All events are free to attend unless otherwise stated! Please give us a call if you have any questions or concerns.
If you are experiencing COVID-like symptoms or have come into contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, we ask that you please do not attend in-person events. Instead, feel free to order the book over the phone so we can have it signed for you to pick up when you're out of the woods!
Sign up for our weekly newsletter at the bottom of this page to stay up-to-date on upcoming events and book clubs!
If you are experiencing COVID-like symptoms or have come into contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, we ask that you please do not attend in-person events. Instead, feel free to order the book over the phone so we can have it signed for you to pick up when you're out of the woods!
Sign up for our weekly newsletter at the bottom of this page to stay up-to-date on upcoming events and book clubs!
Vienna Moms Spring Storybook Festival
Saturday, may 11, 10:00am - 12:00pm
@ Vienna Town Green
Join us at the Vienna Town Green with the Vienna Moms group for their storybook festival, featuring story times and crafts with four local authors. All ages are welcome to attend! Stop in for just one or all of our story times and crafts! Here's our lineup for that morning:
10:10am will feature new Vienna author Leah Moser as she reads her debut picture book I Am a Thundercloud. This book is all about understanding and accepting your emotions, even those that feel like a thunderstorm brewing inside, and knowing when to ask for help so you can help tame that feeling.
10:30am brings author Pat Tanumihardja with a story time and craft featuring her picture book Ramen for Everyone, a gorgeously illustrated story about Hiro's attempts to make a ramen as delicious as his dad's, and the surprises he faces on his first attempt! A story of learning from your mistakes and realizing everyone's uniqueness and creativity.
11:00am will be former Bards Alley bookseller Kathy Ellen Davis as she reads her book Ta-Da! With unbelievably fun onomatopoeia and action words/sequences, this story is a blast to read aloud, and is a celebration of imagination, conflict resolution, and the joys of collaboration and coming together.
Finally at 11:30am is author Gabriella Aldeman with a craft and reading of Paula's Patches, a story following problem-solver Paula who patches her own pants - and teaches all of her peers the wonders of patches and reusing/recycling clothing! A story to jumpstart discussions of consumerism and upcycling things you already own.
10:10am will feature new Vienna author Leah Moser as she reads her debut picture book I Am a Thundercloud. This book is all about understanding and accepting your emotions, even those that feel like a thunderstorm brewing inside, and knowing when to ask for help so you can help tame that feeling.
10:30am brings author Pat Tanumihardja with a story time and craft featuring her picture book Ramen for Everyone, a gorgeously illustrated story about Hiro's attempts to make a ramen as delicious as his dad's, and the surprises he faces on his first attempt! A story of learning from your mistakes and realizing everyone's uniqueness and creativity.
11:00am will be former Bards Alley bookseller Kathy Ellen Davis as she reads her book Ta-Da! With unbelievably fun onomatopoeia and action words/sequences, this story is a blast to read aloud, and is a celebration of imagination, conflict resolution, and the joys of collaboration and coming together.
Finally at 11:30am is author Gabriella Aldeman with a craft and reading of Paula's Patches, a story following problem-solver Paula who patches her own pants - and teaches all of her peers the wonders of patches and reusing/recycling clothing! A story to jumpstart discussions of consumerism and upcycling things you already own.
Story time with Meghana Narayan
Saturday, May 18, 11:00am
Join us for a story time with DC-based kidlit author Meghana Narayan as she reads her upcoming release A Little Bit of Everything, gorgeously illustrated by Michelle Carlos. It is a part of the Own Voices, Own Stories collection which includes books written by new authors from historically marginalized groups with the intention of recognizing and amplifying new and diverse voices with underrepresented perspectives. Books will be available to purchase after the story time, and Ms. Narayan will be signing copies.
In A Little Bit of Everything we follow young Amaya who was born on a winter night—and every experience and memory helps to build her identity. She is a little bit of Mama, whose family is far away in India, and a little bit of Papa, whose mother immigrated from China for a new life. She is a little bit of the salty ocean and a little bit of the rolling storm. A little bit of the stars in the sky, and a little bit of so many other things. When Amaya’s new sibling arrives, she knows just what to say about who she is, and what her sister will become.
