MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12
LOSE WELL: Comedian Chris Gethard developed a devoted following with The Chris Gethard Show, a Manhattan Neighborhood Network call-in show that eventually moved to cable. The public television personality-slash-podcast host’s new book, Lose Well, tackles the inevitably of failure.(Politics & Prose at the Wharf, 7:00 p.m-8:00 p.m., FREE)
A ROUND DOZEN: First formed in 1993, Low released its 12th record, the sparse, stunning Double Negative, earlier this autumn to widespread critical acclaim. At the group’s U Street Music Hall show, IN/VIA opens. (U Street Music Hall, 7:00 p.m., $20)
TAKE A SIP: DC Cocktail Week pairs spirits and snacks priced per person. More than 60 restaurants are teaming up for this year’s celebration, including China Chilcano, Commissary, Doi Moi, The Partisan, and Whaley’s, so it’s a good week to try somewhere new for happy hour. (Various locations, continues through Nov. 18)
MORE: How to Dress Well with Baltra (Union Stage, doors 6:30 p.m., show 7:30 p.m., $15), Single Mothers (Songbyrd, doors 7:00 p.m., show 8:00 p.m., $13 in advance, $16 day of show), Danish String Quartet (Sixth & I, doors 7:00 p.m., show 8:00 p.m., $35)
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13
MUSICAL INTERLUDE: Garage rock mainstay Ty Segall’s work ethic—he’s released five LPs this year alone, plus an EP—is unrivalled. He’s joined by Scorpio, the side project of Lavender’s Alli Vega, for a seated solo acoustic set. (9:30 Club, doors 7:00 p.m., $25)
KEY RACE ALERT: The Atlantic’s politics team, including McKay Coppins, Vann R. Newkirk III, and Elaina Plott, assesses the results of the midterm elections with editor-in-chief Jeff Goldberg at What Do the Midterms Mean?, (Sixth & I, 6:00 p.m. doors, 7:00 p.m. discussion, $15 in advance, $18 day of event)
TRAILBLAZERS: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s Bold & Brave: Ten Heroes Who Won Women the Right to Vote, out Tuesday, tells of the story of ten suffragists and features illustrations by Maira Kalman. Sen. Gillibrand is joined by Symone Sanders for a conversation for children and adults. (St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 7:00 p.m., $23-$29)
MORE: Iris DeMent with Ana Egge (City Winery, 6:00 p.m. doors, 7:30 p.m., $30-38), Story District Presents Cat-Headed Baby (Black Cat, 6:30 p.m. doors, 7:30 p.m. show, $20), Jonathan Lethem (Politics & Prose, 7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., FREE), Ron Gallo with Ian Ferguson and GWEN (DC9, 7:30 p.m. doors, 8:00 p.m. show, $14 in advance, $16 day of show)
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14
SIGNING SPREE: Jonathan Franzen, author of Freedom and The Corrections, returns with his fourth nonfiction compilation, The End of the End of the Earth: Essays. After a talk on Wednesday, Franzen will sign up to three other books for those that have purchased the new essay collection. (Politics & Prose, 7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., FREE)
WATCH AND LEARN: The documentary Tribal Justice highlights two Native American judges using restorative justice systems to reduce incarceration and address the causes of crime. Director Anne Makepeace is joined by Judge Claudette White for a conversation moderated by Journalist Simon Moya-Smith after the screening. (National Museum of the American Indian, 6:00 p.m., FREE)
FOLK TO ROCK: Before beginning her solo career, Denver singer-songwriter Esmé Patterson performed with the folk project Paper Bird. On her latest record, We Were Wild, Patterson adopts a guitar-forward rock sound. Hear her at a show at Songbyrd this week. (Songbyrd, doors 7:00 p.m., show 8:00 p.m., $13 in advance, $15 day of show)
MORE: Home Cooking, Cuban-style: Hot Lunch at Cuba Libre (Cuba Libre, noon, $65 Smithsonian member, $75 non-member), Tennis with Matt Costa (Black Cat, doors 7:30 p.m., $20), Eye on Asteroids (S. Dillon Ripley Center, 6:45 p.m., $30 Smithsonian member, $45 non-member), Dozan Wa Awtar (First Congregational United Church of Christ, 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m., $20 student, $30 general)
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15
#EVACHENPOSE: Eva Chen, former editor-in-chief of Lucky and current director of fashion partnerships at Instagram, has been a pioneering fashion industry figure since her college days. Now she’s a published author: Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes, her first children’s book, which she’ll discuss on Thursday, uses shoes as a way to walk through history. (Politics & Prose, 7:00 p.m., FREE)
DREAMY AS FOLK: After playing on a pair of Frank Ocean records in 2016 (Endless and Blonde), Philly singer-songwriter (Sandy) Alex G released his own eighth LP, Rocket, of lo-fi bedroom rock last year. Hear it for yourself at Black Cat. (Black Cat, doors 7:30 p.m., $18 in advance, $20 day of show)
THAT THING: Lauryn Hill’s debut solo record, the modern masterpiece The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill turned 20 in August. Joan Morgan, author of She Begat This: 20 Years of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, is joined by Kierna Mayo and Demetria Lucas for a book talking and signing with an afterparty to follow. (The Kennedy Center Terrace Theater, 7:30 p.m., $35)
MORE:Dish & Tell: Food Entrepreneurs’ Recipes for Success (Sixth & I, doors 7:00 p.m., $12 in advance, $15 day of event), Vikki Tobak, Barron Claiborne and Danny Hastings: Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop (Politics & Prose at Union Market, 7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., FREE), National Symphony Orchestra: Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 (The Kennedy Center Concert Hall, 7:00 p.m., $15-$89), A Christmas Carol (Ford’s Theatre, 7:30 p.m., FREE lottery, $32-$92)
This post has been updated with the correct date for Dozan Wa Awtar.
