Thursday, October 15, 2015

Weekly Spotlight on Literary Events: October 16-22



Friday, October 16th at 7 pm
Politics & Prose Bookstore and Coffeehouse
5015 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20008

Marra’s stunning first novel, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, won the National Book Critics Circle inaugural John Leonard Prize, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in fiction, and Politics & Prose’s inaugural Carla Cohen Literary Prize. His second book of fiction is a series of stories deftly interwoven by recurrent landscapes and themes. Many unfold in the former Soviet Union and Chechnya, charting instances of sacrifice, violence, and heartbreak that reverberate through the generations—countered, however, by family ties, storytelling, and Marra’s crystalline prose itself. Free admission.

Ron Childless – And West Is West
Friday, October 16th at 7 pm
Upshur Street Books
827 Upshur St NW
Washington, DC 20011

Ron Childress talks about his debut novel And West is West, the winner of the 2014 PEN/Bellwether Prize for socially engaged fiction. The story travels from California to New York to Florida, from deserts to cities, from military bases to art galleries to a lonely prisoner's cell. He follows the actions of two people living in very different worlds, an Air Force drone operator in Nevada and a Wall Street programmer who develops a plan to profit from the military crises abroad. The ultimate message of the book is that even those not pulling the levers of power can be corrupted by the anonymity of the modern world and by systems that ask them to do questionable things. It is eminently relevant, with its deft exploration of both the financial crisis and the war on terror. Free admission.

Talent Showcase Open Mic hosted by Angie Head
Friday, October 16th from 10 pm to 12 am
Busboys and Poets (Hyattsville location)
5331 Baltimore Ave
Hyattsville, MD 20781

LIVE! From Busboys is an open mic talent showcase that offers a platform for all performers, not just poets. Whether you are a musician, comedian, dancer, actor, magician or any other type of performer, we want to see what you’ve got! $5 cover. On the day of the event, tickets can be purchased online here starting at midnight and in the restaurant starting at 10:00 AM (cash only). No refunds. Ticket purchase limit of 4 per person. Tickets will be sold at the door if available. Guests must have their wristbands (tickets) on upon entering the event.

George A. Akerlof and Robert J. Shiller - Phishing for Phools: The Economics of Manipulation and Deception
Saturday, October 17th at 1 pm
Politics & Prose Bookstore and Coffeehouse
5015 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20008

Nobel laureates George A. Akerlof (University Professor at Georgetown) and Robert J. Shiller (Sterling Professor of economics at Yale and author of Irrational Exuberance) established a successful partnership with their book Animal Spirits. In their new work, the distinguished co-authors challenge Adam Smith’s notion of the market’s benign influence. Using both statistics and anecdotes, the authors examine how spending is affected by advertising, politics, and credit cards. Free admission.
Melvin J. Urofsky - Dissent and the Supreme Court: Its Role in the Court's History and the Nation's Constitutional Dialogue
Saturday, October 17th at 3:30 pm
Politics & Prose Bookstore and Coffeehouse
5015 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20008

Reviewing the 226 years of High Court decisions, Melvin J. Urofsky finds that while majority opinions rule the day, over time it’s often the wisdom of the dissenting view that prevails. Framing this history as an ongoing debate over the meaning of the Constitution, Urofsky shows how judicial dissent reinvigorates democracy itself. Urofsky is a Virginia Commonwealth University professor of law and public policy and emeritus professor of history who has written or contributed to some three dozen books, including co-editing the five-volume edition of Justice Brandeis’s letters, Free admission.

Youth Open Mic presented by Busboys and Poets
Saturday, October 17th from 5 pm to 7 pm
Busboys and Poets (5th and K location)
1025 5th St NW
Washington, DC 20001

Youth-focused and youth-led, Youth Open Mic is a monthly series featuring student poets, singers, musicians, and actors from the DC/Maryland/Virginia area. Middle school and high school students are encouraged to share their art in a supportive, progressive, artistic atmosphere. $5 cover.

