Archives of Your Week in Readings

Wednesday December 28th: Play It As It Lays Book Club

Booksellers at the south end’s newest bookstore discuss the divine Joan Didion’s 1970 novel Play It As It Lays. Didion is (rightfully) best known for her nonfiction, but her novels are in danger of being entirely forgotten. Let Thid Place’s Anje and Wesley help you understand why that would be an absolute crime. Third Place Books Seward Park, 5041 Wilson Ave S, 474-2200, http://thirdplacebooks.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Friday, December 30th: 2016 Fuck Off

The owners of Seattle’s newest comics store, the recently Kickstarted Outsider Books in Fremont, is closing out the year with a party that includes a sale on comics, food and drink, some games, and information about how to get involved in your local community. If you haven’t checked out Outsider yet, this is the perfect excuse. Outsider Books, 223 N. 36th St., 535-8886, http://outsidercomics.com/. Free. All ages. 5 p.m.

Sunday January 1st: Third Place Books Book Sale

This has become a Seattle new year’s tradition: every branch of Third Place Books—including this year’s new edition, the Seward Park store, kick off the new year with a giant 20% off sale of every book on their shelves. Go stock up for the winter. Third Place Books Locations, http://thirdplacebooks.com. Free. All ages. 10 a.m.

[CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post claimed that Third Place Books was selling only used books at 20 percent off on January 1st. In fact, they're selling every book, new and used, at 20 percent off.]

Tuesday January 3rd: Dimension’s Edge Book Club

The popular Mill Creek sci-fi book club discusses Patrick Rothfuss’s fantasy novel The Name of the Wind, about the life and times of “the most notorious magician his world has ever seen.” Yes, even more notorious than that creepy David Blaine. Think of it as Harry Potter, only with more crime and smut. University Book Store Mill Creek, 15311 Main St., 425-385-3530. ubookstore.com. Free. All ages. 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday December 21st: Take Back the Sky Reading

Prolific Seattle sci-fi author Greg Bear delivers one of the last readings of the year at University Book Store. His latest novel is about a marooned group of space soldiers who await the arrival of a malevolent alien force they call “The Antagonists.” Bear’s book is a sci-fi military epic that travels across the universe to discover the secret of life. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., 634-3400, http://www2.bookstore.washington.edu/. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Thursday December 22nd: Punk Rock Flea Market

Those of you who have lived in Seattle long enough to remember the Value Village on 11th can probably automatically summon the store’s smell to mind — a dusky blend of creosote and loved objects. You can experience that smell one last time as the building hosts Punk Rock Flea Market before being destroyed in the new year. Find all kinds of treats from local vendors—including literary artists like erasure poet Jenessa Wright—for three days only, before it’s all torn down.
Value Village Building, 1525 11th Ave, http://punkrockfleamarketseattle.com. $1. All ages. 4 p.m.

Monday December 26th: Rainier Beach Library Tours

Seattle, happily, is a city that votes to support its libraries. Today, the Rainier Beach branch of SPL is hosting half-hour tours all day long to show off all the renovations it has recently hosted. Learn about the library and check out the building’s new look. If you’re lucky, the space might still have that new library smell. Rainier Beach Public Library, 9125 Rainier Ave S., 386-1906, http://spl.org. Free. All ages. Noon.

Tuesday December 27th: Feminist Fight Club Reading

Leaning in is so three years ago: Jessica Bennett says it’s time for working women to punch back. Her new book is a “guide to navigating subtle sexism at work, providing real-life career advice and humorous reinforcement for a new generation of professional women.” Let’s go crush the patriarchy. Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8th Ave., 652-4255, townhallseattle.org. $5. All ages. 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday December 14th: Lit Fix and Origin Stories

See our Literary Event of the Week column for more details.

Thursday December 15th: Hola and Goodbye Reading

Seattle author Donna Miscolta’s new book of linked short stories, Hola and Goodbye follows multiple generations of women in a Latinx family as they come to America and forge new paths for themselves, facing tremendous sexism, racism, and economic barriers. This is a heartfelt American story that was published at exactly the right time. Third Place Books Seward Park, 5041 Wilson Ave S, 474-2200, http://thirdplacebooks.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Saturday December 17th: Holiday Story Time

Elliott Bay Book Company traditionally hosts kids’ readings on Saturday mornings. (They’ve been much better-attended since the store moved from Pioneer Square to Capitol Hill.) The final edition of the year is a special holiday-themed reading for kids read by “a local Seattle actor.” Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 624-6600, http://elliottbaybook.com . Free. All ages. 11 a.m.

Monday December 19th: The Beautiful Struggle

In a conversation facilitated by the good people at Seattle Public Library, Luzviminda Uruzi "Lulu" Carpenter leads Seattle-area LGBTQ leaders (including Dominique Stephens, Luis Fernando Ramirez, and Sonj Basha) in a conversation about surviving violence of all stripes (racism, transphobia) and building communities together. Gay City, 517 E Pike St., 860-6969, http://spl.org. Free. All ages.

Tuesday December 20th: How the Grinch Stole Christmas Reading

How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a holiday classic that even managed to survive the apocalyptic threat of that Jim Carrey-starring abomination that Hollywood shat up a while back. Today, University Book Store hosts a reading of Dr. Seuss’s Christmas classic for young audiences. Take part in the tradition. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., 634-3400, http://www2.bookstore.washington.edu/. Free. All ages. 11 a.m.

