All book lovers know the sweet bliss that accompanies the first days of fall. Gone are the days of FOMO; it’s time to cancel plans, stay in, and read guilt-free. Say goodbye to the beach reads and hello to eerie campus novels and classic gothics. Luckily, local bookstores are following suit with a swath of events for lovers of all things psychologically thrilling and spine-chilling. Of course, we threw in a couple literary events that are spook-free too. 

Literary Hill BookFest at Eastern Market on Oct. 6

Spend a crisp fall day immersed in the local literary scene at the 13th annual Literary Hill BookFest in Capitol Hill. The free festival features author talks, book signings, and family-friendly activities. Hear from local authors including Frances Park, Shannon Sanders, and Louis Bayard, author of The Pale Blue Eye and The Wildes. If you’re feeling inspired after such a bookish day, try your hand at the open mic at Tunnicliff’s Tavern to close out the festivities. The event starts at 11 a.m. at Eastern Market, 225 7th St. SE. Free. 

Latine Representation in Literature at People’s Book on Oct. 13 

Close out Hispanic Heritage Month with a discussion on representation with four local authors: middle-grade novelists Anna Lapera and Letisha Marrero, and fiction authors Diana Rojas and Ursula Villarreal-Moura. (Our arts editor liked Villarreal-Moura’s debut novel so much, she recommended it for City Paper‘s Spring Arts Guide.) The event starts at 2 p.m. at People’s Book, 7014-A Westmoreland Ave., Takoma Park. Free. 

Kate Stayman-London, Fang Fiction at East City Bookshop on Oct. 15

The trifecta: vampire romance, wine, and reproductive justice. L.A.-based author Kate Stayman-London is coming to town to discuss her latest romantasy, Fang Fiction. When Tess discovers the sexy villain from her favorite vampire novel is real and trapped in our world, she embarks on a quest to save him. Stayman-London will discuss her book (which sounds like every fan fiction reader’s dream) between sips of wine while raising money for the DC Abortion Fund. The event starts at 7 p.m. at East City Bookshop, 654 Pennsylvania Ave. SE and streaming on Zoom. Free.

A Conversation with Gerardo Sámano Córdova at as you are on Oct. 23 

Gerardo Sámano Córdova’s genre-bending debut novel, Monstrilio, tells the story of a grieving mother who cuts out and nurtures a piece of her deceased son’s lung until it transforms into a creature that resembles him. Part literary horror, part meditation on grief, Monstrilio was named a 2023 Book of the Year by NPR, Elle, Goodreads, and others. The Los Angeles Times likened Sámano Córdova to authors such as Carmen Maria Machado and Maríana Enriquez, “who wring fresh interpretations out of horror’s insights into otherness, expanding the genre to include BIPOC and LGBTQ+ characters as well as their culture and background.” He’ll be at as you are—courtesy of Little District Books—for a moderated discussion and Q&A. The event starts at 7 p.m. at as you are, 500 8th St. SE. Free. 

Small Press Book Club at Lost City Books on Oct. 24

Daphne du Maurier stans, rise! This month’s Small Press Book Club will meet to discuss Don’t Look Now, a collection of horror stories from the reigning queen of quietly chilling 20th-century gothic novels, the author of Rebeccca, Jamaica Inn, and (my personal favorite) My Cousin Rachel. The selection includes “The Birds,” famously adapted by Alfred Hitchcock, alongside other psychologically thrilling surprises. The event starts at 7 p.m. at Lost City Books, 2468 18th St. NW. Free. 

Unrelated to the event, but perfect for du Maurier fans, I also recommend Ghosts, a collection of clever, realistic ghost stories by Edith Wharton. 

Witchcraft: Fact & Fiction at People’s Book on Oct. 26

This panel brings together three local authors—Wiccan writer Thorn Mooney, speculative fiction writer and multimedia artist Salinee Goldenberg, and poet Rita Feinstein—for a discussion about the truth and fantasy of witches and witchcraft. The event starts at 6 p.m. at People’s Book, 7014-A Westmoreland Ave., Takoma Park. Free. 

