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 Public Library Foundation and the Gary and Connie Kunis Foundation. Registration is not required unless noted.
One Book, One Coast: Densho – Looking Back and Looking Ahead. Saturday, April 4, from 3 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. Central Library, Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium. In honor of Densho’s 30th Anniversary, Densho founder Tom Ikeda and Executive Director Naomi Kawamura will showcase some of Densho’s oral history archives and explore how their work has changed over the last 30 years and why it’s more important than ever.
One Book, One Coast: Frank Abe discusses “Literature of the Japanese American Incarceration.” Wednesday, April 8, from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Central Library, Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium. As part of the One Book, One Coast shared reading initiative, writer, historian and editor Frank Abe will lead a conversation about an anthology that recovers and reframes the literature produced by Americans of Japanese ancestry who were denied any individual hearings or other due process after the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor. From the nearly 70 selections emerges a shared story of the struggle to retain personal integrity in the face of increasing dehumanization. Registration is required.
An Evening With Audiobook Narrator Julia Whelan. Wednesday, April 15, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium. Award-winning audiobook narrator, screenwriter, and actor Julia Whelan will bring one of her own books to life with a live reading, then share an inspiring talk on the importance of libraries in today’s world. “Thank You for Listening” is the story of a former actress turned successful audiobook narrator who embarks on a journey of self-discovery when she agrees to narrate one last romance novel. Registration is required.
Margaret S. Barrie discusses “Auntie M. Speaks.” Wednesday, April 15, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. High Point Branch. Author Margaret Barrie will lead a discussion of her memoir about her childhood and beyond in a predominantly Black community –– segregated by white politics –– who created a village in Seattle’s Central District, testament to the resilience of the community and the power of nature to heal.
Dr. Katharine K. Wilkinson discusses “Climate Wayfinding.” Thursday, April 16, from 7 p.m. to 8:10 p.m. Central Library, Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium. Visionary climate leader Dr. Katharine K. Wilkinson (head of The All We Can Save Project, co-editor of “All We Can Save”) offers a compassionate and empowering guide to navigating a changing world. Join Dr. Wilkinson for a dynamic book experience, immersing in the wisdom of “Climate Wayfinding” and the beauty of poetry, art, and song. Registration is required.
KUOW Book Talk with Molly Olguín. Thursday, April 23, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. As part of our spring KUOW Book Talk series, Seattle-based writer Olguin will discuss her award-winning collection “The Sea Gives Up the Dead,” which reimagines myths and fairy tales through a queer lens, exploring the borders between fantasy and reality, love and loss, and the monstrous and the human. Registration is required.
David Szalay Discusses “Flesh.” Monday, April 27, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Elliott Bay Book Company (1521 10th Avenue, Seattle). David Szalay will discuss his Booker Prize-winning novel “Flesh,” a propulsive, spare, and deeply contemplative book about a man whose life is derailed by a series of events he’s unable to control. Szalay is the first Hungarian-British author to win the Booker Prize and was previously shortlisted in 2016 for his novel “All That Man Is.”
El Día de los Niños / El Día de los Libros / Children’s Day / Book Day. Tuesday, April 28, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. South Park Branch. Celebrate children and reading in all the languages we speak! Members of our community will share the voices of their ancestors through stories, music, and more in Indigenous languages from Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, honoring living traditions that continue to flourish today. Event is in Spanish and English.
Amara Lakhous Discusses “The Fertility of Evil.” Tuesday, April 28, from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Central Library, Level 4, Room 1. Influenced by a return to Oran after years spent living in Italy as a political refugee, Lakhous’s gripping historical novel weaves a crime story that uncovers the hidden networks and masterminds that render a complicated picture of Algeria’s shadowy history. Registration is required.
Maria Dolan and Kathryn True discuss “Seattle Field Guide.” Saturday, May 2, from 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Dolan and True will discuss their new “Seattle Field Guide,” which shares easy-to-follow, seasonally appropriate ideas for kayaking with herons, mushroom hunting in city parks, biking through salmon restoration sites, identifying lichens in historic cemeteries, and listening for frog songs in quiet urban wetlands. After the talk and book signing, there will be an optional guided walk to the waterfront. Registration is required.
One Book, One Coast: Tamiko Nimura discusses “A Place for What We Lose: A Daughter’s Return to Tule Lake.” Tuesday, May 5, from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. As part of the One Book, One Coast shared reading initiative, join us to hear local author Tamiko Nimura discuss her new memoir, a deeply affecting memoir of reckoning with a father’s death and the Japanese American incarceration.
Laurie Frankel and Nancy Pearl discuss “Enormous Wings.” Wednesday, May 13, from 7 p.m. to 8:10 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Join us to hear local literary luminaries Laurie Frankel and Nancy Pearl discuss Frankel’s new book. “Enormous Wings” is an urgent novel about motherhood and family, sex and love and friendship, and how those bedrocks — even so late in the day — can still change, and then change everything. Registration is required.
Natalie Porter discusses “Girl Gangs, Zines, and Power Slides.” Thursday, May 14, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. In “Girl Gangs, Zines, and Powerslides: A History of Badass Women Skateboarders,” skateboarding librarian and author Porter shows how a once-equitable sport became re-branded as a boys-only pursuit, and emphasizes the importance of validating stories that have been buried, dismissed, or ignored.
KUOW Book Talk with Sonora Jha. Thursday, May 21, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Acclaimed Seattle author Sonora Jha will discuss her latest novel, “Intemperance” with KUOW host Katie Campbell. “Intemperance” is a sweeping and intimate story inspired by an ancient Indian ritual and the complexities of aging, love, and self-possession in a modern world. Registration is required.
One Book, One Coast: Scott Kurashige Discusses “American Peril.” Saturday, May 30, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Kurashige will discuss his new book, “American Peril: The Violent History of Anti-Asian Racism,” about the long history of anti-Asian violence in America and how we can learn to build lasting solidarity. Kurashige is the author of “The Shifting Grounds of Race: Black and Japanese Americans in the Making of Multiethnic Los Angeles.” Registration is required.
Find all our book-related events, including a variety of book and writing programs, in our Books and Authors calendar. Find information and registration through the event links below.