HumanitiesDC

The Open Door: Skill-Building Day at the Library of Congress
2026-02-28 10:00 - 16:00 (America/Halifax) | Library of Congress; Thomas Jefferson Building; Room LJ119, 10 1st Street, SE, Washington, DC, 20003, United States
We are happy to participate in the Library of Congress’ skill-building day. The DC Oral History Collaborative will present two oral history workshops at this day-long event.
More info and registration: https://www.loc.gov/item/event-419839/the-open-door-skill-building-day-at-the-library-of-congress/2026-02-28/
10am-12pm: Defining Oral History –
Learn essential and fundamental oral history skills to help you document life events at a two hour workshop facilitated by staff from Humanities DC and the Veterans History Project. The session is for users who are new to oral history, and novice historians who want to advance their documentary skills. Reserve Free Tickets.
12pm-2pm: Humanities and Experiential Learning Resource Fair –
Explore local resources to advance your research and oral history projects—meet staff from the Library of Congress Informal Learning Office, Internship & Fellowship Programs, Professional Learning and Outreach and Veterans History Project, as well as humanities groups D.C. History Center, D.C. Humanities , and Oral History in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
2pm-4pm: Planning Oral History Projects –
Elevate recorded stories in an oral history project planning workshop facilitated by staff from Humanities DC and the Veterans History Project. The two-hour workshop will explore the essential considerations and components of oral history projects and how to preserve and share your recordings.
Between the workshops, the Library will host a Humanities and Experiential Resource Learning Fair. Meet staff from: Library of Congress Informal Learning Office, Internship & Fellowship Programs, Professional Learning and Outreach and Veterans History Project, and humanities groups D.C. History Center, HumanitiesDC, and Oral History in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Reserve Free Tickets.
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The DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) documents, preserves, and celebrates the lived experiences of all Washington, DC residents and communities through oral history. The Collaborative accomplishes this by providing training, mentorship, resources, programs, and funding to current and aspiring oral historians.

The Great 8 Fashion Tour East of The River Presents: In The Pocket - The Magical, Mystical Influence of Go-Go On Culture Style and Fashion
2026-02-28 12:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Yaleen Beauty Makerspace, 3443 Benning Rd NE, Washington, DC, 20019
An interactive “tour stop” exploring the impact of Go-Go music on fashion and cultural expression in Washington, DC. Through visual media, archival material, and community storytelling, attendees will explore how rhythm, movement, and sound shape personal style and creative identity. The event highlights Go-Go as a living cultural force that influences fashion, community connection, and cultural memory, offering insight into its enduring role in DC?’s cultural landscape. This event is a part of The Great 8 Fashion Tour, an interactive documentary project exploring the cultural significance of style and fashion across Washington, DC’s eight wards. By centering diverse voices, The Great 8 highlights style as a powerful form of cultural expression and storytelling within DC communities.

Register here

DC Oral History Workshop: Planning Oral History Projects
2026-03-02 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library 401c, Conference Center, 901 G Street NW, Washington, DC, 20001, United States
How do you invite interviewees? How do you keep things on track? What does it cost?

Running an oral history project is a lot of work! But the skills and best practices in this core workshop in the DC Oral History Collaborative’s Training Series will help participants understand how to avoid getting bogged down in budgetary or scheduling challenges.
This session covers topics such as developing an organizing research question and overcoming common pitfalls and obstacles. Anxious about approaching potential interviewees, join us at this session for some practice!

Register here.

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The DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) documents, preserves, and celebrates the lived experiences of all Washington, DC residents and communities through oral history. The Collaborative accomplishes this by providing training, mentorship, resources, programs, and funding to current and aspiring oral historians. The Collaborative is a partnership of HumanitiesDC and the DC Public Library

Culture Series: Leadership Without Titles (Film Showcase)
2026-03-05 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | True Reformer Building, 1200 U St. NW, Washington, DC, 20009, United States
In this Culture Series, we showcase three short films while asking the question: What defines a community leader—and who gets to decide?