Wednesday December 7th: Reading Through It: A Post-Election Book Club

Join the Seattle Weekly and the Seattle Review of Books as we try to make sense of Donald Trump’s America in a new monthly book club. Tonight, we’ll discuss J.D. Vance’s memoir Hillbilly Elegy. We’ll also be choosing the book for our February club based on your recommendations. Third Place Books Seward Park, 5041 Wilson Ave S, 474-2200, http://thirdplacebooks.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Thursday December 8th: The Angel of History Reading

Rabih Alameddine is one of the preeminent Arab-American voices in fiction today. His newest novel is about a gay Yemeni-Lebanese expatriate living in America during the AIDS epidemic and the post-9/11 security state. It’s a heartbreaking story of memory, identity, history, and culture, which makes it about as American as it gets. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 624-6600, elliottbaybook.com . Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Friday December 9th: We Told You So: Comics as Art Panel

To celebrate the release of a giant new book chronicling their first 40 years in the publishing business, Fantagraphics Books kicks off a weekend full of events by convening a star-studded panel of cartoonists (Los Bros Hernandez! Jim Woodring! Ellen Forney! Carol Tyler!) to discuss the high and low points of the greatest comics publisher in the United States. Folio: The Seattle Athenaem, 324 Marion St., 402-4612, folioseattle.org. Free.

Saturday December 10th: Opting Out Early Release Party

See our Literary Event of the Week column for more details. Arundel Books, 209 Occidental Avenue S., 624.4442, http://arundelbooks.com Free. All ages. 5 p.m.

Sunday December 11th: The Journey of Our Names

Seattle poet Aaron Counts teaches a free writing class on the importance of names, from family names to nicknames to adopted names. Every name is a story, and Counts will teach you how to plumb the meaning behind your name for a whole new level of understanding. Beacon Hill Public Library, 2821 Beacon Ave S. http://spl.org. 684-4711. 2 p.m.

Monday December 12th: Countdown to Pearl Harbor Reading

This month marks 75 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor. If your only understanding of Pearl Harbor begins and ends with that awful Ben Affleck movie, you owe it to yourself to attend this reading from Steve Twomey’s new book, which charts the path to America’s involvement in World War II. Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8th Ave., 652-4255, http://townhallseattle.org. $5. All ages. 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday December 13th: Seattle Fiction Federation #8

The eighth edition of this reading series, in which the audience selects one open mic reader to headline the next outing, features Seattle writers Steve Sibra, Anca L. Szilágyi, and Donna Miscolta reading alongside SFF#7 winner Lucy Hitz. If you perform at the post-reading open mic, you might headline the 9th SFF. Hugo House, 1021 Columbia St., 322-7030, http://hugohouse.org. . Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Wednesday November 30th: My Old Man and the Mountain Reading

The youngest son of “Big Jim” Whittaker, the first American to climb Mount Everest, is also a mountain climber. Maybe Leif Whittaker can explain what the deal is with his bizarre family business — everybody knows the punchline “because it’s there,” but what really makes two generations of a family decide to climb mountains? Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 624-6600, http://elliottbaybook.com . Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Thursday December 1st: Moonglow Reading

Michael Chabon’s latest novel combines rocket science, deathbed confessions, and family secrets into one memoirish novel. Ostensibly a story about Chabon’s dying grandfather, Moonglow is quieter and more direct than some of his other novels, and its realism and relatively simple sentences might open Chabon up to a new audience. Seattle Public Library, 1000 4th Ave., 386-4636, http://spl.org. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Friday December 2nd: The Furnace Says Goodnight

See our Literary Event of the Week column for more details. Hollow Earth Radio, 2018 E. Union St., 617-1683, hollowearthradio.org. Free. All ages. 8 p.m.

Saturday December 3rd: Rainier Valley Lit Crawl

The fourth Rainier Valley Lit Crawl centers around Hillman City, venturing to, in order, Spinnaker Bay, Big Chickie, Adugenet, and Union Bar. Those four venues will host an array of authors including Daemond Arrindell, Sarah León, Fernando Pérez, Jekeva Phillips, Anastacia Renee, Thomas Walton, and Corina Zappia. Spinnaker Bay, 5718 Rainier Ave S., 725-2337, http://gregbem.com/. Free. All ages. 5 p.m.

Sunday December 4th: Urban Craft Uprising

Seattle’s largest craft show is a great place to cross off all the last-minute gifts on your holiday shopping list. You can find a little bit of everything here, but be sure to visit the seven papercraft exhibitors, including journal makers, book arts experts, and letterpress printers. Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, 4326 301 Mercer St, http://urbancraftuprising.com Free. All ages. 10 a.m.

Monday December 5th: Thank You for Being Late Reading

This reading from Thomas Friedman’s latest book, Thank You for Being Late, is ostensibly sold out, but many Town Hall events have last-minute seating available for people who show up and wait in line. Friedman’s latest book — about technology, globalization, and climate change — looks like it’s worth a few minutes of standing in the cold. Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8th Ave., 652-4255, http://townhallseattle.org. $5. All ages. 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday December 6th: The Way of the Writer Reading

Charles Johnson is a Seattle-area legend. The UW professor and National Book Award-winning novelist’s latest book collects a lifetime of learning under the ambitious title The Way of the Writer: Reflections on the Art and Craft of Storytelling. Tonight, Johnson will talk onstage with one of his prize students, the novelist David Guterson. Northwest African American Museum, 2800 S. Massachusetts St., 624-6600, http://elliottbaybook.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

The catchphrase of The Furnace reading series is descriptive, intense, and memorable: “One Writer. One Story. Read to completion (with vigor).” It’s oddly sexual in tone — I can think of no other reading series in Seattle that is described with the same language as a handjob — but it’s exactly what you get when you show up for a Furnace reading.

Founded by Seattle writers Anca Szilagyi and Corinne Manning in 2012, the quarterly Furnace series has brought one writer to Hollow Earth Radio’s studios before a live studio audience to read a story that incorporates audio elements like music and sound effects. The reading is broadcast live on Hollow Earth, and audio recordings live forever on their website. If you’re looking for particular recordings to sample, the top two recordings on the Furnace’s Sound and Video page are great places to start.

Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore’s story “The Freezer Door” circulates through her interests: the increasingly conformist attitudes of modern American cities, sexuality, and the complexities of attraction. She moved to San Francisco in 1992 and joined in on the seemingly never-ending parade of hookup culture. Everyone, at the time, was kissing everyone. She explains, “this kiss didn’t necessarily feel like a radical act; it was just something you did when you were a faggot.”

