Wednesday April 19th: The Book of Joan Reading

Portland novelist Lidia Yuknavitch is a Northwest superstar. Her prickly, gorgeous fiction is at recognizable and more than a little bit scary. (It’s scary in part because it is so recognizable.) Yuknavitch’s latest, The Book of Joan, is a sci-fi novel that retells the story of Joan of Arc in a blasted-out dystopic wasteland. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 624-6600, http://elliottbaybook.com . Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Thursday April 20th: Dock Street Salon

Phinney Books’s Dock Street Salon series is always a fun time. Authors talk in a fairly up close and intimate setting with an engaged and excited audience. Today’s readers are Anne Liu Kellor, Jennifer D. Munro, and Ann Teplick. Expect a reading, a lively Q&A, and maybe some booze (not in that order.) Phinney Books, 7405 Greenwood Ave. N., 297-2665, http://phinneybooks.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Friday April 21st: The Histories Reading

A few local writers have told me that Seattle poet Jason Whitmarsh’s second book, The Histories, is their favorite poetry collection this year. It’s a book of absurdist, deeply funny prose poems that constructs an alternate history for the world, with singing Kafkas and MacGyver references galore. Open Books, 2414 N. 45th St., 633-0811, http://openpoetrybooks.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Saturday April 22nd: Water & Salt Reading

See our Event of the Week column for more details. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 624-6600, http://elliottbaybook.com . Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Sunday April 23rd: Caucasians Anonymous Reading

You might know Marcus Harrison Green best for his excellent news site, the South Seattle Emerald. But tonight, he’s showing off a new side: he’s debuting a reading of his work-in progress play titled Caucasians Anonymous, which investigates “the social construction known as Whiteness.” This event also features a Q&A on race and privilege. Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8th Ave., 652-4255, http://townhallseattle.org. $5. All ages. 7:30 p.m.

Monday April 24th: Breaking the Bond Reading

The very fine Texas playwright Rupert Reyes brings a staged reading from his latest work-in-progress play, Breaking the Bond, to the U District’s own Jack Straw Gallery. Featuring local Spanish-speaking readers, this play discusses topics of deportation, anchor babies, and national identity. (Reyes has also acted in the film Office Space.) Jack Straw Gallery, 4261 Roosevelt Way N.E., 634-0919, http://jackstraw.org . Free. All ages. 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday April 25th: Till Tonight

New local writing residency Till brings a little bit of a writing residency to you with this special writers’ night out. Show up with your favored writing implement (although please recall that typewriters are really annoying in public places) and share some space with other people trying to get words down on paper. Speckled & Drake, 1355 E. Olive Way., (917) 476-932, http://tillwriters.org/. Free. 21+. 6 p.m.