Major General Joe Engle will speak at the Air and Space Museum on Thursday. Credit: U.S. Air Force Photo

DCist’s guide to lectures and discussions in the D.C. area

Monday:
>> Tonight from 6:45 to 9 p.m., VCU professor George Munro presents an illustrated lecture titled Siberia: Traversing the Russian Frontier at the S. Dillon Ripley Center. He’ll “highlight the area’s various cultures, beautiful architecture, and historic past. From Krasnoyarsk in the village of Shushenkoe (Lenin’s exile home) to the historic towns of Tobolsk, Tomsk, and Irkutsk.” $40.

>> The National Museum of Women in the Arts’ Sort-of-Jane Austen Reading Series continues tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. with Love’s Victory (or Not?), read by Mary Wroth and directed by Jessica Burgess.

Tuesday:
>> At 7:30 p.m., Sixth and I hosts Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) for a discussion with Congressional Quarterly’s Lydia Gensheimer, in which “Polis will … share how his experiences as an openly gay man and his Jewish background have informed his professional and civic pursuits.” $6.

>> The L Street Borders hosts New York Times reporter Scott Shane and author Steve Luxenberg at 6:30 p.m. for a discussion of Luxenberg’s book, Annie’s Ghosts: A Journey Into a Family Secret.

>> The American Art Museum hosts another Collectors Roundtable tonight at 7 p.m. At Collecting Outside the Canon, collector of African American art Walter O. Evans will discuss his collection and tricks of the trade.

Wednesday:
>> Science fiction fans: head to Reiters Books at 7 p.m. for a night with ten sci-fi authors, including Arlan Andrews and Catherine Asaro.

>> Politics and Prose hosts David Ignatius reading from his new novel, The Increment at 7 p.m., and Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and Shadowland at 7:30 pm. If you can’t make it tonight, but want to catch Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, be at the Shirlington Library on Thursday at 7 p.m. for a reading, and then head to the Shirlington Busboys afterward for a book signing.

>> At 6 p.m., the 14th Street Busboys hosts a celebration for the launch of D.C. Central Kitchen’s official cookbook, Feeding the Soul of the City, which includes recipes from high profile chefs as well as stories about D.C. Central Kitchen.

>> The Business Center at Flashpoint hosts a panel discussion geared toward artists and organizers who’d like to learn more about how to approach the media to get attention for their work. DCist’s own Heather Goss will appear on a panel that includes WaPo chief art critic Blake Gopnik, and Jacqueline Law, director of marketing for Washington City Paper. 1:30 p.m., $40.