March is Women’s History Month! Here are our picks for a female-centric March. From rock and roll shows to author readings, plays, movies and more, get your fem on however you like. Who runs the world?
Monday, March 2: Brooklyn-based duo BLKKATHY, composed of two cool women both named Kate, will be at Black Cat. Their main goal remains “make your booty bounce and ruin your makeup.” Dance on, and feel free to shed some tears, ladies.
Tuesday, March 3: Best selling mystery writer Cara Black stops by Politics and Prose for a reading from her latest Aimée Leduc mystery novel Murder on the Champ de Mars. The fifteenth novel in the series focuses on Aimée’s investigation into the long, unsolved mystery of her father’s murder.
Wednesday, March 4: Sharon Davis, principal of Sharon Davis Design, presents this year’s “Women of Architecture” lecture. Davis will be discussing the need for social justice, sustainability and economic empowerment at the National Building Museum.
Thursday, March 5: DC Public Library hosts a screening of Away From Her, followed by a page-to-screen discussion of the short story “The Bear Came Over the Mountain” by Alice Munro, which the film is based off of.
Friday, March 6: Watch some awesome women show off their classic burlesque moves at Black Cat for House of Sweetbottom: Blues and Burlesque. D.C. singer and songwriter Maureen Andary will be providing the music, guaranteeing a great night for women all around.
Saturday, March 7: Celebrate women by getting fancy, and attending the Global Connections for Women Foundation’s International Women’s Day Awards and Benefit Gala at the Library of Congress. Honorees include Dr. Joyce Banda, former president of Malawi and Forbes 2014 Most Powerful Women in the World, who will speak on the night’s theme of “Connecting for Women Empowerment.”
Sunday, March 8: It’s International Women’s Day! Join in on the fun by attending the Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. The event, which is part of the Art+Feminism global initiative and takes place in a handful of cities, aims to improve Wikipedia’s gender imbalance. And with Wikipedia’s recent decision to ban feminist editors from the Gamergate page, the need for this event makes even more sense.
Monday, March 9: Join the Women’s Biography book club at Politics and Prose to discuss Looking for Palestine by Najla Said. Said addresses growing up as a first-generation Arab American in New York City, and her struggle to uncover her identity and control her physically dangerous self-hatred.
Tuesday, March 10: Stop by Anacostia Community Museum to hear historians and actors tell the life of Loreta Velazquez, a women that didn’t gender get in the way of following her beliefs, in the film Rebel: Loreta Velazquez, Secret Soldier of the American Civil War. Velazquez was one of over a thousand women who secretly served as soldiers in the Civil War. Fight on.
Wednesday, March 11: Check out the critically acclaimed documentary classic Paris is Burning, by filmmaker Jennie Livingston, at DC Public Library’s latest installment of female directed documentaries for Women’s History Month. Learn more about the 1990s gay and transgender community, and the discrimination that the documentary’s cast faces.
Thursday, March 12: Newly minted pop sensation, known for her arrival on the music scene as number one on Hype Machine, VÉRITÉ plays at DC9. Check out the rising star’s live set, and listen to her silky smooth voice keep it real with songs like “Strange Enough” that say “Strange enough, I don’t love you like you want me to.” Ouch.
Friday, March 13: Elaine de Kooning: A Life in Frames, Portraits and Stories opens at the National Portrait Gallery. Check out her portraits of close friends and a variety of famous men, which was noted for being “both sympathetic and frighteningly acute” portrayal of men through a woman’s eyes.
Saturday, March 14: Join everyone’s favorite sardonic teen and pop culture feminist icon Daria at the Black Cat for Sick Sad World “Happy Hour.” Rev up the girl power with two episodes of Daria and drink specials! Tonight’s episodes are “The Lost Girls” and “It Happened One Nut.”
Sunday, March 15: Busboys and Poets host a panel discussion with five women authors for Feminine Voices: Everyday Extraordinary Women on Leadership and Living. Hear stories about finding authenticity, authority, leadership and balancing feminity and masculinity. With backgrounds that range from human rights activism to NASA and Woman’s football, the authors guarantee a diverse collection of voices.
