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
June 2026
6/9
Solid State Books
7 – 8 pm
600 H Street Northeast Washington, DC, 20002
Erin O’Luanaigh discusses her debut poetry collection, Avail, in conversation with Marie McGrath.
https://www.solidstatebooksdc.com/events/2026/5/erin26
Wonderland Books
7 pm
7920B Norfolk Ave, Bethesda, MD 20814
Book launch for Sara Goodman Confino's latest novel,Off the Record, a romantic comedy about an aspiring newspaper reporter who comes across a mystery that threatens to turn the Cold War hot. In conversation with Alex Tsironis.
https://www.wonderlandbooks.com/events/5424020260609
6/10
Dupont Underground
6:30 pm
19 Dupont Circle NW, Washington, DC 20036
Read the Room Series featuring poets AGG and Isabel Carlota Roby.
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/read-the-room-poetry-series--2026
One More Page Bookstore
7 pm
2200 N. Westmoreland St,, Arlington, VA 22213
A celebration of Melanie McCabe's newest publication: Road Longer Than Memory. Signings to take place after the discussion.
https://onemorepagebooks.com/event/2026-06-10/road-longer-memory-author-melanie-mccabe
6/11
Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington & One More Page Books
6:30 – 8:30 pm
3550 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201
Join us for an evening of readings by queer authors from across the DMV for an intimate gathering of voices and stories. Featuring Sunu P. Chandy, Dominique Dickey, CK Gormally, Jonathan Harper, Sarah Robinson/SC Nealy, and Beka Wueste.
https://onemorepagebooks.com/event/queer-local-author-salon-moca
Mt. Pleasant Neighborhood Library
6:30 – 7:45
3160 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20010
John Defarrari discusses his book, Sixteenth Street NW, a biography of a street as important to DC’s history and culture as it is to its cityscape. An installment of the Literary Village book talk series.
https://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/16299265
Westover Library
6:30 – 7:30 pm
1644 North McKinley Road, Suite 3, Arlington, Virginia 22205
Local author Melanie McCabe discusses her debut novel, "Road Longer Than Memory," set in a bygone Arlington, Virginia, when the battle against the construction of I-66 and the changes it would bring played out in what was once a far quieter suburban community.
https://arlingtonva.libcal.com/event/16385648
The Writers Center
7 – 8 pm
Online
Novelist and poet Paige Lewis discusses their debut novel, Canon. In conversation with Zach Powers, novelist and Executive & Artistic Director at The Writer’s Center.
https://writer.org/event/paige-lewis/
The Writers Center
7 – 8 pm
4508 Walsh St, Bethesda MD 20815
Join Francisco Aragón and a constellation of DC-area poets to celebrate Handbook of Foams/Manual de espumas by Gerardo Diego, translated by Francisco Aragón.
https://writer.org/event/handbook-of-foams/
Politics & Prose Union Market
7 pm
1324 4th St. NE, Washington, D.C. 20002
Afghan Novelist Bobuq Sayed discusses his novel No God but Us.
https://politics-prose.com/bobuq-sayed-061126
7 pm
2467 18th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
Keila Vall De La Ville discusses her novel Minerva.
https://lostcitybookstore.com/event/2026-06-11/minerva-keila-vall-de-la-ville
7 pm
645 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Unit 100, Washington DC 20003
Hybrid event: Tom Lin presents his new novel, Babylon, South Dakota
https://withfriends.co/event/28188368/hybrid_event_babylon_south_dakota_tom_lin
6/12
Sankofa Books
7 pm
2714 Georgia Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001
Poet Brittny Ray-Crowell discusses her collection Cord Swell.
https://www.sankofa.com/events/book-talk-cord-swell
6/13
Mary Riley Styles Public Library & Bard’s Alley
2 – 3 pm
120 N. Virginia Ave, Falls Church, VA 22046
Arlington author Melanie McCabe discusses her novel, Road Longer Than Memory, a compelling story of memory, reckoning, and the cost of what we leave unsaid,set against the backdrop of suburban upheaval in the 1970s and '80s.
https://www.mrspl.org/event/draft-june-author-talk-melanie-mccabe-32013
Politics & Prose Connecticut Ave.
5 pm
5150 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20008
Ellen Prentiss Campbell discusses her novel Vanishing Point.
https://politics-prose.com/ellen-prentiss-campbell-061326
The Company of Books
5 – 8 pm
2200 Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA 22301
Join us for an evening of poetry, presented by local authors Sarah J Carter, Oluchi Ekwegh, Melissa Tolentinto, and Willow Rue Underwood!
www.eventbrite.com/e/a-night-of-poetry-local-author-showcase-tickets-1991245071612
Politics & Prose Union Market
6 pm
1324 4th St. NE, Washington, D.C. 20002
Poetry reading featuring Lisa Russ Sparr, Anne Marie Macari, and Carey Salerno.
https://politics-prose.com/poetry-reading-061326
Lost City Books
7 pm
2467 18th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
Hassan Dudar discusses his linked-story collection Carryout.