Why trust me, a mere City Paper social media editor, to recommend dance events? Twenty years of ballet-induced trauma, permanently deformed metatarsals, and a BFA from New York University’s Tisch Dance (shout-out to my fellow survivors). Dance gets a bad rap for being esoteric, exclusionary, and expensive. If your opinion is based on The Nutcracker or Swan Lake, I get it. But dance is so much more than that. These fall events will show you the range of the District’s dance scene, from contemporary ballet to social dance and step. 

District Choreographer’s Dance Festival Closing Performances at Edgewood Arts Center on Sept. 14 and 15

Dance Place’s fourth annual festival, titled “Being Alive: Brave & Startling Truths,” celebrates the local dance community with a week of performances, classes, and conversations. Take a journey through various site-specific and theater performances, plus a postshow social mixer on Saturday and artist talk on Sunday. Inspired by Maya Angelou’s poem “A Brave and Startling Truth,” this year’s theme invites eight local choreographers to explore the vulnerability of living authentically. The show starts at 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at the Edgewood Arts Center, 3415 8th St. NE. $38.

Extended Play at at Mess Hall on Sept. 15 

Last month, WCP contributor Ella Feldman took us inside the wave of underground dance parties taking over a loading dock in Edgewood. Extended Play is one of these DJ-hosted parties creating a safe, welcoming space to dance like … well, only a few people are watching. Catch their second-to-last party of the year featuring iconic DJ King Britt, who was at the forefront of shaping Philly’s house scene in the ’90s and now teaches a course on Black electronic music at the University of California, San Diego. It’s a great option for tapping into the transformative power of social dance in a judgment-free zone. The party starts at 5 p.m. at Mess Hall, 703 Edgewood St. NE. $30.

Hamlet … the rest is silence at Thomas Jefferson Theater, opens Sept. 28

Synetic Theater, known for its visceral, wordless adaptations of the Bard’s works, is bringing back the show that put the theater on the map in 2002—Hamlet. Its Helen Hayes Award-winning production tells the classic story of a tragic prince on his quest for vengeance. Earlier this year, WCP theater critic Ian Thal gave its adaptation of Romeo and Juliet a rave review, so this should be a compelling return to its movement-based roots. Hamlet … the rest is silence opens Sept. 28 and runs through Oct. 13 at  Thomas Jefferson Theatre, 125 S. Old Glebe Rd., Arlington. $35-$65.

Dance for All at Dupont Underground starts on Oct. 3 

The Washington Ballet’s new artistic director, Edwaard Liang, and Emmy Award-winning composer Blake Neely have crafted a site-specific work for the abandoned trolley station under Dupont Circle. I imagine the juxtaposition of subterranean grunge and sleek lines of contemporary ballet could rival the motorcycle-riding, red-pointe-shoe-wearing closing performance in Center Stage (if you know, you know). The show runs from Oct. 3 through Oct. 5 at Dupont Underground, 19 Dupont Cir., NW. $25–$50.

Dissonance Dance Theatre: Fall Forward at Atlas Performing Arts Center on Oct. 19

Dissonance Dance Theatre’s annual fall show features three contemporary ballet works from the company’s founding director (and Howard alum) Shawn Short. For the uninitiated, contemporary ballet blends the technical foundations of ballet with the athleticism and freedom of modern dance styles. Set to everything from John Legend and house tracks to Swedish composer Mikael Karlsson, the three works are sure to keep you on your toes. The show starts at 8 p.m. at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. $50.

when WE take flight at Warner Theatre opens on Oct. 23

Ballet fans are watching closely to see what direction Liang will take TWB, and when WE take flight offers some clues. The program opens with George Balanchine’s 1972, no-plot-just-vibes “Stravinsky Violin Concerto,” followed by Gustavo Ramirez Sansano’s playful “18 + 1,” and ends with Liang’s new work, “Murmuration,” inspired by the flight patterns of starling birds. The mixed-bill showcases the company’s range and gives audiences a crash course in the evolution of neoclassical ballet, from Balanchine to Liang. The performances start on Oct. 23 and run through Oct. 27 at Warner Theatre, 513 13th St. NW. $25-100.

