Arts & Entertainment
Calendar for Aug. 13
Friday, Aug. 13, to Thursday, Aug. 19

Friday, Aug. 13
Ladies Night tonight at 7 p.m. at the Verizon Center as the Washington Mystics take on the Minnesota Lynx. There will be music, games, raffle prizes, shopping and more. The party starts at 5 p.m. in Dewars Club. Tickets are $35 and must be purchased in advance. Call 202-527-7517 to reserve your seats.
Siren the 13th featuring DJs Majr and Aaron Riggins tonight at Apex, 1415 22nd St., N.W., with electropop vs 00’s Dance with lasers, fog, snow, performances and A Lanai. Must be 18 or older to enter, 21 or older to drink and there is an $8 cover.
She.Rex returns tonight at Chief Ike’s Mambo Room Upstairs, 1725 Columbia Rd., N.W., from 9:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. This month’s party features the ladies of rock ‘n’ roll spun by lady DJs and lady bartenders serving up cheap beers until 11 p.m. There is no cover.
Mr. Charlie Rod’s Blue Discotheque tonight at Liv Nightclub, 2001 11th St., N.W., starting at 10 p.m. featuring DJ Rich Morel. Must be 21 or older to enter and there is a $7 cover charge.
The Pocket Gays are teaming up with Velvet Lounge, 915 U St., N.W., for Vacation Bible School Dance Party from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., featuring DJ Retrospect Lantern and love sets by AK Slaughter and Menya. There’s no cover and cheap drinks.
Saturday, Aug. 14
A monthly event in downtown Cambridge, Md., Second Saturday, running from 5 to 9 p.m., features gallery openings and receptions, late shopping hours with special promotions and bargains, great dining at top restaurants, musical entertainment, and more. The festivities unfold at roughly 20 different locations along four adjacent blocks in downtown. Abundant free parking on street and in municipal lots off of Gay Street and Academy Street.
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) hosts Funkytown, a night of 70s, 80s and 90s music and video on the main floor by Ed Bailey. Doors open at 10 p.m.; $8 before 11 p.m. and $12 after, 21 and over.
Hip-hop legends Public Enemy play the 9:30 club at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35; visit 930.com for information.
Sunday, Aug. 15
The anti-gay group National Organization for Marriage is headed to D.C. with its “One Woman, One Man” summer tour. A coalition of LGBT organizations, activists and allies is organizing a counter demonstration, “The Big Commit,” to be held from 2-4 p.m. in Freedom Plaza. See related story in news section or visit the event’s Facebook page for more information.
“Bang to Break the Silence on Ovarian Cancer” at Bang Salon, 601 F St., N.W., from 9 a.m. to midnight only at the Verizon Center location. Proceeds go to Walk to Break the Silence on Ovarian Cancer. Enjoy free mimosas and small bites. Book an appointment at bangsalon.com or call any location.
Adodi DC will meet at The DC Center, 1318 U St., N.W., at 2 p.m. Adodi is a community of men of color who affirm their African lineage and love of men. For more information, visit adodionline.com.
The HFStival is back and the California Tortilla Battle To Break Out has been narrowed down to the top six. The top six bands will perform live for the HFStival judges at the 9:30 club. Doors open at 11 a.m. and the competition starts right away. The top six bands determined by votes are: 16 Large, Cyrenic, Eye of All, Funkmnkyz, Sons of the Radio and Vessel. The winner will open the main stage of the HFStival 2010.
Monday, Aug. 16
The GLB Youth Support Group will meet at the GW Center Clinic, 1922 F St., N.W., Suite 103, at 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 17
Join Burgundy Crescent Volunteers to help pack safer sex kits tonight from 7-9 p.m. at EFN Lounge, on 9th Street between O and N streets.
Wednesday, Aug. 18
The DC IceBreakers’ regular skating night starts at 7:45 p.m. at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex, 627 North Glebe Rd., in Ballston/Arlington followed by a social. The co-host for this skating/social is Alexandria Gay & Lesbian Community Association.
Bookmen DC discuss selections from “A Casualty of War: The Arcadia Book of Gay Short Stories” edited by Peter Burton, at 7:30 p.m. at American Foreign Services Association, 2101 E St., N.W. All are welcomed. Bookmen DC is an informal group of men who are interested in gay literature (both fiction and non-fiction).
The Tom Davaron Social Bridge Club will meet at 7:30 p.m., at the Dignity Center, 721 8th St., S.E., (across from Marine Barracks) for Social Bridge. No partner is needed. Visit lambdabridge.com and click on “Social Bridge in Washington, DC”.
Thursday, Aug. 19
The Atlas Performing Arts Center presents Summer Film Series: Gay 101 showing “Cabaret” starring Liza Minnelli and directed by Bob Fosse at the Paul Sprenger Theatre, 1333 H St., N.E., at 8 p.m. Buy tickets at atlasarts.org or at the box office one hour prior to the movie.
Cool Kid Collective at Rams Head Live, 20 Market Place in Baltimore, with Tsunami Rising and Maryland’s Most Wanted. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 on the day of the show, prices include tax. The event is for all ages.
Books
A boy-meets-boy, family-mess story with heat
New book offers a stunning, satisfying love story

