Book Club

📚 Do you love reading, but wish you had a structure and a community to share your insights with? Join our small circle of curious minds (just 4 members per gathering) as we come together for an hour of focused reading—in the calm setting of a library or the cozy atmosphere of a café. Here’s how it works: First part: Quiet reading on your own—bring a book you’re exploring, whether it’s philosophy, history, psychology, literature, or anything meaningful to you. Second part: We regroup and each person shares key takeaways, insights, or questions sparked by their reading. This sparks a structured yet free-flowing conversation around ideas, perspectives, and personal reflections. Why join? Add structure to your reading habit. Discover new books, authors, and ideas through others’ choices. Build real connections by sharing and listening deeply. Socialize around something meaningful instead of small talk.

Calling all Crew Members! 🚢 BBaddies On A Track! We will be meeting at 6am to hit the track. We will do a warm up and then a few drills and sprints on the track! We will also have fun and be in community!

Bonjour! Are you missing your French? Have you been wanting to practice your French in a day-to-day setting? Join the Alliance Française Library in-person during our Salon de Conversation every 2nd Tuesday of the month to practice your French in a fun and informal setting. This event is for all levels of French speakers. **Please note that in June we will be meeting IN-PERSON in the AFDC Library from 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM.**

Welcome. Come out and play! We meet on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th TUESDAY of the month. Players of all skill levels are welcome. Bring a chess set if you can. Friendly group and a variety of skill levels are typical for each meeting. Adults of any age and children with a parent are welcome. Cohosted by Effie and Lawrence. Email us for updates: greenbeltchessclub@gmail.com Kids Night will be held on the third Tuesday each month. One of our most experienced chess enthusiasts and instructors, Gary Fok, and possibly other instructors, will be on hand to teach. (Adults are welcome as well!)

In a future where the world has been devastated by war, few intact and inhabitable areas remain. There a society has emerged where emotion is suppressed, with the result that crime and violence have also disappeared. Anyone who starts to have feelings is diagnosed with Switched On Syndrome (SOS), a condition requiring immediate treatment with numbing drugs. The story focuses on two workers at an information services company who become attracted to each other. As with so many tales of forbidden love, they strive to keep their relationship a secret, but it’s only a matter of time before they’re discovered by the all-seeing authorities. ■ Title — *Equals* ■ Director — Drake Doremus ■ Cast — Nicholas Hoult, Kristen Stewart, Vernetta Lopez ■ Rating — PG-13 ■ ©2015 \| 1h 41m \| Drama\, Romance\, Sci\-Fi ■ Watch it free with ads on Fandango: https://athome.fandango.com/content/browse/details/Equals/770860 ■ Watch it free with ads on Tubi: https://tubitv.com/movies/687554/equals ■ Available free without ads to Kanopy subscribers (details below): https://www.kanopy.com/en/product/5324496 ■ Kanopy streaming service is available free to holders of DC library cards. DC libraries will issue cards to residents of Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, and other nearby areas. Visit any branch to obtain your card. Kanopy is also provided free to Loudoun County library card holders who live, work, or study in Loudoun County. ■ As with most of our online features, you can watch this one whenever you like. Members who watch at the scheduled time may enjoy exchanging comments with other members on this page. If you post a comment before the show, please avoid spoilers. Comments posted after the show may contain any content, but Oddball Cinema encourages members to always avoid spoilers unless there’s some particularly important details you need to mention. ■ Many of the movies on our online events from as far back as March 2020 are still available for viewing. However, titles sometimes move from one streaming service to another. If you find that the links on an old event no longer work, you can search for the current providers of any title here: https://justwatch.com

