Literary Calendar

February 11-17, 2008

11 MONDAY

7 P.M. Manil Suri reads from and signs his new novel, The Age of Shiva, at Politics and Prose Bookstore, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-364-1919 (see also Feb. 14).

7 P.M. Laton McCartney discusses and signs The Teapot Dome Scandal: How Big Oil Bought the Harding White House and Tried to Steal the Country at Olsson's Books-Penn Quarter, 418 Seventh St. NW, 202-638-7610.

7:30 P.M. This Folger Poetry Series evening, "Of Light and Darkness," features readings by Gerald Stern, author of Everything is Burning and This Time: New and Selected Poems (winner of the National Book Award), and Ross Gay, author of the debut collection Against Which, at the Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol St. SE. A reception and book signing follow. Tickets are $12; call 202-544-7077 or visit http://www.folger.edu/poetry to RSVP.

12 TUESDAY

Noon. Sally Bliumis-Dunn, E. Ethelbert Miller and Benjamin Morris read poems on the theme of love as part of the "Poetry at Noon" series at the Library of Congress, James Madison Bldg., Pickford Theater, 101 Independence Ave. SE, 202-707-5394.

6:30 P.M. Nathan McCall reads from and signs his new novel, Them, at the Enoch Pratt Free Library, Central Branch, Poe Room, 400 Cathedral St., Baltimore, Md., 410-396-9454.

7 P.M. John Burnham Schwartz reads from The Commoner, his new novel of love and marriage in Japan's imperial family, at Olsson's Books-Dupont, 1307 17th St. NW, 202-785-1133. (Read the review on page 11.)

7 P.M. Lori Smith discusses and signs her new travelogue, A Walk with Jane Austen: A Journey into Adventure, Love, and Faith, at the Sherwood Regional Library, 2501 Sherwood Hall Ln., Alexandria, Va., 703-765-3645.

7:30 P.M. James L. Kugel, a professor of Hebrew at Harvard University from 1982 to 2003, discusses How to Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture, Then and Now at the D.C. Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW, as part of the "nextbook" series. Tickets are $8 for nonmembers; call 202-777-3254 for details; or visit http://www.nextbook.org for details and to RSVP.

7:30 P.M. Leighton Gage reads from and signs his new mystery, Blood of the Wicked, at Borders Books-Baileys Crossroads, Route 7 at Columbia Pike, Baileys Crossroads, Va., 703-998-0404. He will also read on Wednesday, Feb. 13, at 7 p.m. at Barnes & Noble-Reston, 1851 Fountain Dr., Reston, Va., 703-437-9490.

8 P.M. Political scientist Charles H. Ferguson discusses No End in Sight: Iraq's Descent into Chaos, the investigative record behind his documentary of the same name, at Comet Ping Pong, 5037 Connecticut Ave. NW. This event, sponsored by Politics and Prose Bookstore, will feature short clips of the film and a Q&A; call 202-364-1919 for details.

13 WEDNESDAY

Noon. Willie Brown, former mayor of San Francisco, discusses and signs his new memoir, Basic Brown: My Life and Our Times (written with P.J. Corkery), at the Howard University Bookstore, 2225 Georgia Ave. NW, 202-238-2640. He will also speak at 6:30 p.m. that evening at the Charles Sumner School Museum & Archives, 1201 17th St. NW, in a program sponsored by Vertigo Books. Call 301-779-9300 for details.

6:30 P.M. Mark Winne, former executive director of the nonprofit Hartford Food System, discusses and signs his new book, Closing the Food Gap: Resetting the Table in the Land of Plenty, at Busboys and Poets, 4251 S. Campbell Ave., Shirlington, Va., 703-379-9756. He will also speak on Thursday, Feb. 14, at noon at Mott House, 122 Maryland Ave. NE as part of a brown bag lunch discussion (with fair trade coffee and chocolate). To RSVP, contact Kacie Warner at kacie.foodsecurity@gmail.com.