Out & About
1455 Literary Arts Summer Festival celebrates queer work
Features Douglas Stuart, Lisa Ling, Sunny Hostin and more
![](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2021/07/1455_Literary_Arts_Festival_insert.jpg)
The third annual 1455 Literary Arts Summer Festival will be held from Thursday, July 15 to Saturday, July 17. This free virtual event features 200 literary leaders, from top book award winners to journalists and poets including Douglas Stuart, Lisa Ling, Sunny Hostin and more.
This yearās festival will focus on the power of storytelling and the crucial role it plays not only in creative and academic fields, but far beyond. The gathering will be a rare opportunity for participants to learn from some of todayās most celebrated, diverse, and up-and-coming storytellers, who bring their unique perspectives to timely issues such as politics, race relations, and sexual equality.
As part of the festival, 1455 will also host a Teen Poetry Contest centered around the theme of āFinding Community During Crisis.ā The competitors will submit work that is a reflection on or reaction to the contemporary sociopolitical and cultural environment. The winner will receive recognition and an award of $5,000.
For more information about the festival, visit: https://1455litarts.org.
Out & About
Celebrate July 4 with area fireworks displays
Festivities planned for National Mall, Baltimore, Rehoboth Beach
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The National Mall is the most popular place to watch the D.C. fireworks display; spread a blanket near the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, or the Lincoln Memorial. The 17-minute display starts at 9:09 p.m. and will be launched from both sides of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
In Baltimore, the Inner Harbor Fourth of July festivities will begin at 6 p.m. and the fireworks and drone show will begin at 9:30 p.m. downtown at the harbor.
The fireworks in Rehoboth Beach, Del., will be held on Saturday, July 6.
Out & About
Smithsonian Folklife Festival underway
‘Indigenous Voices of the Americas’ program held on the Mall
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The 2024 Smithsonian Folklife Festival takes place on the National Mall June 26āJuly 1, with the program āIndigenous Voices of the Americas: Celebrating the National Museum of the American Indian.ā
Since 1967, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival has been held on the National Mall; events are free. Festival hours are 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m., with evening concerts Friday through Sunday from 5:30-7 p.m. For details on specific events, visit festival.si.edu/visit.
![](https://www.washingtonblade.com/content/files/2024/06/rainbow_Pride_flags_in_park_insert_by_Bigstock.jpg)
The 2024 Arlington Pride Festival will be held Saturday, June 29 at 12 p.m. at Long Bridge Park.
This event will be a gathering of the community showcasing local talent, food, and vibrant entertainment. The event will be a celebration of diversity and love.
Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.Ā
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