Tag Archives: Takoma Park

Leta Hong Fincher for “Leftover Women, 10th Anniversary Edition”

About the book: Leta Hong Fincher’s landmark book Leftover Women shone a light on the resurgence of gender inequality in 21st-century China. Ten years on, women in China continue to experience a dramatic rolling back of rights and gains in the increasingly patriarchal political climate of the Xi Jinping era.

Leftover Women explores the structural discrimination against women and the broader problems with China’s economy, politics, and development that lie behind them. This updated edition includes a new preface exploring developments in China in the 10 years since the book’s original publication, including the new “three child policy”, the growth in online feminist and LGBTQ activism and the state’s increasingly repressive moves against dissent.

About the author: Leta has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, Dissent Magazine, Ms. Magazine, BBC, CNN and others. She won the Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi award for her China reporting. Fluent in Mandarin, Leta is the first American to receive a Ph.D. from Tsinghua University’s Department of Sociology in Beijing and is currently a Research Associate at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University. She has a master’s degree from Stanford University and a bachelor’s degree with high honors from Harvard University.

Andrew White for “Together and Apart: Biographies of Virginia Woolf, Gertrude Stein, and Georgia O’Keeffe”

About the book: Three separate biographies connecting three groundbreaking artists, told in their own words. Andrew White brings his gorgeous and lyrical style to a set of biographies that read like a whisper and a song. White adapts the writings and work of these three artists in an active dialogue with the source material of their lives.

About the author: Andrew White is a cartoonist. His current project is Yearly,  an annual comic that he has published since 2018.

This event is in person.

Danielle Arigoni for Climate Resilience for an Aging Nation

About the Book: Climate Resilience for an Aging Nation argues that climate resilience planning must be evaluated and implemented using a lens of aging. There is a role for all sectors (housing, transportation, health care and elder care, emergency management, and more) in implementing strategies that reduce risk for the growing share of older adults in our communities and enhance resilience for all.

About the Author: Danielle Arigoni (M.R.P. ’97) is an urban planner and community resilience expert.  She currently serves as Managing Director for Policy and Solutions at the National Housing Trust, providing strategic direction for the organization’s sustainability and resilience policy efforts and oversight and guidance for NHT’s state and local advisory services.

This event is in person.

The Green Way Reading Series Vol. 5

The Green Way Reading Series is a monthly literary event based in Takoma Park, MD curated by Elizabeth Bryant and Takoma Park’s Poet Laureate Taylor Johnson. The series centers emerging and established poets and artists in interdisciplinary, intergenerational and cross-regional dialogues. We want these programs to encourage growing participation and local engagement in the evolving landscape of contemporary poetry. The intention is to bring something new to this area with offerings that provide a space for horizontal community building, the generation of new work, and the amplification of local poets. The series is made possible by generous support from the Cave Canem Foundation and the Maryland State Arts Council, in addition to our collaboration with Takoma Park’s People’s Book. The space is open from 5:00 – 7:00 pm, readings begin at 5:30 pm. We hope that you can join!

Lillian-Yvonne Bertram is an African American writer, poet, artist, and educator who works at the intersection of computation, AI, race, and gender. They are the author of Travesty Generator (Noemi Press), a book of computational poetry that received the Poetry Society of America’s 2020 Anna Rabinowitz prize for interdisciplinary work and longlisted for the 2020 National Book Award for Poetry. They are the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Fellowship. Their other poetry books include How Narrow My Escapes (DIAGRAM/New Michigan), Personal Science (Tupelo Press), a slice from the cake made of air (Red Hen Press), and But a Storm is Blowing From Paradise (Red Hen Press). Their fifth book, Negative Money, is available now. They direct the MFA in creative writing program at the University of Maryland. Their new chapbook, written with AI, is called A Black Story May Contain Sensitive Content and won the 2023 Diagram/New Michigan chapbook contest.

Justin Phillip Reed is an American writer and amateur bass guitarist whose preoccupations include horror cinema, ideological failure, and uses of the grotesque. He is the author of two poetry collections, The Malevolent Volume (2020) and Indecency (2018), both published by Coffee House Press. His hybrid collection, With Bloom Upon Them And Also With Blood: A Horror Miscellany, will be released in fall 2023. Born and raised in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina, he participates in alternative rock music cultures, ogles Toyota Tacomas, and enjoys smelling like outside. His current favorite band is Oklahoma City’s Chat Pile.

Simon Shieh is a Taiwanese American poet. He is the author of Master (Sarabande Books) and the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. Simon’s poems and essays can be found in POETRY, American Poetry Review, Guernica, Best New Poets, and The Yale Review, among others. Simon co-founded Spittoon Literary Magazine (spittoonlitmag.com) which translates and publishes the best contemporary Chinese writers. He lives in Washington, DC with his wife, Charlotte, and their dog, Momo.

