Arts & Entertainment

Calendar: April 22

Concerts, exhibits, support groups and more through April 28

Published

15 years ago

April 20, 2011

Juliette Ebner

'Wide Grass' by Mary D. Ott is part of her 'Grasses' exhibit at Touchstone Gallery on display through May 1.

Friday, April 22

April is country month and The Lodge (21614 National Pike) in Boonsboro, is celebrating with line dancing along with its usual karaoke with DJ Christy from Brown Entertainment Group tonight from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. There’s a $5 cover after 10 p.m.

Baltimore’s Gilded Lily burlesque will be performing “I dream of Bettie: A Burlesque Tribute to the Queen of Pinup” at The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave.) in Alexandria tonight at 7:30 p.m.

DJ Lil’ E is hosting a Lady Gaga vs. Madonna vs. Rihanna dance party at Rams Head Live (20 Market Place) in Baltimore. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased online at ramsheadlive.com.

Caliente Grande is tonight at Apex (1415 22nd St., N.W.) starting at 9 p.m. DJ Michael Brandon will be spinning the Latin dance party in the main hall. There is a $10 cover charge. Attendees must be 18 to enter, 21 to drink.

The New Gay presents Homo/Sonic with DJ Natty Boom Boom at Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) from 9:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. This is an all ages party and there is a $10 cover.

Tonight is the last night to see Gross National Product’s “State of DisUnion” at the Atlas Performing Arts Center (1333 H St., N.E.) at 8 p.m. The show features a condensed version of the group’s last show, “The Sound of Palin.”

Saturday, April 23

The Lodge (21614 National Pike) in Boonsboro, presents ”Fever: the underwear party” tonight at 9 p.m. with an open refresher bar at for those in undies from 9 to 10 p.m. There’s a $5 cover before 11 p.m. and $8 afterward. Visit thelodgemd.com for more information and dress code.

Pocket Gays presents DJ Lemz from Baltimore, Menya from New York City and Sherell Rowe at Velvet Lounge (915 U St., N.W.) tonight from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. There will be a $5 cover.

Apex presents Easter with a Twist tonight. There will be an Easter bunny walking around the club passing out candy and Easter eggs hidden with surprises in each one. DJ Melissa from Philly will be spinning in the main room at midnight and Kristina Kelly and The Girls of Glamour will be performing at 11 p.m. There is a $10 cover and all attendees must e 18 or older.

Every fourth Saturday of the month, Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) is hosting Jocks vs. Jocks from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Cover is $5 if wearing sports attire, $7 if not. There’s a trophy and cash prizes for the winning team.

Today is the last day to see the exhibit “Image/Fame/Memory” an exhibit featuring photographs of well known musicians, artists, writers and actors by Curtis Knapp, Gerard Malanga, Billy Name, Kate Simon and Shepard Fairey’s collaborations with Name and Simon at Irvine Contemporary (1412 14th St., N.W.). The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the exhibit will be on display through Saturday. For more information, visit irvinecontemporary.com.

Sunday, April 24

Gallery plan b has three exhibits featuring with paintings by Greg Minah, works on paper by Mars Tokyo and works in gold leaf by Andrew Wapinski. The gallery is open from 1 to 5 p.m. and the works will be on display through May 15.

“Shear Madness,” a comedy whodunit, will be performed twice tonight at the Kennedy Center Theater Lab (2700 F St., N.W.) at 3 and 7 p.m. “Madness” takes place in present-day Georgetown, in the Shear Madness Hair Styling Salon. Tickets are $42. Visit kennedy-center.org for more information and to purchase tickets.

Monday, April 25

SAGE Metro D.C. is holding its monthly meeting tonight from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.).

Bears do Yoga at Green Lantern (1335 Green Court N.W.) tonight at 6:30 p.m. Class lasts for an hour and serves as an introduction to yoga for people of all different body types and physical abilities. It’s taught by Michael Brazell. For more information, visit dccenter.org.

Tuesday, April 26

The Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance will hold a membership meeting tonight from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Charles Sumner School Museum and Archive (1201 17th St., N.W.).

Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) hosts its weekly “Glee” watch party tonight at 8 p.m. on the deck in the pub room.

Wednesday, April 27

Touchstone Gallery (901 New York Ave., N.W.) has two exhibits on display, Janet Wheeler’s “Nest with a Twist” and Mary D. Ott’s “Grasses” which will be up through May 1. The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Thursday, April 28

The OutWrite Author Series presents Brock Thompson reading from his book, “The Un-Natural State: Arkansas and the Queer South” at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Caregivers Connect, a support group for those caring for someone with HIV/AIDS is meeting today at the Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center (1701 14th St., N.W.) from 7 to 8:30 p.m. This is a confidential group and will run for 10 sessions. For more information, call Jessica Moss at 202-797-3580.

