Talk/Lecture Events in DC

Gallery Talk: The Sacred Art of Ayesha Kamal

Gallery Talk: Beyond Words: The Sacred Art of Ayesha Kamal brings artist Ayesha Kamal and curator Umar John together with special guests Dr. Sajid Tarar and Dr. Jasdip Singh Jesse to discuss the exhibition *Beyond Words: The Sacred Art of Ayesha Kamal: Contemporary Islamic Calligraphy & Spiritual Expression*. The conversation explores how Islamic artistic traditions, sacred texts, and contemporary artistic practice come together in Kamal’s luminous, large-scale mixed-media paintings.

Walking Tour: Anacostia Historic District

Walking Tour: Anacostia Historic District examines one of Washington’s most intact collections of late-19th- and early-20th-century working-class homes. The district includes approximately 550 buildings dating from 1854 to about 1930 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. An expansion documented in October 2021 extended the district’s period of significance through 1948.

NPR’s Wild Card with Rachel Martin

NPR’s *Wild Card with Rachel Martin* is a live, unscripted interview show built around the questions that matter most in life. Guests draw questions from a deck of cards and discuss thoughts and experiences that people often consider but rarely express openly. This performance features special guest José Andrés and offers audiences the opportunity to hear the show weeks before its podcast debut.

The Listener’s Guide – Illusion, Power, and Puccini: Decoding M. Butterfly

The Listener’s Guide: Illusion, Power, and Puccini in *M. Butterfly* is a two-hour pre-performance lecture examining how David Henry Hwang’s *M. Butterfly* reimagines and challenges Giacomo Puccini’s *Madama Butterfly*. The discussion considers illusion, identity, gender, imperialism, romantic desire, and power, focusing on how fantasy and self-deception can distort reality.

The East Wing: Power, Intrigue, and the Untold Story of America's First Ladies

Azadeh Moaveni presents *The East Wing: Power, Intrigue, and the Untold Story of America’s First Ladies*, an examination of how First Ladies’ staffs have operated as centers of political influence inside the White House. Drawing on original reporting, interviews with former East Wing participants, historical research, and analysis, Moaveni traces the staffers, relationships, rivalries, and media and social strategies that have shaped the First Lady’s office and its role in American governance.

Lindsey Fitzharris — Sleuth-Hound: The Case of the Real Sherlock Holmes - with Raychelle Burks

Lindsey Fitzharris presents *Sleuth-Hound: The Case of the Real Sherlock Holmes*, the true story of Joseph Bell, the Edinburgh surgeon whose remarkable powers of observation helped inspire Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Bell could infer a patient’s occupation, habits, and ailments from subtle details, and his work eventually carried him from hospital wards into courtroom investigations and the criminal underworld of Victorian Britain.

Saira Mohamed — What a Country Owes Its Soldiers - with Darin Johnson

Saira Mohamed presents *What a Country Owes Its Soldiers*, a legal and ethical examination of how the United States treats its military service members. Mohamed argues that volunteering to serve does not amount to agreeing to exploitation, inadequate equipment or medical care, unlawful wars, criminal orders, or the denial of legal remedies when soldiers are harmed or killed.

Kerr Smith — I Don't Want to Wait: My Life on Dawson's Creek

Kerr Smith discusses his memoir, *I Don’t Want to Wait: My Life on Dawson’s Creek*, at Politics and Prose’s Union Market location. The event offers a behind-the-scenes account of *Dawson’s Creek*, including episode stories, memorable characters, life on set, and the making of the show’s major storylines. Smith also reflects on his own path from growing up in a small town to joining the series and participating in one of the first gay kisses on American primetime television.

Forget Why Poetry Series - Edwin Torres, Cathy Eisenhower, Vivek Narayanan

The Forget Why Poetry Series presents an evening with multidisciplinary poet and performance artist Edwin Torres, poet and psychotherapist Cathy Eisenhower, and poet, translator, and literary scholar Vivek Narayanan. The program features readings and presentations from all three artists, whose work spans experimental poetry, performance, translation, and literary scholarship.