With stunning, whimsical art, this lyrical book asks readers to celebrate their own uniqueness—and that of others. This is a lullaby to any child who is discovering who they are.
In A Little Bit of Everything we follow young Amaya who was born on a winter night—and every experience and memory helps to build her identity. She is a little bit of Mama, whose family is far away in India, and a little bit of Papa, whose mother immigrated from China for a new life. She is a little bit of the salty ocean and a little bit of the rolling storm. A little bit of the stars in the sky, and a little bit of so many other things. When Amaya’s new sibling arrives, she knows just what to say about who she is, and what her sister will become.
With stunning, whimsical art, this lyrical book asks readers to celebrate their own uniqueness—and that of others. This is a lullaby to any child who is discovering who they are.
Book Talk: Alex Travis
Saturday, May 18, 1:00PM
@ Mary RIley Styles Public Library, 120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church
Join us for a book discussion with local author Alex Travis for her new release The Only Black Girl in the Room. She will be hosted at Mary Riley Styles Public Library in Falls Church. Copies of the books will be available to purchase on-site, and Alex will be signing them at the end of her talk.
Genevieve Francis, a 25-year-old Black reporter, assumed she’d go into her fourth year at her newspaper job with a bigger story than the latest seasonal ice cream flavor. Instead, she’s relegated to doing copy edits and sensitivity reads on the articles her white colleagues write. So when Gen finally gets the opportunity to cover a prominent CEO’s gala, she leaps at the chance—this will be her biggest assignment to date. The only The CEO is her ex, Jude, whose marriage proposal she publicly rejected four years prior.
Following their awkward run-in, Jude personally requests Gen to write the first ever authorized profile of him. The potential for scandal, if anyone digs into their past, is high, but Gen decides to risk it—if she proves herself with this profile, it could jumpstart her dream of writing articles centered on Black voices. But between the racist backlash from her colleagues and her conflicting feelings toward her ex, Gen soon realizes she’s in way over her head. And it may be more than just her career on the line.
Timely and thoughtful, this energetic debut explores what it means to believe in your future when everyone and everything is working against you.
Genevieve Francis, a 25-year-old Black reporter, assumed she’d go into her fourth year at her newspaper job with a bigger story than the latest seasonal ice cream flavor. Instead, she’s relegated to doing copy edits and sensitivity reads on the articles her white colleagues write. So when Gen finally gets the opportunity to cover a prominent CEO’s gala, she leaps at the chance—this will be her biggest assignment to date. The only The CEO is her ex, Jude, whose marriage proposal she publicly rejected four years prior.
Following their awkward run-in, Jude personally requests Gen to write the first ever authorized profile of him. The potential for scandal, if anyone digs into their past, is high, but Gen decides to risk it—if she proves herself with this profile, it could jumpstart her dream of writing articles centered on Black voices. But between the racist backlash from her colleagues and her conflicting feelings toward her ex, Gen soon realizes she’s in way over her head. And it may be more than just her career on the line.
Timely and thoughtful, this energetic debut explores what it means to believe in your future when everyone and everything is working against you.
Book Talk: Erika Howsare
Thursday, May 30, 6:30pm
Join us at Bards Alley as we welcome author Erika Howsare to discuss her recent release, The Age of Deer: Trouble and Kinship with Our Wild Neighbors. Erika will give a brief talk on the book, her research and inspirations, and more, and we will take any audience questions you may have. She will be signing copies of her book at the end of the event.
This book is perfect for residents of Northern Virginia, as we cross paths with our deer neighbors almost daily - The Age of Deer investigates our connection with the creatures and includes information on their mythology, folklore, biology, etc. and our interconnectedness with them. Deer have been an important part of the world that humans occupy for millennia. In the 21st century, our relationship is full of contradictions: We hunt and protect them, we cull them from suburbs while making them an icon of wilderness, we see them both as victims and as pests.
