November & December 2025
Literary Events in the Washington, D.C. Area
Please note: while most events are free, many require an RSVP and some do charge. See links for details. If you have an event to add, or a correction, email us at Washington.Unbound@gmail.com.
Ongoing
Busboys & Poets hosts open mics weekly at various locations. For information, visit their website: https://www.busboysandpoets.com/poetry
11/29/2025 - 1/4/2026
Folger Shakespeare Library
201 East Capitol Street SE, Washington, DC 20003
Folger Frost Fair, a month-long winter festival with family-friendly and Shakespeare-themed activities, holiday music, printing press demonstrations, walk-up tours, craft stations, storytimes, wintry treats at Quill & Crumb cafe, a holiday singalong, and more at the Folger Shakespeare Library on Capitol Hill.
https://www.folger.edu/whats-on/programs/folger-frost-fair/
12/1
Politics and Prose at Connecticut Avenue
7 pm
5015 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008
From iconic author and activist Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore comes a breathless search for intimacy and connection, ranging from club culture to the art world, from the AIDS crisis to COVID-19. Join author Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, in conversation with Jennifer Natalya Fink, to discuss her novel Terra Dactyl.
https://politics-prose.com/mattilda-bernstein-sycamore
Potter’s House
7 pm
1658 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, DC 20009
Join Potter’s House for an author event with award-winning journalist Brian Barth to discuss his first book Front Street: Resistance and Rebirth in the Tent Cities of Techlandia.
https://pottershousedc.org/events-calendar/2025/12/1/front-street-brian-barth
The Writer’s Center
7 – 8:30 pm
4508 Walsh St, Bethesda MD 20815
The Writer’s Center welcomes the Café Muse Literary Salon for a reading featuring poets Karren Alenier, Anne Becker, Ellen Cole, Henry Crawford, and M. Mack reading from the anthology, From the Belly: Poets Respond to Gertrude Stein’s Tender Buttons Vol. III, Rooms.
https://writer.org/event/cafe-muse-literary-salon-dec-25/
12/2
The Centre for Kurdish Studies (Zoom)
The Centre for Kurdish Studies is pleased to invite you to join us to celebrate the publication of Sleeping in the Courtyard: Contemporary Kurdish Writers in Diaspora (edited by Holly Mason Badra and recently featured in Washington Unbound.) and to hear from Holly Mason Badra, Farangis Ghaderi and our brilliant students Elizabeth Pinkney, Nureen Mahmoud, and Cerys Prince-Rayner who will share their reflections on the anthology, but also literature, identity, and resistance.
11 am-1:30 pm'
https://Universityofexeter.zoom.us/j/91991137117?pwd=OWruS5j8bCKqZpWLwXr2kfpaurArp6.1
Politics and Prose at Connecticut Avenue
7pm
5015 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008
John Christina Kovac, in conversation with Angie Kim, to discuss her most recent book Watch Us Fall, a mystery novel based in Washington, D.C.
https://politics-prose.com/christina-kovac-101525
Wonderland Books
7-8pm
7920B Norfolk Ave, Bethesda, MD 20814
Join Wonderland Books as they celebrate the launch of Marisa Kashino's debut novel, Best Offer Wins, a darkly humorous thriller and an exploration of class, ambition, and the modern housing crisis that asks: how far would you go for the house of your dreams?
https://www.wonderlandbooks.com/events/3879120251202
Busboys and Poets 14th & V
6 pm
2021 14th St NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20009
Smart Funny & Black Productions and Busboys & Poets Books are joining forces for a one-of-a-kind cultural experience that celebrates humor, intellect, and liberation through art, dialogue, and community. This special event brings Amanda Seales’ newest self-published work, "What Would the Ancestors Say??" to DC, inviting audiences into an evening of laughter, learning, and liberation.