The History of Silver Spring’s Canada Dry Bottling Plant

This history program marks the 80th anniversary of Silver Spring’s Canada Dry Bottling Plant on East-West Highway. Jerry A. McCoy, a Montgomery Preservation Inc. board member and founder of the Silver Spring Historical Society, leads an illustrated presentation about the plant’s history and the adaptive reuse of part of the former bottling facility as housing.

2026 Forward Religions Conference

The 2026 Forward Religions Conference explores “Welcome Home” as an invitation to return, remember, reconnect, and imagine. Over three days, scholars, faith leaders, artists, technologists, and cultural creators consider the physical, spiritual, intellectual, and digital spaces where Black life, faith, and culture have developed and changed.

Walking Tour: Woodley Park Historic District

The Woodley Park Historic District walking tour explores the neighborhood’s transformation from a Federal-era retreat into a distinctive early-20th-century residential community. Led by Woodley Park resident and Washington Walks guide Martin Murray, the tour covers the neighborhood’s origins, the “Million Dollar Bridge” (officially the William Howard Taft Bridge), and the notable homes, hotel, and English Village-style row houses associated with developer Harry Wardman and architects and builders including Hunter and Bell, Middaugh and Shannon, and Clarke Waggaman.

D.C. Frost — A Shadow of Jaguars (Detective DJ Arias Mystery #2) / Melanie S. Hatter — All the Pain We Endure - with Saul Gonzalez

D.C. Frost presents *A Shadow of Jaguars*, the second Detective DJ Arias mystery, a cross-border noir thriller moving between Mexico City and Los Angeles. During a family funeral in Mexico City, Detective DJ Arias encounters the Jaguars, a group of Robin Hood-style thieves whose activities connect to a Hollywood murder involving Los Angeles elites and the immigrant workers who serve them. As DJ and his partner, Bobby Talbot, investigate, the case puts DJ’s loved ones at risk and forces them to navigate the uneasy overlap of wealth, power, and immigrant life. DJ’s loyal dog, Evidence, remains at his side.

Judith Bowles — They Spoke of the River - with David Keplinger

Judith Bowles presents her third poetry collection, *They Spoke of the River*, in conversation with poet, translator, professor, and mindfulness teacher David Keplinger. The collection draws on Ohio poets Mary Oliver and James Wright, the ghazals of Rumi, and the plainspoken work of Robert Frost and William Stafford. Bowles follows the voices and oral histories of her Ohio roots, bringing together history, childhood, marriage, and elegy in a book that reflects on the broader American experience.

Simon Sebag Montefiore — The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East - With James Kirchick

Simon Sebag Montefiore presents *The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East*, a sweeping history of the region from 1900 to the present. Drawing on political, cultural, and social history, Montefiore examines the ideological conflicts and geopolitical pressures that shaped the modern Middle East, tracing a route from the Ottoman sultanate to the Trump presidency and spanning countries from Morocco to Iran. The event explores the region’s diversity, cosmopolitanism, interconnectedness, and competing traditions of faith, tolerance, dictatorship, and democracy.

Susan Spungen: Talk & Tasting

Susan Spungen, known as the “Babe Ruth of Cookies,” discusses her cookbook *Cookie Queen: 80+ Irresistible, Doable, Giftable Recipes* in conversation with Claudia Fleming. The event explores cookies as both a technical craft and a source of comfort, drawing on global traditions and inventive sweet and savory flavor combinations.

Distinguished Speaker: The Incomparable Renee Fleming

Renée Fleming presents *Music and the Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness*, a Distinguished Speakers in Classical Music program from the Arts Club of Washington’s Classical Music Committee. She will discuss how music, dance, and synchronized movement can soothe, comfort, foster human connection, and support health and well-being across cultures, religions, and races.

Guided Tour: Let There Be Light: Light as an Artist’s Medium

Guided Tour: Let There Be Light: Light as an Artist’s Medium is a close-looking experience at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. A Gallery Guide leads visitors through selected works on view, using conversation and critical thinking to explore light as an artistic medium and to make connections among artists, ideas, and creative practices.