Juneau Black for Twilight Falls

Join us at People’s Book for a conversation with Juneau Black about their latest book in the Shady Hollow Mystery series, Twilight Falls!

About the Author: Juneau Black is the pen name of authors Jocelyn Cole and Sharon Nagel. They share a love of excellent bookshops, fine cheeses, and a good murder (in fictional form only). Though they are two separate people, if you ask either of them a question about their childhood, you are likely to get the same answer. This is a little unnerving for any number of reasons.

About the Book: 

It’s spring in Shady Hollow, and romance is in the air. Even reporter Vera Vixen is caught up in the season as her relationship with new police chief Orville Braun blossoms. But true love is not always smooth sailing, as two of the hollow’s young residents come to find. Jonah Atwater and Stasia von Beaverpelt find themselves battling their families in order to be together. And when Jonah’s father, Shelby, goes over the top of Twilight Falls, all signs point to Stasia being the murderer.

The evidence against Stasia appears overwhelming, and Orville arrests her. It looks like the case is closed, but Vera isn’t so sure. There are almost too many clues indicating Stasia is the killer, leading her to suspect someone is setting Stasia up. Besides, what about the mysterious ghostly creature skulking around town at night? Maybe he or she was involved? As Vera investigates further, her sleuthing puts her in direct opposition to Orville, and soon she’s stirred up a hornet’s nest of trouble.

This event is in person.

Meet the Author: Emily Ettlinger

Just in time for Halloween Month, it’s Skeleanor the Decomposer!
Meet local graphic novelist Emily Ettlinger.

About the Book:

An instantly charming and vivid chapter-book graphic novel, starring a music-obsessed skeleton, Skeleanor, and her quest to find her sound (and her confidence) by debut creator Emily Ettlinger.

Skeleanor loves music more than life itself. There’s just one problem: She has a bit more rattle than rhythm at the moment. No matter what type of instrument she plays—from the fiddle to the xylobone—she always seems to scare the people of Little Casketon away. But with the Little Casketon Summershine festival coming up, and the town band missing a player, maybe Skeleanor (along with the help of her best friend, Batima) could show people her skills and finally take center stage.

Hilarious and heartfelt, Skeleanor the Decomposer (published by Penguin Workshop) by debut author and illustrator Emily Ettlinger is a story about chasing your passions no matter what other people say. Sometimes, all you need is a dream, your friends, and a little music.

About the Author:

Emily Ettlinger is a Maryland-based illustrator, cartoonist, and product designer and Rhode Island School of Design 2016 graduate.
Visit her at https://www.emiett.com

Takoma Foundation Beerfest Fundraiser

Takoma Park’s favorite night out returns for a second time this year! This Fall edition keeps it simple and features, as always, suds from local craft breweries and a few tasty bites to go with. Proceeds from ticket sales fund grants to community organizations serving the greater Takoma Park area.

* Note that, while the main event will be held outside, the venue’s bar room and bathrooms will be open to event goers.

Carroll Cafe presents Phil Wiggins w/ Hubby Jenkins!

Carroll Cafe is so happy to be re-opening our venue with two amazing performers – Phil Wiggins, who will rock the house with his nationally recognized harmonica playing, and Hubby Jenkins, formerly of The Carolina Chocolate Drops. Appearing together recently, they are bringing their talent to our stage. Mark your calendars and make your reservations for what is sure to be a sold out show on Friday, October 13th! Reserve your seat/s: https://carrollcafe.seekerschurch.org/2023/09/phil-wiggins-hubby-jenkins/ Door will open at 7.

Please note: we will no longer be serving food & drinks. You are welcome to bring your own, drinks should be non-alcoholic please, and you must bring your own containers to take home with you – thanks for your understanding.

Congressman Jamie Raskin for Unthinkable

In this searing memoir, Congressman and Takoma Park resident Jamie Raskin tells the story of the forty-five days at the start of 2021 that permanently changed his life—and his family’s—as he confronted the painful loss of his son to suicide, lived through the violent failed insurrection and attack on the Capitol, and led the impeachment effort to hold Donald Trump accountable for inciting the political violence

“Extraordinary . . . [an] astonishing story of tragedy and redemption. . . . May this book and Tommy’s example inspire us all to rescue our gravely beleaguered democracy.”—Guardian

On December 31, 2020, Tommy Raskin, the only son of Maryland congressman Jamie Raskin, tragically took his own life. Seven days later, on January 6, 2021, Congressman Raskin returned to the House to help certify the 2020 presidential election results, when violent insurrectionists led by right-wing extremists stormed the U.S. Capitol. As a reeling nation mourned the loss of life and lamented the injuries of more than 140 police officers in the attack, Congressman Raskin, a constitutional law professor, was called upon to channel his overwhelming grief—both personal and professional—into leading the second impeachment effort against President Trump.