Leslie Pietrzyk - This Angel on My Chest
Saturday, October 17th at 6 pm
Politics & Prose Bookstore and Coffeehouse
5015 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20008

Pietrzyk, a writing teacher and the author of two novels, A Year and a Day and Pears on a Willow Tree, has published short fiction throughout her career. Awarded the Drue Heinz Literature Prize in 2015, Pietrzyk’s first collection of stories is a powerful exploration of loss and mourning arranged as variations on a theme. Each piece focuses on a woman suddenly and unexpectedly widowed. The stories take different forms, ranging from lists and a quiz to a YouTube link, a lecture on writing, and solid, old-fashioned storytelling. Free admission.

Ruth Reichl - My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life
Saturday, October 17th at 7 pm
Busboys and Poets (Takoma location)
235 Carroll St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20012
AND
Sunday, October 18th at 10 am
Dupont Circle Freshfarm Market
1500 20th St NW
Washington, DC 20036

From Tender at the Bone through Comfort Me with Apples and Garlic and Sapphires, Ruth Reichl has chronicled her life with food. In this new memoir, the former Gourmet editor-in-chief focuses on one difficult year—2009, when Gourmet folded. Out of a job, Reichl was back in her own kitchen, rediscovering and savoring the joys of cooking for herself and her family. A tribute to the healing powers of food, Reichl’s account includes recipes and her dialogue with Twitter followers.

Tom Lewis - Washington: A History of Our National City
Sunday, October 18th at 1 pm
Politics & Prose Bookstore and Coffeehouse
5015 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20008

In his fourth book, Tom Lewis charts the growth of Washington, D.C., from its namesake’s initial proposal in January, 1791, to its current status as the 23rd-most populous city in the United States. Much has happened since the federal government took up residence in the District in December, 1800, and Lewis tracks social, political, and economic changes, showing how events inside the Beltway paralleled those outside of it. Lewis is a Skidmore English professor emeritus, editor of the letters of Hart Crane, and the historian of The Hudson, Free admission.

David Nicholson and Elizabeth Poliner
Sunday, October 18th from 2 pm to 4 pm
The Writer's Center
4508 Walsh Street
Bethesda, MD 20815

David Nicholson reads from Flying Home: Seven Stories of the Secret City, his recent collection of short stories. He is joined by poet Elizabeth Poliner, who reads from What You Know in Your Hands. The reading will be followed by a reception and book signing. Free admission.

James Landry – Memory Music
Sunday, October 18th at 4 pm
Upshur Street Books
827 Upshur St NW
Washington, DC 20011

For eight years, James Landry published MusicFromTheFilm.blogspot.com, a work of more than 1,000 photographs and stories narrating the human condition. Using overheard conversations from Metro and city streets and photographs of Washington, D.C., the Eastern Shore of Maryland, New York, Hawaii, Britain, Iceland, and Spain, Landry has created a masterpiece of found art. Explore his art at sites.google.com/site/landryjart. Free admission.

Joy Williams - The Visiting Privilege: New and Collected Stories
Sunday, October 18th at 5 pm
Politics & Prose Bookstore and Coffeehouse
5015 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20008

Fiction has undergone more than one paradigm shift in the last forty years, but the excellence of Joy Williams’s writing has proved a constant. The author of four novels, most recently The Quick and the Dead, a runner-up for the Pulitzer Prize, Williams’s reputation as a “writer’s writer” rests mainly on her short stories. Her first collection in over a decade includes 33 pieces from previous gatherings along with 13 new ones, showing the evolution of this extraordinary artist’s concerns as well as showcasing the wit, dark humor, and intent to “illuminate[…] something beneath or beyond the story itself.” Free admission.

Sunday Kind of Love Open Mic Poetry
Sunday, October 18th from 5 pm to 7 pm
Busboys and Poets (14th & V location)
2021 14th St, NW
Washington, D.C. 20009

Sunday kind of love open mic poetry features emerging and established poets from the Washington, D.C., area and around the nation. Each program includes one to two featured poets and an open mic segment. $5 tickets available online beginning at midnight on the day of the open mic. If available, door sales will begin 30 minutes prior to the event. Cash only. Sorry, no refunds. Limit 4 tickets per person. Guest must have wristband on before entering event.

