August 6-12, 2007

Sunday, August 5, 2007; BW13

6 MONDAY

7 P.M. Classical guitar by Michael Davis and refreshments open the Café Muse evening featuring readings by contributors to the anthology Common Wealth: Contemporary Poets on Pennsylvania, including Barbara Decesare, Joanne Growney, Marjorie Maddox and Jerry Wemple, at the Friendship Heights Village Center, 4433 S. Park Ave., Chevy Chase, Md., 301-581-9439. An open reading (sign-up at 7 p.m.) concludes the program.

7 P.M. Katherine Taylor reads from and signs her first novel, Rules for Saying Goodbye, at Olsson's Books-Dupont, 1307 19th St. NW, 202-785-1133.

7 TUESDAY

Noon. Glenn Greenwald, a former constitutional law attorney and now a contributing writer at Salon and the author of the political blog "Unclaimed Territory," discusses his new book, A Tragic Legacy: How a Good vs. Evil Mentality Destroyed the Bush Presidency at the Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Ave. NW. A luncheon follows. To RSVP, call 202-789-5229 or e-mail events@cato.org (deadline is noon on Monday, Aug. 6).

1 P.M. Former Maryland lieutenant governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend discusses and signs her new book, Failing America's Faithful: How Today's Churches Are Mixing God with Politics and Losing Their Way, at Chapters Literary Bookstore, 445 11th St. NW, 202-737-5553.

8 WEDNESDAY

7 P.M. Eric Jerome Dickey reads from and signs his new novel, Waking with Enemies (the sequel to Sleeping with Strangers), at Karibu Books, the Mall at Prince George's, 3500 East-West Hwy., Hyattsville, Md., 301-559-1140.

9 THURSDAY

2 P.M. Financial writer Randy Cepuch signs copies of his humorous travelogue, A Weekend with Warren Buffett: And Other Shareholder Meeting Adventures, at Borders Books-Washington Dulles International Airport, Terminal B, Sterling, Va., 703-661-5420.

7 P.M. Tim Weiner, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the New York Times, discusses and signs Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA at Politics and Prose Bookstore, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-364-1919.

7:30 P.M. Katherine C. Grier, a professor of material culture studies and director of research programs at the Winterthur Museum, discusses and signs Pets in America: A History (the Winterthur will be one of the museums hosting a traveling exhibition of the same title) at Barnes & Noble-Bethesda, 4801 Bethesda Ave., Bethesda, 301-986-1761.

11 SATURDAY

1 P.M. Donna Andrews reads from and signs her new Meg Langslow mystery, The Penguin Who Knew Too Much, at Mystery Loves Company, 202 S. Morris St., Oxford, Md., 410-226-0010. A reception follows.

2 P.M. Allison Hobbs signs her new novel, A Bona Fide Gold Digger (part of the "Zane Presents" series) at Karibu Books, Pentagon City Mall, 1100 S. Hayes St., Arlington, Va., 703-415-1118.

3:30 P.M. Mara Cherkasky, author of the illustrated history Images of A merica: Mount Pleasant, and cultural anthropologist and linguist Gabriella Gahlia Modan, author of Turf Wars: Discourse, Diversity, and the Politics of Place, discuss the issues of identity, gentrification and ethnicity in the burgeoning D.C. neighborhood of Mount Pleasant at the Mt. Pleasant Library, 16th & Lamont Sts. NW, 202-671-0159.

12 SUNDAY

1 P.M. Steve Estes, an associate professor of history at Sonoma State University, discusses and signs Ask & Tell: Gay and Lesbian Veterans Speak Out at Lambda Rising, 1625 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-462-6969.