And possibly the best Furnace is from October of 2015: Anastacia Renee Tolbert’s story “The City.” In her introduction, Szilagyi calls Tolbert “a queer superhero of color,” and that’s just about right. Not many poets would have the guts to read a narrative poem featuring the city of Seattle as a protagonist, but Tolbert pulls it off and makes it look effortless. Over a droning retro electronic soundtrack created by local sound collective WINDOWS95SECONDEDITION, Tolbert reads, “this city sits on itself like a tired woman after a long day of being black…we are beautiful in the rain because the rain makes us blurry.”

It’s a Seattle in crisis, a Seattle trying to find its own voice, a city distracted by coffee and body image. It’s the Seattle out our window. Later in “The City,” Tolbert announces that in Seattle, “we all have a story to tell and that’s why there are so many writers here.” That could just as easily have been an alternate, non-handjobby catchphrase for the Furnace, too.

This Friday, Manning and Szilagyi will present the last-ever Furnace reading. (“Corinne and Anca love you forever but we are in our 30s and need to finish our books,” a notice on The Furnace site says.) They’re violating one of the cardinal rules of the series with the finale: the final Furnace will feature not one writer but an army of them, made up of Furnace alumni including Sycamore, Tolbert, Chelsea Werner-Jatzke, Nancy Jooyoun Kim, and Buffy Aakaash. Szilagyi and Manning will fold contributions from all the writers together into a single story, with a soundtrack by WINDOWS95SECONDEDITION and The Shtick Figures. It will undoubtedly be read to completion (with vigor.)

Hollow Earth Radio, 2018 E. Union St., 617-1683, hollowearthradio.org. Free. All ages. 8 p.m.

Wednesday November 23rd: Read Hillbilly Elegy

If you haven't already, please start reading J.D. Vance's Hillbily Elegy so you can discuss it with us at our Reading Through It book club, which happens on December 7th at Third Place Books Seward Park.

Thursday November 24th: Happy Thanksgiving!

Eat, drink, and try not to think about who's going to be president in less than two months.

Friday November 25th: Read a Book You Already Own

Check out of all the Black Friday nonsense by staying home with a book you've bought but not read. Think of it as past you buying present you a gift. Don't go to a mall. Stay home and relax.

Saturday November 26th: Indies First Party Bus

See our Event of the Week column for more details. Various locations. Free. All ages. Noon – 5 p.m.

Sunday November 27th: Visit a Library

We still live in a country in which public libraries are open and available to the public. I mean, really: why wouldn't you visit a public library?

Monday November 28th: LOUD IDIOTS Reading

Baltimore poet and short story writer Sarah Jean Alexander reads in Seattle for the very first time to celebrate her new book, LOUD IDIOTS. She’s joined by two of the guiding lights of the soon-to-be-nonexistent APRIL Festival, Frances Chiem and Willie Fitzgerald, along with Seattle-area writer Richard Chiem. Vermillion, 1508 11th Ave, http://vermillionseattle.com/. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Tuesday November 29th: Two Sarahs Read Poetry

Sarah Riggs has written five books of poetry and she’s also also directed films, including Six Lives: A Cinepoem. Riggs has come all the way from New York City to celebrate the latest book of poetry by Seattle author Sarah Mangold, the excellently titled Giraffes of Devotion. Open Books, 2414 N. 45th St., 633-0811, openpoetrybooks.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Wednesday November 16th: WordsWest Literary Series

This West Seattle-centric reading series features Imani Sims (whose poem “Allure” begins “She was perfect pitcher,/Cooled glass and ice center”) and Alma García, a writer of short stories (and, recently, a novel) who writes about the Latinx experience and what an appropriate size would be for a “dog-sized” dog. C&P Coffee Co., 5612 California Ave. SW, http://wordswestliterary.weebly.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Thursday November 17th: Dock Street Salon

This reading series brings fine literary writers to the beautiful neighborhood bookstore, Phinney Books. Tonight’s readers are novelists Tobias Carroll and Jarret Middleton, and short story author Matthew Simmons, who is the author of the new collection The In-Betweens. Simmons writes about road trips and jackalopes and black metal. Phinney Books, 7405 Greenwood Ave. N., 297-2665, http://phinneybooks.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Friday November 18th: Michelle Tea, Donna Kaz, Jordan O’Jordan

As Sarah Galvin noted in her excellent review, Michelle Tea is an iconic memoirist and queer sex symbol. Her newest book, Black Wave, is a memoir with a dystopic novel laid over the top, which kind of resembles the world in which we live right now. Tea is joined by memoirist Donna Kaz and musician Jordan O’Jordan. Fred Wildlife Refuge, 128 Belmont Ave. E., 322-7030. http://www.hugohouse.org. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Saturday November 19th: Seattle Seven Holiday Bookfest

See our Event of the Week column for more details. Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave, http://seattle7writers.org. Free. All ages. 3 p.m.

Sunday November 20th: Run the Red Lights Reading

With his thoughtful, funny poems, Ed Skoog was one of the best writers in Seattle. Then he had to move away. But this city still fucking loves him to pieces. Today, he debuts his new title from Port Townsend publisher Copper Canyon Press with a signing at Seattle’s best (and only, but still best) poetry bookstore. Open Books, 2414 N. 45th St., 633-0811, http://openpoetrybooks.com. Free. All ages. Noon.