Omekongo Dibinga, PhD — Trigger Words: How Political Language Has Made America Less Inclusive (And How to Bring Us Back Together) - with Dr. Nola Haynes

Omekongo Dibinga, PhD, presents *Trigger Words*, an examination of how political language in the United States has been manipulated to create division, dehumanize people, and undermine inclusion and equity. He considers the ways terms such as “woke,” “DEI,” and “CRT” have been weaponized by conservative movements, while also discussing how some liberal uses of language can dilute or obscure the original meaning of terms such as “homeless,” “African American,” and “Latino.”

Vauhini Vara

Vauhini Vara discusses her book *Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age*, a work that combines journalism and memoir to examine how large technology companies capitalize on human communication and how users participate in those systems. She will consider the ways people create and present a sense of self in an increasingly digital world.

Medicaid Work Requirements and Behavioral Health: Implementation and State Approaches

Medicaid work requirements can create particular challenges for people living with mental illness or substance use conditions. This discussion will examine how states may determine eligibility for exemptions, verify those exemptions, and address the effects of these policies on Medicaid coverage and access to care, including how recent litigation could influence implementation.

Emily Galvin Almanza - Andromeda Diaz and the Reasonable Doubt

Emily Galvin Almanza presents *Andromeda Diaz and the Reasonable Doubt*, a young-adult mystery about Andromeda, a fifth grader whose parents are public defenders. When her classmate Benji Jones is suspended for allegedly stealing and faces possible involvement from the District Attorney, Andromeda and her best friend Danny investigate what really happened. They interview witnesses, examine gaps in the evidence, and develop alternative explanations while trying to prove Benji’s innocence before his future is jeopardized. The story emphasizes the importance of standing up for justice at any age and includes a recipe for cuñapes, a Bolivian snack bread.

Jordan Fontheim — The Boy Who Vanished: A Holocaust Survival Story - with David Litt

Jordan Fontheim presents the extraordinary true story of his grandfather, Ernest Fontheim, a young Jewish man who survived Nazi persecution by disappearing into wartime Berlin and posing as an Aryan. In conversation with David Litt, Fontheim will discuss Ernest’s childhood in an assimilated Jewish family, the destruction of that life under the Nazis, and the courage and ingenuity that enabled Ernest and the Hass family to survive both the war and its aftermath.

Stephan Pastis — Pearls Jubilee: The Best, Worst, and Most Angrifying Pearls Before Swine Comic Strips - with Gene Weingarten

Stephan Pastis celebrates 25 years of *Pearls Before Swine* with *Pearls Jubilee*, a wide-ranging collection of the comic strip’s funniest, most controversial, and most touching moments. The event explores the strip’s development from the ambitions of a disaffected lawyer into a worldwide phenomenon, with Pastis discussing the stories behind selected strips and the creative history of the feature.

The New Yorker’s “Political Scene Podcast” Live

The New Yorker’s “Political Scene” podcast comes to Sixth & I for a live taping featuring hosts Susan B. Glasser, Jane Mayer, and Evan Osnos. The discussion will examine the 2026 midterm results, their implications for the following two years, and the road to 2028.

Visiting Artist Lecture: Coco Fusco

The Department of Art and the David C. Driskell Center present interdisciplinary artist and writer Coco Fusco in the Department of Art’s Fall 2026 Visiting Artist Lecture Series. Based in New York, Fusco is a professor at the Cooper Union School of Art whose work explores performance, politics, cultural identity, and cultural fusion.

Community Event: Street Art, Shared Stories

Community Event: Street Art, Shared Stories brings together Hola Cultura, the DC Preservation League, and local muralists for a closer look at Washington, DC’s Latine murals. The program explores the history represented by these works and discusses ways to document and preserve them. Refreshments will be served.

Guided Tour: Hirshhorn Highlights

Guided Tour: Hirshhorn Highlights offers a conversational look at selected works from the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden’s exhibitions and collections. Led through close observation, critical thinking, and discussion, the tour explores artists and artistic ideas from the 20th and 21st centuries while encouraging visitors to make connections and discover new approaches to artmaking.