The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence at Richmond’s Modlin Center for the Arts on Oct. 26 

For 30 years, Step Afrika! has been preserving and performing step, a dance form rooted in West African folk dancing and popularized by historically Black colleges and universities. Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence traces the forced migration of Black Americans from slavery through the 20th century, with Lawrence’s paintings projected above the stage. If you missed Arena Stage’s production in July, catch it in Richmond this fall, featuring the gospel quintet the Legendary Ingramettes. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Modlin Center for the Arts, 453 Westhampton Way, Richmond. $22-$62.

Check out more of our 2024 Fall Arts Guide here.

Thursday: Belle and Sebastian at the Anthem

Don’t forget this show highlighted in last week’s City Lights: After Belle and Sebastian’s Sarah Martin graduated from university, she took a job in a local bookshop. “My mum was like, ‘Yeah, but what are you really going to do?’” Martin tells City Paper. “I was like, ‘No, this is fine because I’m joining this band and I want to do something that won’t be too difficult to give up.’ She was like, ‘That’s the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard.’” Her mum needn’t have worried. —Christina Smart

Saturday: The Villains Ball at the AutoShop 

Put those Mickey Mouse ears and Superman shields back in the attic—far away from the wicked peripheries of the antiheroes and bad guys running rampant at DC’s Villains Ball. Here’s the time to embrace the characters often overshadowed by their hero counterparts, because even villains need time away from their diabolical plans. This year’s home base will morph out of the AutoShop and into a safe haven for those deemed enemies across all fandom dimensions. Last year’s inaugural ball saw popular anime, comic book, sci-fi, and Disney villains that blurred enemy lines into a circle of its very own. Cruella De Vil was in rare and various forms: donned in floor-length Dalmatian scarves, white petticoats, and lace masks. Majin Buu (from the Dragon Ball manga series) made it to the function in a bright pink suit and even brighter feathers—a similar pink hue to the feathers pinned in Marie Antoinette’s hair. This Ball allows fandom enthusiasts to put themselves in the shoes of their favorite villain, where Roquois Clarke, event organizer and co-founder of Plus Ultra Entertainment, says people often find common ground with the bad guys. “People can realistically empathize with them in certain situations, and it kind of creates that love for them.” The evening will celebrate the villains’ stories with like-minded foes—from lightsaber battles from martial arts group Urban Force to acro-pole dancing inspired by the villainous Golden Woman of Netflix’s Love, Death & Robots. And one lucky attendee will be crowned Villain of the Year. The Villains Ball starts at 8 p.m. on May 4 at the AutoShop, 416 Morse St. NE. villainsball.plusultraentertainment.com. $135–$235. —Heidi Perez-Moreno

Saturday and Sunday: Jazz Greats at Takoma Station 

Some wonderful music has transpired at Takoma Station since it brought live jazz back to its stage a few years ago. Yet, some wonderful music has also bypassed the Upper Northwest tavern because it doesn’t have the space for the grand piano that many of the top 88ers insist upon. That changes this weekend—if only for the weekend. A concert grand piano is coming to the Station’s floor (taking up what’s usually table space) especially for the use of two jazz grand masters. Benito Gonzalez, a wizard of the keys who was based in D.C. during the 2000s before moving on to New York, takes the piano bench on Saturday night as the head of a trio. The next night, “Bishop” Allyn Johnson, a D.C. lifer and one of our fair city’s best and most accomplished jazz talents, does the same. If the names aren’t enough to whet your appetite, consider: It’s expensive to rent a grand piano, and it will displace something like a fifth of Takoma Station’s customer capacity. But the powers that be have decided that these two musicians are so good, they have to make that sacrifice. Benito Gonzalez and the Allyn Johnson trio perform at 7 p.m. on May 4 and 6 p.m. on May 5, respectively, at Takoma Station, 6916 4th St. NW. jkproductions.org. $20–$25. —Michael J. West 