Ricardo Liniers - Written and Drawn by Henrietta and Macanudo #3
Sunday, October 18th at 6:30 pm
Busboys and Poets (Takoma location)
235 Carroll St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20012

Argentine cartoonist Ricardo Liniers in conversation with The Washington Post’s Comic Riffs columnist Michael Cavna discusses his two latest books. In Written and Drawn by Henrietta, the titular heroine shows her cat Fellini—and the reader—how to write and illustrate a spellbinding story. Macanudo #3 is a collection of Liniers’s popular comic strip, translated from the Spanish, which also features Henrietta and Fellini as well as a host of other characters. Liniers will also create a live painting while attendees mix and mingle and enjoy the evening. Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Jazz Combo musicians will perform throughout the evening to add a lively vibe to the event. All ages. Free admission.
AND
Monday, October 19th at 10:30 am
Politics & Prose Bookstore and Coffeehouse
5015 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20008

Gavin McCrea -Mrs. Engels
Monday, October 19th at 6:30 pm
Kramerbooks
1517 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036

Very little is known about Lizzie Burns, the illiterate Irishwoman who was the longtime lover of Frederick Engels, coauthor of The Communist Manifesto. In Gavin McCrea's first novel, the unsung Lizzie is finally given a voice that won't be forgotten. Free admission.

Warren Bernard – Cartoons for Victory
Monday, October 19th at 6:30 pm
Busboys and Poets (Takoma location)
235 Carroll St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20012

World War II needed heroes on the home front as well as on the battlefields abroad, and many comic artists provided just that. Warren Bernard, executive director of Small Press Expo, whose vast collection and knowledge of comic art has made him a frequent speaker on and contributor to books on the history of comics, has marshalled the work of figures including Milton Caniff, Chester Gould, Al Capp, Harold Gray, Charles Addams, Herblock, Peter Arno, Will Eisner, and Harvey Kurtzman for a comprehensive view of what comics did in the war. Free admission.

Andrea Kleine – Calf
Monday, October 19th at 6:30 pm
Busboys and Poets (Brookland location)
625 Monroe St. NE
Washington, D.C. 20017

In her unsettling debut novel, Andrea Klein draws on recent national and personal history for a dual narrative whose chilling finale is as inexorable as it is suspenseful. While a character modelled on John Hinckley, Jr., becomes increasingly delusional, an eleven-year-old girl, already reeling from her parents’ divorce and slow to adapt to her new life in Washington, suffers another shock when her only friend is killed. Klein is a performance artist whose interdisciplinary projects have encompassed film, dance, and writing. Free admission.

Anna Bikont - The Crime and the Silence: Confronting the Massacre of Jews in Wartime Jedwabne
Monday, October 19th at 7 pm
Politics & Prose Bookstore and Coffeehouse
5015 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20008

An award-winning journalist in her native Poland, Anna Bikont won the European book prize in 2011 for her investigation of the cultural and moral reverberations of the 1941 Jedwabne massacre. Building on Jan Gross’s historical account in Neighbors, Bikont chronicles her nation’s public debate over its violent anti-Semitic past and assembles the testimonies of Jedwabne’s witnesses and participants to probe the sources of such chilling hatred. Free admission.

Mary Downing Hahn - Took: A Ghost Story
Monday, October 19th at 7:30 pm
Takoma Park Library
101 Philadelphia Ave
Takoma Park, MD 20912

Daniel and his little sister Erica are aghast when their parents move them from suburban Connecticut to rural West Virginia. Almost as soon as they arrive, they begin to hear about a girl who vanished from the home they just moved into—and a witch named Old Auntie whom everyone blames for the disappearance. When Erica also goes missing, Daniel knows he must find Old Auntie and wrest his sister from her grip. Ages 9 – 12. Free admission.

