The Library’s many author and community events in June include a Queer hockey night at the Northgate Branch, a zine-making workshop with Densho, and FIFA World Cup 2026 watch parties.
Find many more events at www.spl.org/Calendar. Find information and registration through the event links below.
All Library events are free and open to the public. The Library also has some great summer reading programs, including our 12th annual Book Bingo for adults, and a brand-new program, Summer Quest. Launching on June 15, Summer Quest encourages kids, teens and adults to “read, do, and go” all around Seattle and all summer for prizes and fun.
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. As part of the One Book, One Coast shared reading initiative, Kurashige will discuss his new book about the long history of anti-Asian violence in America and how we can learn to build lasting solidarity. Registration is required.
Film screening of “Since I Been Down.” Sunday, May 31, from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Join us for a screening of “Since I Been Down,” a documentary that follows Kimonti Carter and other incarcerated individuals as they create a model of education that is transforming lives. The event will include a moderated discussion with Kimonti Carter, filmmaker Gilda Sheppard, and others featured in the film.
One Book, One Coast: George Takei Watch Party. Sunday, May 31, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Central Library, Greenwood Branch, Southwest Branch, online. As the culmination of the One Book, One Coast shared reading initiative, join us for a watch party at several Library locations or online of a livestream event with George Takei, actor, activist, and author of “They Called Us Enemy.” Registration required only for the online program.
Let’s Talk About Books – Book Bingo Edition. Tuesday, June 2, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Green Lake Branch. Join us for a no-pressure, no-hassle book discussion group in which you’re invited to come share the books you’ve read and enjoyed recently, and to get ideas for what to read next. You can share out or just get reading suggestions from other book lovers.
Ray Nayler discusses “Palaces of the Crow.” Tuesday, June 2, from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave., Seattle. In Hugo Award-winning author Ray Nayler’s speculative novel, four young teens caught between Nazis and the Red Army survive winter in the woods with the help of a flock of highly intelligent crows with a magnificent secret of their own to protect.
Zine-making Workshop with Densho. Saturday, June 6, from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 4 – Room 1. “Gidra,” a zine created in 1969 by Asian American students at UCLA to reflect an identity influenced by the Black Power movement, is held in the archives of Densho, a Seattle nonprofit that documents the testimonies of Japanese Americans who were unjustly incarcerated during World War. Participants will also have an opportunity to create their own zine. Registration is required.
FIFA World Cup Watch Parties. From June 11 to July 19, three Library locations – the Central Library, the Lake City Branch, and the Southwest Branch — will host 2026 FIFA World Cup Watch Parties in branch meeting rooms and the Central Library Microsoft Auditorium. Find dates and times for watch parties on the event calendar.
Sarah Blum discusses “Warrior Nurse: PTSD and Healing.” Thursday, June 11, from 6 p.m. to 8:05 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. “Warrior Nurse: PTSD and Healing,” the Common Read 2026 for PeaceTrees Vietnam, chronicles Blum’s experiences during the war and her journey to healing as a nurse veteran. Registration is required.
Queer Joy & Hockey with the Library. Saturday, June 13, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Join us during Seattle Pride Hockey’s annual Pride Classic for a discussion about hockey, the cultural impact of “Heated Rivalry,” and a celebration of the queer joy found in the sports romance genre from local hockey romance author and hockey player Lexi LaFleur Brown and Charlie’s Queer Books.
Queer Silent Book Club Seattle. Thursday, June 18, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Central Library Level 4 – Room 1. Queer folks and allies: Join us for silent reading and bookish chit-chat with Queer Silent Book Club Seattle! After quick intros, we’ll disperse throughout the Library for an hour of reading.
Steven Gregg discusses “Death on the Rock.” Thursday, June 18, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Greenwood Branch. Local author Gregg, a former Petty Officer in the United States Coast Guard, served two tours as the lighthouse keeper aboard the St. George Reef Lighthouse, the setting of his new mystery novel “Death on the Rock.”
Living with Conviction: Sentenced to Debt for Life in Washington State Exhibit. On display at the Green Lake Branch gallery and the Central Library Level 8 gallery during open hours through July 26. In partnership with formerly incarcerated individuals, this exhibit confronts how Washington courts have been sentencing people not only to prison but also to a lifetime of debt through photographic portraits, stories, and multimedia that share stories of our common humanity.