https://www.busboysandpoets.com/events/th-evt-53799447/
12/3
The Writer’s Center
5:30 – 7 pm
4508 Walsh St, Bethesda MD 20815
Are you a writer who identifies as disabled? Join us for an informal gathering at The Writer’s Center to hang out and talk writing! Please bring a drink or an appetizer that serves six. You’re welcome to bring a friend, too.
https://writer.org/event/disabled-writers-mixer-dec2025/
Wonderland Books
7 - 8 pm
7920B Norfolk Ave, Bethesda, MD 20814
Stefan Fatsis, author of the New York Times bestseller Word Freak, discusses his new book, Unabridged: The Thrill of (and Threat to) the Modern Dictionary. The book takes a deep dive into the world of Merriam-Webster, dictionaries, and language, at a time of rapid-fire change in the way we create, consume, define, and use words. In conversation with Melissa Block, former host of NPR's All Things Considered.
https://www.wonderlandbooks.com/events/3917220251203
12/4
The Writer’s Center
7 - 8 pm
Online
The Writer’s Center presents a FREE virtual chat about the craft of nonfiction! We’re joined by author Steve Majors for a discussion of his new collection of essays, Man Made. Steve is in conversation with Zach Powers, novelist and Executive & Artistic Director at The Writer’s Center.
https://writer.org/event/steve-majors/
12/5
Sankofa
6:30-8:30pm
2714 Georgia Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001
Join author Edmund Ghareeb in conversation with Greg Thomas as they discuss Enemy of the Sun, a powerful collection that brings to light the poetry and resilience of Palestinian voices.
https://www.sankofa.com/sankofaevents
Lost City Books
7-8pm
2467 18th Street Northwest Washington, DC 20009
Ethiopian poet Mihret Kebede reads from her debut collection of poetry, #EvolutionaryPoems, translated from Amharic by anna moschovakis.
The Writer’s Center
7 – 8:30 pm
4508 Walsh St, Bethesda MD 20815
Author Francene Hill shares insights from her new biography, Tiny Tots in Tiaras and Tuxedos: The Life, Love, and Business Success of Kermit B. Hill. Francene will read excerpts and discuss how she transformed genealogy records, weather reports, and newspaper clippings into a vivid, creative biography.
https://writer.org/event/francene-hill/
12/6
People’s Book
3 – 4 pm
7014-A Westmoreland Ave., Takoma Park, MD 20912
Hannah Grieco, author of the short story collection First Kicking, Then Not is in conversation with Rhonda Zimlich. Read Washington Unbound’s review of this book here.
https://peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/first-kicking/
People’s Book
5 pm
7014-A Westmoreland Ave., Takoma Park, MD 20912
In Keep Your Ear to the Ground, the archivist and musician John R. Davis unveils the development of punk fanzines and their role in supporting DC’s hardcore and punk scene from the 1970s into the twenty-first century. This book vividly weaves together the origin of zines and their importance in underground communities.
https://peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/dc-punks/
12/7
Scrawl Books
4 pm
11911 Freedom Dr, Reston, VA 20190
Mills Kelly in conversation with Dave Pruett about A Hiker's History of the Appalachian Trail. This book tells the story from the top down, focusing on who proposed the trail, who built it, who maintain it, and on a few of the most famous hikers.
https://www.scrawlbooks.com/events/4096320251207
12/9
Folger Shakespeare Library
201 East Capitol Street SE, Washington, DC 20003
Emily Dickinson Birthday Tribute, December 9 at 7:30pm, $20, celebrates both Emily Dickinson's 195th and Jane Austen’s 250th birthdays with readings, a talk with notable scholars and writers, and birthday cake (based on Dickinson's own recipe)!
The Writer’s Center
7 – 8:30 pm
4508 Walsh St, Bethesda MD 20815
Lee Woodman for a reading from her new collection, Colorscapes. Lee is joined by Emily Holland, poet and editor of Poet Lore, America’s oldest poetry journal.
https://writer.org/event/lee-woodman/
Lost City Books and The Festival Center
7 pm
The Festival Center, 1640 Columbia Road Northwest, 2nd Floor Washington, DC 20009
Celebrating her new book, Alphabet In Motion, artist Kelli Anderson will guide folks through a series of "paper magic tricks." Join us for an incredible evening of "paper magic tricks" as artist Kelli Anderson guides folks through a series of interactive art activities, all part of celebrating her latest book: Alphabet In Motion.
