- Books
The best in Washington, DC things to do, entertainment, nightlife, culture, arts, fashion and more.
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By
Sarah Zlotnick
A compilation of interesting—and, most important, free—lectures, cultural events, and more throughout the week.
Tuesday, September 1
Yet another free movie festival comes to an end. Catch Chicago, the Oscar-winning musical starring Richard Gere, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Renée Zellweger, tonight at the last Bethesda Row Movies Under the Stars installment; 8:45. Oh summer, how we’ll miss you. Wednesday, September 2
Stressballs should head to Foundry United Methodist Church (16th and P sts., NW) for a free introduction to meditation. This weekly series of guided seated and walking meditations is followed by a Vipassana-related question-and-answer session. 7 to 8:30; no registration required. E-mail meditationdc@gmail.com for more information.
Thursday, September 3
Tony Award nominee Emily Skinner, star of Signature Theatre’s Dirty Blonde, joins fans during Signature’s monthly Brown Bag Thursday event to answer questions and discuss her portrayal of Mae West in the musical. 1 to 2 PM in the theater’s Mead Lobby.
This Is Where I Leave You, the delightfully awkward novel about middle-aged family dysfunction, is on pretty much everyone’s must-read list this fall. Hear author Jonathan Tropper discuss the book tonight at Politics and Prose. 7 PM.
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By
Alejandro Salinas
A compilation of interesting—and, most important, free—lectures, cultural events, and more throughout the week.
Monday, June 1
• Luis Alberto Urrea will read and discuss his latest novel, Into the Beautiful North, at Politics and Prose. The book tells of a small-town girl whose life suddenly finds purpose after watching the movie The Magnificent Seven. 7 PM.
• Positive Vibrations Youth Steel Orchestra, a steel-drum group composed of students from the Saturday Academy in Maryland, performs at the Kennedy Center’s free Millennium Stage. 6 PM.
Tuesday, June 2
• The Washington Psychotronic Film Society screens Evil Brain From Outer Space at the Warehouse. The film, believe it or not, is about a pajama-wearing superhero fighting space monsters in order to save our planet. The screening is free, but a $2 donation is encouraged. 8 PM.
• Jazz musician Marcus Johnson will perform songs from his most recent album, Poetically Justified, at the 18th and L streets location of Borders in downtown DC. He’ll autograph copies of his album following the performance. 12:30 PM.
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By
Matt Carr
A compilation of interesting—and, most important, free—lectures, cultural events, and more throughout the week.
Tuesday, May 19
In Annie’s Ghosts: A Journey Into a Family Secret, Steve Luxenberg, an editor at the Washington Post, uncovers his mother’s hidden past and an aunt he never knew existed. Luxenberg will discuss his book with New York Times reporter Scott Shane at the Borders at 18th and L streets, Northwest, at 6:30.
Wednesday, May 20
Washington Post columnist David Ignatius will read from and his discuss his newest thriller, The Increment, at Politics and Prose at 7. The novel centers around the Iranian nuclear threat and how a CIA agent must betray his country and turn to a secret British spy team called the Increment to save the day.
Thursday, May 21
The Smithsonian American Art Museum screens The Grapes of Wrath in its McEvoy Auditorium at 6. John Ford’s adaptation of the John Steinbeck novel follows the Joad family, who attempt to leave behind the Great Depression by heading west to California.
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By
Matt Carr
A compilation of interesting—and, most important, free—lectures, cultural events, and more throughout the week.
Tuesday, May 12
Richard N. Haass, director of policy planning in the State Department under Colin Powell, reflects on the differences between the 1991 and 2003 Iraq wars in War of Neccessity, War of Choice: A Memoir of Two Iraq Wars. Haas will read from and discuss his book at Politics & Prose at 7.
Wednesday, May 13
Author Vincent Bzdek brings The Kennedy Legacy: Jack, Bobby and Ted and a Family Dream Fulfilled to the L Street location of Borders at 12:30. Bzdek argues that each Kennedy brother’s accomplishments can been seen as a means of fulfilling the interrupted promise of the brother before him. The author will read from the book and discuss who now carries the family’s torch.
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By
Matt Carr
A compilation of interesting—and, most important, free—lectures, cultural events, and more throughout the week.
Monday, April 27
Former George Washington University president Stephen Trachtenberg brings his memoir, Big Man on Campus: A University President Speaks Out on Higher Education, to Reiter’s Books at 6:30. Trachtenberg draws on his 30 years of experience to candidly explore the challenges of running a university.
Tuesday, April 28
Stop by the National Air and Space Museum’s Lockheed Martin Imax Theater for a free screening of Dogfights: Hell Over Hanoi at 7. Following the film, retired Air Force Brigadier General Dan Cherry will talk about his recent experience meeting Nguyen Hong My, the Vietnamese aviator he shot down in 1972.
Wednesday, April 29
The Library of Congress screens the world premier of Ed Thigpen: Master of Time, Rhythm, and Taste in its Mary Pickford Theater at 7. Thigpen, a jazz drummer best known for his tenures with Oscar Peterson and Ella Fitzgerald, played on more than 900 albums with almost every great jazz musician of the 20th century.
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By
Matt Carr
A compilation of interesting—and, most important, free—lectures, cultural events, and more throughout the week.
Monday, April 13
Susan Jane Gilman, the bestselling author of Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress, brings her latest memoir, Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven, to Politics and Prose at 7. In 1986, inspired by a place mat at the International House of Pancakes, Gilman and a friend embarked on a trip around the globe starting in the People’s Republic of China, which the author says had been open to travelers for “roughly 10 minutes.”
Tuesday, April 14
Washington Wizards guard Deshawn Stevenson will be at ESPN Zone at noon for a Q&A. Stop by for an autograph and photo with Stevenson before the Wizards’ season comes to an end on Wednesday.
Wednesday, April 15
In celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month, the National Portrait Gallery screens Paris Blues, with Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier, at 7 in the McEvoy Auditorium. The 1961 film, which features an Oscar-nominated score by Duke Ellington, tells the story of two American jazz musicians who live and play in Paris to escape racism.
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By
Matt Carr
A compilation of interesting—and, most important, free—lectures, cultural events, and more throughout the week.
Monday, April 6
Bob and Fred Luskin of downtown DC's Bell Wine discuss the best wines for Easter dinner at the L Street location of Borders at 6:30.
Tuesday, April 7
Chefs José Andrés (Oyamel, Café Atlantico) and Wylie Dufresne (WD-50 in New York) discuss the emergence of Spanish vanguard cuisine and its influence on the culinary world in the American History Museum’s Carmichael auditorium. Vanguard cuisine, also called molecular gastronomy, uses innovative techniques and sciences in the preparation and delivery of food. Admittance is free and on a first come, first served basis. Doors open at 6:30; the lecture starts at 7.
Wednesday, April 8
The Library of Congress screens Lady Be Good: Instrumental Women in Jazz at 7 in its Pickford Theater. The 2007 documentary focuses on American female instrumentalists and the development of all-women groups from the early part of the 20th century to the 1970s.
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