Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Spotlight on Literary Events: May 2016



Wednesday, May 11, 2016, 8:00 p.m.
Reston Community Center
2310 Colts Neck Road,
Reston, VA 20191

Comic artist for The New Yorker, see Roz Chas as she talks about her latest book Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?. Her graphic novel touches on mortality and family as Chas depicts the transition of becoming the primary caregiver for her aging parents as they slowly lose their independence. Filled with wit and humor, Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? Is a must read for anyone. Tickets range from $15-$20.

Wednesday, May 11, 2016, 7p.m. – 8 p.m.
Central Library, 1015 N Quincy St,
Arlington, VA 22201, United States

This bimonthly panel, founded by Jon Skovron (The Broken Wondrous World) and Lenore Appelhans (Wild Swans), will discuss how to write Young Adult novels. This panel will present Young Adult authors Kelly Fiore and Lenore Appelhans. A book signing will be offered after the discussion. The topic for the panel is “They’ll Never See It Coming: Writing Effective Plot Twists.” Attendance is free but participants will have the option to purchase the presenting authors’ books.

Thursday, May 12th, 2016, 7:00 PM 
Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital
921 Pennsylvania Avenue SE,
Washington, D.C. 20003

Join the PEN/Faulkner foundation for the 2016 PEN/Faulkner Award Judges Reading with this year’s judges, Abby Frucht, Molly McCloskey, and Sergio Troncoso. Abby Frucht just released her new book “A Well-Made Bed” this past March. She has authored five other books and has won the 1987 Short Fiction Prize and two National Endowments of the Arts. Molly McClosky has written a collection of short stories, a novella, and a novel. Sergio Tronsco has written 3 books, the most recent of which are The Nature of Truth and From the Wicked Patch of Dust. The event is free and open to the public.

Thursday, May 12, 2016, 6:30 p.m.
Library of Congress
101 Independence Avenue SE,
Washington, D.C. 20540

Join the Library of Congress as Jesse Lee Kercheval, poet and translator, reads selections of Idea Vilariño’s poetry from the spring issue of Poet Lore as well as other translations from famous Uruguayan female poets. Vilariño was one of Uruguay’s most prominent literary figures of the 20th century. Poet Lore is the oldest regular poetry magazine in the United States, established in 1889. The event is free.

Saturday, May 14th, 2016, 7:00 p.m.
201 East Capitol Street SE,
Washington, D.C. 20003

Every year since 1980 the PEN/Faulkner foundation has awarded the best work of fiction by an American citizen in the largest peer-juried award in the field. Join the PEN/Faulkner foundation in honoring this year’s winner in the 2016 ceremony. Registration is $100.

Sunday, May 15, 2016, 2:00 p.m.
The Writer’s Center
4508 Walsh Street
Bethesda, MD 20815

Lia Purpura is the author of four poetry collections, most recently It Shouldn’t Have Been Beautiful. She has also written three collections of essays and one collection of translations. She has received several honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, an NEA Fellowship, a Fulbright foundation Fellowship, three PushcartPrizes, a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, and several residencies and fellowships at the MacDowell Colony. Jennifer Wallace teaches at the Maryland Institute College of Art and is a poetry editor at The Cortland Review and a founding editor of Toadlily Press. Her fourth poetry collection, The Want Fire, was published by Passager Books in 2015. The reading will be followed by a book signing and reception. This event is free.

Wednesday, May 18th, 2016, 6:30 p.m.
Kramerbooks and Afterwards Café
1517 Connecticut Avenue NW,
Washington, D.C. 20036

Shelter by Jun Yun centers on son Kyung Cho who must deal with his dysfunctional family history when circumstances force him to take care of his parents. After a violent home invasion, Kyung must close the gap with his estranged parents when they are forced to live with him. Already in the midst of financial debt, Kyung is unsure how he can deal with the added pressure of reconciling his traumatic childhood at the hands of his parents. The reading is free to the public.

