Grab a free hug at the Dupont Circle Fountain on Monday evening. (Photo by Miki J.)
Hugs, knives, homebodies, hot takes, and more in this week’s most intriguing events.
MONDAY, MARCH 20
FREE LOVE: Hugs from loved ones are among the great pleasures of human existence. But sometimes loved ones aren’t around or in the mood for hugs. Bummer. But tonight, turn that frown upside down — Action for Happiness is celebrating International Day of Happiness with an hour of free hugs, no strings attached. (Dupont Circle Fountain; 6 to 7 p.m.; FREE)
CHOP WITH PRIDE: Step one: Pick up the knife. Step two: …??? Fill in the blank (and probably many more) with “A Cut Above the Rest,” a cooking class from Chef Stephanie that covers the proper techniques for using a knife in the kitchen, and offers samples of chef-prepared dishes to satisfy those mid-lesson cravings. Students will take home a collection of recipes and their properly chopped produce. (Glen’s Garden Market; 6-7:30 p.m.; $25)
MIDDLE C x15: The store that bills itself as “the only full-service music store in D.C.” is celebrating its 15th anniversary all week long, starting tonight, with performances from the store’s teachers and students, along with special sales, raffles and prizes. Oh, and cake. Cake! (Middle C Music; All Day; FREE)
GROUNDBREAKING FILM: Negar Azarbayjani’s 2011 drama Facing Mirrors, which follows a religious cab driver in Iran as he bonds with a transgender woman, was the first Iranian feature film with a transgender character. Journalist Yeganeh Rezaian, whose husband Jason was held captive for a year and a half in Iran, will speak following a screening. (The Global Women’s Institute; 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.; FREE)
More: Monday Night Comedy at The Passenger; DC Preservation League Trivia; Jaleo Spanish Wine Dinner; Abby Sevcik at the National Cherry Blossom Festival
TUESDAY, MARCH 21
Sarah Sandersen will sign her new comics and essays collection Big Mushy Happy Lump at Catholic University on Tuesday. (Photo courtesy of Barnes & Noble at Catholic University)
THIS ONE’S FOR THE HOMEBODIES: Sarah Sandersen’s comics appeal to people with “bookstore-ready bodies and Netflix-ready hair, who are always down for all-night reading-in-bed parties and extremely exclusive after-hour one-person music festivals,” according to the description of this signing event with Sandersen. She’ll be discussing her new collection Big Mushy Happy Lump, which includes personal essays about her struggles with anxiety and oncoming adulthood. The title also describes me after eating a satisfying meal. (Barnes & Noble at Catholic University of America; 7-8:30 p.m.; FREE)
INNER BROADWAY STAR: The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington is hosting an open mic night geared towards show tunes. Prepare for an excess of belting, melisma, jazz hands and
TECH ADDICTION: Drugs are old hat. Behavioral addictions are a troubling and increasingly common phenomenon, according to New York University professor Adam Alter. He’ll be signing his new book Irresistible, which lays out the factors in cognitive evolution that have led to this modern dependency. Audience members will mightily resist, with little success, the urge to live-tweet Alter’s remarks. (Politics & Prose; 7 to 8 p.m.; FREE)
More: Queer Girl Movie Night; Kanishk Tharoor book signing
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22
Learn how to make smoked salmon at home on Wednesday night. (Photo courtesy of Via Umbria)
SMOKED SALMON: At Ivy City Smokehouse Tavern & Market, salmon is more than just a breakfast addition. It’s a way of life, with items on the menu including a “pastrami-style” version and something called “salmon candy.” A representative from the market will provide a tasting and discussion of techniques for sourcing this fish and ways to make it at home. (Via Umbria; 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.; $35)
HOT-TAKE SHARING SESSION: Netflix and Marvel’s Iron Fist is out…and most critics hated it! Emerge from a bleary-eyed binge watch and sit down with the Pop Culture Uncovered live podcast for a discussion of the series. (Fantom Comics; 7-9 p.m.; FREE)
TREAD CAREFULLY: New developments in science and technologies come with some tricky moral and ethical questions. A panel of experts from the National Institutes of Health, Kaiser Permanente, and the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics will help sort right from wrong at an event aptly titled “Do the Right Thing Part I.” (Marian Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences; 6:30-8:30 p.m.; $5-7)
QUICK HITS: Nu Sass Productions has teamed up with The Future is Female Festival for a rapid-fire night of short-form theater productions, all from female playwrights and directors. Audience members can get in on the action too, with a series of “Kamikaze Plays” open to participation from the public. Leave your stage fright at home. (Caos on F; 7-11:59 p.m.; FREE with donations accepted)
CHERRY BLOSSOM BIKE RIDE: Assuming cherry blossoms are still a thing (not the safest assumption), DC Bike Ride’s 5th Annual Cherry Blossom Chase will be a scenic ride for the fifth year in a row. (Ride from Dupont Circle to Bluejacket in Southeast; 7:30-10:30 p.m.; FREE)
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM: Head to Georgetown University’s panel on politics and government — featuring reporters from the New York Times, Axios and Mic — for the title alone: “Muckracking in an Era of Liars, Trolls and Swamp Things.” Has a nice sinister ring to it, no? (Georgetown University’s Edward B. Bunn S.J. Intercultural Center; 7-8:45 p.m.; FREE)
LOCAL PODCASTS: Fun fact: D.C. has its very own local podcast network. Two friends launched The Goat Rodeo with the goal of being the “anti-NPR,” and they’re debuting several new shows at a spring release party tonight. (Colony Club; 7-111 p.m.; FREE)
More: Science March; Staceyann Chin
THURSDAY, MARCH 23
A violin maker traveled the world in search of instruments used during the Holocaust. Hear about his findings at the Library of Congress on Thursday. (Photo by LaTur)
RESURRECTED INSTRUMENTS: Violin maker Ammon Weinstein has spent the last few years finding and restoring violins played by Jewish prisoners in Nazi camps, in the hopes that the legacies contained within them can live on through music. At a lecture event, violinist Hannah Tarley will play one, and he’ll discuss his process. (The Library of Congress – Madison Building; 12 p.m.; Free)
SWITCHED AFTER BIRTH: The new documentary Finding Oscar tells the harrowing story of a young boy who survived a massacre in Guatemala, only to be raised by one of the soldiers who killed his family. Thirty years went by before the mistake was fully accounted for. Find out what happened at a screening more than a month before the movie’s official release in D.C., and then listen to a panel discussion featuring Department of Homeland Security officials. (Busboys and Poets; 6-9 p.m.; FREE)
TRAILBLAZER: Clara Barton isn’t just the name of a nearby parkway. She founded the American Red Cross and blazed a trail for women when she ventured into Civil War battles armed with supplies. An illustrated talk at an historic site named for her will ensure that she’s remembered as much more than a connector from Maryland to the District. (Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office; 6-7 p.m.; FREE)
MEMORY LANE: The Carnegie Library will soon be the site of an Apple Store — not exactly the stuff of the history books. But the library’s 115-year history won’t be forgotten. Take a guided tour and see for yourself. (Carnegie Library, 1-1:45 p.m.; FREE)
More: You’re Funny But You Don’t Look Jewish; Pitch Control; Master of the Building Arts; Mount Pleasant Bike & Jersey Swap; Latte Art DC Championship
