FRIDAY MAR 19

Read Forrest, read. Associate professor of English at Providence College Forrest Gander reads from his poetry tonight. His collections include "Rush to the Lake" and "Lynchburg". A Reception will follow in Farnsworth Room. Woodberry Poetry, Forum Room, Lamont Library. 495-2452. 5:30 p.m. FREE.

Stop and smell the roses--and the lilacs and the violets. Artistry in the Garden, the New England Spring Flower Show, continues to bloom today. Exhibits include a "living room," furnished with living plant material, a tribute to "My Fair Lady" depicted in an English courtyard market and a display of topiaries of Beatrix Potter's "Peter Rabbit and Friends". Bayside Exposition Center, just off I-93 and Morrissey Boulevard, Boston. 536-9280. 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. $13 in advance, $14 at the door.

Power. Transgression. Dependency. Possession. They're all part of Psychology Goes to the Movies: Beyond Good and Evil: The Villain Within. In a Sesame Street coincidence, tonight's movie is bought to you by one letter. Fritz Lang's German cinema masterpiece "M" tells the story of police in a German city who must bring in other criminals to help them catch an elusive child-killer. Lesley College Welsh Auditorium, 47 Oxford St. 267-1561. 7:30 p.m. $5 students.

All those kiddies who still can't spell can take in the tunes at the Korn concert tonight. The only act on campus competing with their brilliance, which creates song titles such as "A.D.I.D.A.S." (an acronym for "All Day I Dream About Sex"), is the Satire V crew. Rob Zombie shares the stage. Worcester Centrum Centre, Foster Street, Worcester. (508) 931-2000. 7 p.m. $29.50.

How many Harvard girls does it take to screw in a light bulb? First of all, it's Radcliffe. Second of all, it's women. And third of all, it's a theater festival. The Boston Women On Top Theater Festival features multiple acts every night. Through Sunday. Black Box Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont St., Boston. 426-0320. Thursday-Saturday 8 p.m., Sunday 7 p.m., Saturday late-night cabaret 10:30 p.m. Individual admissions $12 students, festival pass $35, staged readings $5.

This show is sure to be two snaps, a twist and a kiss. David Alan Grier of In Living Color's Men on Film fame struts his stand-up at the Comedy Connection. And we guarantee he's nicer than Al Franken. Comedy Connection, Faneuil Hall. 248-9700. 8 p.m., 10:15 p.m. $21. Also Saturday at 10:15 p.m., $24.