*Ursula Le Guin & Philip K. Dick. (Image courtesy Petworth Citizen)*

This weekend's Literary Cocktails at the Petworth Citizen Reading Room, brought to you by Chantal Tseng, will be inspired by sci-fi wizards Ursula K. Le Guin and Philip K. Dick, "compatriots of both genre and middle initial." Come by the Reading Room (at the back of Petworth Citizen) starting Friday night at 7pm to try out the original and interesting concoctions created by Chantal, as she pays homage to these literary greats. If you miss tonight, Chantal is also hosting the series on Saturday night.

“Every Friday and Saturday I pick a different author to read up on and feature as literary inspiration for the Reading Room bar of Petworth Citizen,” Chantal told me. “So this weekend I am reading both Ursula K. Le Guin and Philip K. Dick and then featuring a menu for both nights. Next week will be a different author. I call it my Literary Cocktail series. I will read their literature and craft a cocktail menu based on the inspiration.”

Chantal’s cocktail menus are riffs on classics and previous incarnations of cocktails she’s made in the past, incorporating a range of spirits, wines, bitters, herbs, fruits and other seasonal garnishes.

*Chantal Tseng (Photo courtesy of Petworth Citizen)*

“After a month of reading poetry, I have been craving addictive storytelling, the kind of creative fiction that pulls you into another world,” Chantal said, describing why she picked these two authors. “I have always loved science fiction, but like most literature in my life, I haven't read enough. Le Guin has come highly recommended over and over to me and I have been wanting to read her for a while. I've been enjoying pairing multiple authors for my Literary Cocktails series in the Reading Room and when I read how close and how distant Le Guin and Dick are via Wikipedia, it just seemed perfect. They were even in the same high school class and total strangers at the time. Plus, after deciding on Le Guin and considering Dick, Paul mentioned a DC connection. I also like that they both use their K middle initial for writing. All good signs.”

(Philip K. Dick lived on Varnum Street for two years when he was a young child.)

As a huge sci-fi fan and a regular drinker at Petworth Citizen, this Literary Cocktails series is a perfect match for me. Cool idea.