 The Smithsonian Resident Associates program hosts another interesting lecture tonight at the S. Dillon Ripley Center titled Volcanoes, Earthquakes, and Cities in the Shadow: Rome, Delphi, Istanbul. |
DCist’s guide to lectures and discussions in the D.C. area
Monday:
>> Tonight from 6:45 to 9 p.m., head to the S. Dillon Ripley Center for Volcanoes, Earthquakes, and Cities in the Shadow: Rome, Delphi, Istanbul. Geologist Patricia Dickerson will be showing photos “taken by astronauts from 200 miles above the Earth’s surface” as she explores “major sites that are in the shadow of active volcanoes and powerful faults … [and] looks at eruption and quake predictions … [based] on aerial views and satellite images, archaeological records and historical accounts.” $40.
Tuesday:
>> Tonight’s National Geographic Live! lecture features Iranian photographer Reza and author Sebastian Junger (of The Perfect Storm) celebrating the release of Reza’s book, Reza: War + Peace. $18.
>> The Postal Museum is holding a book launch tonight at 6 p.m. for The 1933 Chicago World’s Fair – A Century of Progress, authored by the museum’s Chief Curator Cheryl R. Ganz. RSVP required, email dorink [at] si.edu.
>> The 14th Street Busboys is also featuring an author event tonight at 6 p.m. Jeffrey Perry will be joined by a panel of authors and scholars to discuss his new book, Hubert Harrison: The Voice of Harlem Radicalism, 1883-1918. The book explores the life of Harrison, who has been described by historians as “the foremost Afro-American intellect of his time; and one of America’s greatest minds.” Free.
Wednesday:
>> Architects and urban planners may want to take a long lunch and head to Dining Room A on the sixth floor of the James Madison Building at 101 Independence Avenue SE at noon for an event sponsored by the Center for Architecture, Design and Engineering in the Library of Congress. Author Helen Tangires will be discussing and signing her book, Public Markets, “a richly illustrated compendium of the wide variety of architectural structures devoted to the urban marketplace.”
Thursday:
>> There are a bunch of interesting options on Thursday. Unfortunately, the 7 p.m. Toni Morrison book signing at Politics and Prose is sold out, but P & P urges those who want their books signed anyway to call (202) 364-1919.
>> Also, the Transformer Gallery, in affiliation with the Corcoran, is holding two hours of experimental readings by emerging poets and writers from 7 to 9 p.m. to correspond with Nilay Lawson’s exhibition If You Didn’t Know What This Was, Would You Know What This Is?.
>> Or, if abstract landscapes are more your thing, the Smithsonian American Art Museum is hosting a lecture and book signing by Wolf Kahn, titled Subject Matters, at 7 p.m. in the lower level of the McEvoy Auditorium. Kahn will be discussing “how he uses colors, media, and brushwork to realize a final artwork.” If you’re not familiar with Kahn’s work, check out his exhibit at the German Marshall Fund at 1744 R Street, NW, opening Monday and closing on March 31, 2009.
