We have some amazing events at the Library in May, from a talk with New Yorker editor Michael Lo about his fascinating history of Chinese immigration to a just-added event with author Karen Hao about “Empire of AI,” her behind-the-scenes story of what went wrong at OpenAI.
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. See the Seattle Reads calendar for additional community events related to this year’s Seattle Reads selection, “You’re Still Here,” edited by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón.
New Yorker editor Michael Luo discusses “Strangers in the Land”
Friday, May 2, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Elliott Bay Book Company. In a captivating debut, Michael Luo, executive editor of The New Yorker, tells the story of a people who, beginning in the middle of the nineteenth century, migrated by the tens of thousands to a distant land they called Gum Shan –– Gold Mountain. Luo follows the Chinese from these early years to modern times, as they persisted in the face of bigotry and persecution. Registration is required.
Viet Thanh Nguyen and Shawn Wong discuss “To Save and Destroy”
Wednesday, May 7, from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of “The Sympathizer,” will discuss his new book — a moving and unflinchingly personal meditation on the literary forms of otherness — with fellow author and scholar Shawn Wong. Registration is currently full for this event.
Seattle Reads: Lynda Mapes and Rena Priest Discuss “The Trees Are Speaking”
Thursday, May 8, from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Seattle Times reporter Lynda Mapes and poet Rena Priest will discuss Mapes’ new book, “The Trees Are Speaking,” which takes readers on a bicoastal journey to connect the present and future of Pacific Northwest forests. Registration is required.
Seattle Reads presents Ada Limón
The 24th U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón will speak at several events related to this year’s Seattle Reads selection, “You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World.” Central Library, Level 1 Auditorium: Friday, May 16, from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m, The event will also feature Seattle’s new Civic Poet Dujie Tahat, who will read a poem to start off the evening. Green Lake Branch: Saturday, May 17, from 11 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. Former Washington State Poet Laureate Rena Priest will read a poem to start. Columbia Branch: Saturday, May 17, from 3 p.m. to 4:10 p.m. Youth Poet Laureate Janae Lu will open the event with a poem.
Seattle Reads presents An Evening with Laura Da’ and Cedar Sigo
Tuesday, May 20, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. This year’s Seattle Reads selection “You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World” features two local Indigenous poets: Laura Da’ and Cedar Sigo. We’re celebrating their inclusion in the anthology as they share their original work. Registration is required.
Caitlin Starling discusses “The Starving Saints” with Sadie Hartmann
Thursday, May 22, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 4 – Room 1. Join us to hear Caitlin Starling discuss her newest addition to the queer horror cannon “The Starving Saints,” a work of medieval fantasy and cannibalism, in conversation with Sadie Hartmann. Held in partnership with Charlie’s Queer Books. Registration is not required.
Author Karen Hao discusses “Empire of AI”
Tuesday, May 27, 2025, from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Founded as a nonprofit with safety enshrined as its core mission, OpenAI was founded, as its leader Sam Altman said, to act as a check against more purely mercantile, and potentially dangerous, forces. What could go wrong? The behind-the-scenes story of what happened is revelatory of who the people controlling this technology really are. Registration is required.
Moira Macdonald and Bethany Jean Clement discuss “Storybook Ending: A Novel”
Wednesday, May 28, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Seattle Times arts critic Moira Macdonald will discuss her debut novel, “Storybook Ending,” with Seattle Times food critic Bethany Jean Clement. When an anonymous note left in a book finds the wrong recipient, two women — a lonely remote worker and a widowed single mom— find themselves in an unusual love triangle with a handsome local bookstore clerk. Registration is required.
Writing the Land with La Sala
Thursday, May 29, from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Join La Sala for an inspiring evening celebrating Latino/Latina/Latinx poets who have participated in “Writing the Land,” a project by NatureCulture that highlights the deep connection between poetry, place, and conservation. Registration is required.
– Elisa M., Communications
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