MONDAY
Murder, urban intrigue, and the promiscuous pen of Edgar Allan Poe are the ingredients of Daniel Stashower’s treatise on the evolution of the detective story, The Beautiful Cigar Girl: Mary Rogers, Edgar Allen Poe, and the Invention of Murder. Chapters, 445 11th Street, NW., 1pm.
TUESDAY
Head on over to the Baird Auditorium at the National Museum of Natural History to hear Andrea Mitchell discuss Talking Back: . . . to Presidents, Dictators, and Assorted Scoundrels. Be thankful she’s not reading from her secret diaries of erotic non-fiction that feature Alan Greenspan prominently. 10th and Constitution, NW, 8 pm. $25. For reservations call (202) 357-3030.
WEDNESDAY
It’s Valentine’s Day. You should be hosting your own reading with someone you love. Or if you are a member of Last Late Night Shots, someone you want to fingerbang on the Blue Gin loading dock.
THURSDAY
Over the years, Barbara Ehrenreich has reported on contentious and controversial issues of class and society. But this time out, she’s back with a book called Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy. And what have you assholes got against collective joy, exactly? Thought so. Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Avenue, NW, 7pm.
FRIDAY
Ed Humes waxes analytically over the Kitzmiller v. Dover decision, comparing it to the Scopes Trials as a landmark skirmish in the ongoing war between evolution and what we’ll scare quote as “‘intelligent[sic]’ ‘design[sic]’[sic].” He’ll be at the Olsson’s in Penn Quarter discussing and signing his book, Monkey Girl: Evolution, Education, Religion, and the Battle for America’s Soul. 418 7th Street, NW, 7 pm.
SATURDAY
Richard Cook, author of Challenger Revealed, was the man behind a NASA memo warning of the technical flaw that resulted in tragedy aboard the Space Shuttle. Please: DO NOT BE THE AUDIENCE MEMBER WHO ASKS THE QUESTION ABOUT THE CRAZY ASTRONAUT LADY. You’ll only embarrass us all. Politics and Prose, 1pm.
SUNDAY
Those of you looking forward to hearing from Walter Schieb, author of White House Chef, please note that his Politics and Prose appearance has been cancelled. Sherrilyn Ifill, will be discussing her book, On The Courthouse Lawn, at 3pm. At Politics and Prose, that is. NOT on the courthouse lawn. Please don’t get all mixed up. Plus: Gwen Ifill will be doing the introductions. We think they might be related, but, find out for yourself. It’ll be a fun surprise.
