Wednesday May 11: Becoming the Virgin

Austin writer Taylor Jacob Pate is traveling the country to celebrate the publication of his first book of poetry, Becoming the Virgin. He’s joined tonight by Seattle poets Sarah León and Jane Wong. Any bill with Wong on it deserves your attention; she’s fast becoming one of the biggest names in Seattle poetry. The Pine Box, 1600 Melrose Ave, 588-0375, http://pineboxbar.com. Free. 21+. 8 p.m.

Thursday May 12: The Game of Love and Death

Racist jackasses recently trolled an Old Navy Twitter ad because it showed a mixed-race couple. This makes Martha Brockenbrough’s The Game of Love and Death more than just a novel about a white boy and an African-American girl who fall in love and become entwined in a cosmic game of fate; it’s now a political statement. Queen Anne Book Company, 1811 Queen Anne Ave N., 284-2427, http://qabookco.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Friday May 13: Working Stiffs

This reading series asks writers to share their stories of work. Not, like, their writing process, but actual jobs that pay actual money in exchange for actual dignity. Today’s readers include former Seattle Magazine editor Brangien Davis and excellent Seattle poet Quenton Baker. And, as with every Working Stiffs event: free Top Pot doughnuts! Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, 322-7030, http://hugohouse.org. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Saturday May 14: Breakfast with Neruda

Pablo Neruda is so hot right now. His lost poems were recently discovered and published by Port Townsend’s Copper Canyon Press, and now Laura Moe has published Breakfast with Neruda, a young adult novel about a pair of teens who bond over the 20th century’s greatest love poet.University Book Store Mill Creek, 15311 Main St., 425-385-3530. http://ubookstore.com. Free. All ages. Noon.

Sunday May 15: Mangold, Queen, and Vogel

This event from the Institute for New Connotative Action (INCA) promises some brainy literary action for your Sunday. Seattle poet Sarah Mangold (editor of the sadly defunct Bird Dog magazine and author of Electrical Theories of Femininity)is joined by Talena Queen and Danielle Vogel, who are both out at the cutting edge of literature. INCA, 2 W. Roy St., http://incainstitute.org/. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Monday May 16: We Were Feminist Once

See our Event of the Week column. Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8th Ave., 652-4255, http://townhallseattle.org. $5. All ages. 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday May 17: Boy Erased

Garrard Conley’s new memoir, Boy Erased is about the trauma of growing up gay in the south. Conley’s story is thick with prejudice, violence, and the heartbreaking psychological trauma caused by ex-gay therapy, but he still finds room in his heart for forgiveness and gratitude. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 624-6600, http://elliottbaybook.com . Free. All ages. 7 p.m.