Monday November 21st: Extreme Makeover and Every Heart a Doorway Reading *

Dan Wells’s newest fantasy novel is titled Extreme Makeover, and it’s about an anti-aging hand cream that “overwrites the DNA of whoever is wearing it.” Wells reads with novelist Seanan McGuire, whose Every Heart a Doorway is about a boarding school for magical children that is plagued by a serial killer. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., 634-3400, http://www2.bookstore.washington.edu/. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Tuesday November 22nd: Habitat and Ancestor Reading

Simon Roy, the comics artist behind the new sci-fi series Habitat, signs the first collection of his book, which is about an orbital space station that is hurtling toward civil war. Roy is joined by writer Matt Sheean and artist Malachi Ward, who will sign their new collected comic Ancestor, about a mind-computer interface. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 624-6600, elliottbaybook.com . Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Wednesday November 9th: Sacred Breath

This is the first in a new quarterly storytelling series by UW’s Department of American Indian Studies featuring (mostly local) indigenous poets, spoken word storytellers, and other assorted kinds of writers. The featured authors for the inaugural edition are Payton Bordley, Sasha LaPointe, and Roger Fernandes. UW Intellectual House, 4249 Whitman Court, University of Washington Campus, https://ais.washington.edu/. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Thursday November 10th: Now for the Disappointing Part Book Launch

Seattle writer Steven Barker made a big splash in 2013 with a GeekWire piece titled “An open letter to Jeff Bezos: A contract worker’s take on Amazon.com.” Tonight, he launches a whole book about life in the contract-work economy, subtitled A Pseudo-Adult’s Decade of Short-Term Jobs, Long-Term Relationships, and Holding Out for Something Better. Hugo House, 1021 Columbia St., 322-7030, hugohouse.org.. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Friday November 11th: The *Seattle Review of Books Presents Sherman Alexie, Robert Lashley, and EJ Koh

See our Literary 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.

Alternate Friday November 11th: Red Badge Project's Women Veteran Reading

Because the Seattle Review of Books is co-producing the previous event at Elliott Bay Book Company, we'd like to provide an alternate, conflict-of-interest-free event for you to consider. And this looks like a great cause: Seattle authors Suzanne Morrison and Sonya Lea present a reading from their Red Badge Project, which invites an audience "to hear the stories of women veterans in this remarkable evening to honor their service, on Veteran's Day." Frye Art Museum, 704 Terry Ave., http://https://www.facebook.com/events/1808684429377526/, 7 p.m., all ages, free.

Saturday November 12th: Hola and Goodbye Book Launch Party

Seattle author Donna Miscolta launches her new collection of short stories, which charts the progress of a Latinx family across three generations. In a time when the Republican Party is trying as hard as they can to demonize immigrants, this book celebrates the immigrant experience. This publication party features music from Acustico Perfecto. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 624-6600, http://elliottbaybook.com . Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Sunday November 13th: Book Launch Times Two

It’s a week to launch books into the world, apparently. This evening, Open Books is host to two book launches at once: Ellen Welcker presents her newest poetry collection Ram Hands and Tim Greenup’s new book of poetry is titled Without Warning. Greenup writes poetry about corn mazes and wild animals. Welcker writes poems about babies and “butt holders.” Open Books, 2414 N. 45th St., 633-0811, openpoetrybooks.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Monday November 14th: Mapping the Heavens Reading

Priyamvada Natarajans is an astrophysicist. Her new book aims to make sense out of the mysteries of the cosmos. Mapping the Heavens explains dark matter, black holes, and the expansion of the universe. If it helps, think of it as astrology, only it’s actually based in facts and it can’t help predict if you’re getting laid this weekend. Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8th Ave., 652-4255, townhallseattle.org. $5. All ages. 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday November 15th: Future Sex Reading

Emily Witt’s new book examines modern sexuality, from online dating to changing opinions about polyamory. Future Sex is part memoir, part investigative journalism, part profile of sexual subcultures. And all together, those different narrative threads combine to form a portrait of what it means to be a sexual woman in the 21st century. Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8th Ave., 652-4255, townhallseattle.org. $5. All ages. 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday November 2: Short Run International Comix Night

In just a few years, Seattle’s own Short Run Comix & Arts Festival has gone from a zine show packed into the Vera Project to an international affair. Tonight, Short Run brings four worldly cartoonists — from Lebanon, Greece, Belgium, Mexico, and Croatia — to the downtown library to discuss the universal language of comics. Seattle Public Library, 1000 4th Ave., 386-4636, http://spl.org. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Thursday November 3rd: Poets! A Dynamic Group Reading

What a stellar lineup of poets: Amaranth Borsuk, Don Mee Choi, Jennifer Kronovet, Sarah Mangold, Sarah Rosenthal, and Jane Wong. All these authors have published new work recently, and Choi is also hard at work translating Korean poets into English. If you haven’t fallen in love with a new poet this year, this reading will do the trick. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 624-6600, http://elliottbaybook.com . Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Friday November 4th: Hugo Literary Series: Animals

With its big bar and swanky chandelier, Fred Wildlife Refuge is a terrific temporary home for Hugo House’s Literary Series. Tonight’s readers include short story author Kirstin Valdez Quade, novelist Alexander Chee, and Seattle’s own Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, along with The Royal Oui, all producing new work around the theme of “animals.” Fred Wildlife Refuge, 128 Belmont Ave. E., 322-7030. http://www.hugohouse.org. $10-25. All ages. 7:30 p.m

Saturday November 5th: Short Run Comix & Arts Festival

See our Literary Event of the Week column for more details. Fisher Pavillion, Seattle Center. http://shortrun.org. Free. All ages. 11 a.m.

Sunday November 6th: The Cascadia Poetry Festival

It’s a big weekend for Seattle festivals. Yesterday saw the Short Run Comix & Arts Festival, and the Cascadia Poetry Festival has been happening all weekend long at the Spring Street Center. This off-campus reading features three titans of Cascadian poetry: Sam Hamill, Brenda Hillman, and Colleen McElroy. Open Books, 2414 N. 45th St., 633-0811, openpoetrybooks.com. Free. All ages. 4 p.m.

