April 30-May 6, 2007

3THURSDAY

Noon. Bill Gertz, defense and national security reporter for the Washington Times, discusses and signs Enemies: How America's Foes Steal Our Vital Secrets--And How We Let It Happen at the International Spy Museum, 800 F St. NW, 202-393-7798.

Noon. Professor Arnold Rampersand discusses and signs Ralph Ellison, his new biography of the literary giant, as part of the "Books & Beyond" series at the Library of Congress, James Madison Bldg., Pickford Theater, 101 Independence Ave. SE, 202-707-5221.

6:30 P.M. Jabari Asim, deputy editor of The Washington Post's Book World, discusses and signs The N Word: Who Can Say It, Who Shouldn't, and Why at Borders Books-Downtown, 202-466-4999.

7 P.M. Miyoko Chu, an ornithologist and science writer at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, discusses Songbird Journeys: Four Seasons in the Lives of Migratory Birds (just released in paperback) at the National Zoo, Visitor Center Auditorium, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW, as part of the Zoo's celebration of International Migratory Bird Day. A book signing at 7 p.m. will be followed by the lecture at 7:30 p.m.; call 202-633-4085 or visit http://www.FONZ.org to RSVP.

7 P.M. L. Peat O'Neil leads a two-hour travel writing seminar drawn from the second edition of her how-to guide, Travel Writing: See the World, Sell the Story, at the Arlington Central Library, 1015 N. Quincy St., Arlington, Va., 703-228-6328.

7 P.M. Tova Reich reads from and signs her new novel, My Holocaust, at Politics and Prose Bookstore, 202-364-1919.

7 P.M. Nicole Mones reads from and signs her new novel, The Last Chinese Chef, at Olsson's Books-Dupont, 202-785-1133.

7:30 P.M. Laura Lippman, author of the Tess Monaghan mysteries, reads from and signs her new stand-alone novel, What the Dead Know, at the Lyceum in Old Town, 201 S. Washington St., Alexandria, Va., in a benefit for the Wish You Well literary foundation. For details and to RSVP, visit http://www.vawriters.org.

7:30 P.M. Marina Nemat discusses and signs Prisoner of Tehran, her memoir of the Islamic Revolution, at Borders Books-Tysons Corner, 8027 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, Va., 703-556-7766.

4FRIDAY

7 P.M. Matthew Sharpe reads from and signs Jamestown, his futuristic, comic spoof on the founding of the Jamestown Settlement (2007 is the 400th anniversary), at Politics and Prose Bookstore, 202-364-1919.

7:30 P.M. Charlaine Harris reads from and signs All Together Dead, her new Southern Vampire Mystery featuring Soosie Stackhouse, at Borders Books-Baileys Crossroads, 703-998-0404.

5SATURDAY

2 P.M. To mark the 50th anniversary of the European Union in May, the 27-member federation launched "European Poetry in Motion," a public arts program that will showcase poems (5 from each country) on placards aboard Metro buses throughout the region. The Goethe-Institut, located at 812 Seventh St. NW, hosts a marathon reading of all 136 poems, read in their original language, with English translations offered by representatives of the member states (actors, translators and cultural attachés). You can read all the poems online by visiting http://www.europeanpoetryinmotion.com.

6SUNDAY

5 P.M. Lynne Olson discusses and signs Troublesome Young Men: The Rebels Who Brought Churchill to Power and Helped Save England at Politics and Prose Bookstore, 202-364-1919.

SPECIAL NOTICES

D.C.'S BIG READ: The city-wide read of Zora Neale Hurston's novel Their Eyes Were Watching God kicked off on April 19, bringing with it numerous programs and discussions celebrating Hurston's classic tale. This week, local attorney Murad Kalam, author of the novel Night Journey, will present a lecture, "Zora Neale Hurston: Writing Under the Jim Crow Laws," on Thursday, May 3, at 7 p.m. at Chapters Literary Bookstore, 445 11th St. NW, 202-737-5553. On Saturday, May 5, at 3 p.m., Deborah Macanic, an exhibit developer and project manager at the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, presents an illustrated talk, "Zora Neale Hurston in Context," at the Cleveland Park Branch Library, Connecticut & Macomb Sts. NW, 202-282-3080. The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, encouraging communities to read and discuss the same book over a one-month period. For a complete schedule of D.C. events, visit http://www.wdchumanities.org or http://www.dclibraryfriends.org.

The National Finals of Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest, presented by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, will be held on Tuesday, May 1, at 7 p.m. at Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st St. NW. The 12 finalists, culled from all 50 states and the District, will perform. Call 202-682-5772 or e-mail poetryoutloud@arts.gov to RSVP.