Literary Calendar

August 18-24, 2008

18 MONDAY

6 P.M. Sherrilyn Kenyon, author of the bestselling "Dark-Hunter" series, reads from and signs book 12, Acheron, at Barnes & Noble-Market Common, 2800 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington, Va., 703-248-8244.

19 TUESDAY

7 P.M. The Maryland Humanities Council/Maryland Center for the Book, along with support from the Maryland State Department of Education, county libraries and the Paul Peck Humanities Institute at Montgomery College, among others, will launch Maryland's inaugural statewide community reading initiative, One Maryland One Book. The program's first selection is journalist Ron Suskind's bestselling book A Hope in the Unseen: An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League, chronicling the life of teenager Cedric Jennings, who overcame adversity to graduate from the troubled Ballou Senior High School in the District and go on to success at Brown University. Jennings will discuss his experience that evening at Montgomery College, Rockville Campus, 51 Mannakee St., Rockville, Md. Light refreshments will be provided. For complete details on the event, visit http://www.mdhc.org.

7 P.M. Breena Clarke reads from and signs her new novel, Stand the Storm, at Politics and Prose Bookstore, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-364-1919.

20 WEDNESDAY

Noon. Carole L. Herrick discusses her book August 24, 1814: Washington in Flames as part of the United States Capitol Historical Society's "August Brown Bag Lecture Series" at the VFW Building, Ketchum Hall, 200 Maryland Ave. NE. Seating is limited, so call 202-543-8919, ext. 38, or e-mail uschs@uschs.org to RSVP.

6:30 P.M. Political consultants Lowell Feld and Nate Wilcox discuss and sign their new book, Netroots Rising: How a Citizen Army of Bloggers and Online Activists Is Changing American Politics, at Busboys and Poets (D.C.), 2021 14th St. NW, 202-387-7638.

7 P.M. Daniel J. Levitin, head of McGill University's Laboratory for Musical Perception, Cognition, and Expertise, discusses and signs his new book, The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature, at Politics and Prose Bookstore, 202-364-1919.

21 THURSDAY

7 P.M. Paul Auster reads from and signs his new novel, Man in the Dark, at Politics and Prose Bookstore, 202-364-1919.

7:30 P.M. Stefan Fatsis, who has covered sports for the Wall Street Journal and NPR, discusses and signs A Few Seconds of Panic: A 5-Foot-8, 170-Pound, 43-Year-Old Sportswriter Plays in the NFL at Barnes & Noble-Georgetown, 3040 M St. NW, 202-965-9880.

8 P.M. Scott Pomfret, a trial attorney with the SEC as well as a writer of gay erotica, discusses and signs Since My Last Confession: A Gay Catholic Memoir at Artfully Chocolate/Kingsbury Confections, 1529C 14th St. NW. This event is part of the D.C. GLBT Center's "Outwrite Author Series." For further details, visit http://www.sincemylastconfession.com.

22 FRIDAY

7 P.M. Robert Friedman, the Washington correspondent for the San Juan Star, reads from and signs his new novel, Shadow of the Fathers, at Borders Books-Silver Spring, 8518 Fenton St., Silver Spring. Md., 301-585-0550.

23 SATURDAY

2 P.M. The John M. Porter Memorial Library, located at 2001 Parkway Blvd. in Stafford, Va., is hosting a Local Authors Book Signing Party featuring writers from Virginia and Maryland. For more details, call 540-659-4909.

SPECIAL NOTICES

The D.C. Jewish Community Center is seeking submissions for its third annual writing contest -- short essays or stories that illuminate how humor has been helpful in difficult times. The winning entries will be part of "Laughing for God's Sake: Humor in Jewish Literature," the opening event in the upcoming Hyman S. & Freda Bernstein Jewish Literary Festival (Sept. 14-24). 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 litfest@washingtondcjcc.org. Entries can also be mailed to: Humor 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. 1. Ten finalists will be honored in a program and reception the evening of Sept. 14, sponsored by Tamara and Harry Handelsman in partnership with the center's J Theater. Tickets are $20 ($15 for members). For complete details about the contest, visit http://www.washingtondcjcc.org. Check here next week for festival highlights.

Also forthcoming is the Fall for the Book Literary Festival, which will celebrate its 10th year when it opens Sept. 21 (through Sept. 26) on the main campus of George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. The Fairfax County Public Library, the festival's founding sponsor, will offer festival-goers a literary smorgasbord: Author readings, workshops, the opportunity to meet with local publishers and a bevy of children's events. Participating authors include: novelists Richard Bausch, Ethan Canin, Frank Delaney, Sue Miller and Porter Shreve; poets Jennifer Atkinson, Brian Brodeur, Kyle Dargan, Katie Ford, Joy Harjo, Brian Turner and C.K. Williams; and nonfiction writers Michael Beschloss, Sven Birkerts, Andrew Ferguson, Dianne Goldstein, Scott Huler, Eric Lichtblau, Honor Moore, Lori Smith, Mike Tidwell and Joshua Wolf Shenk. Michael Cunningham, author of the critically acclaimed The Hours and A Home at the End of the World, will receive the 2008 Fairfax Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Literary Arts in a ceremony during the festival's closing night. For a complete schedule of events, visit http://www.fallforthebook.org.

The Literacy Council of Northern Virginia will hold two basic literacy training workshops for volunteers interested in helping adults learn to read and write English over three consecutive Saturdays (all sessions are required): Sept. 6, 13 and 20, or Nov. 8, 15 and 22, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. each day at the James Lee Community Center, 2855 Annandale Rd., Falls Church, Va. Also offered is an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) tutor training program, to support volunteers in helping adults understand, speak, read and write English. The next training session begins Saturday, Oct. 11, and continues on Oct. 18 and 25, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day. Like the basic literacy training, all sessions are required. For details, call 703-237-0866 or visit http://www.lcnv.org.

The Literacy Council of Montgomery County will hold two orientation sessions for volunteers interested in helping adults learn to read, write and speak English: Wednesday, Sept. 3, from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Monday, Sept. 8, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, both at the Rockville Library, 21 Maryland Ave., Rockville, Md. Once volunteers have completed the orientation, they can select a two-part training session that fits their schedules. The next planned workshop will be held at the Rockville Library on Saturday, Sept. 13 & 27, from 9:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. For complete details, call 301-610-0030, e-mail info@literacycouncilmcmd.org or visit http://www.literacycouncilmcmd.org.

The Washington Literacy Council, a volunteer organization dedicated to helping adults learn to read, will hold an information session for those interested in training as a reading tutor on Thursday, Sept. 11, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. This initial meeting provides information on the program and the chance to get answers to all your tutoring questions. It's also mandatory in order to take part in the council's upcoming tutor training workshop being held on two consecutive Thursdays -- Sept. 18 and 25, from 6 p.m. to 9 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.