EVERY TUESDAY @ 6:30 PM at Dudley's Sport and Ale! We're a FREE club for all those interested in both running and socializing. The SRC meets every Tuesday at 6:30 PM at Dudley's Sport and Ale in the Shirlington Village, in the back corner towards the outdoor patio, near the Shirlington Animal Hospital. The SRC was founded in 2009 by VA residents Mirentxu Meyer and Shirley Santos, for like-minded people with social interests. Inspired by our founders, the goals of SRC are to promote fitness and build a sense of community. With currently over 2,800 people who've joined over the years, the SRC meets every Tuesday evening at 6:30 PM at Dudley's Sport and Ale to run a 5K summer route (6K in the winter), and hosts a post-run happy hour by savoring the flavors of Shirlington’s Dudley's Sport and Ale and socializing! In addition to fostering a community and family feel, SRC brings its members together throughout the year with other neighborhood events, sport activities, and volunteer opportunities. We welcome all levels of runners, from the beginners to the experienced marathoner, at all ages, and from all locations. What a better way to get a work out in and meet new people with like interests in the area! The SRC hopes to see you this Tuesday night, rain or shine! For more information please visit our FB page at [Shirlington Running Club \(The SRC\) \| Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/groups/81217012155). And check out here for our Spring/Summer/Fall and Winter routes: [Run Routes Photos (meetup.com)](https://www.meetup.com/meetup-group-kgwsbcbj/photos/33093848/)! In terms of parking there’s a parking lot behind Dudley’s, and even if that fills up there's a number of parking garages in Shirlington - [ShirlingtonDirectory_0721 (villageatshirlington.com)](https://villageatshirlington.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ShirlingtonDirectory_0721.pdf). Also, Also, if you look at 2774 S. Quincy St. on [Google Maps](https://goo.gl/maps/ohBvhwewsTzZVQi97), there is a parking deck with spots open on the top level which is accessible from S. Quincy St.

Weekly Bible study currently reading through the Gospel of Luke. We meet at Teaism in Penn Quarter. You can find us in the downstairs seating area!

Everyone’s heard of book clubs where the group reads the same thing and gets together to discuss, which is great… if you have time and interest in whatever’s chosen. This is a different type of book club where you bring whatever you’re currently or recently reading (or just a book you’re super excited about) and talk about it with fellow book lovers. We’ll start with people arriving/ordering food between 615-645, then go around and introduce ourselveslves and give a very brief synopsis of what we’re reading and why we’re excited (or not!) about it. Then devolve into informal conversations until people need to head out. The goal Is to create community and connections in a group of strangers - to facilitate this please make sure you have at least a clear first name on your profile. Upside on Moore has a great selection of food you can order from your phone or at the kiosks. There’s also a bar with happy hour, something for everyone! Arrival tips: if you’re taking the metro, it’s the building above the Rosslyn exit. If you’re driving, you can park in the public lot under the food hall (entrance from the one way bus street) and validate parking after 6!

