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Elizabeth Gilbert’s name alone inspires a particular brand of hatred in some circles: Eat, Pray, Love was such privileged-white-lady bullshit, wasn’t it? But recent interviews Gilbert gave to Mother Jones and the New York Times Magazine have me thinking that her first novel in 13 years, The Signature of All Things, won’t be so hated. Set in the 19th century, it stars a “polite botantist”—a well-educated woman versed in botany but, given her sex, bound to her home—who finally takes off at age 51 to research evolution and see the mosses she’s studied extensively in the wild. Read more >>> Elizabeth Gilbert speaks at 7 p.m. at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, 600 I St. NW. $35. (202) 408-3100. sixthandi.org. (Alex Baca)
EAT THIS
Why should Ernest Hemingway be the only author to inspire D.C. cocktail lists? Tonight, Les Dames d’Escoffier, a group of women in the food and hospitality industry, is honoring Edgar Allen Poe with a barhopping fundraiser featuring Poe-inspired cocktails. At Ripple in Cleveland Park, bar manager Caroline Blundell has created a bourbon drink called The Raven’s Claw in homage to “The Raven.” As part of the event, American University scholar of literature Courtney Wells will host a brief discussion on Poe’s life and the poem that inspired the drink. Daikaya, Hank’s Oyster Bar, Room 11, The Gibson, The Green Pig, Vinoteca, and 8407 Kitchen & Bar will offer similar mini-lectures and drinks. Tickets are $20 for one bar, $35 for two locations, and $48 for three. Purchase in advance here. Craft Spirit of Poe, craftspiritofpoe.com. (Jessica Sidman)
OH AND ALSO
Comedian and Daily Show executive producer Rory Albanese delivers a night of stand-up at the Kennedy Center’s Theater Lab. Local comedian Tim Miller also performs. 6 p.m. at 2700 F St. NW. Free.
Maryland crooner Raheem DeVaughn promotes his latest album, A Place Called Loveland, with a show at the Howard Theatre. 8 p.m. at 620 T St. NW. $45.
Stop by Rock & Roll Hotel for an evening of ska and ska-ish bands, including Voodoo Glow Skulls, The Toasters, Left Alone, and Kill Lincoln. 7:30 p.m. at 1353 H St. NE. $15.
Estonian indie-folk group Ewert and the Two Dragons stops at DC9 and performs with Trapper Schoepp and Silent Old Mtns. 8:30 p.m. at 1940 9th St. NW. $12.
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