Monday Night Open Mic hosted by Mary Bowman
Monday, October 19th from 8 pm to 10 pm
Busboys and Poets (Shirlington location)
4251 South Campbell Avenue
Arlington, VA 22206

For two hours, audiences can expect a diverse chorus of voices and a vast array of professional spoken word performers, open mic rookies, musicians, and a different host every week. Expect to be moved, expect a packed house, expect the unexpected, but above all come with an open mind and ear. $5 cover.

Monday Night Open Mic hosted by Ayanna Gallant
Monday, October 19th from 9 pm to 11 pm
Busboys and Poets (Brookland location)
625 Monroe St. NE
Washington, D.C. 20017

For two hours, audiences can expect a diverse chorus of voices and a vast array of professional spoken word performers, open mic rookies, musicians, and a different host every week. Expect to be moved, expect a packed house, expect the unexpected, but above all come with an open mind and ear. $5 cover.

Peter Kuper – Ruins
Tuesday, October 20th from 12 pm to 1 pm
Library of Congress
James Madison Building (Montpelier Room – Sixth Floor)
101 Independence Ave SE
Washington, DC 20540

Come and hear Peter Kuper talk about his latest, Mexico-set graphic novel. Free admission.

Leonard Pitts Jr - Grant Park
Tuesday, October 20th at 6:30 pm
Busboys and Poets (14th & V location)
2021 14th St, NW
Washington, D.C. 20009

In his third novel, Leonard Pitts Jr., author of Freeman and a nationally syndicated columnist who won a 2004 Pulitzer Prize for commentary, explores both the social issues that make news and the interactions among the writers, editors, and staff who work in the news business. When a veteran black columnist goes over his younger white editor’s head to publish an embittered piece in response to the latest incident of racial violence, both men lose their jobs. Pitts constructs dramatic, telling narrative juxtaposing events surrounding the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the eve of the 2008 inauguration of President Barack Obama. Free admission.

Yotam Ottolenghi and Ramael Scully - Nopi: The Cookbook
Tuesday, October 20th at 7 pm
Sixth and I Historic Synagogue
600 I St NW
Washington, DC 20001

The phenomenal success of his London delis and restaurant and his four previous cookbooks have made chef and entrepreneur Yottam Ottolenghi an international star. His third book, Jerusalem, was named Cookbook of the Year by the International Association of Culinary Professionals and Best International Cookbook by the James Beard Foundation. His fifth book, co-written with Nopi head chef Ramael Scully, is dedicated to sustainable ingredients, recipes with a Mediterranean influence, and the creation of food that’s “full of harmonious contradictions… beautiful to look at yet close to its original form.” The chefs will be in conversation with Atlantic national correspondent Jeffrey Goldberg. 1 Ticket: $18; 1 Book and 1 Ticket: $40; $38 for P & P members; 1 Book and 2 Tickets: $50; $47 for P & P members.

Joe Klein - Charlie Mike: A True Story of Heroes who brought Their Mission Home
Tuesday, October 20th at 7 pm
Politics & Prose Bookstore and Coffeehouse
5015 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20008

In his seventh book, Joe Klein, author of the legendary Primary Colors and the award-winning Time “In the Arena” columnist, tells the inspiring story of Eric Greitens, a former Navy SEAL who was eager to put his military discipline to good use. Greitens founded Mission Continues, an organization offering paid public service fellowships to war vets. One of the earliest and most active fellows has been former Marine Sergeant Jake Wood, a natural leader who has organized fellow veterans to assist in disaster relief around the world. Free admission.