Modern Japanese Design in Zuanshū Publishing

Dr. Naoko Adachi presents a lecture on *zuanshū* (図案集), a genre of woodblock-printed design books that gained popularity during Japan’s Meiji era (1868–1912). The presentation will explore the bold compositions, vivid colors, patterns, and motifs these publications offered as inspiration for textile production, while examining their broader role in Japanese publishing history.

Dr. Brandie Smith — In the Company of Pandas: My Life with the World's Favorite Bear - with Annalisa Meyer

Dr. Brandie Smith discusses her book *In the Company of Pandas: My Life with the World’s Favorite Bear*, offering personal stories and scientific perspectives from her work with giant pandas. She explores their behavior, biology, individual personalities, conservation challenges, and the experience of caring for, training, feeding, and raising pandas at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo.

Ben Buchanan — The Bitter Struggle: Superintelligence, Superpowers, and the Fate of the World - with Cecilia Kang

Ben Buchanan presents *The Bitter Struggle: Superintelligence, Superpowers, and the Fate of the World*, his urgent examination of the global race to develop and control artificial intelligence. Drawing on his experience as the first White House Special Advisor for AI, Buchanan argues that the United States and its democratic allies must achieve leadership in AI while confronting the difficult trade-offs between security and liberty, speed and caution, and power and principle.

Jane Wiedlin — TMI: Memoirs of a Go-Go

Jane Wiedlin, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and co-founder of the Go-Go’s, appears at Union Market for a photo opportunity and discussion of her memoir, *TMI: Memoirs of a Go-Go*. The book offers a candid account of her life in the pioneering all-female rock band, from the early Los Angeles punk scene and the success of “Our Lips Are Sealed” to the group’s touring, internal tensions, breakup, and lasting influence.

History Happy Hours: Political Appetites with Dr. Nancy Siegel

History Happy Hours: Political Appetites with Dr. Nancy Siegel explores how food influenced politics and national identity during the American Revolution and Early Republic. Culinary and art historian Nancy Siegel will discuss colonial tea boycotts, homemade “Liberty Tea,” Election Cake, Washington Pie, Mammoth Cheese, and other foods and dining traditions that expressed resistance, civic values, independence, and visions for the new nation.

Free Guided Tour of The Arts Club

Join a docent-led tour of the historic Arts Club of Washington clubhouse, located in a National Register-listed landmark at 2017 I Street NW. The tour explores the club’s history since its founding in 1916, its activities, and notable members.

Dan Jones — Castles: A Fortified History of the World from the Bronze Age to the Nuclear Age

Dan Jones presents *Castles: A Fortified History of the World from the Bronze Age to the Nuclear Age*, a sweeping history of fortifications and the people who built, defended, attacked, and inhabited them. The book traces castle-building across centuries and continents, from Bronze Age Troy and Krak des Chevaliers in Syria to Windsor Castle, the Tower of London, Himeji Castle in Japan, and Fort Sumter in Charleston.

Liam Callanan — Stone Age Astronaut: The Astonishing Adventures of America’s Forgotten Flier - With Dana Milbank — at The Wharf

Liam Callanan presents *Stone Age Astronaut: The Astonishing Adventures of America’s Forgotten Flier* in conversation with Dana Milbank. Callanan’s biography recovers the remarkable story of Lester Maitland, a Milwaukee-born aviator whose pioneering achievements briefly made him as famous as Charles Lindbergh before his name largely disappeared from public memory.

Site Visit/Tour: Anderson House & Museum of American Revolution Institute of Society of the Cincinnati

A guided visit explores Anderson House, the 1905 winter residence of Isabel and Larz Anderson and the headquarters of the Society of the Cincinnati since 1938. The house features grand entertaining rooms influenced by multiple architectural styles, along with artifacts collected during the Andersons’ extensive travels.

Nerd Nite

Nerd Nite returns to DC9 with its playful, irreverent lecture series for curious adults. The evening features three speakers, multimedia presentations, and deep dives into topics ranging from fatphobia and body politics to the Copper Age mummy Ötzi and the history of musical tuning. The event has been a DC favorite since 2009 and is designed for a lively crowd of rowdy nerds.