In Unthinkable, Congressman Raskin discusses this unimaginable convergence of personal and public trauma. Going inside the Capitol, he recounts the horror of January 6, a day that he and other Democrats had spent months preparing for under the correct assumption that they would encounter an attempted electoral coup—not against a president but for one. And yet, on January 6, he faced the one thing he had failed to anticipate: mass political violence designed to block Joe Biden’s election. With an inside account of leading the team that prosecuted the outgoing president in the Senate, Congressman Raskin reveals just how close we came to losing our democracy while reckoning with the loss of his brilliant, remarkable son whose values and memory continually inspired the congressman to confront the dark impulses unleashed by Donald Trump.

ASL interpretation provided.

Christina Gerhardt in conversation with Antonia Juhasz for “Sea Change: An Atlas of Islands in a Rising Ocean”

Christina Gerhardt is Associate Professor at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Senior Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, and former Barron Professor of Environment and the Humanities at Princeton University. Her environmental journalism has been published by Grist.org, The Nation, The Progressive, and the Washington Monthly.

Antonia Juhasz is a leading energy and climate author and investigative journalist. She is the Senior Researcher on Fossil Fuels in the Environment and Human Rights Division of Human Rights Watch. An award-winning writer, her bylines include Rolling Stone, Harper’s Magazine, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, CNN.com, The Nation, Ms., The Advocate, The Guardian, and many more. Antonia is the author of three books: Black Tide (2011), The Tyranny of Oil (2008), and The Bush Agenda (2006).

About the Book: Atlases are being redrawn as islands are disappearing. What does an island see when the sea rises? Sea Change: An Atlas of Islands in a Rising Ocean weaves together essays, maps, art, and poetry to show us—and make us see—island nations in a warming world.

Low-lying islands are least responsible for global warming, but they are suffering the brunt of it. This transportive atlas reorients our vantage point to place islands at the center of the story, highlighting Indigenous and Black voices and the work of communities taking action for local and global climate justice. At once serious and playful, well-researched and lavishly designed, Sea Change is a stunning exploration of the climate and our world’s coastlines. Full of immersive storytelling, scientific expertise, and rallying cries from island populations that shout with hope—”We are not drowning! We are fighting!”—this atlas will galvanize readers in the fight against climate change and the choices we all face.

This event is in person.

“Dancing Joy” Film Screening

In a celebration of music and dance, a film crew traveled 56,000 miles to four continents to film local dance troupes performing traditional dances to Ode to Joy from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.

The City of Takoma Park’s Takoma Park Arts series will feature a free screening of Dancing Joy at 7:30 pm on Sept. 29 in the Takoma Park Community Center auditorium at 7500 Maple Avenue. All are welcome, and no tickets or reservations are required.

More than 200 dancers choreographed and performed dances in Indonesia, Fiji, Nepal, Korea, Botswana, Greece, Northern Ireland, West Virginia, and a dozen other locales.

In a female-led production, producer Kate Tsubata prepared for 12 years before embarking on the film’s production. Film director Lan T. Lee—herself a choreographer and dancer—utilized the language of dance to guide the performers, many of whom didn’t speak English. Closer to home, the film also featured deaf and hard-of-hearing dancers at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.

“We wanted to honor Beethoven’s own battle with hearing loss so the first group we approached was the Gallaudet Dance Company, which was founded in 1955,” Tsubata said. “They originated ASL dance and play a key role in the film with sign language-based dance moves that interpret the choral lyrics.”

Authenticity was a priority for the filmmakers. Capturing the historic and natural beauty of the varied locations as well as the dance traditions of each culture was paramount. Handheld camera work, drone, and GoPro action cameras, brings viewers into close proximity with the performers.

Tsubata will take part in a Q&A with the audience after the screening. There is a trailer and more info about the film at joydancemovie.com.

During two months of shooting, the film crew experienced summer and winter in the Northern and Southern hemispheres, high altitudes, and tropical climates. “Local crews in each nation helped with translation, local regulations, and wardrobes,” Tsubata said.

The Takoma Park Arts series, which is organized by the City’s Arts and Humanities Division, includes many free film screenings, art exhibitions, concerts, theater, and poetry readings at the Takoma Park Community Center.

Please go to takomaparkmd.gov/arts and sign up for our e-newsletter to get more info about our upcoming events.

Takoma Park Folk Festival

Reconnect with Your Community at the Takoma Park Folk Festival!!

Sunday, September 10 from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

• Hear the best musicians in our Region!
• Six Stages, Indoor & Outdoor, Rain or Shine
• Family Friendly
• Live Music, Craft Vendors, Great Food from around the world, Information booths, jamming, children’s activities.

The Takoma Park Folk Festival is a free annual festival featuring music from around the world on six stages in Takoma Park, Maryland. This year features a whole new lineup of performers reflecting our region’s diversity with a wide-range of roots music in a multiplicity of genres.

Location: Takoma Park Middle School & Lee Jordan Field

Details at https://www.tpff.org/