Sunday: La Perla at Rhizome

La Perla, a woman-led trio made up of Bogotá-based musicians Karen Forero, Giovanna Mogollón, and Diana Sanmiguel, have made it their life’s mission to master the intricate beats shaped by the traditional sounds along Colombia’s Caribbean coastline. So when they began playing in 2014, their vocal and percussion styles blended magic—so much so that they’ve been dubbed the “three Colombian drum witches.” The trio built this reputation through years of playing gaitas and hand drums, and mastering folk singing styles. Their music fuses many of the high-energy and fast-paced rhythms found in traditional Colombian cumbia, bullerengue, and vallenato genres. Critics have deemed their work as reinventing Colombian music. They’ve released one EP—Paren La Bulla—and several singles including a feminist hymn on the struggles women in Latin America face. (It was featured on the Netflix show Siempre bruja, aka Always a Witch, in 2018.) This weekend’s performance at Rhizome DC will be their first in the DMV where they’ll be joined by Taxi Vision, a Queens-based six-piece that blend Ecuadorian, Brazilian, and Italian musical influences. La Perla play at 5 p.m. on May 5 at Rhizome, 6950 Maple St. NW. rhizomedc.org. $15-$25. — Heidi Perez-Moreno

Monday: Babehoven and Grocer at DC9

Babehoven are a duo that specializes in pleasant sounds with well-delivered, well-sung vocals that’ll get you swaying back and forth with someone special. Their newest, Water’s Here in You, is a bit more fleshed-out than 2022’s Light Moving Time. The group are getting more sonically adventurous without losing their sound. It’s nice they’re playing in a room as intimate as DC9. It’ll be interesting to hear songs like “Millennia” and “Chariot” in this setting. They’re the kind of tracks that sound fantastic on headphones and may reveal more in a live setting. The opening band, Grocer, are a trio steeped in catharsis, delivering guitar-based angst that’s part math rock, part grunge, part post-punk. With three different singers providing three distinct types of delivery, there are a lot of Sonic Youth vibes (which is a good thing). Their recent 9-song LP, Bless Me, does a fine job illustrating the unique styles of each singer while showcasing the unity of sound. There’s no weak link and the production they achieved at Cash4Gold Studios in their hometown of Philadelphia is quite good, especially on “Blue Goose” and “Subtext.” It’ll serve as a good calling card for both the band and the studio. This is a bill with acts that have a lot of similarities (both are guitar-based, both have women singers (sometimes), both are up-and-comers in the rock scene and have potential to land on large-scale festival bills in 2025 and beyond), but the Venn diagram between their sounds doesn’t have a ton of overlap. That’s great and far too rare. Babehoven, Grocer, and Aunt Katrina play at 8 p.m. on May 6 at DC9, 1940 9th Street NW. dc9.club $18–$20. —Brandon Wetherbee

Friday, Sunday, Monday, Wednesday: Last Year at Marienbad at AFI Silver 

However you feel about this enigmatic, divisive masterpiece, its reach is so pervasive that I swear you can see its influence in last year’s Super Mario Bros. Movie. But the delirious visual dazzle of director Alain Resnais’ 1961 drama, Last Year at Marienbad, has not always been easy to access. Old-timers may remember catching the film in a snowy UHF broadcast on Annandale’s Channel 56, or in a muddy 16mm print at Sidwell Friends’ summer cinema series. Thanks to the AFI’s Recent Restorations, cinephiles can see a 4K upgrade made from the original negative. The plot, such as it is, revolves around art-house power couple Giorgio Albertazzi and Delphine Seyrig, who play unnamed, impeccably dressed guests at an ornate chateau where they may or may not have met the year before. This central mystery—whether these people even know each other—is never solved. If anything, reality becomes less certain as the pair individually and together navigate an intricate baroque architecture. It’s a 94-minute cinematic game with no straightforward rules, and detractors may sympathize with critic Pauline Kael, who famously dismissed its influence as “creeping Marienbadism.” But what keeps viewers glued to their seats is Sacha Vierny’s exquisite black-and-white cinematography, tracking shots taking in every decadent detail of this uncanny palace (played by a number of different palaces around Munich), and capturing Seyrig’s classical facial structure and jet-black hair illuminated like she’s a glamorous vision of Ernie Bushmiller’s Nancy. You may not know what it all means, even after repeat viewings, but it’s so gorgeous it will sweep you away, and maybe that’s the ultimate significance of its peerless, mystifying aesthetic. Last Year at Marienbad screens May 3, 5, 6, and 8 at AFI Silver, 8633 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring. silver.afi.com. $13. —Pat Padua

