Photo by marios savva

BOOK TALK: M. Night Shyamalan, noted filmmaker for his success (Sixth Sense) and more criticized works (The Last Airbender, The Happening, The Village), moves into the written medium with his new book I Got Schooled: The Unlikely Story of How a Moonlighting Movie Maker Learned the Five Keys to Closing America’s Education Gap. He discusses the book and his thoughts on education with Chris Matthews at Politics and Prose (5015 Connecticut Avenue NW) tonight. 7 p.m. Free.

CRAFTS & CRAFT BEER: Handi-hour at the Renwick Gallery (1661 Pennsylvania Avenue NW) combines happy hour with craftmaking. The craft at tonight’s event will be basketmaking, to go with the A Measure of the Earth: The Cole-Ware Collection of American Baskets exhibit. 5:30-8 p.m. $20 (includes two drinks, snacks, and craft supplies).

FILM: In the documentary Voices From Within, screening tonight at Saint Elizabeths Hospital (1100 Alabama Avenue SE) and next Wednesday at the Goethe-Institut, you meet four residents of Saint Elizabeths psychiatric hospital, a D.C. institution. All of the individuals profiled in this film have a mental illness, have committed crimes, and share their stories through video diaries. Following the film, the filmmakers will partake in a panel discussion with mental health experts. 7-9 p.m. Free.

FOOD & DRINK: Join Beer Activist Chris O’Brien and Cowgirl Creamery’s Tim Little for Bleus & Brews, a seasonal beer and cheese pairing event at Sixth and I Historic Synagogue (600 I Street NW) this evening. 7 p.m. $27 in advance, $32 in advance plus pint glass, $30 day of.

THEATER: Woolly Mammoth Theatre’s (641 D Street NW) new production, Appropriate, is a dramedy that delves into a family’s secrets. Seems perfectly timed for the impending holidays. Performances continue through December 1st. 8 p.m. $35-$45.