Solid State Books
6:30 – 8 pm
600 H Street Northeast Washington, DC, 20002
Join UMDC for an evening with noted author and U-M Afroamerican and African Studies Professor Scott Ellsworth as he discusses his new, long-awaited book "Midnight on the Potomac: The Last Year of the Civil War, the Lincoln Assassination, and the Rebirth of America."
https://www.solidstatebooksdc.com/events/2025/12/9umich
12/10
Wonderland Books
7 - 8 pm
7920B Norfolk Ave, Bethesda, MD 20814
Jean Meltzer who will discuss her new novel, The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah, a tender second-chance romantic comedy. This event is part of the "Wednesdays at Wonderland" series in partnership with Washington Hebrew Congregation and the Jewish Book Council.
https://www.wonderlandbooks.com/events/3879220251210
12/11
The Writer’s Center and No Kisses Bar
6 – 8 pm
3120 Georgia Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC 20010
Join us for cocktails at No Kisses Bar to mingle with friends of The Inner Loop, The Writer’s Center, DC Writers Room and PEN/Faulkner!
https://writer.org/event/writerly-happy-hour-4/
Old Town Books at Hotel AKA Alexandria
7-9pm
625 First St, Alexandria, VA 22314
Join us on Thursday, December 11, for a holiday party at Hotel AKA Alexandria! Come mingle and chat about your favorite recent reads with our book club leaders and fellow members from all OTB book clubs, including our December pick, Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World by Mark Waddell.
https://www.oldtownbooks.com/events/3927220251211
12/12
Sankofa
6:30-8:30pm
2714 Georgia Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001
Join Sankofa for an evening with acclaimed Washington, DC–based author Chantal James, as she presents her latest novella, published October 28, 2025.
Be part of the discussion, meet the author, and explore the layers beneath the mirror’s reflection
https://www.sankofa.com/sankofaevents
12/13
The Writer’s Center
2 – 3:30 pm
4508 Walsh St, Bethesda MD 20815
Peter Mountford reads from his new collection, Detonator. Peter is joined by novelist Karin Tanabe. Sensorily rich and narratively captivating, the stories in Detonator present a balance of humor, sensuality, and compassion while spanning continents, offering intimate portraits of flawed characters caught in the crosshairs of personal and political upheavals.
https://writer.org/event/peter-mountford/
12/14
Bard’s Alley and Chantilly Regional Library
2 -3 pm
Chantilly Regional Library, 4000 Stringfellow Rd., Chantilly
Christina Kovac in Conversation with E.A. Aymar. Christina will discuss her latest book, Watch Us Fall, a twisty psychological thriller set in the days leading up to and following the mysterious disappearance of one of DC’s hottest investigative reporters.
https://librarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov/event/14806355
Scrawl Books
4 pm
11911 Freedom Dr, Reston, VA 20190
Robert B. Mitchell discusses The Partisans, which tells the story of the feud that dominated American politics in the decades that followed the Civil War. It is the first detailed account of the battle between Republicans James G. Blaine and Roscoe Conkling.
https://www.scrawlbooks.com/events/3985420251214
Reston Readings
5:30 pm
Reston's Used Book Shop, 1623 Washington Plz N, Reston, VA 20190-4305
December reading features Anita Nahal, Stephanie Duhal, and Ron Shapiro.
https://www.facebook.com/events/4086555878275022?active_tab=about
12/19
Politics and Prose at the Lincoln Theatre
7pm
1215 U St NW, Washington, DC 20009
Patti Smith, author of Just Kids, discusses her radiant new memoir Bread of Angels.
https://politics-prose.com/patti-smith