https://lostcitybookstore.com/event/2026-06-22/carryout-hasan-dudar
6/14
City of Fairfax Regional Library & Scrawl Books
2 pm
11911 Freedom Dr, Reston, VA 20190
Thrity Umrigar discusses her newest novel, "Missing Sam," a tense and twisty story of a woman who goes missing on a morning run and her wife's determination to both find her and clear her own name.
https://www.scrawlbooks.com/events/5542420260614
6/15
Takoma Park Neighborhood Library
6:00 – 7:30 pm
416 Cedar St NW, Washington, DC 20012
Alison Fortier discusses her newly updated book, A History Lover’s Guide to Washington, DC: Designed For Democracy,
https://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/16657269
6/16
People’s Book & Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center
6 – 7 pm
7995 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910
Lisa See discusses her novel Daughters of the Sun and Moon, which draws on the vibrancy and turmoil of post-Civil War Los Angeles to tell the story of three Chinese women who managed to survive and, eventually, thrive.
https://peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/lisa-see/
Reston Regional Library & Bard’s Alley
6 – 8 pm
11925 Bowman Towne Drive, Reston, VA 20190-3306
In celebration of Pride month, join us for an #OwnVoices panel discussion with award-nominated and award-winning queer authors. Authors include Dominique Dickey, Susie Dumond, Steven Gellman, Salinee Goldenberg, Venessa Vida Kelley and Andrew Joseph White.
https://librarycalendar.fairfaxcounty.gov/event/16900862
Old Town Books
6 – 9 pm
30 S. Royal Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
Join us as we partner with Continues Arcade to host our first Grown-Up Book Fair! Come out for an evening full of exciting new reads, video games, and more as we celebrate our 2026 Summer Reading Guides.
https://www.oldtownbooks.com/events/5628420260618
6/18
Solid State Books
7 – 8 pm
600 H Street Northeast Washington, DC, 20002
Barbara McQuade discusses The Fix: Saving America from the Corruption of a Mob-Style Government, in conversation with Chuck Rosenberg. In collaboration with DC University of Michigan Alumni.
https://www.solidstatebooksdc.com/events/2025/4/26mcquade
6/19
Solid State Books
7 – 8 pm
600 H Street Northeast Washington, DC, 20002
Join us on Juneteenth as author Sarah J. Jackson discusses her nonfiction book A Second Sight: How the Wonder and Vision of Black Mediamakers Push America Toward Freedom. In conversation withGene Demby of NPR’s Code Switch.
https://www.solidstatebooksdc.com/events/2025/5/26jackson
6/20
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
12 – 1:30 pm
901 G St NW, Washington, DC 20001
Author Talk in recognition of LGBTQ Pride Month. American Idol finalist David Archuleta discusses his memoir, Devout, which traces his journey from closeted Mormon teen to global pop star to openly queer man.
https://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/16554137
Lamond-Riggs/ Lillian J. Huff Neighborhood Library
12 – 2 pm
5401 South Dakota Ave NE, Washington, DC 20011
Join us for an afternoon of local authors. Sandra Dawn Robinson, Robert Dantzler, and Suzette Stona sharing their literary works and the inspiration behind them.
https://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/16626315
Historic Vienna Inc & Bard’s Alley
2 –3 pm
131 Church Street NE, Vienna, VA 22180
Vienna250/ Bard’s Alley Author Series. Celebrate Juneteenth with Gayle Jessup White, author of Reclamation: Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant’s Search for Her Family’s Lasting Legacy.
https://historicviennainc.org/event/vienna250-bards-alley-author-series-3/
Old Town Books
6 – 9 pm
30 S. Royal Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
Alice Martin discusses her debut novel, Westward Women, a hypnotic and hopeful debut—part fever dream, part dystopian road trip that claws its way towards a jaw-dropping finale. In conversation with Jessica Spotswood.
https://www.oldtownbooks.com/events/5476820260620
6/22
Old Town Books
6:30 – 7:30 pm
30 S. Royal Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
Local author Jessica M. Goldstein discusses her debut novel, RETRO, a rollicking, speculative tale of an out-of-work actress who gets a job as a tour guide for an ultra-luxury time travel company—only to discover her trips to the past could upend her present. In conversation with Kate Meyers.
https://www.oldtownbooks.com/events/5476720260622
6/23
People’s Book
6 – 7 pm
7014-A Westmoreland Ave, Takoma Park, MD 20912
Meg Elison discusses her book Founding Fathers. What would a teenage Benjamin Franklin do with an iPhone after he discovers porn? From Philip K. Dick Award winning author Meg Elison comes this ingenious satire of U.S. history and modern technocracy gone terribly, terribly wrong.
https://peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/foundling-fathers/
Wonderland Books
7 pm
7920B Norfolk Ave, Bethesda, MD 20814
Soon Wiley discusses his new novel, Cece Downing’s Start Over Summer, about a young woman who leaves everything behind to work on an oyster farm in a small New England town. In conversation with Karin Tanabe.
