Arts & Entertainment

Calendar: Sept. 30

Parties, meetings, concerts and more through Oct. 6

Published

15 years ago

September 29, 2011

A reunited Bangles play the 9:30 Club Thursday. Tickets are $25 and were still available as of Blade press time. (Photo courtesy 9:30 Club)

TODAY (Friday)

The Dubstep Dance Party featuring Andre Jetson at Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave., E.) in Vienna, is tonight from 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at jamminjava.com.

It’s Swing Night at Remington’s (639 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E.) tonight at 8 p.m. An intermediate West Coast Swing lesson will be taught from 8 to 9 p.m. by Michael Frank for $5, then the dance begins 9. For more information, visit reminstonswdc.com.

Jenny Owen Youngs will be performing at the Red Palace (1212 H St., N.E.) tonight with Hank and Cupcakes at 9 p.m. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased online at redpalacedc.com. Attendees must be 18 or older. Doors open at 8 p.m.

Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) is hosting Fahrenheit tonight from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. with music by DJ and producer, Twisted Dee. There is a $7 after 10 p.m.

Busboys & Poets will be hosting ASL open mic poetry tonight at 11 p.m. in the Langston Room at its 14th and V streets location (2021 14th St., N.W.). Anyone with sign language knowledge may sign up to recite a poem or sign a song by e-mailing [email protected]. There is a $5 cover.

Saturday, Oct. 1

The Lodge (21614 National Pike) in Boonsboro presents “We Love the ‘80s” costume party with DJ Ryan W. Cover is $5 until 11 p.m. when it goes up to $8. No cover if in full costume. The best ‘80s costume contest will take place on the patio at midnight and the winner will get $100. Doors open at 9 p.m.

Deaf Queers of D.C. is hosting a “Last Chance” cookout today from noon to 5 p.m. at Rock Creek Park at Grove 9.

MTV’s “The Real World” is hosting an open casting call for the series 27th season today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.). Applicants must be 20 or older and appear between 20 and 24. Applicants are also asked to bring a recent photo of themselves that will not be returned and a photo ID. For more information, visit bunim-murray.com/rwcasting.

Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) presents Hellmouth Happy Hour where every week an episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” will be screened and drink specials will be offered. This week the episode is “I Only Have Eyes for You.”

Signature Theatre is hosting a post-show panel discussion, “30 Years is Enuf,” tonight at 8 through special arrangement with the Black Gay Men’s Network, Black AIDS Institute and Jane M. Saks to commemorate Gay Men’s HIV Awareness Day. Tickets, which include a dance performance, discussion and meet-and-greet/booking-signing with author and star E. Patrick Johnson, are available at the Signature Box Office for $35 with code word, metro.

Sunday, Oct. 2

A new gay-welcoming Catholic church, St. Hedwig’s Old Catholic Church, has Mass today at 9 a.m. The church meets each Sunday morning at Palisades Community Church (5200 Cathedral Ave., N.W.) in Washington. The church, not affiliated with the Vatican, describes itself as one with “progressive Catholic values” that welcomes those “disaffected by mainstream traditions” and what some consider “politically distorted teachings of Christ” in other faith traditions. Bishop Michael Seneco, who’s gay, is the pastor. Visit sainthedwigs.org for more information. All are welcome.

Busboys & Poets is showing “I Shot Andy Warhol” tonight at 7 p.m. in the Zinn Room at its Hyattsville location (5331 Baltimore Ave., Suite 104) as its October Focus-In! Film of the Month. This is a free screening.

Cameron Mackintosh presents a new 25th anniversary production of “Les Miserables” at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) today at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $39 to $155 and can be purchased online at kennedy-center.org.

Monday, Oct. 3

The D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) is having its monthly volunteer night tonight from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tonight’s activities could range from sorting through book donations, cleaning up around the center and taking inventory for Fuk!ts, as well as socializing. Pizza will provided.

Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) presents “Funkytown,” featuring music of the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s by DJ Ed Bailey with performances by the Ladies of Town and The Dance Camp. Doors open at 10 p.m. Cover is $8 before 11 p.m. and $12 afterwards. Attendees must be 21 or older.

The Red Palace (1212 H St., N.E.) is hosting the kick-off for the 2011-12 seasons for Theater Alliance and Rorschach Theatre tonight at 7 p.m. Theater Alliance performs at the H Street Playhouse and Rorschach has a new home at Atlas Performing Arts Center. Attendees must be 21 or older.