Delving into the historical roots of these tangled attitudes and how they play out in the present, Erika Howsare observes scientists capture and collar fawns, hunters show off their trophies, a museum interpreter teaching American history while tanning a deer hide, an animal-control officer collecting the carcasses of deer killed by sharpshooters, and a woman bottle-raising orphaned fawns in her backyard. Why do we look at deer in the ways we do, and what do these animals reveal about human involvement in the natural world? For readers of H is for Hawk and Fox & I, The Age of Deer offers a unique and intimate perspective on a very human relationship.
This book is perfect for residents of Northern Virginia, as we cross paths with our deer neighbors almost daily - The Age of Deer investigates our connection with the creatures and includes information on their mythology, folklore, biology, etc. and our interconnectedness with them. Deer have been an important part of the world that humans occupy for millennia. In the 21st century, our relationship is full of contradictions: We hunt and protect them, we cull them from suburbs while making them an icon of wilderness, we see them both as victims and as pests.
Delving into the historical roots of these tangled attitudes and how they play out in the present, Erika Howsare observes scientists capture and collar fawns, hunters show off their trophies, a museum interpreter teaching American history while tanning a deer hide, an animal-control officer collecting the carcasses of deer killed by sharpshooters, and a woman bottle-raising orphaned fawns in her backyard. Why do we look at deer in the ways we do, and what do these animals reveal about human involvement in the natural world? For readers of H is for Hawk and Fox & I, The Age of Deer offers a unique and intimate perspective on a very human relationship.
Story Time with Melissa Trempe
Saturday, June 1, 11:00am
Join us for a story time event with visiting debut author Melissa Trempe. She will be reading her new picture book Ladybug Launch, an entertaining and eductional book inspired by the true story of chinitas - ladybugs - on their first excursion to outer space and the Chilean girls who helped make it happen. Perfect for ages 4 to 8.
Natalia is a chica, an ambitious girl with dreams of becoming a scientist. Luna is a chinita, an adventurous ladybug that dreams of visiting the stars. But neither dream is easy to reach. Ladybugs are meant to munch on garden pests. And no one from Natalia’s family has ever been to college. Still, both Natalia and Luna want más.
Then Natalia’s all-girl class designs an experiment. If astronauts want to live in outer space, they’ll need to grow food. Could chinitas go along to keep the pests away? The girls are eager to find out, and Luna is hungry to help. If their theory is correct, it’s a project worthy of NASA itself—and the stuff all dreams are made of.
Melissa will be signing copies of her book after the event.
Natalia is a chica, an ambitious girl with dreams of becoming a scientist. Luna is a chinita, an adventurous ladybug that dreams of visiting the stars. But neither dream is easy to reach. Ladybugs are meant to munch on garden pests. And no one from Natalia’s family has ever been to college. Still, both Natalia and Luna want más.
Then Natalia’s all-girl class designs an experiment. If astronauts want to live in outer space, they’ll need to grow food. Could chinitas go along to keep the pests away? The girls are eager to find out, and Luna is hungry to help. If their theory is correct, it’s a project worthy of NASA itself—and the stuff all dreams are made of.
Melissa will be signing copies of her book after the event.
Book Talk: Tim Wendel
Thursday, June 6, 6:30pm
Join us at Bards Alley as we welcome back Tim Wendel, local author of Castro's Curveball and Escape from Castro's Cuba among others, to celebrate his upcoming release Rebel Falls, a gripping historical fiction novel perfect for fans of Paulette Jiles and Donna Everhart. Books will be available to purchase at the event, and Tim will be signing copies after his discussion with Bards Alley bookseller and founding employee Diane.
With Rebel Falls, Tim Wendel takes us to late summer of 1864. The Civil War rages on. Sherman is marching on Atlanta, while the armies of Grant and Lee battle across Virginia. In the North, war-weariness has made Lincoln's bid for reelection seem doubtful. As the fate of the nation "conceived in Liberty" hangs in the balance, Confederate agents gather in Niagara Falls to plan one last audacious maneuver to turn the tide of the conflict.
