The Writer’s Center
If attending readings inspires you to put your fingers to the keyboard, the Writer’s Center is an invaluable resource for honing the craft. It also hosts mostly free readings; Debra Spark and Lucille Lang Day read Sept. 30 and German author Ingo Schulze reads Oct. 4. 4508 Walsh St., Bethesda. 301-654-8664. www.writer.org.
Busboys and Poets
This local hotspot is revered by musicians, poets and foodies alike. Busboys and Poets hosts a variety of concerts, readings, screenings and discussions at each of its locations at 14th Street NW, Fifth Street NW, Shirlington and Hyattsville. For complete listings and location information, visit www.busboysand poets.com.
To see
Adams Memorial
In Section E of Rock Creek Cemetery is a bronze statue marking the grave of author Henry Adams’s wife, Marian “Clover” Hooper Adams, who committed suicide in 1885. The sculpture is by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and the hexagonal plot was designed by architect Stanford White. Rock Creek Church Road and Webster Street NW.
F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Fitzgerald burial site Many don’t realize that the celebrated author of “The Great Gatsby” is buried in Rockville, next to his wife, Zelda. St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 520 Veirs Mill Rd., Rockville.
Site of “The Exorcist”
William Blatty’s 1971 bestseller, “The Exorcist,” also spawned the wildly popular 1973 horror film. Blatty was a student at Georgetown University, and the film was shot at spots throughout the neighborhood, including a house at 3600 Prospect St. NW and the public staircase nearby that is the site where Father Damien Karras falls to his death in the film.
St. Elizabeth’s Hospital
Modernist writer Ezra Pound was institutionalized at this psychiatric hospital for more than 12 years. He was sent there after being detained for treason by Americans in Italy at the end of World War II. Pound’s visitors included such luminaries as T.S. Eliot and William Carlos Williams. 1100 Alabama Ave. SE.
Dupont Circle Metro Walt Whitman may never have ridden the Metro, but the Dupont Circle station is nonetheless marked with his words. The following excerpt from his 1865 poem “The Wound Dresser” was inscribed on the station’s cylindrical walls in 2007: “Thus in silence in dreams’ projections, / Returning, resuming, I thread my way through the hospitals; / The hurt and wounded I pacify with soothing hand, / I sit by the restless all the dark night — some are so young; / Some suffer so much — I recall the experience sweet and sad . . .” Dupont Circle north entrance NW.
To READ
Beltway Poetry Quarterly
Kim Roberts edits this 12-year-old online poetry review, and it is now one of the longest-standing literary publications in the area. www.washingtonart.com/beltway/
contents.html.
Gargoyle
Another veteran of Washington’s literary scene is Richard Peabody, who edits this annual literary review. The magazine publishes new poets and writers as well as authors who may have been overlooked by the mainstream. www.gar goylemagazine.com.
Sakura review
Started by former MFA students at the University of Maryland, Sakura publishes poetry and prose with an urban flavor. www.sakurareview.com.
Barrelhouse
Founded in 2005 by a group of peers at the Writer’s Center, Barrelhouse champions poetry, fiction and literary non-fiction with a pop-culture angle. Past non-fiction selections have dealt with Patrick Swayze as well as the Barry Bonds steroid controversy. www.barrelhousemag.com.
Doctor T.J. Eckleburg Review
Housed at the Johns Hopkins University writing program, this online and print review favors an eclectic selection of work from both emerging and established writers. www.thedoctortjeckleburgreview.com.
Big Lucks
This quarterly print publication selects fiction and non-fiction that is experimental or conceptual. Says the Big Lucks Web site: “Our only requirement is that your work change our lives.” www.big lucks.com.
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