“[O]n lyrics alone, I’d give it an A+,” wrote a scribe for Entertainment Weekly of Suzanne Vega’s 1990 album, Days of Open Hand. Now that EW writer, and Jewel fans everywhere (if they can momentarily put down A Night Without Armor), can revel in “Luka” alone, without all that pesky music, in The Passionate Eye: The Collected Writings of Suzanne Vega. You can read “By Myself” by Vega, age 9, and see how it foreshadowed “Solitude Standing.” Ever wondered what “Tom’s Diner” reads like without that a cappella melody supporting it? Me, too. See if Vega reads or sings it when she appears at 7 p.m. at Olsson’s, 1200 F St. NW. Free. (202) 347-3686. (CP)