Monday November 7th: Hood: Trailblazer of the Genomics Age Reading

The next few years are likely going to do for biology what the late 1990s did for the internet. And we owe it all to Lee Hood, the biologist who led the charge to sequence the genome. Journalist Luke Timmerman reads from his new biography of Hood, which includes never-before-seen files and memories of the man. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., 634-3400, http://www2.bookstore.washington.edu/. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Tuesday November 8th: Ghost Talkers Reading

You don’t get to do anything tonight unless you’ve already voted. Sorry, it’s the rules. But if you’ve voted and you want to do something besides be anxious while waiting for returns, why not attend a reading by sci-fi author Mary Robinette Kowal, who’ll read from her new novel about a ghost army in World War I? University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., 634-3400, http://www2.bookstore.washington.edu/. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Wednesday October 19th: Margin Shift

Four poets — Elizabeth J. Cohen, Natasha Kochicheril Moni, Kelle Grace Gaddis, and Nadine Antoinette Maestas — read new work at the Seattle poetry collective’s latest gathering. Gaddis and Maestas are both UW graduates, Colen is a teacher at Western Washington University, and Moni was published by fabulous local press Two Sylvias. Common AREA Maintenance, 2125 2nd Ave, (253) 224-0746. http://commonartspace.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Thursday October 20th: Libraroke

If you’re looking for a rare karaoke tune, the wizards at ggnzla Karaoke are your best bet in town. (They have “Mama Said Knock You Out” on rotation.) Tonight, you can join Seattle Public librarians with booze and “bookish” karaoke. Drink literary-themed cocktails and talk books until you’re slurring your words. Bar Sue, 1407 14th Ave, 328-0888, http://spl.org. Free. 21+. 9 p.m.

Friday October 21st: Overpour Reading

Seattle poet Jane Wong is a phenomenal talent. She’s young for a poet, but she’s already won a ton of awards and recognitions (the Stanley Kunitz Memorial Prize, the Kundiman fellowship) and tonight she’s debuting her first full-length poetry collection, Overpour. Tonight’s the night when a promising, impressive talent finally becomes a celebrated author. Hugo House, 1021 Columbia St., 322-7030, http://hugohouse.org. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Saturday October 22nd: The Elements and Rock Is Not Dead

See our Literary Event of the Week column for more details.

The Elements: Love City Love, 1406 E Pike St., http://twitter.com/lovecitylove. Free. All ages. 7 pm.

Rock Is Not Dead: Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, 925 E. Pike St., 658-0110, http://fantagraphics.com/flog/bookstore. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Sunday October 23rd: Les Amants Book Brunch

Word Lit Zine publisher Jekeva Phillips celebrates the launch of her new poetry collection, Les Amants: Lovers and Other Strangers, with a Sunday brunch reading featuring mimosas and pastries. I’ve been writing about literary events in this city for over a decade now, and this, weirdly, is the first brunch-themed book launch I can recall.Common AREA Maintenance, 2125 2nd Ave, (253) 224-0746. http://commonartspace.com. Free. 21+. 11 a.m.

Monday October 24th: The Wangs vs. the World Reading

Debut authors are storming the gates at Elliott Bay this week: Brit Bennett reads from her much-acclaimed The Mothers on Tuesday, but for my money Jade Chang’s novel about a Chinese-American family that suffers a streak of bad luck is the one to beat. Her reading tonight should be funny, smart, and fascinating. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 624-6600, http://elliottbaybook.com . Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Tuesday October 25th: #Journalismsowhite

Seattle has its fair share of intelligent, curious, thoughtful journalists, but GodDAMN is the Seattle journalism scene incredibly white. Like, blindingly so. Tonight, a panel of journalists from outlets like the Globalist, the South Seattle Emerald, and Grist get together to discuss what this homogeneity means and how to diversify the scene. Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8th Ave., 652-4255, townhallseattle.org. $5. All ages. 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday October 5th: Rolling Blackouts Reading

With her ear for powerful, personal stories, new-to-Seattle cartoonist Sarah Glidden is the finest journalist to hit comics since Joe Sacco first put pen to paper. Her latest book, Rolling Blackouts, is a powerful piece of reportage that investigates what the Iraq War was like for ordinary people in the Middle East. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 624-6600, http://elliottbaybook.com . Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Alternate Wednesday October 5th: Contagious Exchanges

At the Seattle Review of Books, we take conflicts of interest seriously. And so because I’m hosting the post-reading Q&A with Sarah Glidden at Elliott Bay Book Company, I also want to provide you with another option for a reading. And this is an important one: Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore’s new series featuring “Queer Writers in Conversation,” Contagious Exchanges, kicks off with incredible local author Rebecca Brown and artist C. Davida Ingram. Hugo House, 1021 Columbia St., 322-7030, http://hugohouse.org. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Thursday October 6th: Pongo Housewarming

Pongo Teen Writing is an incredible local program in which volunteers teach young people in juvenile detention centers, psychiatric wards, and homeless shelters around the region how to express themselves through poetry. Tonight, Pongo settles into its new home in Washington Hall with a reading from amateur and professional writers. Washington Hall, 153 14th Ave, http://pongoteenwriting.org. Free. All ages. 6:30 p.m.

Friday October 7th: Celebrating Filipino-American Elders

Members of Seattle’s up-and-coming Filipino-American writing community, including Maria Batayola, Robert Flor, Donna Miscolta, Michelle Peñaloza, Jen Soriano and Maritess Zurbano, will read for and with older Filipino-Americans on Beacon Hill in a reading, open mic, and karaoke party. (Here’s a little-known fact: writers, as a rule, are fantastic at karaoke.) International Drop-In Center, 7301 Beacon Ave. S., http://www.idicseniorcenter.org. Free. All ages. 1:30 p.m.

Saturday October 8th: Atlas Obscura Presents: a Subterranean Soiree

See our Event of the Week column for more details. Seattle Underground, 614 1st Ave., http://atlasobscura.com, $60, 21+, 9 pm.

Sunday October 9th: Dog Man Reading

A whole generation of kids has grown up in the thrall of author Dav Pilkey’s baby superhero, Captain Underpants. Today, he debuts his new comic for young readers: Dog Man, another crime fighter — this one with the head of a dog and the body of a man. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., 634-3400, http://www2.bookstore.washington.edu/. Free. All ages. 2 p.m.

