Events for the Week

Normally I wouldn't include a celebrity book, but I'm kind of amused that Goldie Hawn has a book out. I didn't even know Books A Million did readings.

2 Monday

7 P.M. Alexander McCall Smith reads from and signs his new Precious Ramotswe mystery, In the Company of Cheerful Ladies , at Olsson's-Penn Quarter, 418 Seventh St. NW, 202-638-7610. He will also read on Tuesday, May 3, at 7:30 p.m. at Borders-Baileys Crossroads, Route 7 at Columbia Pike, 703-998-0404.

7:30 P.M. Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Philip Levine , author of the collections Breath and What Work Is , presents the annual Folger Poetry Board Reading (at which poets read from their own work and their favorite verse by others) at the Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol St. SE. A reception follows. Tickets are $10; call 202-544-7077 to RSVP.

3 Tuesday

7 P.M. Elizabeth Gaffney and Roxana Robinson read from and sign their new fiction, Metropolis (a first novel) and A Perfect Stranger And Other Stories, respectively, at Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-364-1919.

4 Wednesday

6:30 P.M. Playwright and novelist Tomson Highway , author of The Rez Sisters: A Play in Two Acts and Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing reads from and discusses his work as part of the "Native Writers Series" at the National Museum of the American Indian, Rasmuson Theater, Fourth St. & Independence Ave. SW. A reception follows. He will also launch the museum's summer series of events for kids & families on Saturday, May 7, at 11 a.m. with a reading from the bilingual edition of Songs of the North Wind (published in English and Highway's native Cree) in the museum's outdoor theater. Call 202-633-1000 or visit http://www.nmai.si.edu for details.

7 P.M. James Salter reads from and signs his new collection of stories, Last Night, at Chapters Literary Bookstore, 445 11th St. NW, 202-737-5553.

5 Thursday

6:45 P.M. Ted Kooser , winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his collection Delights and Shadows, closes the literary season at the Library of Congress with a lecture reflecting on his first term as U.S. Poet Laureate (he was recently appointed to a second term for 2005-06) in the library's James Madison Bldg., Montpelier Room, 101 Independence Ave. SE, 202-707-5394.

6 Friday

1 P.M. Richard McCann , co-director of American University's graduate program in creative writing, reads from and signs his first novel, Mother of Sorrow, at Chapters Literary Bookstore, 202-737-5553.

7:30 P.M. A First Friday event at the Leesburg Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, VA 20176. "Buy This Book!" with Literary Agent Jeff Kleinman (Graybill & English); Brenda Copeland, Senior Editor, Atria Books (a division of Simon & Schuster); and Honour Kane, Editor, Simon & Schuster Audio. Do you want to find out what goes into a publisher's decision to buy a book? Come with your own book idea or just your own curiosity. Participants must complete a one-page "tip sheet" on site for review and discussion. Then they'll be assigned roles in a publishing house and attempt to "sell" their manuscripts to the Editorial Board.

8 P.M. The Howard County Poetry & Literature Society (HoCoPoLitSo) hosts a reading and signing with Edward P. Jones , author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Known World and the short story collection Lost in the City, at Howard Community College, Nursing Bldg., Rm. 116, 10901 Little Patuxent Pkwy. Tickets are $16; call 410-772-4568 to RSVP.

7 PM Smithsonian Resident Associate Program
Location: Location on ticket $15, general admission; $12, members; call 202-357-3030
Eric Bogosian, OBIE and Drama Desk Award-winning writer/ actor, recounts his 20-year career with wit and sincerity. His works -- which include 5 full-length plays, 6 full-length solo shows, and 2 novels -- explore the grittier side of human nature, with unblinking truth and humor. His latest novel Wasted Beauty, which paints a haunting portrait of New York's drug and fashion worlds, is available for signing after the program.

7 Saturday

9 P.M. Atomic Books' Anniversary Party: I Hate the 80's Night. Featuring CHESTER STACEY, SECRET CRUSH SOCIETY, KEYBOARD MAN, ELTON JOEL, KAMIKAZE KARAOKE, more! The Ottobar. 2549 N. Howard St. Baltimore.Doors open at 9. Tickets in advance: $7.NOW ON SALE AT ATOMIC BOOKS!

8 Sunday

3 P.M. Actress Goldie Hawn discusses and signs her new memoir, Goldie: A Lotus Grows in the Mud , at Books-A-Million, 1451 Chain Bridge Rd., McLean, Va., 703-893-7640.

6 P.M. Rod Jellema and C.M. Mayo read from their work as part of the spring season of the Iota Poetry Series held at the Iota Club & Café, 2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va., 703-522-8340. An open reading concludes the program.