On April 30, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, an advocate of equality and civil rights, will host a book release celebration for 2013 NAACP Image Award Nominee Author R. Kayeen Thomas, a Washington, DC native, whose novels build bridges between the experiences of African American slaves, the civil rights generation and today’s African American Culture. The Book Release event will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th Street NW, Washington, DC, 20009. Enjoy a meet & greet, discussion, Q&A and booksigning. There is no cost to attend the event.
The event will celebrate Thomas’ upcoming release The Seven Days (Simon & Schuster, April 16) and also the success of Antebellum, which secured Thomas a 2013 Image Award nomination for Outstanding Debut Author.
“In Kayeen Thomas, our city has produced a prolific, young novelist and playwright just six years out of college and already author of three books,” said Norton. “The Banneker High School and Carleton College graduate brings the hip-hop sensibilities of his generation to his work with universal appeal.”
“As a native Washingtonian, growing up in Southeast, I am honored to have my city and my Congresswoman support my work. I have been searching for ways to reach out to my hometown, to let people in my community know that I exist and so this is really an answered prayer. I’m looking forward to a great event!” Thomas added.
The Seven Days is the prequel to the critically acclaimed Antebellum and tells the powerful story of what happens when a man in modern society is possessed with the spirits of dead slaves. Antebellum is about a rapper whose given name is Moses Jenkins, but his stage name is Da Nigga. Through a series of events, Moses is transported back into the antebellum slavery period and forced to experience slavery firsthand. He then returns to the present day, with all of his memories intact, and has to figure out how to continue to live his life in the context of what he went through as a slave. Light: Stories of Urban Resurrection,Thomas’ first book, is a compilation of short stories that dig deep into the heart of consciousness of the black and urban communities. It is available in e-book format.
- When: May 9, 5-6:30 p.m.
- Where: At the Art and Soul bar, happy hour specials will be available from 4-7 and feature discounted drinks and $5 bites. 415 New Jersey Ave NW. Washington, DC 20001. (202) 393-7777.
- Price: Books will be available for $27.99. For those unable to attend the book signing, limited signed copies of Healthy Comfort will be available at Art and Soul beginning May 9.
Opening remarks by Khaled Hosseini, UNHCR Goodwill Envoy, international best-selling author of The Kite Runner andA Thousand Splendid Suns about his new novel And The Mountains Echoed
Grammy-nominated Cheick Hamala Diabate will perform traditional Malian music in a special World Refugee Day performance.
With an appearance by Youssouf Keita, a.k.a. “Supernova”, Malian rapper
There will be a post-performance book sale and signing of Khaled’s new book And The Mountains Echoed.
On World Refugee Day, Cheick Diabate will release his newest album, Anka Ben Mali Denou. Both the album and his Kennedy Center performance will include a song that calls for peace in Mali.
Free and open to the public. Seating is first come first served.
Join in for an evening of cocktails and music with an opening song by rising star from the X Factor, Diamond White.
Music by Cheick Hamala Diabate and featuring Khaled Hosseini and other special guests
8:30 – 9:30 pm Cocktails
9:30 pm Concert
Where: Eighteenth Street Lounge
1212 18th Street NW, Washington, DC
Please reserve your tickets as soon as possible!
$20 General admission
concert and appetizers
$95 VIP
includes a signed copy of Khaled Hosseini’s new book, champagne, access to VIP area, appetizers and concert
All proceeds will be donated to USA for UNHCR.
Rebecca Sive, public affairs consultant and author, will be promoting her timely new book *Every Day is Election Day: A Woman’s Guide to Winning Any Office, from the PTA to the White House* (Chicago Review Press, August 2013) at Politics & Prose on August 27, 2013 at 7pm.
Sive’s experiences and numerous interviews with women leaders from Mississippi to Manhattan inform her inspirational, no-apologies playbook for women who aspire to public leadership and having a voice in the public square. Among other issues, energetic and straightforward Sive covers:
- · The truth about winning elections and developing influence as a woman, taken from her experience as public affairs strategist for Hillary Clinton, Betty Friedan, Geraldine Ferraro and US Senators Mary Landrieu and Barbara Mikulski among others.
- · Why women shy away from running for office. From concerns about family to professional qualifications to worries about their ability to raise funds needed to run a campaign, women considering leadership roles are more inhibited than men.
- · How we can break down barriers and ensure women an equal opportunity to lead both locally and at the national level. Sive offers fresh advice on how women can surmount public barriers, conquer private fears and run a winning campaign with confidence and no apologies—and why it’s important.
Political Science / Women’s Studies, 256 pages, 6 x 9 inches
The Library of Congress’ two-day National Book Festival is happening in less than a month, on Sept. 21 & 22 on the National Mall, in Washington, D.C.