Matthew Cole — Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner and Mohamed bin Zayed's Secret Plot to Remake the Middle East — at Conn Ave

Matthew Cole presents *Princes and Thieves*, an investigative account of the covert political and financial alliance connecting Jared Kushner with UAE leader Mohamed bin Zayed and Saudi leader Mohammed bin Salman. The book examines how the three figures and their associates pursued a hidden policy agenda, sought to influence the Trump White House, and worked to reshape the Middle East.

Alice Miranda Ollstein — Side Effects: How Abortion Bans Impact Everyone’s Health - with Eugene Daniels — at Conn Ave

Alice Miranda Ollstein presents *Side Effects: How Abortion Bans Impact Everyone’s Health*, a reported examination of how the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn *Roe v. Wade* has affected the broader U.S. health-care system. Her reporting explores the consequences of abortion restrictions for patients and medical professionals, including delayed or denied care, disruptions to contraception and IVF, medical-research impacts, hospital staffing challenges, longer wait times, and complications in managing chronic illnesses.

Walter Stahr — William Howard Taft: A Great American Life - With David O. Stewart — at Conn Ave

Walter Stahr discusses his biography *William Howard Taft: A Great American Life* in conversation with David O. Stewart. The event reassesses Taft’s legacy beyond his presidency, emphasizing his decades of public service, his judicial career, and his transformative tenure as chief justice of the United States.

Jennifer Anne Moses and Stuart P. Green — The Rebbe of Baton Rouge - With Amy E. Schwartz — at Union Market

Jennifer Anne Moses and Stuart P. Green present *The Rebbe of Baton Rouge*, a genre-blending novel that combines Yiddish-inflected Jewish fiction, Southern literary comedy, romance, and supernatural elements. The conversation is moderated by Amy E. Schwartz of *Moment Magazine*.

Grits & Eggs Podcast: Coming Thru America Tour

The Grits & Eggs Podcast brings its Coming Thru America Tour to The Howard Theatre for a live Washington, DC appearance.

Between the Lines with Jason Reynolds & Kier Gaines

Between the Lines brings #1 New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds together with Kier Gaines for an empowering conversation about language, culture, storytelling, and social change. The program is part of a series featuring local Black authors and wordsmiths who examine how words and ideas shape our lives, including the influence of Hip-Hop culture.

Dana Mashoian Walrath — The Book of Genocides - With Akshita Siddula — at Conn Ave

Dana Mashoian Walrath discusses *The Book of Genocides*, a graphic narrative that confronts ten major atrocities across five centuries and connects historical violence with ongoing struggles for justice. The book examines genocide as a land grab enabled by dehumanization, while calling for remembrance, repair, and resistance.

Diana Rojas — They Hold Grudges - with Tamar Shapiro — at Conn Ave

Diana Rojas presents *They Hold Grudges*, a family-centered novel about Rob, who was once his uncle Pablo’s favorite. The family’s carefully maintained peace is disrupted when Pablo’s son, Pablito, accuses Rob of wrongdoing. As gossip, suspicion, paranoia, and betrayal spread, Rob struggles to clear his name while the family confronts the tension between loyalty and truth.

Opera Resonates: The Rape of Lucretia

Opera Resonates: The Rape of Lucretia is a thoughtful panel discussion examining sexual violence and the broader role of sexuality in contemporary society. The conversation will consider how Benjamin Britten’s opera addresses power, consent, trauma and their lasting effects, while exploring how opera and other performing arts can promote meaningful dialogue, awareness and social change.

Chad Harbach — The Brightness - with Jessica M. Goldstein — at Conn Ave

Chad Harbach discusses *The Brightness*, his much-anticipated follow-up to *The Art of Fielding*, in conversation with journalist and humorist Jessica M. Goldstein. The novel follows Pella and her best friend, Irma, as they leave the sheltered world of Westish College and face turbulent relationships, artistic and intellectual ambitions, political controversy, grief, love, and the difficult choices of early adulthood.

