1. A BBC postcard: “The First Woman to Swim in Saudi.”

Wishing I had someone to witness me swimming in cloak and goggles, I arrived for my swim, at dawn.

2. I went to see Must Don’t Whip ‘Um by Cynthia Hopkins last night. There was good music (gospel and arty country with some Arabic influences you can listen to here and here—though, of course, it sounds a hundred times better live), a frayed story (involving drunkards, a late-’70s farewell concert, Sufism, and a sword miraculously deflected by a clothesline), excellent use of a mirrored piano, and a few empty seats.

Fill ‘em up.

(Plus, OtB’s new season is listed here, with shows by WET, Radiohole, Zoe Scofield, Elevator Repair Service, and Societas Raffaello Sanzio, which is responsible for this weird image.)