Book Talks, Hygge, and New Theater: Things to Do in DC, January 25-28

Hello hello!

We’ve got book talks, hygge, and a new play.

We all could use a little hygge.

Here’s what you should check out this week:

A new play: Prolific playwright Lauren Gunderson’s new piece focuses on Nathan Wolfe, a virologist who saw the pandemic coming. After studying Ebola and swine flu, Wolfe had suggested pandemic insurance years ago, long before we were all cooped up at home anxiously awaiting the Covid-19 vaccine. Gunderson—who’s actually married to Wolfe—digs into his story in the digital drama The Catastrophist, produced by Round House Theatre and Marin Theatre Company. Stream the show from Tuesday 1/26 through Sunday 2/28; $30, buy tickets here.

Book talk: Hear from novelist Victoria Christopher Murray about Wrath, a romance that explores faith and love, at a virtual event from MahoganyBooks. Murray will speak about her Seven Deadly Sins series (Wrath is the fourth installment) with bookstore co-owner Ramunda Lark Young. Tuesday 1/26 at 7 PM; Free, register here.

Power talk: New York Times columnist Charles Blow is releasing his latest work, The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto. Blow details a plan of action for fighting white supremacy, like moving South to upset political power. He’ll discuss his ideas with Politico White House correspondent Laura Barrón-López in this virtual event from Sixth & I. Wednesday 1/27 at 7 PM; $10-$32 (with an option to include a signed copy of the book), buy tickets here.

Get cozy: Channel the Danish concept of hygge, the cozy comfortable feeling, in a “Wind Down Wednesday” program from the National Portrait Gallery. Join Megan Segarra as she walks you through making a tea-infused cocktail (or mocktail) and see author Marilynne Robinson’s portrait, part of the gallery’s “Her Story: A Century of Women Writers” exhibit. Wednesday 1/27 at 5 PM; Free, watch it on Instagram live here.

Doors open: The Spy Museum just reopened to guests on a weekends-only schedule; masks are required, duh.

Test your knowledge: How much do you know about Joe and Kamala’s time in DC before they got to the White House? Take our fun quiz to guess Biden’s go-to order at Pete’s A Pizza (no Googling!).

What I’m watching: 

Paging Buffy: I think we still need help here.I’m playing catch-up on a few old TV shows and most recently I finished watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. What an epically awesome series. Any big Buffy fans here? I know this probably isn’t news to most of you, but Sarah Michelle Gellar’s kickass heroine has been a constant source of positivity (despite her extremely relatable lows). Plus, I was finally able to catch up on the years-old debate about which vampire was “the one” for her, which Stacey Abrams weighed in on a few months ago. On Twitter, she announced that she shipped Buffy and Spike: “To be fair, Angel was the right boyfriend for Buffy coming into her power. Spike was the right man to be with as she became the power.” (A bunch of the show’s cast actually agreed with her.) Anyway, I know it’s not revelatory but I’m open and ready to receive all of your fan takes because now I will finally be able to keep up.

Also in totally unrelated news, I wholeheartedly recommend you scroll through this amazing Twitter thread of animals in the wild interacting with photographers and their cameras. There are silly posing foxes, adorable penguins peering into the lens, and surprisingly cuddy big cats that can brighten anyone’s day.

Thanks for reading! Tell me what you’re up to at home by dropping me a line at rcartagena@washingtonian.com.

Update: An earlier version of this story included a George Washington University event with Isabel Wilkerson; that program is not open to the public, so it has been removed.