Co-chaired by President Obama and Mrs. Obama this year’s event draws an impressive lineup of authors, including Giada De Laurentiis, Khaled Hosseini, Margaret Atwood, Hoda Kotb, and a host of other well-known writers. View the complete author lineup here: http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/
With more than 100 authors, illustrators and poets in attendance, there is a presentation for every personality. On the National Mall throughout the weekend you will find pavilions dedicated to Children, Teens & Children, Fiction & Mystery, History & Biography, Contemporary Life, Poetry & Prose, Graphic Novels & Science Fiction and Special Programs.
What:
The Library of Congress’ 2013 National Book Festival—an annual celebration of books, reading and literature co-chaired by President Obama and Mrs. Obama. This DC tradition gives book lovers of all ages a rare opportunity to interact with and get their books signed by their favorite authors.
When: Sept. 21 & 22
9/21: 10am – 5:30pm
9/22: noon – 5:30pm
Where:
The National Mall, between 9th & 14th Streets
Washington, D.C.
The Library of Congress’ two-day National Book Festival is happening in less than a month, on Sept. 21 & 22 on the National Mall, in Washington, D.C.
Co-chaired by President Obama and Mrs. Obama this year’s event draws an impressive lineup of authors, including Giada De Laurentiis, Khaled Hosseini, Margaret Atwood, Hoda Kotb, and a host of other well-known writers. View the complete author lineup here: http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/
With more than 100 authors, illustrators and poets in attendance, there is a presentation for every personality. On the National Mall throughout the weekend you will find pavilions dedicated to Children, Teens & Children, Fiction & Mystery, History & Biography, Contemporary Life, Poetry & Prose, Graphic Novels & Science Fiction and Special Programs.
What:
The Library of Congress’ 2013 National Book Festival—an annual celebration of books, reading and literature co-chaired by President Obama and Mrs. Obama. This DC tradition gives book lovers of all ages a rare opportunity to interact with and get their books signed by their favorite authors.
When: Sept. 21 & 22
9/21: 10am – 5:30pm
9/22: noon – 5:30pm
Where:
The National Mall, between 9th & 14th Streets
Washington, D.C.
Sticky Fingers will help celebrate the release of John Schlimm’s new book, ‘The Cheesy Vegan,’ this Friday, September 27 with a pop-up event. The event will include tastes from the book along with a cash bar, door prizes and a raffle. Proceeds will benefit Compassion Over Killing and the Kindness Collective.
The event will take place one door down from Sticky Fingers at 1370 Park Rd NW, and run from 7-9pm.
Tickets are $15 at the door or $50 for a VIP ticket that includes an open bar pass and signed copy of The Cheesy Vegan.
Sticky Fingers will also be participating in the DC Veg Fest on Saturday, September 28, where they will be offering Cowvin Cookies, Brownies, and other treats for purchase along with signed copies of owner Doron Petersan’s vegan cookbook, Sticky Fingers’ Sweets.
Literary Reading: Sena Jeter Nasland
Sunday, Oct. 6, 2–3:30 p.m.
Free, no reservations required.
Critically acclaimed for her novels Ahab’s Wife and Abundance, A Novel of Marie Antoinette, author Sena Jeter Nasland writes fiction that gives life to history. She will read from her new novel, The Fountain of St. James Court; Or, Portrait of the Artist as an Old Woman, which deftly intertwines the life of 18th-century French painter Élisabeth Louise Vigée-Lebrun (whose works are on view in the mezzanine level collection galleries) with that of a fictional contemporary writer Kathryn Callaghan. A book signing follows the reading.
Ford’s Theatre Society hosts a book discussion and signing with author James L. Swanson and moderator Sam Donaldson on November 12, 2013, at 7 p.m., at Ford’s Theatre (511 Tenth Street, NW). Following the discussion in the theatre, Swanson will sign copies of the book in the Ford’s Theatre lobby.
Fifty years ago, our country was jolted by tragedy: our 35th President was brutally murdered on an American street in front of hundreds of horrified witnesses. In “End of Days: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy” (publication date November 12, 2013), Edgar award-winning, New York Times-bestselling author of the highly acclaimed “Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer,” James. L. Swanson offers a comprehensive understanding of this historic day, lending edge-of-your seat, storyteller’s mastery to the subject. With fascinating, colorful detail culled from vast historic resources, Swanson sets the stage for his central drama: the unfolding of the private final hours of John F. Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald as their destinies converge in a rifle’s crosshairs—one man bound for infamy, the other for myth. Told in Swanson’s signature, thrilling, ticking-clock narrative style, “End of Days” tracks the seemingly inevitable, and equally improbable, collision course between two men that would change history, devastate a hopeful generation, and spur one of our country’s greatest national mysteries. As the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy’s death approaches, Kennedy buffs looking for a deeper understanding as well as readers new to the subject will find End of Days to be a comprehensive, fascinating, emotional, riveting must-read.
Tickets for the discussion are free but required and may be reserved in person at the Ford’s Theatre Box Office, at www.fords.org or through Ticketmaster at (800) 982-2787 (Ticketmaster fees apply). Seating is available on a first-come basis. Books will be available for purchase on site at the Ford’s Theatre Gift Shop.
