1. Joyce Carol Oates

7:30 p.m. Oct. 31, free, Atherton Union Reilly Room, Butler University, 4600 Sunset Ave., www.butler.edu.

If you've ever wondered where American author Joyce Carol Oates is going or where she's been, wonder no more. You'll have your chance to get up-close and personal with the prolific writer known for her often-violent themes on the perfect night of the year -- Halloween.

As part of the Vivian S. Delbrook Visiting Writers Series at Butler University, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Oates, who has published an average of two books a year since the 1970s, comes to Indianapolis to speak. Oates, who has written "them," "Wonderland" and "We Were the Mulvaneys," recently published "The Gravedigger's Daughter," which is her 36th published novel.

2. Dan Wakefield

7:30 p.m. Oct. 25, free, Krannert Room, Clowes Memorial Hall, Butler University, 4600 Sunset Ave., www.butler.edu.

The Vivian S. Delbrook Visiting Writers Series at Butler University also takes our No. 2 spot in this week's Culture Club with its visit from Dan Wakefield, well-known for his best-selling novels "Going All The Way" and "Starting Over." The appearance of the Indianapolis native, who has written several books on spirituality, including "The Hijacking of Jesus: How the Religious Right Distorts Christianity and Promotes Prejudice and Hate," is co-sponsored by the Center for Faith and Vocation.

3. Day of the Dead Celebration

3 to 8 p.m. Oct. 27, free, Indianapolis Art Center, 820 E. 67th St., www.indplsartcenter.org.

This weekend, Indy offers up multiple ways to celebrate El Dia de lose Muertos, the traditional Mexican holiday that honors those who have passed on, and the Indianapolis Art Center continues with its annual altar exhibitions and all-day family fun on Oct. 27. The center's celebration features national and local entertainment, outdoor shrines created by community members and local artists, traditional Mexican foods, and more. And it's free to attend -- yet another reason to kick up your feet and celebrate.

4. Rome: The "Art" of Building an Empire

7 p.m., Oct. 25, free, DeBoest Lecture Hall, Indianapolis Museum of Art, 4000 Michigan Road, www.imamuseum.org.

Prof. Jamie Higgs of Marian College visits the Indianapolis Museum of Art on Oct. 25 to discuss the roles of engineering, politics and technology in establishing the dominance of the Roman Empire. Higgs will highlight everything from architecture to map-making in the discussion, which complements the IMA's current "Roman Art from the Louvre" exhibition. The event is presented in part by the Department of History and Social Science at Marian College.

5. The Ritchie Boys

7:30 p.m., Oct. 27, $3, Arthur M. Glick Jewish Community Center, 6701 Hoover Road, www.jccindy.org.

"The Ritchie Boys" tells the story of a group of men who fled Nazi Germany and returned to Europe as soldiers in U.S. uniforms. These soldiers were then trained in intelligence and psychological warfare in the U.S. before leaving World War II behind them and going on to lead lives in arts and politics, business and academia. They recall their memories of the war in this award-winning film, which will be shown as part of the Ann Katz Festival of Books Film Series.