Now open: Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900–1939, at the National Portrait Gallery

We’re all too familiar with the literary men of the Lost Generation, but we know less about that same generation of American women artists who found themselves in Paris during the early 20th century. These painters, performers, writers, and fashion designers are the stars of the National Portrait Gallery’s latest exhibition, Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900–1939. Through photographs, paintings, sculptures, drawings, and biographies, discover the stories of 60 women who explored their authentic identities away from America’s restrictive culture. After fleeing discrimination based on class, gender, race, and sexual identity, the women pursued their ambitions in Paris and built cultural landmarks, influenced modernist movements, and created bold feminist legacies. Brilliant Exiles opens with Edward Steichen’s “In Exaltation of Flowers,” a sprawling three-panel portrayal of three It Girls—Katharine Nash Rhoades, Marion H. Beckett, and Mercedes de Cordoba—each represented by a flower whose attributes reflect their personalities. But we learn that these women were more than mere muses: Beckett studied postimpressionist art, Rhoades helped establish and run the Freer Gallery of Art (now the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art), and Cordoba worked as a fashion illustrator and correspondent before pursuing an acting career. Many of the women featured in Brilliant Exiles received more attention for their beauty than for their talent or intelligence, but that didn’t stop them from reclaiming their identities through their art. You’ll see portraits of Isadora Duncan, the mother of modern dance, dancing barefoot and scantily clad; Natalie Barney, an out and open lesbian who hosted a literary salon where other queer women could gather safely; and Josephine Baker, a beloved Black performer who satirized colonial stereotypes of African culture. Each story is compelling, heartbreaking, and empowering in equal measures. I highly recommend the accompanying podcast from curator Robyn Asleson. As you wander, ask yourself: What were they running away from? What would they think of the progress we have (or haven’t) made? The National Portrait Gallery’s Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900–1939, is on view through Feb. 23, 2025. npg.si.edu. Free. —Samantha Ostwald 

Artomatic announced its reopening on Friday, March 15, following a temporary closure. Despite encountering unforeseen challenges mere days after opening on March 8, the beloved local art festival announced via Instagram that it would resume operations by March 15 at 6 p.m. A spokesperson from Artomatic told Washingtonian that the Foggy Bottom venue where this year’s festival takes place came with unexpected permitting issues. 

In 2009, the last time Artomatic was held in D.C. proper, the team had fewer bureaucratic hoops to jump through. Although the team initially obtained a Certificate of Occupancy for this year’s event, they later learned from D.C.’s Department of Buildings that a building permit is also needed for the planned seven-week extravaganza.

With tonight’s reopening, Artomatic’s steering committee member Tim Tate confirms to City Paper that permits have been secured and the festival will return to its regularly scheduled program. At this year’s Artomatic, nearly 1,000 local artists have come together to breathe life into that abandoned Foggy Bottom office building at the intersection of 21st and M streets NW, transforming the space into a sprawling multifloor gallery. 

Every genre and medium imaginable is featured at Artomatic—from jewelry, glass work, and graffiti to sculpture, photography, painting, and more. Aside from offering a space to exhibit visual arts over the course of seven weeks, Artomatic will also host countless DJ nights, lectures, themed dance parties, and workshops. Visitors can grab wine or beer from the donation-based bar, contribute to the community painting wall, or snap content for the ’gram at one of the numerous selfie spots.

