, really, we wouldn't want it to. A Harvard audience is where Poundstone should be in her element, upending the absurdities of everyday life and the politics of mainstream America. Starts at 8 p.m. Tickets: $35.

45 Quincy St. Cambridge, 617-496-2222 boxoffice.harvard.edu