March 2015

  • Not Just Another Book About Women in Rock

    ~ posted by Abby Women have always been a part of rock and roll – as musicians, singers, songwriters, producers, promoters, critics, fans and much more. Yet their stories have often been overlooked in rock writing. Thankfully, this myopia is finally receiving a serious corrective, with more and more women writing about their involvement in… Continue reading

  • National Film Festival for Talented Youth Screening!

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  • Movie Mondays: One of a Kind

    ~posted by Frank These films are definitely different. Singularly weird, completely original, and if they borrow elements from other films, they put a new spin on them and make them their own. So get ready for four wild rides. Continue reading

  • New features in our catalog

    — Posted by Emily  We’ve added some features to our catalog recently—please join us for a tour of what you can do with your library online. Fonts and languages We’ve increased the size and clarity of the fonts to make it easier on everyone’s eyes. We’ve also added a menu on the upper left that… Continue reading

  • The Science Fiction Checklist Challenge: Military SF part III

    By Richard C. It’s Military SF part III! And for those of you following along at home, I know what you’re thinking — how did it take two whole posts to get to Joe W. Haldeman and Orson Scott Card? Just who does this Richard C. guy think he is, anyway? Well, here we go!    … Continue reading

  • The Science Fiction Checklist Challenge: Military SF Part II

    By Richard C. It’s Military SF part II, and important questions remain. Like what about the role of women here, both as authors and characters? If you made it to Seattle’s February Potlatch convention – a small, literary speculative fiction event – you might have seen a session called Women Ruin War – The Gendering of Military… Continue reading

  • The Science Fiction Checklist Challenge: Military SF Part I

    By Richard C. This week let’s mobilize your imagination for the military themes in Science Fiction. In fact, I have so much to say about it that we’re starting early with the first of three installments. Diverse opinions on the issue of war notwithstanding, Military SF can launch a reading experience altogether exhilarating, touching, educational,… Continue reading

  • Hearing History

    ~posted by Jenny C. I’m a fan of history – reading books based in historical times (yes, sometimes even the romances), enjoying biographies of interesting people, delighting in extensive footnotes, and recreating historical activities, like folk dancing and fencing. What I like even better is experiencing original materials – all the weird and wonderful vocabulary… Continue reading

  • Movie Mondays: Western Film Series at the University Branch!

    ~posted by Mike Saddle up your steed and ride over to the University Branch Monday nights for our spring program showcasing some of the greatest Western films ever made. This six shooter series covers nearly every important era of the Western, from the genre definers starring John Wayne and Marlene Dietrich to the auteurist appropriations… Continue reading

  • Science Fiction Checklist Challenge: Dying Earth

    ~posted by Carrie M. There is something both chilling and oddly beautiful about the concept of a dying earth. This literary genre places the reader on the precipice of humanity’s destruction and forces us to come to terms with the fragility of life and the evils of society that are nearly always the cause of… Continue reading

  • Seattle Rep’s ‘Lizard Boy’

    From the ashes of Mount St. Helens emerged a monster with mysterious powers—powers that changed one boy’s life forever. Superhero or freak? Not even he was sure until one fated night of adventure, music and love on the streets of Seattle. Triple-threat Seattle artist Justin Huertas brings Lizard Boy, his breakout hit of the 2013… Continue reading

  • A conversation with Seattle Reads author Peter Heller

    — posted by Linda J. Peter Heller, author of our 2015 Seattle Reads book The Painter, chatted with me about the power of community book events, the inspiration for his character Jim Stegner, books he loves, and the crush he had on a librarian when he was 11 years old. Thank you for being a part of Seattle… Continue reading

  • Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

    Check out this small but impressive sampling of contributions that the Irish and Irish-Americans have made to the world of literature, movies and music! Continue reading

  • Movie Mondays: Chamber Films

    ~posted by Frank You’ve likely heard of chamber music and chamber plays, but chamber films? Similar in principle to their counterparts, chamber films feature a handful of actors, primarily in a single location. Chamber films have been made for decades – think Rope, 12 Angry Men and My Dinner with Andre. Here are four contemporary examples that fit the bill. Continue reading

  • Science Fiction Checklist Challenge: Science Fantasy

    ~ posted by David H. “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” ~Arthur C. Clarke Though many fans will vehemently deny it, the truth is that science fiction’s most closely related sister genre is fantasy. Both tell fantastic stories set on different worlds with unusual societies and often featuring non-human characters. But while science… Continue reading

  • Mark Twain’s Seattle Doppelgänger

    ~posted by Jade D. While looking through the portraits in our Seattle Historical Photograph Collection online, I came upon a photograph of an older man with wild white hair and a moustache and momentarily wondered what we were doing with a photograph of Mark Twain in our collection. After performing this double take, I looked… Continue reading

  • Frankenstein’s Birthday

                                                                        ~ posted by David W. On this day in 1818, Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein: Or, The Modern Prometheus was first published to great sensation and controversy. Contemporary reviewers termed it “uncouth,” “impious,” “shocking,” and “a tissue of horrible and disgusting absurdity.” One critic, surmising that the book’s anonymous author might be a woman, opined that as the… Continue reading

  • Comics: Focus on Matt Kindt

    By Sven For those on the lookout for unique voices in comics, if writer/illustrator Matt Kindt has not blipped on your radar, it’s time to fine-tune your scanners. Specializing in complex, reality-shattering narratives, and a fluid illustration style soaked in watercolors, Kindt’s decade-plus long career in the industry has resulted in some of the most… Continue reading