How do artists get their work displayed at Artomatic? It’s simple—a $150 fee and a commitment to do three five-hour volunteer shifts during the event’s seven-week run. Tate, who’s also the director of the Washington Glass School and my personal Artomatic tour guide, tells City Paper that these volunteer shifts are how he built his vast network of local artists over the years. From its humble beginnings in 1999, when the event was promoted via word-of-mouth and featured 350 artists, Artomatic has grown dramatically. This year, it features more than 900 artists, but that number comes closer to 1,500 when the performers—including local bands, poets, and authors—are included. During the tour, Tate answers a FaceTime call from his husband, who tells me about his dream-pop band, Blood Family Reunion, who will celebrate their album drop with performances at Artomatic on March 23. Of course, Tate’s work graces their album cover.

One of the defining features of Artomatic is the low barrier to entry for artists, which removes gatekeepers dictating what is acceptable in traditional art spaces. As we stroll through the main floor displays, Tate notes Artomatic welcomes all forms of art without judgment. “No one does that here,” he says. “You wanna put Barbies on the floor in a star pattern? You go, girl, do whatever you like.” Consequently, the art on display at Artomatic is as expansive, diverse, and outspoken as the community of D.C. artists it represents. Tate takes every opportunity on the tour to point out art by queer artists, seldom-seen representations of trans and nonbinary bodies, and the political statements made by the artists, including himself. 

During my solo tour of the galleries, we bump into various artists setting up their spaces before the March 8 opening, which captures the true community-building vibe of the Artomatic experience. “It’s a little intense,” says glass artist Anthony D’amico before walking us through his fifth-floor display, which features a noose with “POLITICS” painted onto the structure and a piece called “Government Lies” with an ear set against a backdrop of red, white, and blue with tally marks tracking lies. Tate warns him about the potential controversy surrounding the noose, to which D’amico responds confidently, “I invest more faith in people and their intelligence. This is the only place it can go; this isn’t going to go in a gallery.”

Artists aren’t the only ones who benefit from the omission of curators, juries, fees, and restrictions. Founder Goerge Koch points out that whenever you go to a gallery or museum, someone has selected the art for you to see. Instead, visitors at Artomatic develop their own curatorial skills, resulting in a true marketplace of artistic ideas, where the visitor is invited to expand their understanding of what art can be and who it represents. Artomatic provides a platform for artists from all walks of life to express themselves authentically and without inhibition, fostering a vibrant and inclusive cultural space for creators and audiences.  

Artomatic is open Wednesday and Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from noon to midnight, and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m. artomatic.org. Free.

From the window of a second-floor bedroom at Tudor Place in Georgetown, you can almost see clear across the Potomac to Arlington. Two hundred years ago, the same view would have been unobstructed by the trees and buildings that now stand in the way. Enslaved women who worked and lived at Tudor Place would hang their petticoats from this window to signal to their enslaved relatives across the water at Arlington House. This small subversive act captures the efforts of these women to restore the kinship bonds of their fractured families. Ancestral Spaces: People of African Descent at Tudor Place, a special installation and guided tour, reimagines the historic house from the perspective of the enslaved and free Black people who lived and worked there. 

From 1805 to 1983, Tudor Place was home to six generations of the Peter family, descendants of Martha Washington, who made their fortune through tobacco cultivation and land sales. Members of the family were meticulous record-keepers of their own stories, but the only written records of the enslaved people at Tudor Place exist in ledgers and lists, reducing each person to property. In 1805, the Peter family sold several of the enslaved Black people they inherited and others were sent to work on different Peter properties in Maryland, tearing apart families and communities. It is impossible to tell the story of Tudor Place without acknowledging the complexities of the family’s legacy. 

