Reader, Meet Author
Literary heavyweights and an anniversary celebration for one of Washington's most respected institutions are the highlights this week in your area bookstores.
TUESDAY
>>Rick Moody, author of The Ice Storm, has recently published his first proper novel in eight years. It's called The Diviners, a expansive character study set against the backdrop of the end of the Clinton era that’s being described as his most ambitious work. Moody drops by Politics and Prose for a reading and signing. Fun fact: An organization called the Underground Literary Alliance, whose membership includes the author of the single worst piece of prose ever penned, are historical antagonists of Moody, and have been known to disrupt signings. Stay on your toes! 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW, 7 p.m.
>>Also this Tuesday, Khaled Hosseini will be in the area to discuss and sign his debut novel The Kite Runner, which brings present-day Afghanistan to life in a vivid novel that reads like a memoir. Don't forget to pack plenty of snacks and drinking water for that long ride out to Fairfax County. Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, 7:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
>>The M Street Barnes and Noble features an appearance by Pedro Sanjuan, author of The UN Gang : A Memoir of Incompetence, Corruption, Espionage, Anti-Semitism and Islamic Extremism at the UN Secretariat. Whatever's not been left to the imagination shall be discussed, with a signing to follow. No word on whether he's as wordy as the title of his book. Be warned: This is not the time or place to show off your John Bolton impression. 3040 M Street, NW, 7:30 p.m.
THURSDAY
>>When's the last time you took your kids to have lunch with a real American hero? The next time could be Thursday, as the Arlington Courthouse Olsson's welcomes pioneering astronaut Buzz Aldrin, at right, and his illustrator Wendell Minor to discuss Reaching For The Moon. Intended for young readers, ages 4-8, this is a readable biography with gorgeous illustrations bringing Aldrin's story to life. It is not necessary to bring Mr. Aldrin any Tang. 2111 Wilson Boulevard, 12:45 p.m.
FRIDAY
>>Sex and the City scribe Candace Bushnell has returned with The Lipstick Jungle. The setting is Manhattan. The characters boast credulity straining names like Nico O'Neilly. And everyone works in film, fashion and publishing, natch. Come to the Arlington Courthouse Olsson's to hear Bushnell sharpen her pitch for the HBO execs. Don't let her make you feel inferior just because you buy your shoes at DSW. 2111 Wilson Boulevard, 7:00 p.m.
SATURDAY and SUNDAY
>>This weekend, area bibliophiles will likely be converging on the Mall for this year's National Book Festival. But if you love the written word but don't do well in outdoor crowds, you would be well advised to get out to Politics and Prose to join in their simultaneous 21st Anniversary Celebration. The good people at P&P will be providing food, drink, and top-notch discussions with notables from the world of politics, poetry and fiction.
It all starts Saturday evening at 5:00pm with "Politics from Reagan to Bush: Perspectives and Prospectives" featuring David Brooks, E.J. Dionne, Bill Greider, Haynes Johnson and Ron Suskind. Sunday at 12:30pm, some of our finest local poets come together for "Poetry in Washington: Readings From Old Friends", with E. Ethelbert Miller, Linda Pastan, Jane Shore, Myra Sklarew and Stanley Plumly. Finally, Sunday evening, P&P hosts "Fiction Spanning the Generations: Readings and Reflections" with the help of Alan Cheuse, Jonathan Safran Foer, Andrew Sean Greer, Howard Norman, Susan Richards Shreve, Julia Slavin and Mary Kay Zuravleff.