‘When the Harvest Comes’
By Denne Michele Norris
c.2025, Random House
$28/304 pages
Happy is the bride the sun shines on.
Of all the clichés that exist about weddings, that’s the one that seems to make you smile the most. Just invoking good weather and bright sunshine feels like a cosmic blessing on the newlyweds and their future. It’s a happy omen for bride and groom or, as in the new book “When the Harvest Comes” by Denne Michele Norris, for groom and groom.

Davis Freeman never thought he could love or be loved like this.
He was wildly, wholeheartedly, mind-and-soul smitten with Everett Caldwell, and life was everything that Davis ever wanted. He was a successful symphony musician in New York. They had an apartment they enjoyed and friends they cherished. Now it was their wedding day, a day Davis had planned with the man he adored, the details almost down to the stitches in their attire. He’d even purchased a gorgeous wedding gown that he’d never risk wearing.
He knew that Everett’s family loved him a lot, but Davis didn’t dare tickle the fates with a white dress on their big day. Everett’s dad, just like Davis’s own father, had considerable reservations about his son marrying another man – although Everett’s father seemed to have come to terms with his son’s bisexuality. Davis’s father, whom Davis called the Reverend, never would. Years ago, father and son had a falling-out that destroyed any chance of peace between Davis and his dad; in fact, the door slammed shut to any reconciliation.
But Davis tried not to think about that. Not on his wedding day. Not, unbeknownst to him, as the Reverend was rushing toward the wedding venue, uninvited but not unrepentant. Not when there was an accident and the Reverend was killed, miles away and during the nuptials.
Davis didn’t know that, of course, as he was marrying the love of his life. Neither did Everett, who had familial problems of his own, including homophobic family members who tried (but failed) to pretend otherwise.
Happy is the groom the sun shines on. But when the storm comes, it can be impossible to remain sunny.
What can be said about “When the Harvest Comes?” It’s a romance with a bit of ghost-pepper-like heat that’s not there for the mere sake of titillation. It’s filled with drama, intrigue, hate, characters you want to just slap, and some in bad need of a hug.
In short, this book is quite stunning.
Author Denne Michele Norris offers a love story that’s everything you want in this genre, including partners you genuinely want to get to know, in situations that are real. This is done by putting readers inside the characters’ minds, letting Davis and Everett themselves explain why they acted as they did, mistakes and all. Don’t be surprised if you have to read the last few pages twice to best enjoy how things end. You won’t be sorry.
If you want a complicated, boy-meets-boy, family-mess kind of book with occasional heat, “When the Harvest Comes” is your book. Truly, this novel shines.
The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.

The Victory Fund held its National Champagne Brunch at the Ritz-Carlton on Sunday, April 27. Speakers included Tim Gunn, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Gov. Wes Moore (D-Md.), Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) and Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.).
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

















Music & Concerts
Tom Goss returns with ‘Bear Friends Furever Tour’
Out singer/songwriter to perform at Red Bear Brewing Co.

Singer Tom Goss will bring his “Bear Friends Furever Tour” to D.C. on Sunday, June 8 at 8 p.m. at Red Bear Brewing Co.
Among the songs he will perform will be “Bear Soup,” the fourth installment in his beloved bear song anthology series. Following fan favorites like “Bears,” “Round in All the Right Places,” and “Nerdy Bear,” this high-energy, bass-thumping banger celebrates body positivity, joyful indulgence, and the vibrant spirit of the bear subculture.
For more details, visit Tom Goss’s website.
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