The left is mobilized for this week's presidential inaugural, with a wide variety of rallies, marches, actions and benefits planned. Here is a listing of some of the pre-inaugural events. Check back Tuesday for Thursday's actions.

MONDAY, JAN. 17
6:45 to 8:45 p.m.
Lyrical ambush by the DC Guerrilla Poetry Insurgency
The Fountain at Dupont Circle
Free
Poetry and percussion to protect the peace and the people from the powerful. Bring poems, instruments (especially drums), energy, flyers and inspiration. This is an open-air open-mic, aiming to reclaim public space, build multicultural community and raise awareness of both local and global issues. For more information, call 202/316-9229.

TUESDAY, JAN. 18
8 p.m.
Rhythm and Resistance Party
HR-57 (1610 14th St. NW)
$5 admission
Join local and national artists willing to raise their voices as part of Jan. 20 actions. The lineup includes Sue Jeffers, Enemy Combatants, sfu-ma-to, David Rovics, Flinch and Saint Jude.

8:30 to 11:30 p.m.
Lost Film Fest
The Warehouse Theater (1021 Seventh St. NW)
$8 admission
The Lost Film Fest from West Philadelphia is a traveling multimedia spectacle that incorporates live performance and video. It's a truly independent, anti-authoritarian, anti-corporate, grassroots, DIY media extravaganza. This jam is about smashing the illusions cast by Hollywood, the Pentagon and Fox News.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 19
6 to 7:15 p.m.
Candlelight Vigil and Meditation for Peace
All Souls Church (1500 Harvard St. NW; enter on 16th Street)
Free
On the eve of the inauguration, the Washington Buddhist Peace Fellowship is offering a candlelight vigil and short meditation, with a period of reflection on peace, non-violence and the interdependence of all being; a remembrance of those killed due to our government's policies; and prayers for those who are still suffering in Afghanistan and Iraq and who are being asked to carry out unjust or violent policies.

6 to 11 p.m.
Benefit Show for Legal Defense
Café Mawonji (624 T St. NW)
$5 admission
Show with Defiance, Ohio, Ghost Mice, Kathy Cashel, Los Gatos Negros, and Spoonboy. Doors open at 6, bands go on at 7.

9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Underground Hip Hop and MC Battle Against the Inauguration and the War
Cada Vez (1438 U St. NW)
A counter-inaugural pre-protest event linking local, national and global human rights organizations and advocacy groups against the current administration's policies on education, health, the environment, and war. Performances include featured acts, open mic and a friendly freestyle battle between featured performers and/our open-mic performers. The event will benefit Empower DC, a grassroots organizing empowerment group advocating for affordable housing, tenant rights, Section 8 and inclusionary zoning, and the PVN Youth Camp, which takes children on trips within and out of the United States to learn about different cultures and struggles.