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SATURDAY

If you weren’t one of the 600 people lining up around the block for last month’s WritersCorps slam at Borders, here are two more chances to see great literature at the grass-roots level: The Tellin’ Stories Project guides families, students, and teachers as they tap into their own compelling stories. Today’s “End of Year Celebration” will feature some of the the project’s workshop participants as well as readings by such cafe society-types as Jane Alberdeston, Toni Asante Lightfoot, and Eric Antonio. At 11 a.m. at Martin Luther King Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW. FREE. (202) 238-2379. Later, come witness a literary knockdown-drag-out as students from Duke Ellington and Bell Multicultural High Schools hurl metaphors, surprise endings, and high drama at a “Poetry Slam.” The slam is a benefit to help the Latin American Youth Center and the Peaceful Warriors youth groups send representatives to the World Youth Festival in Havana, Cuba. From Larry Neal and the Howard Poets to the current crop of as-yet-unknowns, D.C. continues to provide a fertile proving ground for literary minds. At 6 p.m. at All Souls Church, 16th & Harvard Sts. NW. $7. (202) 234-0383. (Holly Bass)