Literary-art Events in Washington

Check out happening literary-art events all around Washington, DC

Brunch Bites & Books w/ Tiffany D. Cross & Joy-Ann Reid

Sun, 17 May at 12:30 pm Eaton DC USD 55

Jaboukie Young-White (May 13-14)

Wed, 13 May at 07:30 pm The DC Improv Comedy Club

Kimberlé W. Crenshaw Discusses & Signs Backtalker

Thu, 07 May at 07:00 pm Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library USD 0 to 38

Rudy Francisco Live in DC

Sun, 26 Apr at 07:30 pm Friends Meeting of Washington USD 39

Foggieraw, UCB in Washington

Sun, 21 Jun at 08:00 pm Plaza Stage at Nationals Park

Anthony Devito at City State! (Washington, DC)

Fri, 12 Jun at 07:00 pm City-State Public House USD 25

An Evening with Edd Kimber and Paola Velez for CHOCOLATE BAKING

Tue, 21 Apr at 07:00 pm Bold Fork Books USD 16 to 48

Brad Wenzel at City State! (Washington DC)

Fri, 24 Apr at 07:00 pm City-State Public House USD 25

SUNSET IN THE GARDEN WINE FESTIVAL

Sun, 14 Jun at 03:00 pm metrobar USD 36 to 285

5th Wednesdays Open Mic | 450 K | Hosted by: Anthony Oakes

Wed, 29 Apr at 08:00 pm Busboys and Poets USD 8

Daniel Van Kirk at City State (Washington, DC)

Fri, 26 Jun at 07:00 pm City-State Public House USD 25

5th Tuesdays Open Mic | 14th and V | Hosted by: Drew Anderson

Tue, 29 Sep at 08:00 pm Busboys and Poets USD 8

Trap Poetry

Thu, 21 May at 07:00 pm Howard Theatre - DC

MORNING BAKER: A Conversation with Roxana Jullapat and Joe Yonan

Sun, 26 Apr at 11:00 am Bold Fork Books USD 10 to 46

How Shakespeare Saved My Life - Open Captioned

Sat, 27 Jun at 07:00 pm Folger Elizabethan Theatre

Jeff Scheen at City State (Washington, DC)

Fri, 01 May at 07:00 pm City-State Public House USD 25

Live! from Busboys and Poets hosted by MalPractice

Fri, 27 Mar Busboys and Poets USD 8

Wrapped Stories: Where Lyrics Become Art

Sat, 25 Apr at 11:00 am Jungle & Loom USD 61

Humanities in the Loop: A Roundtable assessing the significance of AI

Wed, 22 Apr at 04:00 pm 1957 E St NW room 505 Free

Secret Planet Presents: Chicha Libre | Miramar, La Bodoquita, Baby Alcatraz at Songbyrd DC

Thu, 28 May at 07:00 pm 540 Penn St NE, Washington, DC 20002, USA

MOTHER of All Comedy Shows: Takoma Comedy Night

Thu, 14 May at 07:00 pm Busboys and Poets TAKOMA USD 21 to 82

5th Tuesdays Open Mic | 14th and V | Hosted by: Charity Blackwell

Tue, 30 Jun at 08:00 pm Busboys and Poets USD 8

250th Independence Day Tour! Thomas Jefferson’s Wild Times, July 5, 2026!