Robert Cunningham -Afghanistan: On the Bounce
Tuesday, October 20th at 7 pm
Upshur Street Books
827 Upshur St NW
Washington, DC 20011

Robert Cunningham's incredible story documenting over 40 units at 15 different bases in Afghanistan bears witness to his experience through his photographs. Afghanistan: On the Bounce, produced with writer Steve Hartov, examines the service members’ weapons, uniforms, vehicles, and gear, along with reflections on duty, insights and life on deployment. Robert L Cunningham has been a professional photographer for more than a decade. He’s photographed 9 heads of state, 12 prime ministers, three governors, multiple astronauts, cosmonauts, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, renowned actors, musicians, and professional race car drivers, as well as service members from 15 different nations. His work has taken him aboard U.S. Navy submarines, into zero-gravity in low earth orbit, and to more than 450 cities in 25 countries. Free admission.
Tuesday Night Open Mic hosted by Drew Anderson
Tuesday, October 20th from 9 pm to 11 pm
Busboys and Poets (14th & V location)
2021 14th St, NW
Washington, D.C. 20009

For two hours, audiences can expect a diverse chorus of voices and a vast array of professional spoken word performers, open mic rookies, musicians, and a different host every week. $5 cover.

Tuesday Night Open Mic
Tuesday, October 20th from 9 pm to 11 pm
Busboys and Poets (Takoma location)
235 Carroll St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20012

For two hours, audiences can expect a diverse chorus of voices and a vast array of professional spoken word performers, open mic rookies, musicians, and a different host every week. $5 cover.

Mike Curato – Little Elliot, Big Family
Wednesday, October 21st at 10:30 am
Politics & Prose Bookstore and Coffeehouse
5015 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20008

Little Elliot, the polka-dotted elephant, decides to spend a day wandering New York City while his roommate, Mouse, attends a family reunion. This gets Little Elliot thinking: what would it be like to have a family of his own? As he sees families of all shapes and sizes around him, he feels more and more alone. Then Mouse returns and makes his friend realize that he isn’t on his own after all.  Ages 4 – 7. Free admission.

Bill Clegg - Did You Ever Have a Family
Wednesday, October 21st at 6:30 pm
Busboys and Poets (Brookland location)
625 Monroe St. NE
Washington, D.C. 20017

In his acclaimed memoirs, Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man and Ninety Days, Bill Clegg chronicled his struggle with substance abuse and his laborious efforts to rebuild his career and relationships. His first novel is another powerful study of loss and its aftermath, following June Reid from a disaster that takes the lives of virtually her entire family. In shock, June simply gets in the car and drives. Gradually, both her road trip and her life gain direction and meaning, and the survivors learn more about the loved ones they’ve lost. Free admission.

David Locke Hall – CRACK99
Wednesday, October 21st at 6:30 pm
Kramerbooks
1517 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036

David Lock will be conversation with Chris Chester, Web Producer and Reporter at WAMU 88.5. They will discuss his book Crack99, the utterly gripping story of the most outrageous case of cyber piracy prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice. Free admission.

Diana Nyad - Find a Way: One Wild and Precious Life
Wednesday, October 21st at 7 pm
Politics & Prose Bookstore and Coffeehouse
5015 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20008

One of the all-time great long-distance swimmers, Diana Nyad has accomplished feats requiring not just extraordinary athleticism and determination, but sheer courage. In 1975 she broke a 45-year-old record for swimming the 28 miles around Manhattan. In 1979 she covered the 102 miles between the Bahamas and Florida without a shark cage. While pursuing a successful career as a sports commentator for NPR, ABC’s Wide World of Sports, and others, Nyad has continued swimming, and her fourth book is an inspiring account of her long struggle to swim the 110 miles from Cuba to Florida, a goal she reached on her fourth try, in 2013 at age sixty-four, setting a new record. Free admission.

