November 2016

  • Native American Heritage in Special Collections

    The Library’s Special Collections include a wealth of materials on Native American history, culture and genealogy. Many of these materials are located in our Seattle Room and require a trip to the Central Library to view them in person. We promise that it’s worth it. Continue reading

  • Bus Reads for November

    The Regional Office is Under Attack by Manuel Gonzales. First off swearing and lots of it, which I love because for some reason it makes me giggle over and over and over again. But secondly, great female leads, which I also love because woman are amazing and have far more depth then often portrayed. We… Continue reading

  • Creepy Medicine!

    There’s just something fascinating about weird medical history. It seems impossible that anyone ever thought, “Wow, I could stick a leech on that wound and it might help it get better!” but, someone did (and they were right—leeches are used today in recovery from various types of surgery and they have been used medicinally for… Continue reading

  • Celebrate Native American Heritage Month through poetry

    National Native American Heritage Month, observed in November, honors the histories, cultures, and contributions – historical and ongoing – of American Indians and Alaska Natives. Here are a few suggestions of poets to read in celebration, both this month and all year; you can also find this list in our catalog. Or check out the… Continue reading

  • What We’re Reading: Staff Suggestions

    As you might guess, many library staff are big readers. Here is a selection of what some of us are reading and enjoying these days, and why. Find a longer list of staff favorites in our catalog. Continue reading

  • Nightstand Reads: Michael Engelhard shares his favorite Nature Writing.

    Our guest blogger today is Fairbanks author and wilderness guide Michael Engelhard, whose latest book Ice Bear: The Cultural History of an Arctic Icon, was just released by University of Washington Press.  As a “nature writer” myself, I read voraciously in this field. In part, this is research for my own nonfiction projects. I’d also… Continue reading

  • Have you heard of the #LemonadeSyllabus?

    When Beyoncé’s visual album Lemonade was released this past April, it became an internet sensation. But did you hear about the resource, titled the Lemonade Syllabus, which was inspired by it? After many people across the world watched Beyoncé’s visual album, writer and educator Candice Benbow wanted to find a way to continue the conversation… Continue reading

  • Startup Weekend EDU From an Educator’s Perspective

    Melanie Kong is an Engineering/Math Teacher at the Tesla STEM High School in Lake Washington School District and co-founder of Floop, winner of the 2015 Seattle Startup Weekend EDU and Global Startup Battle Education track. This year’s Startup Weekend EDU is just around the corner, November 18-20, at the Seattle Public Library. Last Year, Startup… Continue reading

  • Celebrating Trans Lives

    November is Transgender Awareness Month! Seattle Public Library is excited to honor this celebration of transgender folks through events, book displays, and this book recommendation list of books by trans people. The first book I would recommend reading this month is Transgender History by Susan Stryker, because the transgender community wouldn’t be where we are… Continue reading

  • A conversation with Tim Wu, author of ‘The Attention Merchants’

    Tim Wu, the author who coined the phrase “net neutrality,” takes a revelatory look at the rise of “attention harvesting” and its effect on our society and ourselves. He’ll be at the Central Library on Thursday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. to talk about his newest book, The Attention Merchants. Get a bit of the inside… Continue reading

  • Bring Down the House

    Have you heard the latest about William Shakespeare? Oxford University Press recently credited Christopher Marlowe as co-author for Henry VI Parts 1, 2, and 3. NPR has an interesting interview with Gary Taylor, Florida State University professor and one of the general editors of The New Oxford Shakespeare, in which he details the process for… Continue reading

  • Celebrate Native American Heritage Month Through Fiction

    National Native American Heritage Month, observed in November, honors the histories, cultures, and contributions – historical and ongoing – of American Indians and Alaska Natives. Here are a few suggestions of novels to read in celebration; or view them as a list in our catalog. You can’t go wrong reading any book by Washington author… Continue reading

  • (Wood)Work it Off!

    The most contentious presidential campaign in recent memory has come to an end, but the stress it has caused is likely to remain. As I was listening to an episode of the Dinner Party Download podcast with actor and woodworker Nick Offerman –  star of Parks and Recreation and author of Good Clean Fun – I realized that… Continue reading

  • Must-Read Comics

    From the incredible storytelling in Brian K. Vaughn’s Saga to Marjorie Liu’s lush fantasy world in Monstress, these graphic novels will delight and amaze long-time fans of the format and new readers alike. Below are a few titles everyone who ever thought about reading a comic or graphic novel should have in their TBR (To… Continue reading

  • Seattle Rep’s KING CHARLES III: Beyond the Theatre

    Seattle Repertory Theatre presents KING CHARLES III by Mike Bartlett from November 11 to December 11, 2016. Librarians at Seattle Public Library created this list of books and DVDs to enhance your experience of the show: Seattle Rep’s KING CHARLES III: Beyond the Theatre Singular in his distinction of being a king-in-waiting, the Prince of… Continue reading

  • Nightstand Reads: Jane Wong

    Our guest blogger today is Seattle poet Jane Wong, visiting Assistant Professor at Pacific Lutheran University and author of Overpour, shares with us her current project and a few books of inspiration. She will be at MadArt at 7pm on Nov. 8 for the event “The Poetics of Haunting.” Dear Readers, My project, The Poetics of Haunting,… Continue reading

  • Drink and book pairings for the winter ahead

    Booktoberfest 2016, our month-long celebration of books and booze, has come to an end but fret not – the rest of winter is a great time to continue this thematic exploration on your own. To that end, here are some suggestions for book and drink pairings, initially presented by librarians Andrea Gough and David Wright as… Continue reading

  • Novembeard

    It’s November! And if the beard hasn’t made it’s presence known yet, it will this month! Between No Shave November bringing awareness to prostate cancer and the winter chill filling the air; the hair will grow!! And because we are nerds here are a few books to get you inspired: Beard by Matthew Rainwaters. I… Continue reading