Throw horns for history and rush the stage* for statistics riffs at the bar show where the nerds are the rock stars and smart is punk af.
Cue it up: Three experts. Dozens of cheeky slides. A bar full of former gifted kids gone feral who love special interest deep dives. This is Nerd Nite DC.
*okay maybe just do this in spirit. Nerds are wild creatures who can be easily spooked by sudden movements.
Nerd Nite DC has been DC’s favorite irreverent lecture series since 2009.
Your host this month is the fabulous Diva Darling, joined by our three wildly entertaining and wickedly smart speakers with three must-see talks that are all on-theme for Pride weekend:
– de la rez, “Why True Crime Media is So Femme!”
You’re not wrong if you’ve ever wondered why fems are so obsessed with true crime, from legions of Murderinos to late author Michelle McNamara’s obsession with the Golden State Killer that led to his arrest. Let’s explore true crime media’s femme-ness, from the genre’s highly disproportionate women-identifying audiences to the queer/transfeminine nature of its history/narratives/presentation styles.
de la rez (they/them) is a sociology professor at American University and a Medusa-worshipping monster femme.
– Ren Eissance, “Lilies, Lesbians, and Longing: Yuri Through the Years and How Even an Empty Bench Can be Queer”
Dive through the history of Japanese lesbian media and how we’ve evolved from a 1920s literary genre to the wide swath of manga, light novels, and anime we have today. Along the way, we’ll discuss exactly what makes something yuri, whether it be the soundtrack of Sicario, a landscape painting, or an empty bench on a seaside cliff.
Ren is a trans lesbian who’s been reading and researching yuri for years. She’s a software engineer, DIY music enjoyer, aspirational banjo player, and semi-competitive mahjong player.
– Sante, “Be Gay, Do Crime, Become Emperor: How A Hot Stable Boy Saltburned the Roman Empire”
Have you ever thought to yourself: I’m too hot and too gay for this increasingly theocratic and authoritarian society? Well, Basil, a fetching 9th Century stable boy sure did and he decided if you can’t beat them, RULE THEM – and no boyfriends, girlfriends, nor illiteracy would stand in his way!
Sante is a humble civic educator by the light of day, but by night he’s one hell of lover. Professionally he teaches people how not to mess up democracy and isn’t sure how well that’s going – so for now he’s just here to have a good time.
DOORS 6PM | 21+
Nerd Nite DC https://dc.nerdnite.com/ https://www.facebook.com/NerdNiteDC/ https://www.instagram.com/nerdnite_dc/
Doors open at 6, show at 6:30. Talks are 15 minutes with a 5 minute Q&A, and during the breaks, you can play along in our “alternate talk titles” competition to try to win a free drink on us. It’s rowdy, interactive, and the most fun you’ll have learning something all month.
The show is on the second floor of DC9 and is mostly standing room with limited seating available on a first-come, first served basis.
Nerd Nite DC is produced by Rae Pendergrass, navi, and Diva Darling.
Throw horns for history and rush the stage* for statistics riffs at the bar show where the nerds are the rock stars and smart is punk af.
Cue it up: Three experts. Dozens of cheeky slides. A bar full of former gifted kids gone feral who love special interest deep dives. This is Nerd Nite DC.
*okay maybe just do this in spirit. Nerds are wild creatures who can be easily spooked by sudden movements.
Nerd Nite DC has been DC’s favorite irreverent lecture series since 2009.
DATE CHANGE NOTE!!! This month, the show is on a different Saturday than our usual, but at the same time (doors at 6, show at 6:30) that you know and love! Next month, we’re back on our regular schedule.
Your host this month is the iconic navi, joined by our three wildly entertaining and wickedly smart speakers with three must-see talks:
– Kallie Brown, “Ye Oldest Profession: The History of Redlight Districts, Brothels, and Prostitution in Washington, DC”
Before Shenanigans and Decades were the best places to get into some mischief in DC, the now unrecognizable “Murder Bay” (AKA: Hooker’s Division) around Pennsylvania Avenue and 14th Street NW housed brothels, gambling dens, and other hotspots for illicit activity. We’ll discuss some of the places that now house well-known DC establishments, such as the Old Ebbitt Grill and the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian. After listening, you’ll be itching to tell someone, “Do you know that restaurant used to be a brothel!”
Kallie Brown has a desk job in government affairs, but after hours she let’s her nerd flag fly as a writer and history enthusiast. Kallie is a self-proclaimed expert in Southern Gothic fiction and seedy American history.
– Alice Bergen Phillips, “All About That Cheddar”
Did you know that the word “Cheddar” is a noun, a place, and verb? Do you know what a truckle is? Did you know that some cheddars can taste like pea shoots and horseradish? Discover everything you ever wanted to know about one of the world’s most popular cheeses and how to pick the one that’s right for you!