Thursday, May 19th, 2016, 6:30 p.m.
MLK Library, 901 G Street NW,
Washington, D.C. 20001

Thunder Boy Jr. wants a name of his own. Big Thunder, his father, suggests some names, but most don’t appeal to Thunder Boy Jr. What name will father and son decide on? This children’s book by Sherman Alexie tells a story about a little boy and his father and how their relationship is tied up in a name. The event is free.

Thursday, May 19, 7:30 p.m.
The Writer’s Center, 4508 Walsh Street
Bethesda, MD 20815

Martin Moran is an American actor and writer who wrote and starred in his autobiographical solo show about his own childhood molestation, “The Tricky Part,” for which he won an Obie Award and received two Drama Desk Award nominations. In 1999, he performed on Broadway as radio man Harold Bride in "Titanic." In 2006, Moran adapted "The Tricky Part" into a memoir, published by Anchor Press. In 2013, Moran debuted a second solo show, "All the Rage," in New York. This event is free.

Friday, May 20, 2016, 12:00 p.m.
201 East Capitol Street SE,
Washington, D.C. 20003

Follow the Folger’s Research Colloquia with this spring edition where residents of the program can present their work-in-progress and receive feedback. Yale University Associate Professor of English, Jessica Brantley, will present “Poetry and Prayer: Wynkyn de Worde’s Literary Hours.”  The event will last an hour with 15 minutes of discussion. Coffee and tea will be provided but participants are encouraged to bring their own lunch. The event is free.

Saturday, May 21, 2016, 10 a.m. – 6p.m.
Gaithersburg City Hall, 31 S. Summit Avenue,
Gaithersburg, MD, 20877

Take mini workshops with instructors from The Writer’s Center, meet best-selling authors, poets, and songwriters. Aattend readings, panel presentations, and book signings. Parents will find programs for their little ones in The Children’s Village. For younger participants, there will be readings and programs by award-wining children and young adult authors, including book signings, workshops, and performances. The winner of the high school short story will be announced. Admission and parking is free.

Saturday-Sunday, May 21-22, 2016, 7:30 p.m.
Canal Park
201 East Capitol Street, SE
Washington, D.C. 20003

Celebrate 400 years of Shakespeare by joining the Folger and Capital Riverfront for two outdoor screenings of films inspired by Shakespeare’s plays. On both nights the screenings will start at 7:30 p.m. and each film will be introduced by actors from the Folger Theatre at Canal Park. Saturday’s screening will be The Merchant of Venice (2004), the first full-length filmed version of the play with sound. Sunday’s showing will include West Side Story (1961), the well-known musical adaption of Romeo and Juliet. Both screenings are free.

Saturday, May 21, 2016, 6:00 p.m.
Politics and Prose
5015 Connecticut Ave NW,
Washington, D.C. 20008

Theodore Leinwand’s new book looks at 7 famous writers and their readings of William Shakespeare’s work. Presenting the journal entries, letters, and criticisms by Coleridge, Keats, Woolf, Olson, Berryman, Ginsburg, and Ted Hughes, Leinwand demonstrates the changing interpretation of Shakespeare’s work throughout the ages. This in-depth analysis presents literature in communication across ages, meditating on the works that became the foundation of English literature. The event is free.

Sunday, May 22, 2:00 p.m.
The Writer’s Center
4508 Walsh Street
Bethesda, MD 20815

Don’t be shy! Share your latest short story, poem, flash memoir or excerpt from a novel-in progress.
Sign-up begins at 1:30 p.m.  The reading will be followed by a reception. This event is free.

Monday, May 23, 2016, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Busboys and Poets
1025 5th Street NW,
Washington, D.C. 20001

My Father is in Prison tells the story of Louis, a boy who creates imaginative stories to hide the fact that his father is in prison. Heartwarming as it is heartbreaking, Patrick Baker’s book looks with the eyes of a child at a growing national issue. Where 2.7 million children have a parent in prison, the book gives context and language for children to see a reflection of what they may be going through. The event is free.

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