Library

**🎉 Book Swap: Bring Your Books to the West End Neighborhood Library! 📚** 📅 **Date:** Saturday, May 30th, 2026 🕒 **Time:** 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM 📍 **Location:** West End Neighborhood Library - 2301 L St NW, Washington, DC 20037 Conference Room 2 **Agenda:** * **3:00 PM - 3:15 PM** \- Check\-in and chat * **3:15 PM - 3:30 PM** \- Introductions * **3:30 PM - 4:30 PM** \- Book swap **Please note**: * Gently used books are ideal for swapping. * If a book you bring isn’t swapped, you are responsible for taking it home. * This is a “stay-and-swap” event, so please join with the intention of engaging and connecting with the group.

### Aurora Hills Library is Turning 100! Join us as we celebrate **100 years of the Aurora Hills Library**! Come celebrate a century of stories, community, and connection! There will be drop-in activities, crafts, visual historical displays, outdoor activities (weather permitting), and recordings of written and oral memories of the library. Representatives from the [Friends of the Arlington Library](https://arlingtonlibraryfriends.org/), the [Crystal City Civic Association](https://www.crystalcitycivic.org/), the [Aurora Highlands Civic Association](https://aurorahighlands.org/), the [Friends of Urban Agriculture](https://arlingtonurbanag.org/), the [Charlie Clark Center for Local History](https://library.arlingtonva.us/charlie-clark-center-for-local-history/), and the [Arlington Historical Society](https://arlhist.org/) will be on site to present information on Arlington history and answer questions about their organizations. Remarks will be made at 2pm, followed by cake and light refreshments. *Refreshments available while supplies last.* *For more information, contact Aurora Hills Library at 703-228-5715* **This program supports the Library's celebration of [Arlington250](https://library.arlingtonva.us/charlie-clark-center-for-local-history/arlington250/ "https://library.arlingtonva.us/charlie-clark-center-for-local-history/arlington250/").**

Grab a game or bring your own, this event is open play. Whether it is chucking dice, full of traitors, laying tiles, or only cards involved, it doesn't matter; as long as it is a fun game, let's get it to the table and play it. The library will have games available to play but as always, you are welcome and encouraged to bring your own games. So leave a comment about what you are bringing! But be ready to teach your games. The library is located within walking distance of the Silver Spring Metro stop and there is a parking garage across the street. **NTBG** *is a safe environment for all to have fun. Bullying/harassment is not tolerated.*

NOTE: This working session is at Lamond-Riggs Library not MLK. It is near the Fort Totten Metro Station. A game development **Working Session** involves 3 key parts: 1. Tell people what you're going to do 2. Actually do stuff 3. Show people what you did **What to bring**: Laptop, Charger, maybe a power strip if you have one handy, any other game development tools you need. Try to download any software you need before the working session. There is Wifi at this location, but it may be slow if you have to download any large files.

* We meet inside Zazzy * Bring something to read, as we often take some time at the beginning telling each other about what we're currently reading. * I have a favor to ask of you. To offset the cost of Meetup fees (\~$200 a year), I kindly request that you consider a small donation to my my [Pledge account](https://www.meetup.com/a-different-type-of-book-club-arlington/#pledge). 😊 **NOTE: NO DISCUSSION OF POLITICS: 12/31/21 UPDATE** For the sake of polite company, moving forward, we will avoid the discussion of politics at meetings of the book club. Please let me know if you have any questions. **NON-ATTENDANCE / NO-SHOW POLICY** If you have said that you will attend this event, but no longer are able to attend, please kindly update your status to "Not Attending" so that someone on the waitlist is able to RSVP. **Because this Meetup group is popular, and typically has a waitlist, effective immediately, I'm instituting a two-event no-show policy. If you RSVP as "Attending" but do not show at two events, you will be removed from this Meetup group.** We look forward to seeing you! Best, Jay

📚 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.

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.

We will meet outside as long as the weather is nice. If not, we will move inside. Look out for a comment the morning of each meeting with our exact location. As we are meeting in person, please remember to bring something to read as we usually spend some time sharing our current reads and/or reading when meeting in person. As a reminder, there is no assigned reading; please bring whatever you are currently working on. This group is super casual, sometimes we read and sometimes we talk the whole time. **** NO SHOW POLICY: Due to the high number of members on the waitlist recently we are having to reinstate our no-show policy. If you sign up and no-show to 2 events you will be removed from the group. Reminders are provided weekly to change your RSVP to allow those on the waitlist a chance to come to the meet-up, no 3rd chances with be given. Please be considerate to your fellow members. Thank you! I look forward to reading you!

This is the first part of our discussion series on Middlemarch by George Eliot. This meeting will be dedicated to talking about the first half of Middlemarch. We will be reading books 1-4 ending with book 4 Three Love Problems. We will be meeting in the National Portrait Gallery Atrium To stay up to date with events and discuss meetings or books, you can join our Discord group. Please message me to be added.

[Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“Artemis II and Beyond,”** on how the recent space mission fits into long-term plans for the Moon, with Michael J. Neufeld, retired senior curator for the Space History Department of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/northern-virginia-artemis-ii-beyond](https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/northern-virginia-artemis-ii-beyond) .] NASA’s recent, spectacular Artemis II mission is a sign that the United States is serious about sending humans to the Moon again. Gain an understanding of how Artemis II fits in both past and planned lunar missions with historian Michael Neufeld, who was lead curator of the Smithsonian’s Destination Moon exhibit. He has taught at Johns Hopkins, Colgate, and other universities, and is the author or editor of nine books dealing with the history of technology. He’ll start by looking at the aftermath of the Apollo program of a half century ago and why it ended only four years after its first lunar mission. He’ll consider why no lasting lunar programs emerged from major announcements by two presidents, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, that astronauts would be going back to the Moon and on to Mars. His vividly illustrated lecture will then explore how Artemis is a product of a human spaceflight program that has changed dramatically over the past 50 years. We’ll look at how collaboration with Europe, Canada and Japan became integral to the shuttle and International Space Station programs, and how the rise of new commercial space companies such as SpaceX has enabled NASA to buy both space services and space craft. Both international and commercial partners are involved in the latest Moon efforts, with SpaceX and Blue Origin expected to supply the landers to take astronauts down to a planned base on the Moon’s South Pole. How soon will any of this happen? Probably not as quickly as NASA says, but the specter of a Chinese landing on the Moon by 2030 is one obvious reason to keep things moving along. We’ll look at the sustainability of the Artemis space program for at least the next decade or so. You’ll emerge from the talk with no doubt that exciting days are ahead for space fans. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image: The Artemis II mission launch (NASA photo).

**RSVP through [this link](https://partiful.com/e/Icyxq5P4t7WoWKvylAtU?c=isQTIp3I) only!** Interested in creating community around our shared mortality? Join us every other month for casual chats, guided by our readings, about death, dying, grief, and ultimately, life. **Current read:** *Before the Coffee Gets Cold* by Toshikazu Kawaguchi Buy [here](https://bookshop.org/p/books/before-the-coffee-gets-cold-toshikazu-kawaguchi/250205b601b3f7cb?ean=9781335430991&next=t&next=t&affiliate=98269) to support People's Book in Takoma Park, MD.

DeafPlusAdvocate is hosting our monthly ASL Social event in the DMV. Join us for a late spring ASL Social at Garden Social. Also, enjoy Hawaiian cuisine and great outdoor and indoor space. .If you are Deaf/hearing, interested in socializing, or looking for practice with American Sign Language (ASL), join us! All ASL levels are welcome! This is the perfect place for you! We will host ASL Social on Saturday, May 30th, at the L&L Hawaiian Barbecue from 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM. The address is: 4363 John Marr Dr, Annandale, VA 22003. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact the DeafPlusAdvocate team.

Bring a few books or other media (dvds, cds, records) that you’d like to give away or swap! Be prepared for a little show and tell for your books. Feel free to get breakfast or a snack. We will meet at the outside of The Spot in downtown Rockville at 10:30am. Since they don’t open until 11:30, we will meet outside (they have seating) and then get food/ bubble tea when they open. If it is raining we will meet in the lobby of the Rockville library (Maryland Ave) and then move to The Spot at 11:30pm. This is Book Swap #5!

Main Library, Meeting Room 2B Join us for a welcoming evening of reflection, gentle music, and meaningful conversation. We’ll begin with a short grounding moment, followed by a brief reading from spiritual or philosophical traditions, and an open reflection circle where participants can share (or simply listen). Libera Animae is an interfaith community focused on inner growth, creativity, and authentic connection. All backgrounds are welcome.

12:45-3:45 in the Meeting Room, Library lowest leve, by the drinking fountain. Bring your yarn projects, meet new friends. Plenty of parking in the lot, in the overflow lot across the street, and on the street. See you there!

By popular demand, the group wanted to read and discuss the semi-autobiographical novel by Henri-Pierre Roche, that inspired the Truffaut movie we watched last year. The book is available through the Columbus Library's interlibrary loan system. They reported there are twenty-eight copies available in the state of Ohio. If you have a library card, you can file an interlibrary loan request here: https://www.columbuslibrary.org/library-services/ . There are also used copies available on Amazon and eBay for under twenty dollars. You may want to rewatch the movie after reading the book, so we can compare and contrast in our discussion. The Columbus Library has four copies on DVD, and it's streaming on HBOMax.

[Columbus library link to book](https://cml.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S105C3351321) Location: The Goat River South 219 S High St, Columbus, OH 43215 Street parking is free on Sundays [Menu](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/686d3ed16745133042482c5f/t/68ff654dbb03b96875430bde/1761568077220/all_brunch-20250311.pdf) Book summary: On a hot day in Bethlehem, a twelve-year-old Palestinian-American girl is yelled at by a group of men outside the Church of the Nativity. She has exposed her legs in a biblical city, an act they deem forbidden, and their judgement will echo on through her adolescence. When our narrator finally admits to her mother that she is queer, her mother's response only intensifies a sense of shame: 'You exist too much,' she tells her daughter. Told in vignettes that flash between the U.S. and the Middle East--from New York to Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine--Zaina Arafat's debut novel traces her protagonist's progress from blushing teen to sought-after DJ and aspiring writer.

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