Monday October 10th: Last Look Reading

Brilliant cartoonist Charles Burns was born and raised here in Seattle, and his masterpiece, Black Hole, is a book that practically smells like the Pacific Northwest. Burns’s latest book, Last Look, collects his three most recent titles into one volume. It’s a riff on Tintin, teen angst, and the soul-twisting power of rock music. Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8th Ave., 652-4255, http://townhallseattle.org. $10. All ages. 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday October 11th: I’m Judging You Reading

Luvvie Ajayi is a Nigerian-American author who writes essays about politics, feminism, race, pop culture, and the wrongness and rightness of people on the internet. As part of a celebration of her new book I’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual, Alayi will appear in conversation with Lindy West. Seattle Public Library, 1000 4th Ave., 386-4636, http://spl.org. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Wednesday September 28th: Eye on India

The latest in a series of panels about the Indian/South Asian diaspora brings novelist Amitava Kumar, here with a book of essays titled, delightfully, Lunch With a Bigot; novelist Karan Mahajan; and musician Vidya Shah. The latter will perform some songs, and all will discuss what it means to be an Indian artist. Seattle Asian Art Museum, 1400 E Prospect St., 624-6600, http://seattleartmuseum.org. $10. 7 p.m.

Thursday September 29th: Writing for a Cause

At a time when Donald Trump can block newspapers he doesn’t like from covering his campaign, this is more relevant than ever: Journalists Muatasim Qazi, Frederica Jansz, and former Seattle PI reporter Mike Lewis will discuss censorship. Jansz and Qazi both came to US after facing censorship abroad, only to find new threats here. Hugo House, 1021 Columbia St., 322-7030, http://hugohouse.org. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Friday September 30th: A Night with Wave Books

See our Event of the Week column for more details. Fred Wildlife Refuge, 128 Belmont Ave. E., http://wavepoetry.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Saturday October 1st: Catharsis: A Community Grief Ritual

Why wait for a funeral to cry in public and mourn? This event co-sponsored by the Hugo House and the Seattle People of Color Salon is a place for people of all backgrounds to come and “honor their emotions,” a safe space to grieve people—and places, and emotions—that are never coming back. Hugo House, 1021 Columbia St., 322-7030, http://hugohouse.org. Free. All ages. Noon.

Sunday October 2nd: Seattle Writes

Once when I worked in a bookstore, a customer asked me to help him find a book he’d heard about on NPR. He explained that in the book, “a man meets another man, and there’s a conflict.” Seattle novelist Karen Finneyfrock’s latest writing class is all about how every book has conflict at its heart.Delridge Library,5423 Delridge Way SW., 733-9125, http://spl.org. Free. All ages. 2 p.m.

Monday October 3rd: M Train Reading

Everyone is currently losing their mind over Bruce Springsteen’s new memoir, but if you’re gaga over The Boss and you haven’t read Patti Smith's second memoir, M Train, you’re missing out. Smith’s book—now out in paperback—is a literary marvel, a gorgeously written piece of art. Beat that, Bruce. University Temple Methodist Church, 1415 NE 43rd St, 634-3400-4255, http://ubookstore.com. $17.54. All ages. 7 p.m.

Tuesday October 4th: Citizen Scientist Reading

Mary Ellen Hannibal is not a scientist — by which I mean she did not spend the better part of a decade honing her scientific understanding in a university program. But her new book extols the joys of citizen science: observing the world, researching what happens, and reporting what you see. Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8th Ave., 652-4255, http://townhallseattle.org. $5. All ages. 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday September 21st: A Gentleman in Moscow Reading

See our Event of the Week column for more details. Folio: The Seattle Athenaem, 324 Marion St., 402-4612, http://folioseattle.org. $5. 7 p.m.

Thursday September 22nd: A Kingdom of Their Own Reading

Joshua Partlow is a Seattle native who reports on international affairs for the Washington Post. Though he’s currently based out of Mexico City, Partlow did a stint in Afghanistan that culminated in his new book, about how America’s interference in the country is now coming back to haunt us. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 624-6600, http://elliottbaybook.com . Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Friday September 23rd: The Constitution Today Reading

Yale professor Akhil Reed Amar is one of our leading Constitutional scholars—he even advised writers on The West Wing on Constitutional law. His new book discusses some of the most compelling political arguments of our time—from guns to gay marriage—and explains why the Constitution has so successfully grown and changed with this country. Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8th Ave., 652-4255, http://townhallseattle.org. $5. All ages. 7:30 p.m.

Saturday September 24th: Vow of Celibacy Reading

Standup comedian Erin Judge’s new coming-of-age novel is about a bisexual aspiring fashion designer with body image issues who takes a vow of celibacy in hopes of figuring out out why her life is such a mess. Judge will be joined by some other comedians, making this less of a reading and more of a mini-standup comedy festival. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 624-6600, elliottbaybook.com . Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Sunday September 25th: LOSER: The Real Seattle Music Story Reading

Once upon a time, young people were flocking to Seattle to take part in its music scene. Now that young people are flocking to Seattle to take part in its online retailing scene, it’s time for Seattle media veteran Clark Humphrey to reissue his two-decade old encyclopedic guide to the movers and shakers of grunge-era Seattle. Vermillion Art Gallery and Bar, 1508 11th Ave., 709-9797, http://vermillionseattle.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Monday September 26th: Here I Am Reading

A decade ago, Jonathan Safran Foer came to Seattle for a triumphant reading to celebrate his second novel, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Tonight he returns with his third novel, and reviews have been…less than kind. (There’s a scene where a husband makes his wife orgasm by staring at her vagina.) It’s time for some good old-fashioned literary rubbernecking. Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8th Ave., 652-4255, http://townhallseattle.org. $34.89. All ages. 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday September 27th: A Voice Without the Words to Speak

This roundtable discussion about the loss of language is an inclusive, participatory discussion. Various experts—children of immigrants whose parents demanded that they speak only English, a Yakima language preservationist, and more—will discuss the importance of keeping language alive for a new generation, and what happens when a language dies.Vermillion Art Gallery and Bar, 1508 11th Ave., 709-9797, http://vermillionseattle.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

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.