1:30 P.M. Renowned folk singer Peter Yarrow, a member of the trio Peter, Paul & Mary, performs his classic children's song "Puff the Magic Dragon" to celebrate the publication of the first authorized picture book adaptation of the ballad be composed with Lenny Lipton, Puff, the Magic Dragon (illustrated by Eric Puybaret), at Barnes & Noble-Georgetown, 3040 M St. NW, 202-965-9880. This new edition includes a CD featuring the song, as well as others performed by Yarrow, his daughter Bethany and cellist Rufus Cappadocia. He will also perform that evening at 7 p.m. at Barnes & Noble-Bethesda, Md., 301-986-1761.

6 P.M. The Iota Poetry Series' second summer gathering features an open reading, with guest host Doug Wilkinson, at the Iota Club & Café, 2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va., 703-522-8340.

SPECIAL NOTICES

The D.C. Jewish Community Center is seeking submissions for its 2007 "Away from Home" Writing Contest, from which 10 finalists will be selected to complement the program "Finding Home: A Celebration of Jewish Short Stories," the opening evening of the upcoming Hyman S. & Freda Bernstein Jewish Literary Festival (Oct. 6-16). Entrants are encouraged to submit an essay or short story that best embodies the "experience of being away from home." The guidelines: a maximum length of 250 words from any resident of the greater Washington, D.C. area, one entry per person. To enter, send a cover letter with your name, age, address, phone number, e-mail address and the title of the submission (name should not appear anywhere on the actual manuscript) to talic@washingtondcjcc.org. A photo or illustration to accompany the piece is welcome but optional. Entries can also be mailed to: Away from Home Writing Contest, Jewish Literary Festival, Washington, D.C. JCC, 1529 16th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20036. For hard copies, please use a 12-point font and double space. Submissions must be e-mailed or postmarked by Sept. 10. For complete details about the contest, visit http://www.washingtondcjcc.org.

The D.C. Public Library and the literacy advocacy group D.C. LEARNs will host a Literacy Volunteer Fair on Thursday, Sept. 13, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW. The event will feature representatives from numerous literary organizations in the city, who will counsel prospective volunteers on the programs, training and opportunities available, whether it's helping adults learn to read, earn a GED or grasp the basics of English as a second language. For more information and to RSVP, call Ben Merrion at 202-727-2431 or e-mail benjamin.merrion@dc.gov.

The Washington Literacy Council, a volunteer organization dedicated to helping adults learn to read, will hold information sessions for those interested in training as a reading tutor on Saturday, Sept. 8, from 10 a.m. to noon, with another held on Thursday, Nov. 1, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. These initial sessions provide information on the program and are mandatory for those seeking to become literacy tutors. Upcoming tutor training workshops will be held on consecutive Saturdays -- Sept. 15 and 22, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. -- and Thursday evenings -- Nov. 8 and 15, from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. All training is held at the council's location, 1918 18th St. NW, Ste. B-2. A $50 fee (tax deductible) is requested to help offset the cost of materials; for more details and to download a tutor application, visit http://www.washingtonliteracycouncil.org.

The Literacy Council of Northern Virginia will hold a basic literacy training workshop for volunteers interested in helping adults learn to read, write and speak English beginning on Saturday, August 25, and continuing on the Saturdays of Sept. 8 and 15, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day (must attend all sessions) at the James Lee Community Center, 2855 Annandale Rd., Falls Church, Va. A $35 fee (to cover cost of materials and instruction) applies; call 703-237-0866 or visit http://www.lcnv.org for details and to register.

The Literacy Volunteers of America, Prince William County chapter, will hold a training session for volunteers interested in helping adults improve their reading and writing skills on Saturday, August 11, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a follow-up workshop on Saturday, August 25, from 9 a.m. to noon. There is a one-time fee of $30 to cover the cost of textbooks and materials. For details and to register, call 703-670-5702 or e-mail lvapw@aol.com.

CentroNía, a literacy organization that provides one-on-one reading and math tutoring for students (grades 1-12) in the Columbia Heights/Shaw area of the District, is looking for volunteer tutors able to help on Wednesdays, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Training sessions are available; for details, contact Karen Hopkins at khopkins@centronia.org. For more details on the group, visit http://www.centronia.org.