FEBRUARY 16

“The ancient Greeks postulated…that a southern landmass must exist,” explains Elizabeth Arthur. “The Northern Hemisphere lay under the constellation Arktos, and therefore Aristotle named this southern landmass Antarktikos, the opposite of the known, the dark side of the certain.” Arthur herself experienced the world’s southernmost reaches while planning her novel Antarctic Navigation; the result is a solemn, epic tale of a woman’s lifelong affinity for exploration in ice and snow. Arthur reads at 7 p.m. at Chapters, 1512 K St. NW. FREE. (202) 347-5495. (Nathalie op de Beeck)