Of the numerous romantic notions surrounding the writing life, perhaps none dies harder than that of the solitary, ink-stained wretch plugging away at his or her latest work in some dilapidated garret, alone and unnoticed and oblivious to what’s going on around him or her. Writing may be a solitary act, but as any intellectually honest writer can tell you, writers need communities: first, because the realities of today’s writing life necessitate that one be…

(Editor’s Note: Last weekend, we introduced a new feature called Weekend Reading, a look at what newspapers are featuring in their Sunday and weekend editions. Some of you were confused at first, since the first newspaper up was the Post, which many of you read on Sundays anyway, so we’ll try to mix it up a bit more today. Like we said before, some people in D.C. make their weekend reading into a competitive sport….

(From DCist contributor Seth Thomas Pietras) The influence of Greek and Roman architecture on our fair city is undeniable. The Capitol building, for example, is pure neoclassical bliss, evoking the connection the Founders had to ancient ideals when creating the Republic. On the outside, the building conveys all the balance and order of the Greek tradition without betraying the chaos within. It is this concept of Greek architectural poise and symmetry that will be the…