Tudor Place curator Rob DeHart collaborated with descendants of some of the enslaved people who lived and worked at Tudor Place, along with other local institutions, to pay homage to the enslaved and free laborers there. The installation, which opened on Feb. 6 and runs through April, is part of a larger mission to acknowledge the history of oppression at the Georgetown mansion, including research efforts to fill the spaces and gaps in the Tudor Place historical archive. Among those efforts is an archaeological excavation in May 2022 that revealed evidence of a dwelling used by the enslaved people on the property grounds. The Peter family, in all their detailed records, never mentioned such dwellings. Artifacts found in the 2022 excavation, along with maps, photographs, and audio recordings, paint a picture of the personalities and lives of the enslaved people rather than solely focusing on their labor. The hope of Ancestral Spaces is to alter the power dynamics of the house by working together with the descendants to tell the stories of their enslaved ancestors, giving them “decision-making power over the interpretation,” according to the exhibit’s press release.

Each stop on the guided tour invites visitors to see the house through the eyes of the enslaved and free laborers who worked there. In the dining room, fragments of ceramic plates found during the 2022 excavation rest on lace doilies amid a traditional table setting—each representing the fragmented family lives of the enslaved people.

In the drawing room, where one would typically see portraits of the Peter family, photos of the enslaved and free laborers and their various descendants adorn the walls and tables, juxtaposed with the myriad objects from the Washington Collection of fine art, ceramic, and silver. Lisa Fager, executive director of the Black Georgetown Foundation and co-curator of Ancestral Spaces, says the pictures on display remind viewers that the lives of the enslaved people at Tudor Place did not end here. Their strength persists through generations of descendants who carry on their legacy. 

The artifacts serve as visual prompts for associated audio clips, which pass on oral history directly from the individuals via their descendants. Next to a window overlooking the garden, for example, various gardening tools rest on a table below a portrait of John Luckett, who self-emancipated during the Civil War and was hired by Britannia Peter Kennon to work as a gardener in 1862, just before slavery was outlawed in the District. Luckett tended to the gardens but also taught Britannia’s grandsons to hunt, fish, and garden. He maintained his independence by living with his family in Southwest D.C. and walking to work every day. Luckett worked at Tudor Place for 44 years until his death in 1906. 

But Luckett’s relatively upbeat story is not the only one on display. Barbara Cole Williams was the daughter of Barbary, one of the 48 individuals inherited by the Peter family from the Custis estate in 1802. Williams gave birth to twins, Hannah and Barbara, in 1829 (baby Barbara died in infancy). However, the tour guide notes that DNA evidence suggests Hannah’s biological father was a member of the Peter family, possibly a son of Thomas and Martha Peter. This quickly mentioned fact is a harrowing reminder of the mistreatment of enslaved women at the hands of their male enslavers. 

Telling these stories requires sensitivity and honesty about the sometimes brutal facts and gruesome details. Urban slavery differed from plantation slavery in the amount of freedom afforded to laborers, but that doesn’t mean the Peter family was particularly gracious in “allowing” their laborers to attend whatever church they wanted or to live off-site with family. The piecemeal nature of the installation emphasizes how unimportant the enslaved people of Tudor Place were to the Peter family and any indication otherwise undercuts the poignancy of the missing pieces.

Fager hopes that Ancestral Spaces will inspire White people to be transparent about their own histories and come forward with information about any records of enslaved labor their family might have. The Black Georgetown Foundation oversees the oldest Black cemeteries in D.C. and continues to help put together and preserve the stories of historic Georgetown—a neighborhood that once was predominately Black. Because Tudor Place represents just one piece of daily life for many enslaved laborers, Fager recommends visitors go beyond the home to see where these people lived, went to church, and, later, were laid to rest. 

Neville Waters, the president of Black Georgetown’s board, offers a bit of advice to owners and caretakers of other historic homes and institutions interested in telling holistic stories of their enslaved labors:

“Ask for help from people who have done the research or who are descendants and have the powerful benefit of oral history,” he says. “The worst thing to do is to act like it didn’t happen. Better to try and fail than not even make the effort and sweep their stories under the rug.” 

Ancestral Spaces is a first step in the right direction for Tudor Place toward acknowledging the history of oppression at the heart of America and one that hopefully inspires other historic homes to follow suit—and not just for Black History Month. 

Ancestral Spaces: People of African Descent at Tudor Place runs through April 21 at Tudor Place Historic Home. tudorplace.org. $5–$10.