Gray Unveiled: Monologuist Spalding Gray has made...

Gray Unveiled: Monologuist Spalding Gray has made a career out of memories. But as the recollections pour out, it can be painful. . . . His new work is about learning to ski at age 53. He performs “It’s a Slippery Slope” at the Alex Theatre in Glendale Sunday. Details in Calendar Weekend, page 34.

Homework Helper: Author Trevor Romain will be conducting children’s workshops this weekend, based on his book “How to Do Homework Without Throwing Up.” . . . Never, never blame the dog, he advises, because “dogs do not eat homework!” See Calendar Weekend, page 39.

A Look Back: When we think of photographic portraits, we think faces. But “Rear View,” an exhibit at the CSUN Art Gallery, consists entirely of photos taken from behind. . . . More than a parade of human rumps, the show raises provocative questions. Details in Calendar Weekend, page 44.

After the Fall: When Tupac Shakur was killed, fans gobbled up his CDs. Readers also react, says Abbott Alexander of Dutton’s Books in North Hollywood. . . . When Times columnist Jack Smith and LSD guru Timothy Leary died last year, readers asked for their books. Now folks are inquiring about poet Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl.” . . . “When someone dies, we say we better stock up on that person,” says Alexander.