National Geographic Live! hosts author Amy Tan on Wednesday.

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

Lectures are back in full swing this week, with too many to list here. Be sure to check out these sites if nothing below suits your fancy.

Also, George Mason’s Fall for the Book Festival is happening throughout the D.C. area through Saturday, with a full week of book readings and panel discussions on the GMU campus, as well as at various locations in Northern Virginia and D.C., including a number of extra readings at the three Busboys locations. Check the festival’s online schedule or download the PDF for the full lineup.

Tuesday:
>> The K Street Busboys hosts an interesting book reading at 6:30 p.m. tonight with author Michael Largo and his book Genius and Heroin: The Illustrated Catalogue of Creativity, Obsession and Reckless Abandon Through the Ages. Sponsored by Fall for the Book.

>> Or, head to the Spy Museum at 6:30 p.m. for Terror Media: Free Speech or Dangerous Weapon?, a panel discussion with Juan Zarate, former deputy national security advisor for combating terrorism and former assistant secretary of the Treasury for terrorist financing and financial crimes; Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies; Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union; and Todd Stein, former lawyer on the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. $15.

Wednesday:
>> National Geographic holds an evening with The Joy Luck Club author Amy Tan tonight, with a beer-filled reception at 6:30 p.m. and lecture beginning at 7:30 p.m. She will be joined by Traveler editor Don George; they will discuss “the life-changing challenges of living in two cultures, the importance of fate and family in her life and work, and the places that have most moved and inspired her.” $25.