As fall weather sets in, it’s a good time to mark your calendar with a few of The Seattle Public Library’s exceptional arts and author events in the next couple of months. Gear up for the election with a live “Text Me Back” podcast taping with Lindy West, learn about the connection between homelessness and housing, explore all angles of midlife with Angela Garbes, and be on the edge of your seat with Booker Prize finalist Rachel Kushner.
All Library events are free and open to the public. Find information and registration through the event links below or at spl.org/Calendar.
OCTOBER EVENTS
Booker Prize winner Paul Lynch discusses “Prophet Song” with Paul Constant. From 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 9. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Lynch will discuss his highly original novel “Prophet Song,” winner of the 2023 Booker Prize, which spins a terrifying, suspenseful vision of an Ireland careening towards authoritarianism. Registration is required.
Live podcast taping of Text Me Back! With Lindy West & Meagan Hatcher-Mays. From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 15. Central Library, Level 1 – Microsoft Auditorium. Gear up for the election with a special election preview podcast taping of Text Me Back!, with the Cascade Ideas festival Registration is required.
How to Cultivate Strong Communities with Citizen University. From 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 17. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Join Citizen University to discuss time-tested strategies to strengthen our communities, and build a plan to lean into your role as a “civic catalyst” in the months and years ahead.
Midlife: Private Parts in Public: Intergenerational Care. From 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 17. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Guest curator Angela Garbes kicks off her new series with a rich discussion on intergenerational care and interdependence, with Seattle writer Claire Dederer (“Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma”) and Western Washington University associate professor Jane Wong. Registration is not required.
The Northwest’s Most Infamous Crimes with Author Rebecca Morris. From 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., Friday, Oct. 18. Phinney Neighborhood Center, Seattle. Join New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Morris as she talks about the Pacific Northwest’s most infamous crimes.
Poets Against Hate. From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 19. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Seattle-King County-Regional literary organizations have joined together to present the work of poets who represent the work they do every day to fight injustice and inequity in our city, county, and state. Registration is required.
Escribiendo e ilustrando cuentos de suspenso. From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 19. Central Library, Piso 4 – Sala 2. En este serie aprenderán a escribir e ilustrar una historia de suspenso en español por dos artistas locales mexicanas: Maria de Lourdes Victoria, autora galardonada y Adriana Morales, reconocida artista visual. Students will learn how to write short suspense stories and various graphic techniques to illustrate their prose. No se requiere inscripción, Registration not required.
Citizenship for All: Storytelling through NongGi Making with Aram Han Sifuentes. From noon to 3 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 20. Central Library, Level 4, Room 1. Level 4 – Room. Artist Aram Han Sifuentes will guide participants through storytelling and hands-on creation to makea NongGi (Korean folk banners). Registration is required.
Booker Prize finalist Rachel Kushner Presents “Creation Lake.” From 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 23. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Kushner, Booker Prize finalist and two-time National Book Award finalist, will discuss her latest book, about a seductive and cunning American woman who infiltrates an anarchist collective in France.
Gregg Colburn Discusses “Homelessness is a Housing Problem.” From 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 22. Learn about the connection between housing and homelessness in cities across the United States with University of Washington housing scholar Gregg Colburn, who published a book with data journalist Clayton Aldern. Registration is required.
Jeff VanderMeer Discusses “Absolution” with Madeline Ostrander. From 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Monday, Oct. 28. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Jeff VanderMeer’s “Absolution” is the fourth surprise volume in VanderMeer’s Southern Reach trilogy, one of the most provocative and popular speculative fiction series of our time. Registration is required.
NOVEMBER EVENTS
Jack Straw Writers Showcase. From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 2. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Join us to hear new work from members of the Jack Straw Writing Program, curated by Seattle science fiction writer Nisi Shawl.
Caitlin McGurk discusses “Tell Me A Story Where the Bad Girl Wins: The Life and Art of Barbara Shermund.” From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 3. Central Library, Level 4 – Room 1. Curator and biographer Caitlin McGurk discusses the life and art of Barbara Shermund, a groundbreaking but largely forgotten woman cartoonist.Registration is not required.
Midlife: Private Parts in Public — Discussing “All Fours”: Thursday, Nov. 7, from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Guest curator Garbes leads a book group discussion of Miranda July’s recent novel with Katrina Spade, founder of Recompose, the world’s first human composting company, and Seattle author Molly Wizenberg (“The Fixed Stars”).
The Bushwick Book Club presents Original Music Inspired by “Parable of the Sower.” From 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 9. Hugo House, Seattle. Join us to hear 10 musicians and songwriters perform musical works inspired by Octavia Butler’s “Parable of the Sower,” which was the Library’s 2024 Seattle Reads selection. Registration is required.
DECEMBER EVENTS
Dr. Manisha Sinha on “The Rise and Fall of the Second American Republic.” From 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 5. Central Library Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Acclaimed historian Manisha Sinha expands our view of Reconstruction with “The Rise and Fall of the Second American Republic,” which serves as a necessary reminder of how young and fragile our democracy truly is.
Bruce Fulton discusses “The Penguin Book of Korean Short Stories.” From 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 10. Central Library, Auditorium. This eclectic, moving collection is the essential introduction to Korean literature, curated and translated by Bruce Fulton, a local editor/translator.
Midlife: Private Parts in Public — Orca Whales: Thursday, Dec. 12, from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. For guest curator Angela Garbes’ series, Dr. Deborah Giles, one of the world’s leading experts on Southern Resident killer whales, author and journalist Putsata Reang, and poet and teacher Laura Da’ (“Tributaries”) will talk about what we can learn from orca whales about perimenopausal and postmenopausal sexuality.
All Library events are free and open to the public. Find information and registration through the event links below or at spl.org/Calendar. Many of these events are supported by The Seattle Public Library Foundation and the Gary and Connie Kunis Foundation.
Caption for top photo: A Seattle Reads event in the fall of 2022, featuring author Luis Urrea
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