Steve Knopper – MJ: The Genius of Michael Jackson
Wednesday, October 21st at 7 pm
Upshur Street Books
827 Upshur St NW
Washington, DC 20011
Rolling Stone contributing editor Steve Knopper delves deeply into Michael Jackson’s music and talent. From the artist’s early days with the Jackson 5 to his stratospheric success as a solo artist, to “Beat It” and “Thriller,” “Bad” and “The Man in the Mirror,” to his volatile final years, his attempted comeback, and untimely death, Knopper explores the beguiling and often contradictory forces that fuelled Michael Jackson’s genius. Drawing on an amazing 400 interviews with Jackson’s relatives, friends, and key record executives, as well as celebrities like will.i.am and Weird Al Yankovic, this critical biography puts all the elements of his career into perspective and celebrates his triumph in art and music. Free admission.
Gabrielle Balkan - The 50 States: Explore the U.S.A with 50 Fact-Filled Maps!
Wednesday, October 21st at 7:30 pm
Takoma Park Library
101 Philadelphia Ave
Takoma Park, MD 20912

This more-than-an-atlas offers maps of each state as well as introductions full of cultural and historical information about what makes each one unique. Timelines detail a variety of important events ranging from the hugely influential to the downright quirky. Children’s book authors and illustrators from across the country are given special prominence throughout the pages. Ages 7 – 10. Free admission.
AND
Thursday, October 22nd at 10:30 am
Politics & Prose Bookstore and Coffeehouse
5015 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20008

Wednesday Night Open Mic Poetry hosted by Jonathan Tucker
Wednesday, October 21st from 9 pm to 11 pm
Busboys and Poets (5th and K location)
1025 5th St NW
Washington, DC 20001

For two hours, audiences can expect a diverse chorus of voices and a vast array of professional spoken word performers, open mic rookies, musicians, and a different host every week. $5 cover.

Hurston/Wright Legacy Award Nominee Reading with Tiphanie Yanique, Laila Lalami, Charles E. Cobb, and Roger Reeves
Thursday, October 22nd at 6:30 pm
Busboys and Poets (14th & V location)
2021 14th St, NW
Washington, D.C. 20009

The Hurston/Wright Legacy Awards, sponsored by the Hurston/Wright Foundation, annually honor works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry by Black writers published in the previous year. Recognized as a singular award from the black writing community to its peers, the Legacy Awards each year recognize members of the national and international black writing community. Join four of the nominees—Tiphanie Yanique, Land of Love and Drowning, Laila Lalami, The Moor’s Account, Charles E. Cobb, This Nonviolent Stuff’ll Get You Killed, and Roger Reeves, King Me—as they read from their work on the eve of the award ceremony. Free admission.

Sarah Vowell - Lafayette in the Somewhat United States
Thursday, October 22nd at 7 pm
Politics & Prose Bookstore and Coffeehouse
5015 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20008

From The Partly Cloudy Patriot to The Wordy Shipmates to Unfamiliar Fishes, Sarah Vowell’s history has explored iconic American battlegrounds, ideals, and seminal events by deploying humor to tweak received impressions and suggest new perspectives. In her seventh book, “This American Life” commentator profiles perhaps the greatest French hero of the American Revolution, recreating the triumphant 1824 return of the Marquis de Lafayette to these shores. Free admission.

Poetry Reading with Bradley Strahan
Thursday, October 22nd at 7 pm
Upshur Street Books
827 Upshur St NW
Washington, DC 20011

Listen to poet and Bradley Strahan read a selection of his amazing poems. Strahan is the author of A Parting Glass: Poems of Ireland, The Art of Losing, and four other collections. He has been published in America, Seattle Review, Confrontation, First Things, Christian Century, The Hollins Critic, Soundings East, Passages North, Sundog, Wisconsin Review, & 2003 Struga Festival anthology and Blood to Remember, just to name a few. He taught poetry at Georgetown University for 12 years. Recently, he was Fulbright Professor of poetry and American culture in the Balkans. For more than 34 years, he has been editor/publisher of Visions-International. Free admission.
Thursday Night Open Mic Poetry Hosted by E-Baby
Thursday, October 22nd from 9 pm to 11 pm
Busboys and Poets (Hyattsville location)
5331 Baltimore Ave
Hyattsville, MD 20781

Audiences can expect a diverse chorus of voices and a vast array of professional spoken word performers, open mic rookies, musicians, and a different host every week. $5 cover.

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