Friday, April 18

7pm – Award-Winning Essays
Barnes & Noble
Adult and young adult finalists from the Bethesda Literary Festival’s Writing Contest will read their essays and receive awards for their stories.

7pm – Historical Novelist
The Writer’s Center
Meet Thomas Mallon, a master of historical fiction and award-winning author, as he speaks about his newest novel, Fellow Travelers.

 8pm – Poetry Slam
Washington School of Photography
Performance poetry competition open to individuals, organized by poet and slam master Delrica Andrews. Cash prizes. Ages 18+. Registration at the door. 

8:30pm – Poetry Readings
The Writer’s Center
Join award-winning poets, Stanley Plumly, E. Ethelbert Miller and Myra Sklarew as they read and discuss their poetry.

Saturday, April 19

10am – The Color of Money
Hyatt Regency Bethesda
Meet Michelle Singletary, TheWashington Post nationally syndicated columnist of “The Color of Money,” and author of Spend Well, Live Rich as she discusses her newest book, Your Money and Your Man, a guide for women on how to manage, plan and invest their finances.

10am – Children’s Books and Science
Bethesda Elementary School
Join Bethesda Transportation Solutions and special guest Curious George for a reading of Curious George Takes a Train and Underground Train.  Mad Science will also be there to conduct a special experiment and a few lucky kids will experience a transportation innovation, the Mad Science Hovercraft! 

11am – Distinguished Novelist
Hyatt Regency Bethesda
Join New York Times bestselling novelist, Alice Hoffman, as she discusses her newest book, The Third Angel, a novel that examines the lives of three women at different crossroads in their lives, tying their London-centered stories together in devastating retrospect.

11am-1pm – Children’s Story Time
Barnes & Noble
Join authors Susan Stockdale, Fabulous Fishes and Jeanne Pettenati, Galileo’s Journal, 1609-1610, for children’s story time.

12:30pm – The Government & The Media
Hyatt Regency Bethesda
Hear from Marvin Kalb, award-winning reporter for CBS and NBC News, former host of Meet the Press, currenthost of The Kalb Report and author of The Media and The War on Terrorism, as he explores the interaction between the government and the media during times of war and national emergency.

1-5pm – 15 th Annual Writer’s Center Small Press Fair
The Writer’s Center
Browse displays of literary journals and other publications by dozens of regional presses and literary organizations. The afternoon will include a used book appraisal, and a creative writing program for young children. For additional information, please visit   www.writer.org.

2pm – White House Press Corps
Hyatt Regency Bethesda
Meet Helen Thomas, 47-year member of the White House Press Corps, first woman officer of the National Press Club, first woman president of the White House Correspondents Association and author of Watchdogs of Democracy?: The Waning Washington Press Corps and How It Has Failed The Public, as she speaks about her latest book and her career covering Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton and G.W. Bush.

7pm – CakeLove
Heineman Myers Contemporary Art
Meet Warren Brown, owner of CakeLove and Love Café, host of Sugar Rush on the Food Network, and author of his first cookbook, Cakelove, as he discusses his entrepreneurial bakery business and how he has achieved success.

8pm – Sidesplitting Standup!
The Barking Dog
Come see DC Improv comedian Matt Kazam, who has appeared on Fox’s “Big Red Couch,” Comedy Central’s “Stand-Up Stand-Up,” VH-1’s “Fools For Love,” TLC’s “Two For Vegas” and The Discovery Channel’s “Lux List.” He has served as the opening act for such notable comedians as Chris Rock, Pauly Shore, Robin Williams and Drew Carey. Ages 21+.

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11am – Political Aspirations
Hyatt Regency Bethesda
Meet Robin Gerber, a noted Roosevelt biographer and author of Eleanor vs. Ike, which explores the possibility of what could have happened if Eleanor Roosevelt ran for President. Unfortunately, Karen DeYoung can no longer participate in this event.

11am-1pm – Authors’ Reception
Barnes & Noble
You are invited to roam the aisles, chat with authors and have your books signed. Authors include: Ron Orol, Extreme Value Hedging; Melvin Goodman, Failure of Intelligence; Jennifer Allison, Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator;Jon and Beverly Meyerson, After the Glass Slipper; Kay Shaw Nelson, Art of Scottish American Cooking; Suzanne Mintz,A Family Caregiver Speaks Up: It Doesn't Have to be this Hard; Harrine Freeman , How to Get Out of Debt; Susan Fraser King, Lady Macbeth; Con Lehane, Death at the Old Hotel; Toby Devens, My Favorite Midlife Crisis (Yet); Howard Eisner, Essentials of Project and Systems Engineering Management; John Dimes, Intracations and E. D. Baker, Wings: A Fairy Tale.

11:30am – “My Favorite Teacher”
Bethesda Elementary School
Join the winners of the Bethesda Literary Festival’s Youth Writing Contest, “My Favorite Teacher,” as they read their stories and receive prizes.

12:30pm – Perfect Madness
Hyatt Regency Bethesda
Meet Judith Warner, New York Times “Domestic Disturbances” columnist as she discusses her New York Times bestseller, Perfect Madness: Motherhood In the Age of Anxiety, a lively and provocative look at the modern culture of motherhood and at the social, economic and political forces that shape current ideas about parenting.

1pm – Kids’ Book Party & Crafts
Bethesda Elementary School
Meet children’s book authors Cynthia Cotten, Some Babies Sleep; Alice McGill, Way Up and Over Everything and Marty Rhodes Figley, Prisoner for Liberty, as they read from their books and discuss the process of their creations. Literary arts & crafts will follow the authors’ presentation.

2pm – State of the Unions
Hyatt Regency Bethesda
Join Pulitzer Prize nominated journalist, Philip Dine, for a discussion of his recent book, State of the Unions, to explore what’s happening to American workers and the middle class, labor’s decline, and why a rejuvenated union movement could turn things around.

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