Rory Chase, a capable yet haunted young woman eager to contribute to the Union cause, accepts a mission from the Secretary of State to travel to Niagara Falls and prevent two rebel spies, John Yates Beall and Bennet Burley, from seizing the U.S.S. Michigan and sowing fear and disorder ahead of the upcoming election. To succeed, Rory must gain the rebel spies' trust and, with the help of the Underground Railroad network still operating out of the elegant Cataract House hotel overlooking the Falls, foil their desperate gambit. But can she maintain the pretense of being a Confederate sympathizer long enough to unravel Beall and Burley's ingenious plot?
RSVP links to come!
With Rebel Falls, Tim Wendel takes us to late summer of 1864. The Civil War rages on. Sherman is marching on Atlanta, while the armies of Grant and Lee battle across Virginia. In the North, war-weariness has made Lincoln's bid for reelection seem doubtful. As the fate of the nation "conceived in Liberty" hangs in the balance, Confederate agents gather in Niagara Falls to plan one last audacious maneuver to turn the tide of the conflict.
Rory Chase, a capable yet haunted young woman eager to contribute to the Union cause, accepts a mission from the Secretary of State to travel to Niagara Falls and prevent two rebel spies, John Yates Beall and Bennet Burley, from seizing the U.S.S. Michigan and sowing fear and disorder ahead of the upcoming election. To succeed, Rory must gain the rebel spies' trust and, with the help of the Underground Railroad network still operating out of the elegant Cataract House hotel overlooking the Falls, foil their desperate gambit. But can she maintain the pretense of being a Confederate sympathizer long enough to unravel Beall and Burley's ingenious plot?
RSVP links to come!
Book Talk: Kosoko Jackson
Saturday, June 8, 3:00pm - 5:00pm
@ George Mason Regional Library, 7001 Little River Turnpike, Annandale
Join us at Thomas Jefferson Library as they welcome adult and YA author Kosoko Jackson to discuss his recent work including his YA horror The Forest Demands its Due as well as his adult romances, A Dash of Salt and Pepper and #OwnVoices queer rom-com I'm So (Not) Over You. Copies of the books will be available for purchase on-site and Kosoko will be able to sign copies after his discussion.
Kosoko Jackson is a vocal champion of diversity in YA literature, the author of YA novels featuring African American queer protagonists, and a sensitivity reader for Big Five Publishers. Occasionally, his personal essays and short stories have been featured on Medium and Thought Catalog.
RSVP link with the library to come!
Kosoko Jackson is a vocal champion of diversity in YA literature, the author of YA novels featuring African American queer protagonists, and a sensitivity reader for Big Five Publishers. Occasionally, his personal essays and short stories have been featured on Medium and Thought Catalog.
RSVP link with the library to come!
Story Time with Hanh Bui
Sunday, June 9 at 3:00pm
Join us for an afternoon story time with local author Hanh Bui, author of The Yellow Áo Dài, for her sophomore picture book Ánh's New Word, a gorgeous and personal story about learning a new language and finding comfort in the little things. She will be available to sign copies of her book after her reading!
A child living in a Vietnamese refugee camp learns their first word in English with a little help from their teacher and grandmother in this heartwarming picture book based on the author's childhood. Many things are different for Ánh now that they've left Vietnam. The weather is colder and they live in a barracks at a refugee camp while they wait for their new life in America to start. Ánh finds comfort in their warmhearted teacher, Miss Mary Ellen, but has trouble with learning to speak English.
All Ánh wants is to be able to say "thank you" to Miss Mary Ellen, but will the words ever stop getting stuck between their head and their voice? With a little inspiration from their grandmother—as well as the chance discovery of an adorable animal—Ánh will try to gather the courage to finally say their first word in a new language.
A child living in a Vietnamese refugee camp learns their first word in English with a little help from their teacher and grandmother in this heartwarming picture book based on the author's childhood. Many things are different for Ánh now that they've left Vietnam. The weather is colder and they live in a barracks at a refugee camp while they wait for their new life in America to start. Ánh finds comfort in their warmhearted teacher, Miss Mary Ellen, but has trouble with learning to speak English.
All Ánh wants is to be able to say "thank you" to Miss Mary Ellen, but will the words ever stop getting stuck between their head and their voice? With a little inspiration from their grandmother—as well as the chance discovery of an adorable animal—Ánh will try to gather the courage to finally say their first word in a new language.
