Wednesday September 14th: Beacon Bards

Seattle poet Martha Silano’s splendid quarterly reading series is in transition: previously located out of a Beacon Hill coffee shop, it’s found a temporary home at Hugo House this month before moving to Third Place Books Seward Park. Tonight’s readers are David J.Daniels, Keeje Kuipers, Rachel Moritz, and Tiffany Midge. Hugo House, 1021 Columbia St., 322-7030, http://hugohouse.org. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Thursday September 15th: The Fortunes Reading

Peter Ho Davies is one of the very finest novelists you haven’t heard of. His novel The Welsh Girl was longlisted for the Booker Prize, but his books have yet to break through the mainstream. That may change with The Fortunes, an ambitious history of America as told through a family of Chinese immigrants. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 624-6600, http://elliottbaybook.com . Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Friday September 16th: Play Anything Reading

Sure, you’ve heard the corporate buzzword “gamification” — the belief that if you turn any arduous task into a video game, people will clamor to do it. But game designer Ian Bogost has a different understanding of playfulness; he argues that limitations are what makes play so helpful, and by setting clear boundaries, we make life more rewarding. Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8th Ave., 652-4255, http://townhallseattle.org. $5. All ages. 7:30 p.m.

Saturday September 17th: The Underground Railraod Reading

See our Event of the Week column for more details. Seattle Public Library, 1000 4th Ave., 386-4636, http://spl.org. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Sunday September 18th: Four Poets

Maged Zaher is, for real, one of Seattle’s best poets. His gorgeous love poems are funny, eerily true, and stridently political. Tonight he’s joined by three poets—Susan M. Schultz, who writes dense, proselike poetry; Norman Fischer, a Zen priest; and Stephen Collis, an environmental advocate from Vancouver—in a promising showcase. Gallery 1412, 1412 18th Ave, https://gallery1412dotorg.wordpress.com. $20. All ages. 7 p.m.

Monday September 19th: Commonwealth Reading

If you fell in love with Ann Patchett through her high-concept novel Bel Canto, you probably know what to expect from her newest novel, Commonwealth, about a pair of families whose courses are forever altered after a wayward kiss at a party: a compelling plot, gorgeous language, and pages that practically turn themselves. Benaroya Hall, 200 University St, 621-2230, http://lectures.org. $20-85. All ages. 7 p.m.

Tuesday September 20th: Downfall Reading

Seattle’s J.A. Jance has been writing mysteries since the Big Bang. It’s easy to forget about a consistent record like that; with dozens of bestsellers to her name, Jance spoils her readers for choice. She reads tonight from the latest in her Joanna Brady series, and she’ll discuss her creative process and her four decades as a writer in Seattle. Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8th Ave., 652-4255, http://townhallseattle.org. $5. All ages. 7:30 p.m.