Tuesday, Oct. 4

Tony Award-winning Broadway legend Audra McDonald plays the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) tonight at 8. Tickets range from $25 to $85 and can be purchased online at kennedy-center.org.

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, Oct. 5

Riot Act Comedy Theater’s (801 E St., N.W.) monthly gay and gay-friendly comedy show “Gay-larious” returns tonight at 8:30 p.m. with Lean Bonnema and Yamaneika. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online at riotactcomedy.com.

Thursday, Oct. 6

The Bangles will be performing at 9:30 Club (815 V St., N.W.) tonight. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at 930.com. Doors open at 7 p.m.

The D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) and Tongue in You Ear present the Brother Tongue Poetry Workshop series. Tonight is the third in a series of four workshops led by Regie Cabico, a three time National Poetry Slam finalist who has appeared on two season of HBO’s “Def Poetry Jam.” All sessions will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $25 for all four sessions. For more information and to register, visit thedccenter.org.

The second annual east coast tour of black lesbian poets, Revival, returns to D.C. today featuring Love the poet, Solrose and t’ai freedom ford with special guest, Bettina Judd at Lighthouse D.C. (5016 9th St., N.W.) at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online at cereusarts.eventbrite.com.

Books

New book reveals what we can learn from animal sex

‘Poking the Squid’ on homosexuality, gender swapping, and more

Published

17 hours ago

July 13, 2026

Terri Schlichenmeyer

(Book cover image courtesy W.W. Norton)

‘Poking the Squid: What We Can Learn from Animal Sex’
By Perrin Roosevelt Ireland
c.2026, W.W. Norton
$29.99 241 pages

Birds do it.

According to Cole Porter, bees do, too, but it’s not exactly what he imagined. Wild and tame, avians, insects, and mammals all have sex – although not always as you’ve been told or for reasons you might think. Even educated fleas do it and, as in the new book, “Poking the Squid” by Perrin Roosevelt Ireland, humans can learn from them all.

If you read through scientific papers on animal reproduction, you might notice something unusual: for scientists, the word “sex” means a lot of different things.

Says Ireland, “It’s used to describe behaviors, biology, life histories, and more.”

That might be because animals are not simply binary.

Take, for instance, hyenas. It’s easy for the casual observer to mistake a male hyena for a female and vice versa because of stereotypes of anatomy. Mating, for hyenas, requires subordination for the male and a nifty trick on the part of the female’s body to get things done.

Our feathered friends are no birdbrains, either: black-browed albatrosses were once thought to be monogamous but global warming seems to have changed their nesting habits sometimes. Male flamingos have sex with one another, as a territorial thing; other birds and animals form same-sex pairs for other reasons.

The Chinese mantis eats her mate after fertilization. Female snakes, alpacas, guinea pigs, and monkeys are anatomically able to enjoy sex. Genitalia between species varies quite a bit; in fact, the vaginas of ducks “are highly complex.” Lionesses will mate up to 100 times when in heat. Female damselflies will change into a “third sex” to avoid overly aggressive mating males. Bearded dragons can change their sex, if needed, as can yellow clown goby fish. And seahorse pregnancy and birth sparked a book banning in Tennessee.

So, asks Ireland, if animals, including us, vary so much in biology and life, “… why are we using the word sex like it means something, anything, consistent?!”

Pick up “Poking the Squid,” page through it a few seconds, and you’ll see that the information here is largely told through cartoon-like drawings mixed with captions. It seems to be something on the lighter side, but don’t let that artwork fool you.

Author Perrin Roosevelt Ireland offers readers solid information that cozies up to the scholarly, with hard science, philosophy, feminism, and quotations from researchers to support it, thus furthering the narrative and hitting the points squarely. If you see the art and expect something lighthearted, comic, and small-talk-worthy, you could be disappointed.

On the other hand, if you want solid, wryly serious facts, you’re in for a treat.

There’s lots of learning to be gleaned here, and some slight nudge-wink whimsy to emphasize the absurdity of wrong-headed thinking. This can make readers feel like they’re in-the-know on the jokes, and the playfulness balances the seriousness of the information well.

So, serious, scholarly, or slightly silly, none of these are negative but you’re going to know what you want from a book like this. For the right reader, someone in the mood, “Poking the Squid” is wild.

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