
The weather is nice, and many literary events are happening in and around the city! This blog post is for all you readers, writers, and thinkers looking to participate in bookish opportunities this spring and summer. Most of these opportunities are for people in the Washington, DC, area, but some are virtual and available to anyone with an electronic device.
This is not a comprehensive list. It is also a biased list. I’m sharing some opportunities I’m involved in, as well as some opportunities I can vouch for because I know the people and organizations involved. The DC literary community is active and vast, and I can’t list every opportunity in a short blog post. Think of this as a little sprinkling of some cool things happening around town, amidst many other cool things also happening around town.
Read on, participate in some of these opportunities, and don’t forget to do one of the best (not to mention least expensive and easiest) literary activities of all—going outside with sunglasses, a hat, and a book and reading outdoors!
For Readers
Gaithersburg Book Festival
May 17, 10am-6pm | Bohrer Park, 506 S Frederick Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD
The Gaithersburg Book Festival is a celebration of books, writers, and literary excellence and always lots of fun for adults and children. I will be the moderator of a conversation with Aggie Blum Thompson and Christine Gunderson at 10:15 in the Dashiell Hammett Pavilion. I will also be selling and signing my book Two Novembers.
Silent Book Club of Bethesda
Approx. two Sat or Sun afternoons per month | Seventh State, Marriott, 7707 Woodmont Ave, Bethesda, MD
We’re a book club without any assigned reading! Bring whatever book you’re currently reading, order a drink, and enjoy the companionship of other book lovers. I am the organizer and host of this group. Find a Silent Book Club chapter near you.
Silent Book Club of Rockville
Approx. two Sat or Sun afternoons per month | Lebanese Taverna, 115 Gibbs St, Rockville, MD
We’re a book club without any assigned reading! Bring whatever book you’re currently reading, order a drink, and enjoy the companionship of other book lovers. I am the organizer and host of this group. Find a Silent Book Club chapter near you.
Ron Chernow talks about his new book Mark Twain at Politics & Prose
Thu, 5/15, 7-8pm | Politics & Prose Sixth & I, 600 I St NW, Washington, DC
Ron Chernow is the historian who wrote the book that the musical Hamilton is based on. Now he has written a new massive brick of a history book about the famous writer whose birth name was Samuel Clemens, but who we know as Mark Twain.
Ocean Vuang talks about his new novel The Emperor of Gladness at Politics & Prose
Mon, 5/19, 7pm | Politics & Prose Sixth & I, 600 I St NW, Washington, DC
Ocean Vuang is known for his beautiful novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous as well as other books. Now he has a new novel out.
Beltway Cafe hosts Matwaala poets
June 4, 6:15pm | Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St NW, Washington, DC
Matwaala is a South Asian diasporic poetry collective. Supported by Beltway Editions (which published my book Two Novembers), this event features South Asian diasporic poetry.
Laura Beers talks about her new book Orwell’s Ghosts at Wonderland Books
Tuesday June 10th, 2025 @ 7:00PM – 8:00 PM | Wonderland Books, 7920B Norfolk Ave, Bethesda, MD
Laura Beers, author of Orwell’s Ghosts: Wisdom and Warnings for the Twenty-First Century, will talk about the Orwellian turn of contemporary politics, as well as Orwell’s fraught relationship with feminism.
Kevin Wilson talks about his new novel Run for the Hills at People’s Book
May 28 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm | People’s Book, 7014-A Westmoreland Ave., Takoma Park, MD
I’ve read two novels by Kevin Wilson and loved them both. I especially enjoyed his novel Nothing to See Here (read my blog posts about this book). His writing is witty, whimsical, and humorous.
Book Clubs at People’s Book
Various days/times | People’s Book, 7014-A Westmoreland Ave., Takoma Park, MD
People’s Book has started up a wide variety of book clubs. There are book clubs for young bookworms, people in midlife, people interested in mortality, lit fic lovers, bookish people, sci fi / fantasy lovers, people interested in psychology, poetry lovers, and more. You can even create your own themed book club.
For Writers
Inner Loop May Reading
Tuesday, May 20, 7-10pm | Sonny’s Pizza, 3120 Georgia Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC
Inner Loop events are very well attended and have become the place to be for DC writers to network, read their creative work, and hear great new voices in the community. Show up at 7 for networking and getting something to eat or drink. The show starts at 7:30, and there’s an intermission partway through. Learn about all upcoming reading events here.
Upcoming Events with The Authors Guild, Washington DC Chapter
I’m excited to announce that I’ve been selected as one of three new ambassadors for the Washington, DC, chapter of the Authors Guild. The three of us will be planning events throughout the year. Click here to sign up for the mailing list and receive information about upcoming events!
Writerly Happy Hour
Thursday, June 12, 6-8pm | No Kisses Bar, 3120 Georgia Avenue Northwest Washington, DC
This event is sponsored by a bunch of local writing groups: The Inner Loop, The Writer’s Center, DC Writers Room, and PEN/Faulkner. It’s a great way to network with writers and make new writer friends.
Free Events at The Writer’s Center
Various days/times | Virtual and The Writer’s Center, 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD
The Writer’s Center offers paid classes for writers who are serious about their craft, but they also offer many free events. Attend an open mic night and read your work, network with writers who identify as disabled or LGBTQ+, or learn about novel writing from from my fellow panelist (on the debut authors panel at the Washington Writers Conference) Varun Gauri.
Washington Writers’ Publishing House Contests for Full-Length Manuscripts
Annual contests submission window open until July 15
Book-length manuscripts are now being accepted for the annual contests in fiction, poetry, and poetry in translation. Winners receive $1,500, publication, and more. The contests are open to all residents of Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
Brown Bag Lit Presents “Writing the Hybrid: The Boths & Betweens of Poetry & Prose”
Friday, May 16, 2025, 12-1 PM Eastern Time | Virtual
This event is the season finale of Brown Bag Lit! (Brown Bag Lit will resume in the fall.) In this event, Ellene Glenn Moore and Miranda Schmidt will discuss how they write between and across forms, bringing poetry and prose together in their most recent books.
Washington Unbound Seeks Contributors
Washington Unbound is a new online journal founded by two local writers, Norah Vawter and Gregory Luce. They publish book reviews by local authors, interviews with authors, publishers, and others in the literary community, a calendar of events, and more. They are actively looking for contributors. “If you’re interested in writing reviews or interviews, please email us at Washington.Unbound@gmail.com, tell us a little about yourself and your writing background, and include a writing sample.”
For Thinkers
Washington Metro Oasis
Various days/times | Virtual and Macy’s Home Store (2nd floor), 7125 Democracy Blvd, Bethesda, MD
Washington Metro Oasis offers lifelong learning classes to people over 50. They offer classes both in person and online, on topics in history, literature, music, art, and more. Attend the class I’m teaching, Shakespeare’s Sonnets: 400 Years of Timeless Love.
Socrates Café Rockville
Approx. two Saturday evenings per month | Panera Bread, 1780 E Jefferson St, Rockville, MD
Exchange thoughtful ideas and experiences while embracing the Socratic Method. Usually, the topics of discussion revolve around social concerns, moral issues, and the first principles of things. This group fills up quickly, so sign up early to avoid being on the waitlist.
Do you know of an interesting DC-area (or virtual) event for readers, writers, and/or thinkers happening this spring? Tell us about it in the comments!