National Youth Advocacy Coalition is hosting a happy hour at Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) to support LGBT youth, tonight from 5 to 8 p.m. A dollar from every Nellie’s beer will go toward the cause. People can also donate $10 by texting ACTIVIST to 85944.

Gays & Lesbians Opposing Violence (GLOV) is having its monthly meeting tonight in the main room at the D.C. Center from 7 to 8 p.m.

Bars & Parties

Mid-Atlantic Leather kicks off this week

Parties, contests, vendor expo and more planned for annual gathering

Published

5 minutes ago

January 11, 2026

Tinashe Chingarande

A scene from the 2025 Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather competition. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

The Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend will begin on Thursday, Jan 15.

This is an annual three-day event in Washington, D.C., for the leather, kink, and LGBTQ+ communities, featuring parties, vendors, and contests.

There will be an opening night event hosted the evening of Thursday, Jan. 15. Full package and three-day pass pickup will take place at 5:30 p.m. at Hyatt Capitol B. There will also be “Kinetic Dance Party” at 10 p.m. at District Eagle.

For more details, visit MAL’s website.

Photos

PHOTOS: ‘ICE Out For Good’

Demonstrators protest ICE across country following shooting

Published

1 day ago

January 10, 2026

Michael Key

D.C. shadow representative Oye Owolewa speaks at a rally outside of the White House on Saturday, Jan. 10. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

A protest was held outside of the White House on Saturday following the killing of Renee Nicole Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis. Across the Potomac, picketers held signs calling for “Justice for Renee” in Tysons, Va.

“ICE Out For Good” demonstrations were held in cities and towns across the country, according to multiple reports. A march was held yesterday in Washington, D.C., as the Blade reported. Further demonstrations are planned for tomorrow.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

Books

Feminist fiction fans will love ‘Bog Queen’

A wonderful tale of druids, warriors, scheming kings, and a scientist

Published

1 day ago

January 10, 2026

Terri Schlichenmeyer

(Book cover image courtesy of Bloomsbury)

‘Bog Queen’
By Anna North
c.2025, Bloomsbury
$28.99/288 pages

Consider: lost and found.

The first one is miserable – whatever you need or want is gone, maybe for good. The second one can be joyful, a celebration of great relief and a reminder to look in the same spot next time you need that which you first lost. Loss hurts. But as in the new novel, “Bog Queen” by Anna North, discovery isn’t always without pain.

He’d always stuck to the story.

In 1961, or so he claimed, Isabel Navarro argued with her husband, as they had many times. At one point, she stalked out. Done. Gone, but there was always doubt – and now it seemed he’d been lying for decades: when peat cutters discovered the body of a young woman near his home in northwest England, Navarro finally admitted that he’d killed Isabel and dumped her corpse into a bog.

Officials prepared to charge him.

But again, that doubt. The body, as forensic anthropologist Agnes Lundstrom discovered rather quickly, was not that of Isabel. This bog woman had nearly healed wounds and her head showed old skull fractures. Her skin glowed yellow from decaying moss that her body had steeped in. No, the corpse in the bog was not from a half-century ago.

She was roughly 2,000 years old.

But who was the woman from the bog? Knowing more about her would’ve been a nice distraction for Agnes; she’d left America to move to England, left her father and a man she might have loved once, with the hope that her life could be different. She disliked solitude but she felt awkward around people, including the environmental activists, politicians, and others surrounding the discovery of the Iron Age corpse.

Was the woman beloved? Agnes could tell that she’d obviously been well cared-for, and relatively healthy despite the injuries she’d sustained. If there were any artifacts left in the bog, Agnes would have the answers she wanted. If only Isabel’s family, the activists, and authorities could come together and grant her more time.

Fortunately, that’s what you get inside “Bog Queen”: time, spanning from the Iron Age and the story of a young, inexperienced druid who’s hoping to forge ties with a southern kingdom; to 2018, the year in which the modern portion of this book is set.

Yes, you get both.

Yes, you’ll devour them.

Taking parts of a true story, author Anna North spins a wonderful tale of druids, vengeful warriors, scheming kings, and a scientist who’s as much of a genius as she is a nerd. The tale of the two women swings back and forth between chapters and eras, mixed with female strength and twenty-first century concerns. Even better, these perfectly mixed parts are occasionally joined by a third entity that adds a delicious note of darkness, as if whatever happens can be erased in a moment.

Nah, don’t even think about resisting.

If you’re a fan of feminist fiction, science, or novels featuring kings, druids, and Celtic history, don’t wait. “Bog Queen” is your book. Look. You’ll be glad you found it.