Planet Word Museum

Planet Word Museum Planet Word is an interactive museum of words and language in downtown Washington, D.C.
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Young readers and young at heart — our popular Reading Lounge series is back! On July 12, Planet Word and Pretty Little ...
06/26/2026

Young readers and young at heart — our popular Reading Lounge series is back!

On July 12, Planet Word and Pretty Little Bookshelf founder Morgan Menzies welcome you into the multiverse for an intimate afternoon of silent reading, bookish games, and a lively conversation with MARVEL fantasy authors Roseanne A. Brown and Ronald L. Smith.

Plus, browse a curated selection of books and literary treasures from MahoganyBooks.

Get tickets: https://planetwordmuseum.org/events/the-reading-lounge-out-of-the-multiverse-with-pretty-little-bookshelf/

Happy birthday to George Orwell, born on June 25, 1903. Few writers have shaped how we talk about power and propaganda a...
06/25/2026

Happy birthday to George Orwell, born on June 25, 1903. Few writers have shaped how we talk about power and propaganda as much as Orwell. Through his political criticism and world-famous novels Animal Farm and 1984, the British journalist and author gave the world a vocabulary for recognizing totalitarianism and calling out injustices wherever they may be.

Need a moment of stillness this summer? Tomorrow, June 25, grab your mat and join celebrated yoga and meditation instruc...
06/24/2026

Need a moment of stillness this summer?

Tomorrow, June 25, grab your mat and join celebrated yoga and meditation instructor Aparna Sadananda for an evening of gentle movement and quiet presence — guided by the Sanskrit language at the root of the practice itself.

Through a curated sequence of poses, you’ll discover how understanding terms like “Tadasana” (mountain pose) and “Chaturanga” (four-limbed staff pose) can deepen the calm you’re already seeking.

Open to all levels and abilities. Modifications and chair- or wall-supported options available.

Tickets are $10: https://planetwordmuseum.org/events/embodying-sanskrit-experiencing-yoga-through-language-i/

This International Typewriter Day, we’re sending you on a scavenger hunt! Among the books and bookends sitting on the sh...
06/23/2026

This International Typewriter Day, we’re sending you on a scavenger hunt! Among the books and bookends sitting on the shelves in Planet Word’s Library, you’ll find a typewriter that belonged to legendary Washington Post humorist Art Buchwald. Look for it the next time you’re here, and learn about the keen-eyed, sharp-witted writer who once struck its keys.

The breakout summer horror hit Backrooms brings to life, in a nightmarish yellow hue, the concept of liminal spaces. If ...
06/22/2026

The breakout summer horror hit Backrooms brings to life, in a nightmarish yellow hue, the concept of liminal spaces. If the film has liminality looming large in your mind, take a deeper look at the word at the heart of the plot with us.

To be in a liminal space means to be in a transitional or in-between state. It can be figurative (a teenager in the liminal space between childhood and adulthood) or literal (a hallway is a liminal space between rooms). In Backrooms, its meaning is vividly, horrifically literal — a labyrinthine expanse of dull yellow rooms, long corridors, and fluorescent lights.

The word comes from the Latin “līmen,” meaning “entrance or threshold.” When “liminal” entered English, it meant “of or pertaining to a threshold.” The idea of “liminal space” emerged in the early 1900s in the field of anthropology, and the aesthetic that is on full display in Backrooms went viral online in 2019.

So, now you know where “liminal” comes from, but a more important takeaway? If a glowing slit appears in the wall of your struggling furniture store late at night … do not cross that threshold.

This July 4th, pack a picnic, grab a blanket, and join us in Franklin Park 1–2:30 p.m. for a free, all-ages community si...
06/22/2026

This July 4th, pack a picnic, grab a blanket, and join us in Franklin Park 1–2:30 p.m. for a free, all-ages community sing-along!

D.C.’s own Nolan Williams Jr. leads the crowd through the songs that have shaped America — from beloved folk songs to American classics to Civil Rights anthems — backed by a live band and his NEWorks Productions Voices of America. Emceed by WAMU 88.5 - American University Radio’s Esther Ciammachilli.

Come ready to lift your voice, then head inside Planet Word for more July 4th programming all day. https://planetwordmuseum.org/events/we-sing-america-planet-word-celebrates-the-4th-of-july/

Happy Father’s Day! “The Gift” by Li-Young Lee is a reflection on life lessons taught in small moments. Lee’s shares a m...
06/21/2026

Happy Father’s Day! “The Gift” by Li-Young Lee is a reflection on life lessons taught in small moments. Lee’s shares a memory of his own father, but his poem may resonate with anyone who has learned from the words and actions of a father or father figure.

Listen to the full poem in Planet Word’s Poetry Nook or read it here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43010/the-gift-56d221adc12b8

06/20/2026

Good afternoon, D.C.! 🌞 Our 4th annual Juneteenth Literary Jubilee & Black Author Book Fest is well underway — MC’d by award-winning poet and educator Tony Keith Jr.!

Join us to meet local authors and enjoy book signings, arts and crafts, double dutch, and a live performance by West African Drum Ensemble Versatile Soundzz. And tonight at 8–10 p.m., keep the celebration going at our Karaoke Kickback Lounge — hosted by author and poet Dwayne Lawson-Brown, with signature Juneteenth-inspired drinks from Keya’s Cocktails.

Get tickets for karaoke: https://planetwordmuseum.org/events/karaoke-kickback-lounge/

Happy Juneteenth! This holiday — a portmanteau of “June” and “nineteenth” — commemorates June 19, 1865, the day two year...
06/19/2026

Happy Juneteenth! This holiday — a portmanteau of “June” and “nineteenth” — commemorates June 19, 1865, the day two years after the Emancipation Proclamation that marks the official end of slavery in the United States.

Join us at Planet Word tomorrow for our 4th annual Juneteenth Literary Jubilee & Black Author Book Fest and celebrate a rich local community of Black authors and language arts! Get tickets: https://planetwordmuseum.org/events/4th-annual-juneteenth-literary-jubilee-black-author-book-fest/

On Wednesday, July 1, kick off your holiday weekend at Planet Word! The museum will be open late for an America 250 edit...
06/18/2026

On Wednesday, July 1, kick off your holiday weekend at Planet Word! The museum will be open late for an America 250 edition of our monthly after-hours event, Wordplay Wednesday.

Enjoy our galleries and gift shop, plus special themed activities all about language and liberty. Guests can be among the first to experience our limited-time A250 takeover of our Lend Me Your Ears gallery, where you can step right up to the podium and deliver a historic Independence Day speech.

Grab your tickets today! https://planetwordmuseum.org/events/wordplay-wednesday-america-250

Address

925 13th Street NW
Washington D.C., DC
20005

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 6pm
Sunday 10am - 6pm

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