May 2017

  • Beyond The Handmaid’s Tale: Feminist Dystopia & Utopia

    We always love it when worthwhile, interesting books are adapted to film or TV, as it invariably means that a multitude of readers will be drawn to the source. As sales figures and waiting lists and libraries attest, this has been quite a year for Margaret Atwood’s landmark 1985 dystopia The Handmaid’s Tale, owing largely to… Continue reading

  • New Magazine Subscriptions: Part 2

    In last month’s New Magazine Subscription: Part 1 we explored some fresh new titles hitting our magazine shelves, covering everything from dogs to military history. An eclectic mix of new titles keep coming! Here are several more subscriptions that have recently started at the Central Library and at branches. Fantastic Man One of few men’s… Continue reading

  • May is Mental Health Awareness Month

    Last November, there was a shooting in downtown Seattle. It was five feet in front of me. Afterward, I became more anxious than usual, with every waking moment and many sleeping ones filled with fear. I went to the doctor: PTSD. Aha. The majority of my experience with mental health issues stem from childhood years… Continue reading

  • Summer Book Bingo Returns!

    Polish your library card, clean your reading glasses, dust off your Kindle — whatever you need to do — because today Seattle Arts & Lectures and Seattle Public Library launch Summer Book Bingo, the 2017 edition! Pick up a bingo card at any of our Libraries, or print the pdf here. Here’s a brief rundown… Continue reading

  • Endangered Species Day

    Mark your calendars for May 19 – Endangered Species Day. Since 2006, the third Friday in May has been a day to reflect on animal and plant species that are becoming extinct at an alarming rate. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) maintains The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, a comprehensive list… Continue reading

  • Suggestions for a Seattle Book Crawl

    Today’s guest post is from Ann Glusker, formerly a librarian with the Seattle Public Library and now with the National Network of Libraries of Medicine. Thanks to the Medical Library Association News for sharing this post; we trust with this handy guide that the medical librarians visiting our fair city later this month will have a… Continue reading

  • Interview with an Artist: Ways of Working

    Have you ever wondered why the end product of an artistic endeavor is called a work of art or an artwork and not art play? Has anyone asked, “When are you going to get a real job?” Are you working in a real job, yet wonder when you’ll get enough money, time and the space… Continue reading

  • Inside the Story: Immersive and Personal Journalism

    Memoir tends to be subjective, while journalistic writing aims at objective treatment of a topic. Then there are those books that combine these strengths, exploring a topic of interest from within, either through the eyes of someone whose experience gives them a revealing perspective, or a journalist who immerses themselves in the world they’re writing about. In both cases, the… Continue reading

  • Honoring Jim Henson and the Art of Puppetry

    “When I was young, my ambition was to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope is to leave the world a little better for having been there.” – Jim Henson On Saturday, May 13th, The Seattle Public Library is delighted to be hosting an all-day, all-ages puppeteering event… Continue reading

  • Fiction new book roundup – May 2017

    Craving something to read by a favorite author or hoping to find a debut novelist? We’ve got you covered with new fiction coming out this month, May 2017. 5/1: 16th Seduction by James Patterson – the latest installment in the popular Women’s Murder Club series. 5/2: Salt Houses by Hala Alyan – a novel about a… Continue reading

  • Nonfiction new book round up – May 2017

    Looking for new nonfiction to read or a new cookbook to test out? Here is a selection of nonfiction being published in May 2017. 5/2: The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell: Tales of a 6’ 4”, African American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and Proud Blerd, Mama’s Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian by W. Kamau… Continue reading