HumanitiesDC Present Culture Series: Leadership Without Titles, a film showcase that brings together three documentaries produced through the Community Voice Lab at American University — Kil and the Kids, Street Reporter, and We Rock! — that spotlight everyday people turning challenges into connection, creativity, and change across Washington, DC.
From a mentor supporting youth in a high violence neighborhood, to a woman reclaiming her life as a community journalist after experiencing homelessness, to a young professional finding courage and belonging through music, these films expand how we define leadership.
The program will feature three short film screenings followed by a post discussion with the filmmakers, centered on our bold question: What defines a community leader and who gets to decide?
Join us for an evening of film, conversation, and reflection that invites us to reconsider where leadership lives, and how communities rise when everyday people show up.

Register here.

More About the Curator: The Community Voice Lab at American University produces social impact films that amplify untold stories, ignite dialogue and spur action toward a more empathetic, generous and just world. Centered on our creative ethos of collaboration rather than extraction, our emerging filmmakers and seasoned film faculty work together with local storytellers to honor the ordinary heroes shaping the heart of our nation’s capital. Community Voice Lab films uplift stories of hope, resilience, and determination for the common good.

The Mosaic High School Playwriting Contest - Mosaic Theater's Young John Lewis Reflection Series
2026-03-15 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Halifax) | Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW, Washington, DC, 20001
March 15, 2026 | Ward 2 | MLK Library
Mosaic uplifts the next generation of playwrights through its High School Playwriting Contest, providing mentorship, instruction and a professionally guided reading of the winning play with a director and working actors. This year?s contest is inspired by the themes of Young John Lewis, including justice, coalition building, and activism within our communities.
Learn more here.

DC Oral History Collaborative: Oral History 101+ Workshop
2026-03-19 18:00 - 2026-03-26 20:00 (America/New_York) | Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library 401c, Conference Center, 901 G Street NW, Washington, DC, 20001, United States
Learn how to record oral history interviews with your family, friends, and community.

This course will introduce Washingtonians interested in becoming oral historians to the best practices of doing oral history, to empower them with the basic tools for developing their style and approach to preserving DC’s rich past through oral history interviews.
This course is structured to follow the full cycle of an oral history interview, from conception to processing. We will discuss practical and theoretical considerations of doing oral history in order to demonstrate the distinctive, interdisciplinary mindset that oral historians take to their work. Because oral history is best learned “on the job,” the instructor will ask you to do activities and to discuss your experiences along the way.
There is a lot of material to cover, so participants will also be asked to do some reading and exercises prior to each session.
This workshop consists of three sessions – registrants must commit to participating in all three sessions.

Register here

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March 19, 23, 26
6:00pm-8:00pm
Martin Luther King, Jr. – 4th Floor Conference Room Space – 401-C
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The DC Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) documents, preserves, and celebrates the lived experiences of all Washington, DC residents and communities through oral history. The Collaborative accomplishes this by providing training, mentorship, resources, programs, and funding to current and aspiring oral historians.

Pride Poetry Workshop: Queer Homage
2026-03-24 18:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Arts Club of Washington, 2017 I St. NW, Washington DC, MD, 20006, United States
2026 PRIDE POETRY WORKSHOPS AT THE ARTS CLUB

The Arts Club of Washington announces a slate of free community writing workshops for 2026, led by five Pride Poets-in-Residence. Workshops are designed to be generative, so participants will leave each session with a new poem-in-progress, and are open to writers of all levels of experience and backgrounds.

Pride Poetry Workshop: Queer Homage
In this workshop, we will create poems in conversation with, or in the style of, or in response to another poem, or piece of art, or song. “After poems” are a powerful form of connection across mediums and artists—they can generate dialogue, honor, subvert, or reclaim. Led by Marlena Chertock,
Marlena Chertock is a disabled, lesbian, Jewish poet with two books of poems, who uses her skeletal dysplasia as a bridge to scientific poetry.
Register here.

