For those of you who have been eagerly anticipating the chance to purchase your very own Confused Wood and Existentially Distraught Wood (from the makers of Petrified Wood) and Unicorn Tears while helping some kids learn: clear out some time this Saturday. 826DC -- and its Museum of Unnatural History, which serves as a way for the organization to raise funds for its writing workshops, field trips and tutoring services -- officially throws open its doors at 3233 14th Street NW this Saturday at noon for a community open house. more ›

As someone who benefited immensely from numerous people encouraging me to write as a young man, I will shamelessly plug this: 826 -- author Dave Eggers' youth writing program -- will finally be opening a D.C. branch at 3233 14th Street NW in Columbia Heights this fall, and are looking for volunteers for writing workshops and drop-in tutoring sessions. Those familiar with 826 know that each local branch has a themed storefront to help support the work being done. D.C.'s does not disappoint: the "Museum of Unnatural History" will sell "Confused Wood and Existentially Distraught Wood (from the makers of Petrified Wood), a selection of tools for budding unnaturalists, and evolutionary supplements for those who want to develop bipedalism or opposable thumbs." Awesome. 826DC has already been working in D.C. schools (continuing the good work that our friends at Capitol Letters had been doing in this town for some time), but the new building will allow them to serve even more young people. If you like the idea of helping, you can volunteer here. more ›

Mike Birbiglia remembers when the room was a lot smaller. He's headlining Saturday night at the Warner Theatre, where he'll tell some stories he’s considering for inclusion in his next one-man show. But he cut his teeth at the DC Improv in the late 90s, while a student at Georgetown University. By the time he was 25, he'd done the The Late Show with David Letterman , released his first album, and had his own Comedy Central special. more ›

Patton Oswalt’s career as a writer and actor has been on an ascending curve over the last couple of years, most notably since he provided the voice (and inspired much of the character) of Remy, the rat who dreams of becoming a gourmet chef, in Brad Bird’s terrific 2007 PIXAR film, Ratatouille. He plays his first on-camera leading role in Big Fan, written and directed by Robert D. Siegel — the former editor of The Onion, and the writer of last year’s critically adored The Wrestler — which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last month. more ›

Back in March we wrote about how the literary web site Hitotoki (pronounced hee toe toe key) was seeking submissions to launch a D.C. edition. Sadly it appears our post wasn't enough to give the site enough momentum. more ›

The literary Web site Hitotoki (pronounced hee toe toe key) is looking to launch a D.C. edition, but the editorial staff is facing a small problem — they need content. more ›