Alice Bergen Phillips is the owner and head cheesemonger of Cheesemonster, a cheese education and catering business in the Washington, D.C. area. Alice delights in being a cheese confidant for her customers, pushing herself to stay on top of a market that is constantly changing and evolving. Her favorite cheese is currently Colston Bassett Stilton. But honestly, it depends on the day 🙂
– Adelaide Nebeker, “Fake Analysis: A Trivial Tour of Ridiculous Math Terminology
As pretentious as they are, mathematicians have a lot of gall expecting you to take their work seriously while giving it names like The Hairy Ball Theorem. Fake Analysis (created with Coleman Hines) is a literature review-qua-trivia game: given three ridiculous math terms, you have to spot the fake.
Adelaide Nebeker is a mathematician. In the fall she’s heading to Scotland to study at St. Andrews University. Before she was a mathematician, she was a theater producer in DC. She co-founded The Arcanists, with whom she created The Tarot Reading and SHRINES.
Doors open at 6, show at 6:30. Talks are 15 minutes with a 5 minute Q&A, and during the breaks, you can play along in our “alternate talk titles” competition to try to win a free drink on us. It’s rowdy, interactive, and the most fun you’ll have learning something all month.
The show is on the second floor of DC9 and is mostly standing room with limited seating available on a first-come, first served basis.
Nerd Nite DC is produced by Rae Pendergrass, navi, and Diva Darling.
Throw horns for history and rush the stage* for statistics riffs at the bar show where the nerds are the rock stars and smart is punk af.
Cue it up: Three experts. Dozens of cheeky slides. A bar full of former gifted kids gone feral who love special interest deep dives. This is Nerd Nite DC.
*okay maybe just do this in spirit. Nerds are wild creatures who can be easily spooked by sudden movements.
Nerd Nite DC has been DC’s favorite irreverent lecture series since 2009.
DATE CHANGE NOTE!!! This month, the show is on a FRIDAY and it starts at 8 PM with doors at 7:30. You can have both happy hour and dinner at DC9 as we regale and delight you with edutainment and nerding out about niche special interests!
Your host this month is Nerd Nite DC icon Rae Pendergrass, joined by our three wildly entertaining and wickedly smart speakers with three must-see talks:
Dr. Kelsey Jenkins, “Fossils Can HEAR?!”
When animals evolved to live on land, they had to make a lot of anatomical adjustments in order to survive and thrive. In this talk, we’ll explore the early evolution of an incredibly important sense (hearing) in the coolest of all groups (reptiles).
Dr. Jenkins is the Cajun paleontologist who loves everything from gator wrangling to fossil collecting to a lazy night in with wine and a video game. If you want the fancy stuff, she did a bachelor’s degree at Louisiana State University in Geology, a Master’s degree at Sam Houston State University in Texas, and a PhD at Yale University.
Dr. Kinga Dobolyi, “Quips, Barbs, and Em Dashes: Is AI Banter Witty or Shitty?”
LLMs are fantastic at hoping this email finds you well, but are they actually capable of understanding — and generating — things humans find funny? In this talk we’ll give a brief overview of how these models are trained to “think,” and their limitations at emulating rich cognitive tasks like humor.
Dr. Dobolyi is a data scientist and professor of computer science who currently researches topics related to the literary publishing landscape. Recently, she has been begging her students at George Washington University to stop using ChatGPT to solve all their homework.
Diva Darling, “The Kitten Distribution System Chose You, Now What?”
Our own Diva Darling is an experienced neonatal (“bottle baby”) kitten foster who’s ready to show you how to assess their needs and ensure they’re safe, and give you a crash course in neonatal kitten development and care in case you decide to raise them. It’s the Nerd Nite talk that’s wall to wall tiny kitten pictures, so everyone wins– especially the stray kitten about to cross your path!
Diva Darling is one of Nerd Nite DC’s co-producers and was a frequent speaker before that. She also produces the spicy storytelling open mic Smut Slam in DC, Baltimore, and Greater Philly. She’s a nightlife producer, popular local femme-cee, burlesque performer, seggs educator, and absolutely-obsessed foster kitten mama with MCASAC who can nerd out about ear wiggles and healthy poops way longer than is probably good for anyone.
DOORS 7:30PM | 21+
Nerd Nite DC https://dc.nerdnite.com/ https://www.facebook.com/NerdNiteDC/ https://www.instagram.com/nerdnite_dc/
Doors open at 7:30, show at 8. Talks are 15 minutes with a 5 minute Q&A, and during the breaks, you can play along in our “alternate talk titles” competition to try to win a free drink on us. It’s rowdy, interactive, and the most fun you’ll have learning something all month.
The show is on the second floor of DC9 and is mostly standing room with limited seating available on a first-come, first served basis.
Nerd Nite DC is produced by Rae Pendergrass, Navi, and Diva Darling.
