Thriller

[Profs and Pints DC](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“Nightmares and Creativity,”** on the relationship between frightening dreams and real creative achievements, with Bernard Welt, emeritus professor of arts and humanities at George Washington University, former member of the board of the International Association for the Study of Dreams, and contributing editor of *DreamTime*. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at[ https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/dc-nightmares-and-creativity]( https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/dc-nightmares-and-creativity).] Nightmares are associated with creativity—but how, exactly? Why do so many famous accounts of genius in the arts and sciences originate with a frightening dream? Explore such questions with the help of Bernard Welt, who has taught courses on recalling dreams and dream journaling and written extensively on the relationship between dreaming and the arts. Using excerpts from texts, illustrations of artworks, and clips from classic films derived from nightmares, Professor Welt will look at the relationship between bad dreams and celebrated innovations and creative accomplishments. You’ll learn why psychologists consider the nightmare to be a key to understanding the creative power of the unconscious mind. We’ll consider sleep scientists’ definitions of the nightmare, asking why it still remains controversial, and explore contemporary theories about the relationship between nightmares and creativity from psychoanalysis, Jungian archetypal theory, evolutionary psychology, and other sources. Though dreams have special authority in many cultures, in the western world it’s only among the nineteenth-century Romantics that we began to see personal accounts of creativity inspired by dreams—curiously, preponderantly bad ones. We’ll look at how *Frankenstein* arose from Mary Shelley’s famous dream of a scientist confronted by his own fearful creation, and how art’s Surrealist movement taught us to value our nightmares. You’ll learn how dreams of all kinds can result in sudden inspiration because they relax inhibitions, transcend habitual trains of thought, and permit ideas that would be rejected by the thought processes of waking life. You’ll even come to see why we may welcome our nightmares as opportunities to expand our vision and our understanding. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image: From Francisco Goya’s 1799 etching “The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters” (public domain).

**[CRUSHING WHEELCHAIRS](https://givebutter.com/crushing-wheelchairs-afisilver)** is a powerful new social justice film that follows a group of poor people living in a homeless community as they struggle to find hope amid gentrification, domestic violence and the growing brutality of the State. Starring the talents of POOR Magazine—the prominent California arts & activism collective—this revolutionary film features a cast and crew of currently and formerly unhoused residents of the San Francisco Bay Area who brought their real-life stories to the screen. [TRAILER](https://vimeo.com/946860766?fl=pl&fe=sh) Runtime: 1h 56m Year: 2025 Director: Lisa “Tiny” Gray-Garcia and Adrian Diamond **5:30 Check in, Food** **6:00pm: All-nations prayer** **6:30pm: Crushing Wheelchairs Film** **8:30pm: Q&A, Poetry and closing words** **[Tickets](https://givebutter.com/crushing-wheelchairs-afisilver)** are sold with tiered pricing to make this film accessible. Please consider what is truly possible for you, and purchase the appropriate ticket.

**Please read the full description** Hi all! We have 20 free spots for an early screening of Is God Is (2026) on Tuesday, May 12th at 7pm before it premieres to the public. **Please only RSVP if you are sure you can attend and arrive 25-30 minutes early as admission is not guaranteed for later or late-comers. Please use your full first** Washington, DC Advanced Screening May 12th – 7:00 PM Alamo Drafthouse 630 Rhode Island Ave, NE, Washington, DC 20002 FILM SYNOPSIS: In *Is God Is*, two sisters embark on an epic quest for revenge, confronting a charged family history that will push them to extraordinary lengths. The film is Aleshea Harris’ directorial debut and is based on Harris’ adaptation of her award-winning play of the same name. [Click here for trailer](https://youtu.be/pgtdkuNFoKk?si=vl2AftzOcYsAzGhi) **This invitation is non-transferable and** **RSVP does not guarantee admission. Early arrival strongly suggested as seating will be on a first-come, first serve basis.** This screening will be monitored for unauthorized recording. Any attempted recording (audio or video) will result in your immediate removal from the theatre. RSVP names will be used for validation at the theatre.

Today's meetup is limited to 12 BB and above only players and 2x2, 3x3 or 4x4 play only. Please help us keep this day limited and enjoy the open play on the other days if you or your friend are not BB or above. People make plans and travel to show up on limited days for limited play because it is limited to experienced players. Please do not show up if you are on the waitlist without checking first, or try to play 5's or 6's, with your friend that is learning how to play, or because it is not full with 12 players if you or your friend are not BB or above. We’d rather play with 9 experienced players on these limited days than open it up to beginners, friends that are learning, etc. There are other open days for that, and they are fun too.

Follow the appeal of Roman Sterlingov, convicted of the victimless "crime" of providing everyday Bitcoiners privacy. The next stage of the case is oral arguments in DC Court of Appeals, come to support Roman and the future of Bitcoin ownership in US. Roman has been convicted by of allegedly operating BitcoinFog, a mixing service accused of anonymizing Bitcoin transactions, a small portion of which is thought to be attributable to illicit usage. The charges identify no victims or financial loss and instead attribute to him any potential crimes of anybody on the internet who was using this privacy tool. Learn more and help Roman's defense at [freeroman.org](https://freeroman.org)

We will be reading "Station Eleven" by Emily St. John Mandel. We will be meeting at GameOn Bar. So, please come join us for some discussion and a drink and/or food. [Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel | Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20170404-station-eleven) As per usual we are crowd-sourcing book ideas and voting on the top books. We encourage you to add votes to the books [DC Science Fiction Book Club Suggestions - Google Sheets](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mprXaa6bcEW5EL_uprN16-RBcetO6pbqA4vHDTjtowI/edit?gid=0#gid=0)

Come Craft with us. Don't let the lack of RSVPs stop you, they aren't required, nor is membership to our group. Bring your project and join a boisterous group of crafters in the Kogod Courtyard of the Smithsonian Portrait Gallery - American Art Museum. This glass roofed space is climate controlled and has the most beautiful light for crafting. (If there's an event in Courtyard head over to the MLK library Cafe.)

