Friday: Diwali Festival at the National Museum of Asian Art

Join the National Museum of Asian Art to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, and take part in a one-night party that shows how different regions recognize this holiday. Immerse yourself in the dancing, music and of course the lights. Demi MohammedNMAA’s public programs coordinator says there’s one thing she’s most looking forward to: “Definitely the dance party…seeing people really happy in that space.” DJ Rekha and DC Bhangra Team will help fill the dance floor. Attendees will also have the opportunity to pick up some cute jewelry: designer Saaj by G They will be there or make some crafts of their own. But the real magic happens after sunset. The museum will be illuminated with numerous multi-coloured projections by local lighting designers to attract audiences to Diwali and create a home away from home across the ocean for those who missed the festival with their families. Diwali Festival starts at 5pm at NMAA. 1050 Independence Boulevard. S.W. asia.si.edu. It’s free, but registration is recommended. —Meg Richards

Saturday: BLK Author Fair at Creative Suitland

This Saturday, young Black writers will have the opportunity to be recognized and in community with other Black writers at the BLK Author Expo. Host of the event Aaron Butler He is the owner and founder of BookButler Publishing Company, which he founded in 2019 to publish his children’s stories.Nalani Uşak, Leila ButlerAnd Marco Montero— he wrote. The first book came out shortly after the pandemic began. In a way, the world shutdown was a fortuitous event; Butler had to get creative in marketing the books, which paved the way for the kind of support that BBPC still does today. “We were launching something new, we had all the events planned…it would be good promotion for my daughters. “After everything shut down, we had to pivot (to figure out) how we could monopolize virtual meetings so we could have some interaction with the public.” This was the first phase of BBPC. They now serve as a platform for writers, like their daughters, who don’t know where to start when it comes to publishing. Black Author Expo, now in its third year, grew out of the small community events BBPC started doing after the world reopened. “It’s actually pretty exciting because we’ve positioned ourselves to be able to help other writers,” says Butler.. “As we were promoting the first book, we were noticing that we were being approached by other writers who didn’t know exactly how to do what we were doing.” BLK Author Expo will be held on November 2 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Creative Suitland, 4719 Silver Hill Rd, Suitland. thebookbutler.com. Free. —Meg Richards