Book Talk: Astronaut Tom Jones
Tuesday, June 11, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
@ Oakton Library, 10304 Lynnhaven Pl, Oakton
Join us at Oakton Library as they host former NASA astronaut and pilot Tom Jones, selected for and completing four Space Shuttle flights before his retirement from NASA, flying on STS-59, STS-68, STS-80, and STS-98. He will be discussing his newest release, Space Shuttle Stories, as well as his memoir Space Walking. Copies of the books will be available for purchase and Tom will be signing copies at the end of his discussion.
Join us and learn all 135 NASA space shuttle missions ever flown through the words of the astronauts themselves in the spectacularly illustrated volume of Space Shuttle Stories. With more than 600 photos from the NASA archives, this guide is perfect for fans of space history and spaceflight.
NASA's space shuttle was the world's first reusable spacecraft, accomplishing many firsts and inspiring generations across its 30-year lifespan as America's iconic spaceship. In Space Shuttle Stories, shuttle astronaut Tom Jones interviewed more than 130 fellow astronauts for personal vignettes from each mission, complemented by their written accounts for all 135 space shuttle missions, from Columbia's maiden flight in 1981 to the final launch of Atlantis in 2011. The book is a major contribution to the historical record of a momentous era of spaceflight.
Join us and learn all 135 NASA space shuttle missions ever flown through the words of the astronauts themselves in the spectacularly illustrated volume of Space Shuttle Stories. With more than 600 photos from the NASA archives, this guide is perfect for fans of space history and spaceflight.
NASA's space shuttle was the world's first reusable spacecraft, accomplishing many firsts and inspiring generations across its 30-year lifespan as America's iconic spaceship. In Space Shuttle Stories, shuttle astronaut Tom Jones interviewed more than 130 fellow astronauts for personal vignettes from each mission, complemented by their written accounts for all 135 space shuttle missions, from Columbia's maiden flight in 1981 to the final launch of Atlantis in 2011. The book is a major contribution to the historical record of a momentous era of spaceflight.
Book Talk: Ellen Crosby
Friday, June 21, 6:30pm
We are welcoming back beloved local author Ellen Crosby for her upcoming release in her mystery series following DC-based photojournalist Sophie Medina, Dodge and Burn! This is the fourth book in the series, and we are so excited to have Ellen back at the store to discuss all about Sophie Medina and her crime-filled world. Perfect for fans of high-flying female sleuths, deft red-herrings and page-turning plot twists, and glamorous settings.
When billionaire philanthropist and art collector Robson Blake hires Sophie Medina to take photographs for him, she doesn't expect to show up and find her client dead. It seems he was the victim of a burglary gone wrong. But why was his state-of-the-art security system turned off... and why, in a house full of priceless Old Masters, is the only thing missing a beautiful but insignificant Ukrainian religious icon?
Before long, Sophie finds herself in the crosshairs of a D.C. homicide detective who suspects she knows more than she is saying about Blake's murder - and he's not wrong. To Sophie's mixed delight and horror, she's recently learned she has a half-brother... who might also be an international art thief, with eyes on Blake's collection. As the police get closer to finding Blake's killer, Sophie is certain someone is trying to frame her for his murder. Can she find the real killer in time - even if it means turning in her own brother to prove her innocence?
RSVP links to come!
When billionaire philanthropist and art collector Robson Blake hires Sophie Medina to take photographs for him, she doesn't expect to show up and find her client dead. It seems he was the victim of a burglary gone wrong. But why was his state-of-the-art security system turned off... and why, in a house full of priceless Old Masters, is the only thing missing a beautiful but insignificant Ukrainian religious icon?
Before long, Sophie finds herself in the crosshairs of a D.C. homicide detective who suspects she knows more than she is saying about Blake's murder - and he's not wrong. To Sophie's mixed delight and horror, she's recently learned she has a half-brother... who might also be an international art thief, with eyes on Blake's collection. As the police get closer to finding Blake's killer, Sophie is certain someone is trying to frame her for his murder. Can she find the real killer in time - even if it means turning in her own brother to prove her innocence?
RSVP links to come!