https://www.wonderlandbooks.com/events/5423120260623
The Inner Loop
7 pm
Shaw’s Tavern, 520 Florida Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC 20001
The Inner Loop's June Reading features Lauren Francis-Sharma (author of three novels, most recently Casualties of Truth) alongside nine other local readers in poetry, nonfiction, and fiction. (Read our review of Casualties here.)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-inner-loops-june-reading-tickets-1988352564044
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
7 – 8:30 pm
901 G St NW, Washington, DC 20001
This Pride Month, the MLK Jr. Memorial Library welcomes bestselling novelist and producer Rasheed Newson for a conversation about his highly anticipated new novel, There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood — a cinematic story of fame, desire, power, and the price of silence.
https://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/16514976
6/25
The Writers Center
7 – 8 pm
Online
FREE virtual chat about the craft of poetry! We’re joined by Kay E. Bancroft to discuss their debut collection, Bloodroom. Kay is in conversation with Emily Holland, poet and editor of Poet Lore.
https://writer.org/event/kay-bancroft/
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
7 – 9 pm
901 G St NW, Washington, DC 20001
Pulitzer Prize winning former Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson discusses his new book Freedom Lost, Freedom Won, a powerful blend of memoir and history that traces his family’s journey across centuries of American life, illuminating the forces that shaped both their destiny and the country’s.
https://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/16600820
6/26
Folger Shakespeare Library
12 pm
Online
British feminist fiction in the long eighteenth century. Early modern fertility, miscarriage, and pregnancy loss. Hand-made artist promptbooks exploring identity and gender fluidity. Join us for the next Virtual Folger Salon.
https://www.folger.edu/whats-on/virtual-folger-salon-june-2026/
6/27
The Writers Center
2 – 3:30 pm
4508 Walsh St, Bethesda MD 20815
The Writer’s Center welcomes writers Melanie McCabe and Brad Barkley for a reading from their respective novels, Road Longer Than Memory and The Reel Life of Zara Kegg.
https://writer.org/event/mccabe-barkley/
Chevy Chase Neighborhood Library
2 – 5:30 pm
5625 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20015
Cheryl W. Thompson discusses her book, Forgotten Souls: The Search for the Lost Tuskegee Airmen and a Presentation by the East Coast Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.
https://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/16649766
Politics & Prose Union Market
6 pm
1324 4th St. NE, Washington, D.C. 20002
Dara Leven presents her novel Shaken at the Core.
https://politics-prose.com/dara-levan062726
6/28
The Writers Center
10 am – 6 pm
4508 Walsh St, Bethesda MD 20815
The Capital Love LitFest is an 8-hour literary salon of writing workshops, deep-dive literary discussions, and poetry and prose readings from the new WWPH pocket-sized anthology, Capital Love.
https://writer.org/event/capital-love/
6/29
Politics & Prose Connecticut Ave.
7 pm
5150 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20008
Stephen O’Connor discusses his novel We Want So Much to Be Ourselves.
https://politics-prose.com/stephen-oconnor-062926
7 pm
2467 18th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
Poet Monika Ostrowska reads from her debut poetry collection Squirming.
https://lostcitybookstore.com/event/2026-06-29/squirming-monika-ostrowska
6/29
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
7 – 8:30 pm
901 G St NW, Washington, DC 20001
Author Talk in recognition of LGBTQ Pride. Gabrielle Korn discusses her new novel, Long Island Girls, a deeply nostalgic coming‑of‑age story set against the indie music scene of the early 2000s.
https://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/16522086
6/30
Folger Shakespeare Library
12 pm
Online
The Folger Shakespeare Library and the Eudora Welty Foundation welcomed one of America’s most beloved storytellers, author Kate DiCamillo, to deliver the 2026 Welty Lecture, inspired by the writing and life of famed author Eudora Welty.
https://www.folger.edu/whats-on/on-demand-the-2026-eudora-welty-lecture-with-kate-dicamillo/
Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library
6 – 7 pm
3310 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008
Mike Tidwell Mike Tidwell, founder and director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, discusses his nonfiction book The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue: A Story of Climate and Hope on One American Street.
https://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/16049442
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library & Loyalty Bookstores
7 – 8 pm
901 G St NW, Washington, DC 20001
To end Pride season, join us for a special celebration of author James Baldwin and his legacy with Nicholas Boggs, author of Baldwin: A Love Story. In conversation with George M. Johnson, Boggs will discuss this spellbinding new exploration of Baldwin's life and work through his personal relationships.
https://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/16610350
Solid State Books
7 – 8 pm
600 H Street Northeast Washington, DC, 20002
P. Scott Cunningham discusses his poetry collection, Self Portrait as the “i” in Florida. In conversation with Clint Smith.
https://www.solidstatebooksdc.com/events/2025/4/psc26
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library & Loyalty Bookstores
7 – 8 pm
901 G St NW, Washington, DC 20001
To end Pride season, join us for a special celebration of author James Baldwin and his legacy with Nicholas Boggs, author of Baldwin: A Love Story. In conversation with George M. Johnson, Boggs will discuss this spellbinding new exploration of Baldwin's life and work through his personal relationships.