Guided Tour: Let There Be Light: Light as an Artist’s Medium

Guided Tour: Let There Be Light: Light as an Artist’s Medium offers a 30–60-minute exploration of selected works from the Hirshhorn’s collections and exhibitions. Led through close looking, critical thinking, and conversation, the tour considers the art and artists of the 20th and 21st centuries while inviting participants to make connections among ideas, creative practices, and the use of light as an artistic medium.

William A. Blair — Arlington: An African American History (Civil War America) — at Conn Ave

William A. Blair discusses the African American history of the land now occupied by Arlington National Cemetery. His book examines the enslaved people who lived and worked on the Arlington plantation before the Civil War, as well as those who escaped, built families, and died there. It also traces the creation of Freedman’s Village after the Union confiscated the Lee estate and follows the community’s role in advancing African American freedom and equality during the remainder of the nineteenth century.

Ted Scheinman — Jolt: My Electric Journey Out of Darkness - with Dan Kois — at The Wharf

Ted Scheinman discusses *Jolt: My Electric Journey Out of Darkness*, a memoir about living with recurring depression, undergoing electroconvulsive therapy, and finding a way back to happiness. The book combines emotional honesty with humor as it examines family, identity, memory, romantic relationships, and the sacrifices involved in choosing life and recovery.

Meet the Author – Mark Brutsché

Mark Brutsché, former artistic director of Young Actors Theatre, discusses his debut Upper Middle Grade mystery novel, *The Eye of Molongo*, the first book in *The Family Tripp Mysteries* series. He will share his path to publication and explain how the novel was influenced by his more than 40 years with YAT. The program concludes with a book signing, and copies of the book will be available for purchase onsite.

The Other Ellis Island: Jewish Immigration Through Galveston, Texas

This virtual program explores the Galveston Movement, an alternative immigration route through which nearly 10,000 Eastern European Jews entered the United States via Galveston, Texas, between 1907 and 1914 rather than through Ellis Island. Dr. Joshua Furman will discuss the movement’s achievements and shortcomings, the immigrants’ journeys onward to communities across the country, and the lasting impact on their descendants.

Kenneth Chenault — Equal to the Task: A Life Forged Between America's Promise and Its Truth — at Conn Ave

Kenneth Chenault presents *Equal to the Task: A Life Forged Between America’s Promise and Its Truth*, his memoir of growing up in the era of legal segregation and rising to the highest levels of corporate America. The conversation explores his personal journey, the mentors and values that shaped him, and his effort to create meaningful change as the United States confronts its history, identity, and future.

The Healthy, Human Workplace: Teaming HI and AI

The Healthy, Human Workplace: Teaming HI and AI is a morning program hosted by the Human Capital Development Lab at Johns Hopkins for the Society for Human Resource Management’s Washington, DC, Chapter. The event focuses on challenges facing HR leaders and creates space for participants to explore, learn, and exchange ideas about building healthy workplaces and combining human intelligence with artificial intelligence.

2026 National Heritage Fellows by the National Endowment for the Arts: Belén Escobedo, Juan Díes, and Víctor G. Pichardo | Special Presentation

This special presentation at the Mexican Cultural Institute celebrates 2026 National Heritage Fellows Belén Escobedo, Juan Díes, and Víctor G. Pichardo. The artists will discuss their personal and creative journeys, the traditions that have shaped their work, and the importance of sustaining Mexican folk and traditional arts in the United States. The evening will also include demonstrations and performances offering insight into their respective art forms.

Michael Dirda — The Great Age of Storytelling: The Glory Days of Adventurers and Rogues, Time Travelers and Great Detectives — at Conn Ave

Michael Dirda presents *The Great Age of Storytelling*, a wide-ranging celebration of classic adventure, mystery, fantasy, romance, and time-travel fiction. Focusing primarily on English-language literature published between 1880 and 1930, Dirda invites audiences to rediscover the excitement and comfort of older stories while considering their influence on modern genre writing.

Dorinda Medley

Dorinda Medley, the “Real Housewives of New York City” star, discusses the twists and turning points of her life in a conversation with entertainment journalist and author Dave Quinn. Drawing on her experiences as a businesswoman, mother, wife, widow, television personality, author, radio host, and DJ, Medley explores resilience, reinvention, confidence, and learning to manage life independently.