Artist Talkback with Psalmayene 24 - Mosaic Theater's Young John Lewis Reflection Series
2026-03-28 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Halifax) | Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H Street NE, Washington, DC, 20002, United States
March 28, 2026 | Ward 6 | Atlas Performing Arts Center
Curious about what went into the making of Young John Lewis? Playwright Psalmayene 24 will share insights into the process behind the production and his artistic practice following a performance of the musical.
Learn more here.

Pride Poetry Workshop: Wronged Women - Hell Hath No Fury
2026-04-21 18:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Arts Club of Washington, 2017 I St. NW, Washington DC, MD, 20006, United States
2026 PRIDE POETRY WORKSHOPS AT THE ARTS CLUB

The Arts Club of Washington announces a slate of free community writing workshops for 2026, led by five Pride Poets-in-Residence. Workshops are designed to be generative, so participants will leave each session with a new poem-in-progress, and are open to writers of all levels of experience and backgrounds.

Pride Poetry Workshop: Wronged Women – Hell Hath No Fury
In Postcolonial Love Poem, Natalie Diaz said “Trust your anger. It is a demand for love.” For women who are socialized to be forever accommodating, how can anger be a liberatory force? In this poetry workshop, participants will be invited to engage with female figures such as Eve, Lot’s Wife, Selena Quintanilla, Yolanda Saldívar, and Harley Quinn, giving these infamous women the dignity of context. Led by Xochi Quetzali Cartland.
Xochi Quetzali Cartland is a queer Chicana poet and seamstress who was the 2025 Latinx in Publishing poetry mentee, and has been supported with fellowships from National Arts Strategies and Brooklyn Poets.
Register here.

2026 DC History Conference
2026-05-01 - 2026-05-02 | Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW, Washington, DC, 20001
Save the date: May 1-2, 2026
The DC History Conference is an interdisciplinary, community conference considering the District’s past, present, and future. Since 1973, the conference organizers have provided a welcoming, educational, and stimulating forum for original research on and engagement with the history of the Washington, DC metropolitan area—prioritizing the local city but including nearby Maryland and Virginia, and the federal government.

Learn more.

Pride Poetry Workshop: Resistance - LGBTQ Poetry as an Act of Defiance
2026-05-19 18:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Arts Club of Washington, 2017 I St. NW, Washington DC, MD, 20006, United States
2026 PRIDE POETRY WORKSHOPS AT THE ARTS CLUB

The Arts Club of Washington announces a slate of free community writing workshops for 2026, led by five Pride Poets-in-Residence. Workshops are designed to be generative, so participants will leave each session with a new poem-in-progress, and are open to writers of all levels of experience and backgrounds.

Pride Poetry Workshop: Resistance – LGBTQ Poetry as an Act of Defiance
In this workshop, participants will consider the forms that resistance to the heteronormative status quo—and the limits of their own thinking—can take. We will look at poems that not only assert a queer life, but also challenge those who view that life as “less than.” Led by Gregory Adams.
Gregory Adams is a founding member of Station-to-Station, a groundbreaking collective of Black LGBTQ performance poets and writers of the 1980s, and part of the creative team who produced the documentary Fierceness Served!: The ENIK Alley Coffeehouse (2021).
Register here.

Pride Month Poetry Reading
2026-06-16 18:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Arts Club of Washington, 2017 I St. NW, Washington DC, MD, 20006, United States
2026 PRIDE POETRY WORKSHOPS AT THE ARTS CLUB

The Arts Club of Washington announces a slate of free community writing workshops for 2026, led by five Pride Poets-in-Residence. Workshops are designed to be generative, so participants will leave each session with a new poem-in-progress, and are open to writers of all levels of experience and backgrounds. This is the final of six sessions.

Pride Month Poetry Reading
Reading by Gregory Adams, Xochi Quetzali Cartland, Marlena Chertock, Angelique Palmer, and Nico Penaranda, the five LGBTQ+ poets awarded 2026 Pride Poetry Fellowships from the Arts Club of Washington. Followed by a reception and book signing.
Register here.