Wednesday September 7th: Seeing the Light: Four Decades in Chinatown

Dean Wong has devoted his life to recording the Asian-American experience through photos and words. His latest book, from Seattle-area publisher of beautiful books Chin Music Press, is a tribute to Chinatowns all over North America. Wong’s interviews and portraits capture the spirit of community that makes Chinatowns from coast to coast more than just neighborhoods.
Third Place Books Seward Park, 5041 Wilson Ave S, 474-2200, http://thirdplacebooks.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Thursday September 8th: Too High & Too Steep: Reshaping Seattle’s Topography

David B. Williams’s book is about how Seattle’s earliest white settlers decided the geology of the region is what you’d call a fixer-upper. From the Denny Regrade to what’s really underneath Pioneer Square, Williams will talk about all the ways we’ve torn Seattle apart in order to build Seattle up. Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8th Ave., 652-4255, townhallseattle.org. $5. All ages. 7:30 p.m.

Friday September 9th: One Nation Under God

Kevin M. Kruse is the evangelical right’s worst nightmare: a professor from Princeton who has written a book that unveils the fairly modern invention of the lie that America is now and has always been a Christian nation. Kruse argues convincingly that our national obsession with a Jesus-created America began in the 1950s. Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8th Ave., 652-4255, townhallseattle.org. $5. All ages. 7:30 p.m.

Saturday September 10th: Stomp the Patriarchy Ball

Seattle-based all-ages arts organization The Vera Project teams up with abortion awareness organization #ShoutYourAbortion to celebrate the one-year anniversary of #SYA, featuring bands, DJs, a photobooth, and readings from three of the most important writers in town right now: Hollis Wong-Wear, Ijeoma Oluo, and Lindy West. Patriarchy’s balls are in for a terrific stompin’. Washington Hall, 153 14th Ave, http://washingtonhall.org. Pay what you can. All ages. 8 p.m.

Sunday September 11th: The Esoteric Book Conference

Say what you will about how Kindles are lighter than physical books; there will never be any such thing as an esoteric ebook. This international book festival offers new and used books devoted to out-of-the-ordinary knowledge. The seminars and presentations cost money, but the book fair and art show are free. William H. Foege Hall, Genome Sciences Building, University of Washington, http://esotericbookconference.com. Free- $60. All ages. 9 a.m.

Monday September 12th: Sleeping on Jupiter

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

Tuesday September 13th: Jack Straw Writers

The Jack Straw Writers Program aspires to teach Seattle-area writers how to better present their work both live and on recorded audio. Tonight, three 2016 Jack Straw Writers, including poets Alison Stagner and Carolyne Wright, singer Shontina Vernon, and poet Robert Lashley, who is rightfully enjoying a hell of a year in the Seattle-media spotlight. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., 634-3400, http://www2.bookstore.washington.edu/. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Wednesday August 31: I Will Send Rain

Rae Meadows’ fourth novel, I Will Send Rain, is set against the backdrop of the mid-1930s dustbowl. It’s the kind of impressive, intensely researched work that reinvigorates an author’s career. Meadows shares the stage tonight with Seattle author Martha Brockenbrough, author of The Game of Love and Death. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 624-6600, elliottbaybook.com . Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Thursday September 1: Wintering and The Gunnywolf

It takes some poets years to put out a single collection of poetry. This year, Seattle poet Megan Snyder-Camp has published two: Wintering is based on the journals of Lewis and Clark, while The Gunnywolf examines racial tensions in America through the lens of a mythological creature.

Hugo House, 1021 Columbia St., 322-7030, hugohouse.org. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Saturday September 3rd: Loop Day Party

This fall will see a movie adaptation of Ransom Riggs’s debut book for young readers, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Today, University Book Store’s Mill Creek location celebrates the release of a new book in the series, Tales of the Peculiar, with a black-and-white costume party, a photo booth, and writing contests. University Book Store Mill Creek, 15311 Main St., 425-385-3530. ubookstore.com. Free. All ages. 4 p.m.

Labor Day Weekend: Bumbershoot Literary Stage

See our Literary Event of the Week column for more details. Seattle Center, http://bumbershoot.org

Tuesday September 6: Everfair

Sci-fi author and book reviewer Nisi Shawl has long been a terrific supporter of Seattle’s literary scene. Tonight, Shawl debuts her novel Everfair, a steampunk recasting of the colonization of the Belgian Congo, providing Seattle an opportunity to return the favor. Shawl is one of the best sci-fi writers in town, and she deserves to be celebrated University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., 634-3400, http://www2.bookstore.washington.edu/. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Wednesday August 17: Reporting the Oregon Story

Floyd McKay has been a character in Northwest media for about as long as there’s been a Northwest media, appearing as a political reporter for KGW-TV and writing for the Seattle Times and Crosscut. His new book is an account of the history of politics and media in the Northwest. Third Place Books Lake Forest Park, 17171 Bothell Way NE, 366-3333, http://thirdplacebooks.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Thursday August 18: Sun Bear

Matthew Zapruder is more than just a renowned local poet — he’s also an editor at the second best poetry publisher in the region, Wave Books. And he has a new collection coming out from the first-best poetry publisher in the region, Copper Canyon Press. Help him celebrate the release of Sun Bear, which is an awesome title.. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 624-6600, http://elliottbaybook.com . Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Friday August 19: Hugo House Housewarming Party & BBQ

You probably know that the Hugo House space on 11th Ave is now a deep hole in the ground. But have you visited the House’s temporary location while their new facilities are being built? Tonight, they’re making it easy by hosting a BBQ and housewarming with free sausages from nearby George’s Delicatessen and $1 cans of PBR. Hugo House, 1021 Columbia St., 322-7030, http://hugohouse.org.. Free. All ages. 4 p.m

Saturday August 20: Wong/Akbar/Peñaloza/Lewis

See our Literary 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 August 21: Southwest Stories

Chief Seattle’s great-great-great-great-grandson, Ken Workman, will discuss the history of West Seattle, the future of the Duwamish peoples, and he’ll also host a lively question-and-answer session. It is not every day that you get to hear a history of this land directly from someone representing the people who were here before colonization began Delridge Library, 5423 Delridge Way SW, 773-9125, http://spl.org. Free. All ages. 2 p.m.

