There are going to be so many classic literary feuds, literary and otherwise, resolved this week on the DC book tour circuit. MORE »

Your Wonkette recently had the pleasure of interviewing Center for American Progress speechwriter and “nouveau literature author” Grant Ginder, who’s just had his first novel, This Is How It Starts, published by Simon and Schuster. It’s in book stores everywhere! But what is it about? The novel follows young Taylor Mark, who moves to Washington D.C. shortly after college and discovers how terrible it is, maybe. Then he runs around and whines like a bitch for a while and even goes to one very important Late Night Shots party. But it’s funny! Roll Call is raving! After the jump, the text our our very embarrassing Gchat conversation with Grant about Mike Allen and the Politico, as well as pictures from last week’s book release party in a Georgetown bar that is literally owned by Ralph Lauren Polo. MORE »

Remember that time you were like “oo look a comic book about mice” and then you were like “this shit’s not funny it’s about the Holocaust”? Whoops! Well, Art Spiegelman, the author of that comic book (Maus) will be making a rare public appearance tonight at the Corcoran Art Gallery. MORE »

Let’s look at Commentary magazine, the famous neocon rag now edited by John Podhoretz, who can be easily analogized to Bill Kristol, I guess, for having a much more intelligent and talented father and then sort of soiling the family legacy in the name of pride and stupidity. Or hey, for a more zeitgeist-y example Ms. Meghan McCain is also a good comparison. So, John “Blogette” Podhoretz is the Meghan McCain in this situation and Commentary is his monthly Twitter. What has Meghan Podhoretz been tweeting about as of late? Foreign policy, the economy, and, what’s this, long-time New Yorker intern David Denby, whose first foray into cultural relevance has been an unmitigated disaster. MORE »

• Monday, Feb. 23: Last Lion is an anthology of Boston Globe articles about one of Boston’s top five-ish most famous All-Time Kennedys, Teddy Kennedy. The book’s editor Peter Canellos will be giving a talk at Politics & Prose, and hopefully the “Other” of the Kennedys, Caroline, will not be mentioned in any way, lest Canellos would like the book to, we don’t know, unpublish itself, or fuck Arthur Sulzberger. 7 PM. [Politics & Prose] MORE »

What’s happenin’ everyone? Besides America’s anniversary with its first wife, George Washington, we mean. Books, books are what’s happening. Lots of books about the military and its history, if that is your “thing.” Also some meta-novel about moving to Europe, and another new book that proves, with Science, that Obama is nothing more than an Hawaiian Hugo Chavez. Plus, poetry! MORE »

Gather ye rosebuds everyone, it’s time to read a magazine, as is our long-standing Thursday afternoon tradition. Let’s see, let’s see. How about The Washington Monthly, which has proudly resisted becoming in any way trendy since its inception. Come now, let’s take a look inside and maybe figure out why. (Early guess: nearly every article title is a pun?) MORE »

O, reading! Lots of things relating to the books you read and the people who write them this week, right here in DC. Let’s see: there’s Chuck Todd, talking about Barry (who else, right?), and lots of South America-themed stuff mostly about revolutions and also drugs, and two equally despicable tales of Cheneys “Mamah” and “Dick,” who had casual sex with Frank Lloyd Wright/died in a fire and committed vague and tangible evils, respectively. MORE »

‘Sup, readers? So many lectures and books this week, it’s like the platonic ideal of college before college actually started all over again. And speaking of late-adolescent fixations: there’s Malcolm Gladwell and also Howard Zinn talking about his new documentary, A People’s History of Howard Zinn, a stunning expose in which we, America, find out Zinn cruelly inflected all of the world’s First Peoples with bird flu, for laughs. Ninth grade AP US History will never be the same. MORE »

• Friday, Jan 30: Poet Bomani Armah begs you not to call him a rapper at his spoken word performances, which are a cross between an underground hip hop show and an episode of HBO’s Def Poetry. His lyrics are a bit aggressive, although you know he only has the best intentions: “Read a book, read a book, read a mother@#$%ing book.” 8PM at the Artmosphere Cafe. [Bomani Armah] MORE »

Books! Funsy, right? Sure. Here are some fun book-related events in DC this week (big week for Politics & Prose). Here are also some of the week’s Most Vital book reviews, which you can read in DC, or anywhere. MORE »

Hey did you all realize that DC is so zeitgetist-y now? It’s true! The New York Times, your new DC alt-weekly, totally went to this one club and it was so cool. And now Obama is the new sixth borough. Celebrate your city all weekend long, by engaging its many many activities. And then Wednesday, celebrate alcohol by disturbing David Denby reading selections from his new book about being respectful to one another. MORE »

Many of you will be descending en masse to DC this weekend, and after about 24 hours, you will probably become a terrible burden for the host whom you’re definitely imposing upon. But there are exciting things here besides Obama; things that will keep you interested and informed and out of the house. So, here is Wonkette’s Official Top 10 DC Attractions To See While in DC Anyway. MORE »