March 2026
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One Book, One Coast: Explore Stories of Japanese American Incarceration and Resistance
This spring, The Seattle Public Library is participating in the first-ever One Book, One Coast program – the West Coast’s biggest book club. Now, we’re excited to share the final details of the programs we have planned. Through May, more than 190 library systems across California, Oregon, and Washington are encouraging millions of library readers… Continue reading
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April and May 2026 Author and Community Events at the Library
Author and community programs are blooming at the Library this spring, from an evening with famed audiobook narrator Julia Whelan to One Book, One Coast programs that reframe and retell the history of Japanese American incarceration. All Library events are free and open to the public. Many of these events are supported by The Seattle… Continue reading
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University Branch Project Reaches Major Milestone
In our October 2025 University Branch update, we highlighted the significant progress made on the seismic retrofit of the branch, including the installation of reinforced shear walls at critical support points, which extend from the ceiling through the basement. Seismic Retrofit Complete! In this update, we are excited to announce that the seismic retrofit of… Continue reading
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A Peek at Peak Picks – April 2026
We’re adding twelve new Peak Picks in April! In fiction, Emma Straub returns with an irresistible story about what happens when your teenage fantasy comes true after you’re already an adult as she sets sail on a cruise ship for a four-day themed voyage with all five members of a famous 1990s boyband in American Fantasy; Evelyn… Continue reading
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Cemetery Walks
Death is a frequently fraught topic, deeply tied to cultural and religious customs, philosophy, and fear. And so, walking around a cemetery can tell you a lot about a place and a people. What a treat, then, to find four recent books that invite us into the lives of final resting places around the world.… Continue reading
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4 Poetry Collections that Celebrate the Black Diaspora
Black people throughout the diaspora have long preserved their dynamic cultures through African and African American oral traditions and poetry. Poets of the Black/African diaspora write passionately and often pull from many Black poetry forms and traditions to express collective and individual joy, survival, pain, and various facets of their lives. The collections suggested here explore, celebrate… Continue reading
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New Teen Nonfiction
Readers often gravitate towards fiction for their pleasure reading, but there are tons of great books that are completely true and make for compelling reading. Here are some newer titles that you may have missed. MS = middle school Barb Rosenstock’s book American Spirits recounts how sisters Kate and Maggie could explain strange rapping sounds in their house by communicating with the… Continue reading
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Listen to This Podcast: KUOW Book Talk With Coll Thrush
What do Pacific Northwest shipwrecks have to do with settler colonialism? Author and historian Coll Thrush recently published a book, “Wrecked: Unsettling Histories from the Graveyard of the Pacific,” which explores this topic through six years of extensive research. He shared his findings in a recent KUOW Book Talk at the Central Library, in conversation… Continue reading
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New Nonfiction Roundup – March 2026
Spring is not quite here yet, but the spring publishing season has arrived in full force! Check out some of most anticipated nonfiction coming out this month. Christina Applegate considers her life, from star of Married with Children and Anchroman to her role as an advocate for herself and others living with multiple sclerosis in… Continue reading
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Mayor Wilson Announces 2026 Library Levy Proposal
You may have seen The Seattle Public Library in the news today. At 12:30 p.m., Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson spoke from the Central Library’s Level 10 Betty Jane Narver Reading Room to announce a proposal for a $410 million Library Levy that would provide funding for The Seattle Public Library over seven years, from 2027… Continue reading
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Books to Help You Start (and Finish!) Writing Your Novel
Have you always wanted to write a novel? Or are you feeling stuck with your current draft? Wherever you are in your writing project, the library carries many books that can help with inspiration and next steps. Here are some that I have found to be especially useful: For Getting Inspired: 1,000 Words by Jami… Continue reading
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Spring 2026 Author and Community Events at the Library
Author and community programs are blooming at the Library this spring, from a KUOW Book Talk with Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe about “Thunder Song” on March 23, to an evening with famed audiobook narrator Julia Whelan on April 15, to two One Book, One Coast events with local authors that reframe and retell the history of… Continue reading
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New Fiction Roundup, March 2026
There’s plenty of new fiction to be excited about in March, from haunted houses to family sagas and a vengeful Anne Boleyn, from local authors (Kim Fu) to returning favorites (Louise Erdrich, Yann Martel), and much more! 3/3: Lake Effect by Cynthia D’Aprix SweeneyIn a sleepy 1977 Rochester neighborhood, a copy of The Joy of… Continue reading