Sun, 05 Jul at 05:45 pm Organization of American States USD 30

Chris Smither

Fri, 18 Sep at 08:00 pm 600 14th Street NW Washington DC 20005

THE LAO KITCHEN: An Evening with Saeng Douangdara and Aleena Inthaly

Mon, 27 Apr at 07:00 pm Bold Fork Books USD 12 to 40

Realign & Recharge Retreat

Fri, 08 May at 09:30 am The Ritz-Carlton Georgetown, Washington, D.C. USD 995

Hybrid Event: An Evening With Penn Cole

Tue, 21 Apr at 07:00 pm East City Bookshop USD 23 to 31

April Cookbook Club: FROM THE LAND OF NIGHTINGALES & ROSES - Maryam Sinaiee

Wed, 22 Apr at 07:00 pm Bold Fork Books USD 8 to 48

An Evening with Alicia Kennedy and Daniela Galarza for ON EATING

Thu, 23 Apr at 07:00 pm Bold Fork Books USD 12 to 34

Fifty Years of African Ceremonies: Preserving a Photography Collection

Thu, 23 Apr at 11:30 am Smithsonian National Museum of African Art Free

2026 DC Independent Bookstore Crawl

Sat, 25 Apr at 09:00 am 1822 North Capitol St NW Free

Simone Dinnerstein, Jennifer Johnson Cano, Katherine Needleman, and Baroklyn

Wed, 27 May at 08:00 pm Library of Congress Coolidge Auditorium

How Shakespeare Saved My Life

Mon, 08 Jun Folger Elizabethan Theatre

Project Poetic Justice Community Concert

Sat, 02 May at 05:30 pm Busboys and Poets Free

Rene Marsh - The Nature of Change

Sun, 03 May at 11:00 am Solid State Books USD 0 to 23

5th Annual Spoken Word to Go-Go Championship - ROUND 1

Wed, 06 May at 07:00 pm Busboys and Poets Free

Sheldon Simeon at Bold Fork Books for OHANA STYLE

Thu, 07 May at 07:00 pm Bold Fork Books USD 46

Silent Book Club DC H St - May

Mon, 11 May at 06:30 pm Henceforth, Free

MAY 16TH - PEDRO GONZALEZ - LIVE IN WASHINGTON DC

Sat, 16 May at 07:30 pm Sitar Arts Center USD 36

My Favorite Year

Thu, 04 Jun at 07:00 pm Dupont Underground USD 23

FATHER of All Comedy Shows: Takoma Comedy Night

Thu, 11 Jun at 07:00 pm Busboys and Poets TAKOMA USD 21 to 82

How Shakespeare Saved My Life at Folger Theatre

Tue, 09 Jun at 07:30 pm Folger Theatre

Saeb Eigner, Artists of the Middle East: Book Talk and Signing

Fri, 24 Apr at 06:00 pm Meyer Auditorium, National Museum of Asian Art (Enter on Independence Ave.) Free

5th Wednesdays Open Mic | 450 K | Hosted by Nekos Ramos

Wed, 30 Sep at 08:00 pm Busboys and Poets USD 8

5th Wednesdays Open Mic | 450 K | Hosted by: Simply Sherri

Wed, 29 Jul at 08:00 pm Busboys and Poets USD 8

Is This a Poem?: A Conversation and Workshop | Busboys and Poets Books

Sun, 26 Apr at 05:00 pm Busboys and Poets 14th & V Free

Secret Planet Presents: Puuluup | Light Beams at Songbyrd DC

Tue, 12 May at 07:00 pm 540 Penn St NE, Washington, DC 20002, USA

COLD WAR PUERTO RICO | A Busboys and Poets Books Presentation

Tue, 12 May at 06:00 pm Busboys and Poets 14th & V Free

IN-GALLERY | Exploring Portrait Mode: The Divine Selfie

Thu, 16 Apr at 05:00 pm National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution Free

Plot Twist: Stories We Didn't See Coming

Thu, 07 May at 07:00 pm The Speakeasy at Capo Deli USD 36

Commemorative Event & Celebration at the FDR Memorial

Wed, 13 May at 05:30 pm Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Free

FOR THE LOVE OF THE GRIND: A MEMOIR—Book Launch + Q&A with Sara Hall

Wed, 22 Apr at 07:00 pm 5015 Connecticut Ave NW Free

Author Panel - Environment: Small actions having a big impact - at Conn Ave

Mon, 20 Apr at 06:00 pm Politics and Prose Bookstore Free

Aisha by Yumna Al-Arashi

Fri, 24 Apr at 07:00 pm Lost City Books Free

Cultural Convo

Sun, 26 Apr at 06:00 pm Busboys and Poets Free

Lost City Books Spring Reading Series

Thu, 14 May at 07:00 pm The Festival Center USD 6

Spring Tree Walk in Rock Creek Park with Melanie Choukas-Bradley

Sat, 02 May at 10:00 am Peirce Mill USD 0 to 10

Hybrid Event: It Happened One M**der, Liz Lawson

Tue, 26 May at 07:00 pm East City Bookshop USD 0 to 29

May Cookie Swap + Conversation: ITALIAN COOKIES with Domenica Marchetti

Mon, 04 May at 06:30 pm Bold Fork Books USD 8 to 40

Daniel Kehlmann Discusses & Signs THE DIRECTOR

Wed, 20 May at 07:00 pm Barnes & Noble Georgetown Free

Dudley Memorial Lecture: Ann Powers

Wed, 29 Apr at 06:30 pm Hammer Auditorium, Flagg Building, Corcoran School for the Arts and Design, George Washington University, Please use New York Avenue Door Free