Come Craft with us at either the MLK Library or the Kogod atrium of the Portrait Gallery. There are generally knitters/crocheters/needle workers in both places. Our success has made us a fairly large group so we are meeting in both places on Saturdays. Don't let the lack of RSVPs stop you, they aren't required, nor is membership to our group. Bring your project and join a boisterous group of crafters in first floor of either building.

We're seeing In the Grey at 3:00pm at Regal Gallery Place. I'm really looking forward to seeing Cavill and Gyllenhaal play off each other in the new Guy Ritchie. I have high hopes for something as top as The Man from U.N.C.L.E. because, as much as I love Armie Hammer, Gyllenhaal is a step up. Not so sure about Eiza Gonzalez but she was also in Ungentlemanly Behavior with Cavill. Ritchie does have his favorites. Your host will be in seat E5, let's plan on getting dinner afterwards.

The theme for May is Thriller. • The book we will be discussing is A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. (determined by votes from April Book Club. Let me know if you'd like a free digital copy of the book) • This event will be at the main library. 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.

Join us as we get together to see your choice of two VERY different movies – one sweet and wholesome – the other a terrifying folklore horror! Option 1 is the fun whodunnit-action-comedy-mystery led by Hugh Jackman, THE SHEEP DETECTIVES! Option 2 is the top-reviewed supernatural-horror-thriller starring Adam Scott, HOKUM! Here’s a description, trailer and plan for this event: THE SHEEP DETECTIVES: Every night a shepherd reads aloud a murder mystery, pretending his sheep can understand. When he is found dead, the sheep realize at once that it was a murder and think they know everything about how to go about solving it. The film is directed by Kyle Balda and take a look at this ensemble cast: Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Braun, Molly Gordon, Hong Chau and Emma Thompson and the voices of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O'Dowd, Regina Hall, Patrick Stewart, Bella Ramsey, Brett Goldstein and Rhys Darby. TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyZI5oM6hWk HOKUM: In this film, a horror writer visits an Irish inn to scatter his parents' ashes, unaware the property is said to be haunted by a witch. It is written/directed by Damian McCarthy stars Adam Scott, Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh and Austin Amelio. Hokum premiered to rave reviews at this year’s SXSW Festival and is being release by Neon. It is earning a stellar 97% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which calls it, “A classic haunted house story enriched with atmospheric folklore and perfectly-timed shocks!” TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVCIK_MPyhc PLAN: For those seeing HOKUM, please purchase your ticket for the 7:00pm showing and meet inside the theater lobby at 6:50pm! For those seeing THE SHEEP DETECTIVES, please purchase your ticket for the 7:15pm showing and meet inside the theater lobby at 7:00pm! For BOTH films, we’ll plan for a pre-show bite at nearby El Vaquero! For those joining for dinner, we’ll meet at El Vaquero at 5:45pm! Should be a couple of fun movies and a good time together, Dan

**Our May novel is: *The Quiet Librarian* by Allen Eskens** **This month’s book is set in the 20th century and mixes historical fiction with suspense and thriller elements. It also centers on women’s stories and relationships. The novel is 368 pages in print or 8 hours and 12 minutes on audiobook.** Hana Babic is a quiet, middle-aged librarian in Minnesota who wants nothing more than to be left alone. But when a detective arrives with the news that her best friend has been murdered, Hana knows that something evil has come for her, a dark remnant of the past she and her friend had shared. Thirty years before, Hana was someone else: Nura Divjak, a teenager growing up in the mountains of war-torn Bosnia—until Serbian soldiers arrived to slaughter her entire family before her eyes. The events of that day thrust Nura into the war, leading her to join a band of militia fighters, where she became not only a fierce warrior but a legend—the deadly Night Mora. But a shattering final act forced Nura to flee to the United States with a bounty on her head\*\*.\*\*

Join us as we kick off Summer Movie Season with a Happy Hour & a movie event to see the sci-fi action-adventure, THE MANDOLARIAN AND GROGU! The sci-fi action-adventure follows a lone bounty hunter and his apprentice Grogu (Baby Yoda) embark on an exciting new Star Wars adventure. Here are details, a trailer and our plan for this event: DESCRIPTION: In the film, Djarin and his apprentice Grogu are enlisted by the New Republic during a period where remaining Imperial warlords threaten the galaxy. The film is written/directed by Jon Favreau (the mastermind behind the early MCU films) and stars Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver and Jeremy Allen White. TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwild1rw7Aw HAPPY HOUR PLAN: For Happy Hour food and drinks before the show we’ll meet in the bar area at nearby Bravo at 5:15pm! We’ll have a section reserved for the group, so keep an eye out for us and we’ll keep one out for you! CMG Pro Tip: If you can, bring cash as it helps make for a quicker exit from the restaurant. MOVIE PLAN: Please purchase your ticket for the 6:45pm showing and meet in the lobby area at 6:30pm! Tickets on sale now and advance purchase as soon as possible is advised! Once you have yours, please list you seat number in the Comments section of this event. Happy Summer and See You Soon, Dan

PO Box 21. Is a speakeasy in the basement of Highbanks Distillery in Westerville. Check out the menu: https://www.poboxtwentyone.com/home