Happy MLK Day everyone! Here are some fabulous free and donation based things you can do tonight, tomorrow, and Wednesday from my site, Free in DC.
Tonight
The Starry Mountain Trio honors Marin Luther King, Jr. in song with an eclectic mix of sacred and secular folk music from the U.S., Corsica, the British Isles, and the Republic of Georgia. This donation-based concert (suggested: $10-15) takes place at 7:30 p.m. at the Church of the Holy City, 1611 16th St. NW.
Just down the street at 1529 16th St, the DC JCC’s Theater J hosts a locally produced reading of the Belarus Free Theatre’s Being Harold Pinter. Weaving stories of Belarusian political prisoners with excerpts of the late Pinter’s plays, the work delivers a poignant commentary on violence, oppression, freedom and human dignity. The reading starts at 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday
Just because MLK Day is over doesn’t mean the celebrations are. At 7 p.m. at the Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church, catch the “Remembrance of Martin Luther King, Jr.” concert, featuring performances by Fortissima, Not What You Think, the Capitol Hill Youth Chorus, All Souls Jubilee Singers, and others.
In Silver Spring, you can enjoy the Doorway Arts Ensemble‘s staged reading of Mary Watters‘ An Ordinary Afternoon. The play puts the relationships of three couples under the microscope after an incident at a school playground. The reading, directed by Jason Schalfstein, is at 7:30 p.m. at the Studio Theater of the Cultural Art Center at Montgomery College.
Wednesday
Marita Golden discussesThe Word: Black Writers Talk About the Transformative Power of Reading and Writing at 6:30 p.m. at Busboys and Poets 14th & V. The anthology features interviews with 13 writers, including Chimamanda N. Adichie, Edwidge Danticat, and Nikki Giovanni.
Studio Gallery hosts an artist panel both tonight and tomorrow from 7 to 9 p.m. with features artists from the current show, The Magic of the Melting Pot: Immigration in America. All works are influenced by the immigrant experience; local artists include Graham Boyle, Cesar Maxit, and Aniekan Udofia.
Steve Harvey, comedian-cum-radio-host-cum relationship guru, signs his latest book, Straight Talk, No Chaser: How to Find, Keep, and Understand a Man at 7 p.m. at Borders 18th & L. Washington City Paper‘s own Nevin Martell writes that although “wedding bands give people the superpower to suck,” Harvey’s advice “just might be able to help some couples keep their cool.”