…Transform Our Lives, Work, and World (2024) by Jamie Metzl, 432 pages [Genetics] • Paperback • Hardcover • Kindle • Audiobook • Library: [https://fcplcat.fairfaxcounty.gov/search/title.aspx?ctx=1.1033.0.0.1&pos=1&cn=615082](https://fcplcat.fairfaxcounty.gov/search/title.aspx?ctx=1.1033.0.0.1&pos=1&cn=615082) Check the How To Find Us section for Zoom Link **(Remember, the Zoom Link is different each month, do not bookmark)** ### Review “In Superconvergence, Jamie Metzl takes readers on a magical journey through the science of the intersecting genetics, biotech, and AI revolutions, deeply explores the implications, and challenges us to think creatively and proactively about what comes next. Very few books are absolute must-reads. This is one.”―Siddhartha Mukherjee, assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University and author of The Gene: An Intimate History "During the 25 years I have known Jamie Metzl, he has always been ahead of the curve. There is no one better to help us understand and prepare for the fast-approaching technological revolutions. Superconvergence is brilliant. I can't recommend it more strongly."―Sanjay Gupta MD, bestseller author, neurosurgeon, and Emmy-award winning chief medical correspondent (CNN) "Our world is defined by our science and technology—whether we like it or not. The question now is not whether to use these powers, but how best to use them. In Superconvergence, Jamie Metzl takes us on a journey through the new capabilities that are radically transforming ecosystems inside us and around us, challenging each of us to get personally involved with building the future we want."―Beth Shapiro, University of California Santa Cruz evolutionary biologist and author of Life as We Made It: How 50,000 Years of Human Innovation Refined―and Redefined―Nature "In a fine counter-blast to the pessimism of today, Jamie Metzl lays out just how spectacular the future of humanity and planet can be if we harness innovation responsibly and imaginatively to create what he calls the 'spiral of progress.'"―Matt Ridley, author of How Innovation Works, and co-author of Viral: The search for the Origin of Covid-19 “A page-turning journey through space and time that shows us how our lives will be changed by imminent technological advances we once only dreamed of.”―David Sinclair, Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, and author of Lifespan: Why We Age―and Why We Don't Have To “The superconvergence of the genetics, biotechnology, and AI revolutions provides spectacular opportunities for building a better world. It also represents an almost limitless investment opportunity. We were excited to collaborate with Jamie Metzl, one of the world's great experts on how these aspirations can best be realized, including in capital markets. Superconvergence is a master class for imagining, investing in, and building a future we'd like to inhabit."―Jeremy Schwartz, Global Chief Investment Officer, WisdomTree “A clear examination of a transitional moment in the story of life on Earth…. Metzl capably describes recent developments in genetics and biotech and looks at how AI is providing an analytical engine of unprecedented power…. An important book in which the author sets out a path for the future based on his experience and expertise.”―Kirkus “Erudite, optimistic, and timely.”―Science Magazine "[In Superconvergence] Mr. Metzl has identified an important truth: that the convergence of new technologies is galvanizing us to reimagine how to meet urgent challenges in medicine and the environment. It’s a compelling opportunity—provided we manage to sidestep self-induced catastrophes along the way."―The Wall Street Journal ### About the Author Jamie Metzl is a leading technology and healthcare futurist and the founder and chair of OneShared.World. He is the author of Hacking Darwin: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Humanity and four other books and was a member of the World Health Organization expert advisory committee on human genome editing. Jamie previously served in the U.S. National Security Council, State Department, and Senate Foreign Relations Committee and with the United Nations in Cambodia. His work has been featured by most major media organizations around the world, including 60 Minutes, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Fox, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, the Times of London, Le Monde, and Paris Match, and his podcast interviews with Joe Rogan, Lex Fridman, and others have reached tens of millions of listeners. He lives in New York City. Visit Jamiemetzl.com.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/139400713-martyr **A newly sober, orphaned son of Iranian immigrants, guided by the voices of artists, poets, and kings, embarks on a remarkable search for a family secret that leads him to a terminally ill painter living out her final days in the Brooklyn Museum. Electrifying, funny, and wholly original, *Martyr!* heralds the arrival of an essential new voice in contemporary fiction.** Cyrus Shams is a young man grappling with an inheritance of violence and loss: his mother’s plane was shot down over the skies of the Persian Gulf in a senseless accident; and his father’s life in America was circumscribed by his work killing chickens at a factory farm in the Midwest. Cyrus is a drunk, an addict, and a poet, whose obsession with martyrs leads him to examine the mysteries of his past—toward an uncle who rode through Iranian battlefields dressed as the angel of death to inspire and comfort the dying, and toward his mother, through a painting discovered in a Brooklyn art gallery that suggests she may not have been who or what she seemed. Kaveh Akbar’s *Martyr!* is a paean to how we spend our lives seeking meaning—in faith, art, ourselves, others.

We are going to talk about the books we read—any books, from any genre. Whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, classic literature or something modern, everyone is welcome to share their thoughts, impressions, and favorite passages. It’s a relaxed and friendly conversation where we can discover new ideas and enjoy each other’s perspectives.

Let’s meet and share discussion of the James Baldwin short story collection, Going to Meet The Man.

Welcome, readers! Our June read is ***Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible*** ***Voyage*** **by Alfred Lansing.** A work of nonfiction, and one of the most astonishing survival stories in history, we follow Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew after their ship is crushed by Antarctic ice. Stranded in one of the harshest environments on Earth, the men endure months of isolation, freezing temperatures, and near starvation—yet refuse to give up hope. Lansing brings their ordeal to life through vivid detail and firsthand accounts, capturing both the brutality of nature and the resilience of the human spirit. At its core, the story is a powerful testament to leadership, perseverance, and the unbreakable will to survive against impossible odds. Looking forward to discussing with everyone! We will meet at Zaftig Brewing Co in their event room in the back. We are welcome to bring in our own food, but **all** **drinks must be purchased at the bar.** Happy reading! 📖

June is Fantasy month! • The book we will be discussing is The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. (determined by votes from May Book Club. Message me your e-mail if you'd like a free digital copy of the book) • This event will be at the Dublin library (Room 3). Feel free to come whether or not you've started or finished the book. • Small snacks will be provided. You're welcome to bring your own snacks & drinks too! Let me know if you’d like to volunteer to bring snacks or drinks for the group. Please try to update your attendance if anything changes so we have an accurate head count for print outs and snacks :)