Monday August 22: Necessary Trouble: Americans in Revolt

America was built on revolution, and our Constitution allows for argument as a part of the process. This gives us a natural advantage over, say, France. Sarah Jaffe’s newest book is a history of American revolutions, from those early days in New England up through Black Lives Matter and the fight for $15. Seattle Public Library, 1000 4th Ave., 386-4636, http://spl.org. Free. All ages. 7 p.m

Tuesday August 23: Words to Color By

Certain literary snobs like to mock coloring books for adults, but fuck those guys. Coloring makes people feel good, the books are helping the bottom lines of indie bookstores, and they’re fun. Tonight, local artist Jennifer Lankenau hosts a debut and coloring party for her first coloring book. University Book Store Mill Creek, 15311 Main St., 425-385-3530. ubookstore.com. Free. All ages. Noon.

Wednesday August 10: Train to Bombay

In her native India, Jaina Sanga has published a novel and a book of short stories. Though Sanga writes in English, has lived in the US since 1980, and currently resides in Dallas, her books have never been published here. Elliott Bay has imported her books and is throwing one of her only US events here tonight, making this a unique moment in international literature. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 624-6600, http://elliottbaybook.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Thursday August 11: Ghostly Echoes

Now that you’ve gotten Harry Potter out of your system for a while, what are you going to read? William Ritter’s Jackaby series is about a young woman who becomes the assistant of a paranormal investigator.The third book in the series is about a ghost who hires our heroes to solve her own murder. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 624-6600, http://elliottbaybook.com . Free. All ages. 7 p.m. PAUL

Friday August 12: Finding Time

The problem with our economy, Heather Boushey argues, is it’s based on a nuclear family system in which one adult goes to work and another adult stays home and rears children, and our systems of work and leisure have never been realigned to fit the new paradigm. Find out how she wants to fix it. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., 634-3400, http://www2.bookstore.washington.edu/. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Saturday August 13: Comics Dungeon Anniversary Week

All week long, Wallingford’s Comic Dungeon celebrates its anniversary with a big sale (graphic novels from 20 to 30 percent off!) Today, to help celebrate one of the best and longest-running shops in town, writer John Layman shows up to sign his delightfully weird food-obsessed sci-fi series Chew. Comics Dungeon, 319 NE 45th St., 545-8373, http://comicsdungeon.org. Free. All ages. 1 p.m.

Sunday August 14: Sherman Alexie Reads to Kids

Any Sherman Alexie event is worth your while. He’s quite simply the best reader in Seattle — funny, charismatic, brilliant. But he usually packs the biggest rooms in town; this is a rare chance to enjoy him in an intimate venue as he reads from his new children’s book, Thunder Boy Jr. Queen Anne Book Company, 1811 Queen Anne Ave N., 284-2427, http://qabookco.com. Free. All ages. 3 p.m.

Monday August 15: Cody Walker & Friends

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.

Tuesday August 16: The Looseleaf Reading Series

Four Seattle-area writers — Natasha Marin, Suzanne Bottelli, Max Oliver Delsohn, Stephanie Barbé Hammer—and one writer visiting from California — novelist Yi Shun Lai — read new work at this ongoing literary series in Chop Suey’s den. Maybe pick up a new favorite writer or two in a nontraditional reading atmosphere. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8005, chopsuey.com. Free. 21+. 7 p.m.

Wednesday July 27: Xinjiang and the Modern Chinese State Reading

To hear Donald Trump tell it, China is supposedly that weird blob on the other side of the world that keeps screwing us with trade. For a more nuanced view, perhaps you should turn to Seattle native Justin Jacobs, who will debut his new book about the rise of China as a “national empire.”University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., 634-3400, http://www2.bookstore.washington.edu/. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Thursday July 28: Margin Shift

Seattle’s Margin Shift poetry collective presents a night of young poets. Georgia writers Ginger Ko and Lindsay Tigue will read new work, but the real reason to turn out is to see Seattle writer Bernard Grant give one of his last readings in town before he pursues his PhD in literature at the University of Cincinnati. Common AREA Maintenance, 2125 2nd Ave, (253) 224-0746. http://commonartspace.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m.

Friday July 29: Arcane Comics Grand Re-Opening

Until a few months ago, Arcane Comics was arguably the best comics shop in Seattle. Now that it’s moved to Aurora, it’s definitely the best comics shop in Shoreline. Arcane celebrates its relocation with a weekend long sale, appearances by guest artists, and a big art party Saturday night starting at 8 pm. Arcane Comics, 15202 Aurora Ave North Suite A, 781-4875, arcanecomics.net. Free. All ages. 10 a.m.

Saturday July 30: A Reading of Indigenous Writers

Memoirist and Fremont Bridge Writer-in-Residence Elissa Washuta headlines an afternoon of poetry from indigenous writers. She’ll be joined by Portland poet Demian DinéYazhi’ and Brooklyn author Tommy Pico, who has written an epic poem titled IRL. Expect a lot of dark humor and more than a little manipulation of genre and form. Hugo House, 1021 Columbia St., 322-7030, hugohouse.org. Free. All ages. 4 p.m.

Sunday July 31: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Midnight Release

See our Event of the Week column for more details.

Monday August 1: Landscapes for the People Reading

National parks are an essential part of the American character. Tonight, outdoor photographers Ren and Helen Davis celebrate the centennial of America’s wondrous national parks program with a new book titled Landscapes for the People: George Alexander Grant, First Chief Photographer of the National Park Service.

Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 624-6600, http://elliottbaybook.com . Free. All ages. 7 p.m

Tuesday August 2: Salon of Shame

Why the hell do people hold onto their embarrassing teenage writing? That’s a mystery for the ages, but Salon of Shame will make you so glad that they do. In this perennially popular event, people read their most embarrassing journal entries and school assignments for the edification of a delighted audience.

Cornish Playhouse At Seattle Center, 201 Mercer St., 726-5113, http://salonofshame.com. $20. 21+. 8 p.m.