Talk to Me, Baby

Thursday:
>> Be at the S. Dillon Ripley Center from 6:45 to 9 p.m. for In the Footsteps of the Buddha, an "exploration of the artistic representations of the Buddha's life includes a look at the architectural remains of the sites" with GMU art history professor Robert DeCaroli. $40.

Friday:
>> At 6 p.m., an Artists' Roundtable featuring ceramics, fiber and glass artists Christyl Boger, Mark Newport, Mary Van Cline, and SunKoo Yuh will be at the American Art Museum. Each artist is featured in Staged Stories: Renwick Craft Invitational 2009, and the exhibition curator, Kate Bonansinga, will moderate the discussion.

>> Or, head to Politics and Prose at 7 p.m. tonight for a book reading with Middle East expert Vali Nasr and his book Forces of Fortune, in which "he argues for a reversal of Bush-era initiatives and believes that an alliance with the pragmatic middle class can undermine Islamic extremists."

>> At 11 p.m. tonight, the 14th Street Busboys hosts an evening of American Sign Language (ASL) open mic poetry, where ASL users are encouraged to perform songs and poetry with DJ Supalee. $3.

Saturday:
>> Join author Dan Baum at the Shirlington Library at 3 p.m. to discuss Nine Lives: Death and Life in New Orleans, in which he asks "Why are New Orleanians—along with people from all over the world who continue to flock there—so devoted to a place that was, even before the storm, the most corrupt, impoverished, and violent corner of America?" A book signing will follow at the Shirlington Busboys. Sponsored by Fall for the Book.

>> From 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the German Embassy hosts an illustrated seminar titled A Tour of the Reformation in Germany, led by Johns Hopkins art history professor Mitchell Merback. $145 includes a buffet lunch at the embassy. Reservations required.

>> Or, spend only $120 for a 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. seminar on Ancient Egypt's Hidden Treasures with Egyptologist Bob Brier at the S. Dillon Ripley Center.

Sunday:
>> Today's 2:30 p.m. Inside Media event at the Newseum features former LA Times reporter Michael Connelly and his latest thriller The Scarecrow. Connelly will also discuss the future of newspapers.

Monday:
>> Join documentarian Ken Burns for a lecture and luncheon at the National Press Club at 12:30 p.m. in celebration of the premiere of his six-part PBS series on the National Parks. To make reservations, call 202-662-7501, or email pnelson [at] press.org. $35 general admission.

>> Radical environmental activist Mike Roselle will be featured at the 14th Street Busboys at 6:30 p.m., along with co-author and environmental journalist Josh Mahan. Their book Tree Spiker: From Earth First! to Lowbagging: My Struggle in Radical Environmental Action tells Roselle's tales, including when he "succeeded in stopping a lumber project by spiking trees, struggled with death threats and the car bombing of fellow activist Judi Bari, endured countless days in jail, infiltrated the Nevada Test Site to delay nuclear bomb detonation, helped put a gas mask on Mount Rushmore’s George Washington, and aided actor Woody Harrelson in draping a banner up on the Golden Gate Bridge." Sponsored by Fall for the Book.