Photo by m hoekREADING: Sapphire, the author of the novel Push, which became the movie Precious, reads from her new book The Kid tonight at Politics and Prose (5015 Connecticut Avenue NW). 7 p.m. Free.
MUSIC: Title Tracks, America Hearts and Cat Jack perform at Fort Reno (3800 Donaldson Place NW). 7-9:30 p.m. Free.
TALK: At Cooking and Traveling Solo: A Taste of Adventure at the S. Dillon Ripley Center Lecture Hall (1100 Jefferson Drive SW), Washington Post food and travel editor Joe Yonan and author and traveler Janice Waugh offer tips on how to cook and travel on your own. 6:45-8:15 p.m. $25.
MOVIE: Get caught in the loop of 50 First Dates at the Crystal Screen “By the Numbers” outdoor film fest (1850 Bell Street, Arlington). Sunset. Free.
FESTIVAL: Today is your last opportunity to attend the 2011 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Head on over for a salsa workshop, live music, cooking demonstrations and much more. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free.
FOOD & DRINK: An alert to both those who love and those who hate Indian Pale Ales — Pizza Paradiso is celebrating the second annual JulyPA by equipping every tap at all 3 of their locations with nothing but IPAs, specifically: “Domestic IPAs, International IPAs, Black IPAs, Imperial IPAs, Wheat IPAs and IPAs not normally in DC.” 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.
Coming up this week…
TUESDAY: Summer Screenings: Independent Film Series, co-sponsored by the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, kicks off at the Renaissance Washington DC Dupont Circle Hotel (1143 New Hampshire Avenue NW) with a screening of My Trip Down The Pink Carpet. Other films in the series, which continues through August 22, will come from DC Shorts, Washington Jewish Film, GI Film, Rosebud, Reel Affirmations, and CINE Film Festival. Cocktails, microbrews and small bites (like Kobe beef or Ahi tuna sliders, chipotle popcorn, and soft shell crab spring rolls) will be available. 7-10 p.m. Free.
THURSDAY: Brew at the Zoo brings in 30 microbreweries and live music from ’90s cover band White Ford Bronco, to the National Zoo (3001 Connecticut Avenue NW). 6-9 p.m. Tickets: $65 general, VIP tickets have sold out.
FRIDAY: Friends of Tune Inn have organized a fundraiser for the staff of the bar, which was recently damaged by a fire. They hope to raise $50,000. The event will be held at American Legion Post 8 (224 D Street SE) and will feature live music, food, and Tune Inn memorabilia available for purchase (including booths from the bar). 3-10 p.m.
SUNDAY: DCist’s own Heather Goss lectures on “Beyond Atlantis: Where does space exploration go from here?” at the Arlington Planetarium’s (1426 N. Quincy Street, Arlington) Sunday Science series. It will be like Look Up, but live! 4:30 p.m. Free.
