Reader, Meet Author
MONDAY
Marla Ruzicka, who was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq, was a dedicated peace activist who not only labored intensely for the victims of war, but sought to flip the peace movement’s entire paradigm by waging peace within the system, a move that set her apart from her colleagues, but also got results, including landmark legislation for the innocent victims of war and the respect of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Her extraordinary, yet tragically short, life is recounted by Jennifer Abrahamson in Sweet Relief: The Marla Ruzicka Story. Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th St. NW, 6:30 p.m.
TUESDAY
Does the music we love have a physiological effect on us? Besides the seizures Wang Chung videos cause, that is? Find out when Daniel Levitin discusses This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession. Freer Gallery of Art, Meyer Auditorium, 12th & Jefferson Drive SW, 6:30 p.m. $25.
WEDNESDAY
Locals best know Michel Richard as the genius behind Citronelle. This week, he comes to Politics and Prose to tell us why he’s so Happy in the Kitchen: The Craft of Cooking, the Art of Eating. Hint: it’s more than just convincing people to pay $14 for eggplant gazpacho. 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, 1 p.m.
THURSDAY
You probably can’t wait to have Stanley Coren teach you How To Speak Dog: Mastering the Art of Dog-Human Communication. We’ll see how you feel once you learn how colossally dull your weimaraner really is. Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Drive SW, 6:30 p.m. $28.
FRIDAY
Hey, what says, “Merry Christmas” more than some 9-11 fiction? Well…what if you got the book signed? Colin MacKinnon, author of Morning Spy, Evening Spy, will make it happen. Politics and Prose, 7 p.m.
SUNDAY
Jean Nordhaus is a local favorite of the people at Politics and Prose, and she’ll be reading from her award-winning volume of poetic work, Innocence. Please to enjoy. Politics and Prose, 6 p.m.