Monday, March 16: Punk rock band Perfect Pussy, known for their outspoken feminist stance, stops at Black Cat for one of their trademark noisy shows. Their debut album, Say Yes to Love, was named one of the top 10 albums of 2014 by NPR, and for good reason.
Tuesday, March 17: DC Public Library’s new Queer Book Club meets to discuss this month’s pick, the classic lesbian novel Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown. Hear about the novel’s impact on the rise of explicit lesbian fiction, and explore how Brown addresses female sexuality.
Wednesday, March 18: LUNAFEST, the award winning, traveling short films festival centered on women filmmakers, takes over Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse. Proceeds from the event go to Postpartum Support Virginia and the Breast Cancer Fund.
Thursday, March 19: SpeakeasyDC and DC Public Library hosts a night of female storytelling, as five women take the stage to dish out their personal studies. Hear about date nights, GNOs and more with the awkwardness and humor of reality.
Friday, March 20: There’s only a week and a half left to see Angela Lansbury at the National Theatre in Blithe Spirit. Enjoy the acting legend in her essence, as Lansbury takes center stage for the Noël Coward hit classic comedy-play. Blithe Spirit runs through March 29.
Saturday, March 21: Soon at Signature Theatre promises to delight with the story of a woman living in a soon-to-be apocalyptic world. The play takes place a few months before all the water on Earth evaporates, and the protagonist, twenty-something Charlie, decides to cope by staying on her couch and eating peanut butter. Check out the humorous musical to find out what happens as she debates venturing outside, and considers the life and love she just might be missing out on.
Sunday, March 22: Environmental Film Festival sponsors Women and Water, a two-part shorts program that features films on women and water. The program will be playing three shorts, all directed by women, which focus on local water issues. Discussion with filmmakers and the film subjects will take place after the screening.
Monday, March 23: National Museum of Women in the Arts hosts a screening of Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning as part of the Environmental Film Festival. Learn more about Lange’s life, and her work’s focus on those within the margins of society.
Tuesday, March 24: Join Paula Young Shelton, educator and author, at the National Archives to discuss the roles of notable female activists and organizers during the civil rights movement. Gain insight into the impact of these women, and learn about how the Selma march still applies to today’s culture.
Wednesday, March 25: Bob’s Burgers Live, the show’s live tour featuring both the executive directors and cast, takes over Warner Theatre. Events include stand-up, Q&A, live readings and exclusive clips from upcoming shows. Plus the chance to see Dan Mintz as everyone’s favorite angst-filled teenager girl Tina!
Thursday, March 26: Badass country singer Kacey Musgraves, noted for singing about issues such as gender norms, pot and atheism, stops by 9:30 club for her Same Tour Different Trailer tour. With lyrics like “Kiss lots of boys / or kiss lots of girls / if that’s something you’re into,” you know it’s going to be a good night.
Friday, March 27: New Zealand duo BROODS plays at 9:30 club as part of their North American tour. The up-and-coming siblings, known for their debut album Evergreen that dropped last year, will be showing off their alternative pop, indie roots with fan favorites such as “Bridges” and “Never Going to Change.”
Saturday, March 28: Enjoy play readings by contemporary female playwrights, and directed by local D.C. female stage directors, in honor of SWAN Day (Support Women Artists Now) and D.C. Theatre’s “Year of the Woman Playwright” at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. You can stop by for one of the plays, or stay for the whole show.
Sunday, March 29: Voices Rising takes the stage at the Kennedy Center for Target Family Night. The all-female chorus, founded on feminist and activist principles, focuses on collective voices in solidarity to raise awareness and celebration for diverse communities.
Monday, March 30: U Street Music Hall hosts Halsey as part of the American Youth Tour. The New Jersey-native, also known as Ashley Frangipane, channels the feminist experience through her songs about slut shaming, abusive relationships and one-night stands. Enjoy listening to fan-favorite “Hurricane” as Halsey sings: “I’m a wanderess / I’m a one night stand / I don’t belong to no city / Don’t belong to no man.”
Tuesday, March 31: Self-proclaimed British feminist Jessie Ware, known for her latest album Tough Love, takes over 9:30 club. Get ready to sing along to anthems such as “Tough Love” that ask, “So you wanna be a man about it, do you?”
