Monday, November 17
Author and environmentalist Terry Tempest Williams discusses Finding Beauty In A Broken World at Politics and Prose at 7. The book chronicles her travels from Italy to the American Southwest and Rwanda as she searches for a meaningful understanding between man and nature.

Tuesday, November 18
Classical music expert Rob Kapilow’s book, All You Have To Do Is Listen, teaches readers how to listen to music from a composer’s point of view. Kapilow will explain his listening method at Borders’ L Street location at 12:30.

Wednesday, November 19
Terry Gilliam’s 1998 adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas screens at 6 in the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s McEvoy Auditorium. Johnny Depp brings the cult-classic novel to life with his masterful performance of the drug-crazed gonzo journalist. Benicio Del Toro co-stars as Oscar Z. Acosta, Thompson’s lawyer and partner in crime.

Monday, November 10
Tim Noah, husband of the late Washington Post and Vanity Fair writer Marjorie Williams, brings his wife’s second posthumous collection, Reputation: Portraits in Power, to Politics and Prose tonight at 7. Noah will be joined by Vanity Fair editor Todd Purdum and Post columnist Ruth Marcus. The book profiles some of the figures that dominated politics and the media during the final years of the 20th century.

Tuesday, November 11
Did you know that Native Americans, by percentage, have served more than any other ethnic group in the US military? Take a long lunch and head to the National Museum of the American Indian from 1 to 3 for a discussion with historian Herman Viola. His book, Warriors in Uniforms: The Legacy of American Indian Heroism, chronicles the American Indian’s military service from the Revolutionary War to the Iraq War. A book signing follows the event, which takes place in the museum’s Rasmuson Theater. 

Monday, November 3
We’ve heard plenty about the two presidential candidates, but what about their wives? The Washington Post’s Liza Mundy aims to answer questions about Barack Obama’s other half with her book Michelle: A Biography. Mundy will be at Politics and Prose at 7 to discuss the book, which draws upon interviews with more than 100 people, including the potential first lady.

Tuesday, November 4
It’s Election Day—go vote! If you’ve already cast your ballot but still have politics on the brain, check out the political-cartoon collection at the National Postal Museum from 11 to 2. Or see our list of election-watching parties.

Wednesday, November 5
Like a little music with your lunch? The Corcoran’s Wednesday jazz series continues with Harry Appleman at 12:30 in the Frances and Armand Hammer Auditorium.

You might also be interested in . . . How Restaurants Are Getting Into the Spooky Spirit | Halloween Parties at Bars | Happy Hour Finder | Costume Stores in Washington

Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday

Thursday, October 30: Local author Eric Nuzum—who’s no stranger to scary creatures of the night —reads from his latest book, The Dead Travel Fast: Stalking Vampires From Nosferatu to Count Chocula, at the Barnes & Noble in Georgetown. Nuzum’s quest to understand our culture’s strange fascination with vampires drove him—among other things—to take a tour of Romania, watch hundreds of vampire films, and (gasp!) even read the Anne Rice vampire saga. Oh, did we mention he also drank his own blood? Check out the book reading at 7:30.

The AFI Silver Theatre’s Halloween on Screen series continues with two horror classics: Rosemary’s Baby and Night of the Living Dead. The first one, Roman Polanski’s terrifying story of a young woman impregnated by the devil, shows at 7. Night of the Living Dead, George Romero’s first entry in his zombie series, is at 9:45. Tickets ($10) can be purchased here. For more scary movies around town this weekend, check out our guide.

Bee’s Knees, a monthly party featuring vintage rock and soul tunes at Velvet Lounge, gets a spooky makeover, with a costume contest, candy, apple bobbing, and giveaways. Bands and DJs will entertain the crowd. Drink specials include $4 Jameson and $2 Natty Bohs before midnight. For more information, click here.

Olympic winners Nastia Liukin (who, OMG, just shot a guest spot on Gossip Girl) and Shawn Johnson are part of a group of athletes in the Tour of Gymnastics Superstars, which stops by the Verizon Center. The athletes will perform their routines to the tunes of Disney musical acts Jordan Pruitt and K.S.M. Tickets ($29.50 to $125) can be purchased here. The show starts at 7:30.

Monday, October 27
The National Portrait Gallery’s Cultures in Motion series presents the program “Brando Himself.” Edward Gero uses Marlon Brando quotes to portray the iconic actor in an interview with actress Jewell Robinson. The performance takes place in the McEvoy Auditorium. Call 202-633-8520 to reserve seats.

Tuesday, October 28
Join conceptual artist Joseph Kosuth for a discussion of his work at the Hirshhorn at 7. Kosuth’s text-based works grew popular in the 1960s because of his emphasis on ideas over craft. He’ll discuss seven pieces from the Hirshhorn’s collection, five of which are on display in the Panza Collection through January 11.

Wednesday, October 29
The presidential election is less than a week away, and the two candidates have barely discussed environmental issues. Want to hear more? Busboys and Poets at 14th and V streets, Northwest, is hoping to paint half the picture with an Obama environmental-information event. Learn more about the Democratic nominee’s perspective on coal-to-liquids technology, ethanol, and his climate and energy plans. Three short films will also be shown. For more information, call 703-864-7770.

You might also be interested in . . . Where to Watch the VP Debate | Best Activities for October | Happy Hour Finder | Events Calendar

Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday

Thursday, October 2: Film buffs might want to check out the opening night of National Geographic’s All Roads Film Festival this evening. Highlighting stories of indigenous cultures and running until October 5, the festival opens tonight with a screening of The Linguists, about two linguists who race against time to document endangered languages before the last fluent speaker dies. The film will be in National Geographic’s Grosvenor Auditorium at 7.

The real fun of the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival starts this weekend with its free jazz celebrations on the Mall, but there’s also plenty of great music throughout the week. Tonight at the Kennedy Center, try the Bar J Wranglers from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, who deliver country-tinged, jazzy harmonies.

The debate tonight is arguably the most anticipated one this fall, and it’s not even between the two presidential candidates! Vice-presidential hopefuls Joe Biden and Sarah Palin square off at 9, and we’ve found parties and bars where you can watch it all go down.

Dexter Filkins, award-winning correspondent for the New York Times, presents his book, The Forever War, at Politics & Prose on Tuesday at 7. The book is an account of Filkins’s nine years covering the wars in the Middle East, starting with the rise of the Taliban in the 1990s and continuing into the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Field biologist George Schaller will give a lecture, “A Life in the Wild,” at the National Zoo’s visitor center on Wednesday at 7:30. As head conservationist for the Wildlife Conservation Society, Schaller has spent time researching in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and helped to save endangered species on the Tibetan Plateau. Reservations are recommended for this free event; call 202-633-4085.

Stephanie Elizondo Griest, author of the guidebook 100 Places Every Woman Should Go, discusses her newest work, Mexican Enough: My Life Between the Borderlines, at Olssons Books & Records on Thursday at 7. Griest’s book begins in her racially mixed Texas town and follows her into Mexico, where she stumbles into luchadores, rebel teachers, and imprisoned political activists while investigating the story of her own roots.