The Torah of the Real Housewives

The Torah of the Real Housewives examines the drama of the long-running reality television franchise through the lens of Jewish wisdom. With dozens of international franchises, spinoffs, and recap podcasts, The Real Housewives has become more than escapist entertainment—and this program explores what its conflicts and relationships reveal about being human.

The Promise and Perils of Public Art: Ben Shahn’s Murals on Social Security

Professor Laura Katzman examines the promise and risks of Ben Shahn’s public art, with particular attention to *The Meaning of Social Security*, his New Deal fresco-secco murals created for Washington’s Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building. The lecture considers how Shahn balanced federal requirements with his artistic practice, political commitments, and broader social criticism.

DC Moth StorySLAM: ANYTHING GOES

DC Moth StorySLAM: ANYTHING GOES invites storytellers to step outside the usual Moth themes and share a story about whatever matters to them. The open-ended format welcomes deep cuts, archived memories, untold stories, and inspiration from any past Moth theme—everything is fair game.

Inside Signature Callum Francis

Inside Signature features British actor and Signature newcomer Callum Francis. The event explores his upbringing in Manchester, England, his Broadway breakthrough as Lola in *Kinky Boots*, and his distinction as the only actor to play Lola in three continents with four different companies. Francis currently appears as bookstore owner Michael in *All the World’s a Stage*.

The Inaugural Ceremony for the County Executive and Members of the County Council

The inauguration of the Montgomery County Executive and members of the Montgomery County Council will take place at Strathmore’s Music Center. The ceremony begins promptly at 11 a.m. and is scheduled to conclude by 12:30 p.m.

Women Artists: A Conversation with Dr. Nancy G. Heller, Art & Dance Historian

Dr. Nancy G. Heller, art and dance historian and author of *Women Artists: An Illustrated History*, will discuss the place of women in the art-historical canon with Arts Club member and choreographer Dana Tai Soon Burgess. The program includes an interview-style conversation, an illustrated presentation on contemporary women artists added to the forthcoming fifth edition of Heller’s book, and opportunities to have books signed.

Plain English with Derek Thompson Live!

Presented by The Ringer, *Plain English with Derek Thompson Live!* brings Derek Thompson’s show to The Howard Theatre for an all-ages live event.

Ben Rhodes on 15 Speeches That Rewrote the American Identity

Ben Rhodes presents an evening exploring how powerful speeches shape the way Americans understand their national identity. Drawing on his book *All We Say: The Battle for American Identity*, Rhodes examines 15 speeches from U.S. history and the continuing debate over what it means to be American and who has the authority to define that identity.

Daily Stoic Live

Daily Stoic Live brings Ryan Holiday, the bestselling author and founder of The Daily Stoic, to Capital Turnaround for an in-person conversation about ancient ideas and their relevance to modern life. Holiday’s work explores wisdom, clarity, discipline, resilience, and purpose, and his books have sold more than 10 million copies.

History Happy Hours: The Art of the African American Spiritual with Rhea Beckett

History Happy Hours: The Art of the African American Spiritual with Rhea Beckett examines the African American Spiritual as a tradition of storytelling, memory, resistance, faith, and collective expression. Through conversation and live performance, interdisciplinary artist and vocalist Rhea Beckett will explore the tradition’s history, legacy, and influence on later Black musical forms. Selected spirituals will be performed throughout the presentation, linking their historical origins with their continuing relevance.

Artist Talk and Demonstration with Jean Hirons and Cathy Abramson

Jean Hirons and Cathy Abramson, two established artists, will discuss their artistic practices and the development of their individual styles while demonstrating their process. During the presentation, they will create a painting based on a surprise still life.

STC Salon

STC Salon is a season-long series of guided conversations that invites audiences behind the scenes of Shakespeare Theatre Company’s mainstage productions. Led by Artistic Producer Drew Lichtenberg, the sessions explore how productions are developed, rehearsed, designed, staged, and presented, with contributions from visiting artists and STC staff across artistic, technical, administrative, and production departments.