Washington, D.C. Festival of Education

Sat, 03 Oct at 08:00 am British International School of Washington USD 80 to 158

New Age Open Mic

Wed, 14 Jan at 08:00 pm 2714 Georgia Ave NW Free

The Mapmaker: A Literary Conversation with Author Tom Young

Fri, 01 May at 07:00 pm Alliance Française de Washington DC USD 13 to 18

Anna Badkhen - To See Beyond

Fri, 15 May at 07:00 pm Solid State Books USD 7 to 23

Landmark Lecture: On National Commemorations

Tue, 12 May at 06:30 pm Tudor Place Free

The Inner Loop's April Reading

Tue, 21 Apr at 07:00 pm Shaw's Tavern Free

Family Concert: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons

Sun, 17 May at 02:30 pm St Mark's Capitol Hill USD 0 to 23

Dorian Rhea Debussy - The Lavendar Bans

Fri, 22 May at 07:00 pm Solid State Books USD 7 to 37

Sobre la orilla de Luz

Sun, 26 Apr at 03:00 pm Studio Theatre USD 29

Kristina Forest & Natasha Bishop for The Summer Girlfriend

Sun, 14 Jun at 06:00 pm Jackie Lee's USD 7 to 37

Picnic Theatre Company: My Favorite Year

Wed, 03 Jun at 06:00 pm Tudor Place USD 23

2026 Goldman Lecture: "October 7 and the Future of Armed Conflict"

Mon, 27 Apr at 02:00 pm McGhee Library Free

AMERICAN SPIRITS | A Busboys and Poets Books Presentation

Wed, 27 May at 06:00 pm Busboys and Poets 14th & V Free

Poetry Talk: Enemy of the Sun with Edmund Ghareeb

Thu, 21 May at 06:00 pm Jerusalem Fund Free

The Gospel Cafe: Open Mic Edition!

Fri, 22 May at 07:30 pm First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church Free

Flor Bookclub: The Alchemist/El Alquimista (Paulo Coehlo)

Thu, 28 May at 06:00 pm Flor Coffee + Books USD 27

Pride Poetry Workshop: Poetry & Humor

Tue, 21 Apr at 06:30 pm Arts Club of Washington Free

Marie de Quatrebarbes Poetry Soirée

Fri, 24 Apr at 07:00 pm Alliance Française de Washington DC USD 13 to 18

Book Launch: Global Pathways to Becoming New Americans

Wed, 29 Apr at 06:00 pm Mary Graydon Center Free

SCENA Theatre presents No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre

Thu, 25 Jun at 07:30 pm Atlas Performing Arts Center

Of Softness: A Poetry Experience

Sun, 05 Apr Eaton Wellness in Eaton DC (2nd floor) USD 53

Lead & Follow: The Dance of Inspired Teamwork

Sat, 16 May at 12:00 pm La Cosecha

Bringing them home: a public art event on place, histories, and tenderness

Sat, 25 Apr at 02:00 pm Mount Zion and Female Union Band Society Cemeteries Free

Standing in the Spirit of Paul Robeson: Plaque Unveiling and Rededication

Sat, 25 Apr at 12:00 pm Paul Robeson Triangle Park Free

Rachel Seidman - Our Story

Tue, 05 May at 07:00 pm Solid State Books USD 7 to 29

May 4: Diplomacy’s Public Turn: Prospects for Theory and Practice

Mon, 04 May at 12:00 pm 1957 E St NW room 602 Free

Stories & Saris: Chandrani Ghosh Book Launch

Thu, 30 Apr at 06:00 pm Flor Coffee + Books USD 45

Abigail Savitch-Lew - Livonia Chow Mein

Wed, 22 Apr at 07:00 pm Solid State Books USD 7 to 34

In-Store Event: Shop Small, Talk Local

Thu, 23 Apr at 07:00 pm East City Bookshop Free

Words from Birds: Happy Dawn Chorus Day!

Sun, 03 May at 05:45 am Peirce Mill Free

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Fri, 06 Mar at 07:30 pm DC Arts Center (DCAC), 18th Street Northwest, Washington, DC, USA USD 39