Savor summer by taking a StoryWalk in Magnolia, enjoying a talk with “Raised by Ferns” author Maya Jewell Zeller, or honoring the first Day of Remembrance with Frank Abe and Densho at the International District/Chinatown Branch, among many other library programs in August.
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. Free and reduced access supported by 4Culture. Registration is not required unless noted.
Storywalk® in Magnolia Summer 2026
Through Aug. 15. Daybreak Star Cultural Center, Magnolia Branch. Magnolia Farmers Market. For the sixth year, our “Storywalks in Magnolia” project invites people to enjoy Indigenous stories and authors posted in three outdoor locations in Magnolia, in collaboration with Daybreak Star Preschool, Magnolia Farmers’ Market, and the Washington Talking Books and Braille Library. All books are transcribed into Braille and chosen by the preschool teachers at the Daybreak Star preschool. Come grab a zine at the Magnolia Branch and join us in celebrating Indigenous culture and tradition!
Summer Quest events and workshops
Join us for Summer Quest events for kids, teens and adults all over Seattle! From magic shows to grunge-era printmaking and sound baths, each event you attend helps you fill out your Summer Quest tracker – and gets you one square closer to winning prizes.
Cello Concerts with Gretchen Yanover
Wednesdays through August, from 10:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium. Join us for an electric cello concert with Seattle cellist and Library artist in resident Gretchen Yanover. Yanover is a member of NW Sinfonietta orchestra and has performed for Earshot Jazz Festival and TEDx Seattle.
Montlake Branch “Libraries for All” 20th Anniversary Celebration
Sunday, August 2, from noon to 4 p.m. Montlake Branch. The current Montlake Branch opened on August 12, 2006 as part of “Libraries for All.” Join us to celebrate by participating in craft activities, enjoying cake and refreshments, and more.
Black August Documentary Screening: “The Alabama Solution”
Thursday, Aug. 6, from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Beacon Hill Branch. In 2019, filmmakers Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman (HBO’s “The Jinx”) visited an Alabama prison, where, off camera, incarcerated men whispered a message: terrible things are going on and being kept secret. This reveal sparked an immersive six-year investigation to discover the reality behind one of the nation’s deadliest prison systems.
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Performance
Saturday, Aug. 8, from 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Columbia Branch. Join us for Bread & Roses Theatre Company’s raucous and romantic new adaptation of Shakespeare’s Comedy, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” a play about dreaming of what could be and the courage, chaos, mischief, and magic it takes for us to change what is.
Washington 250: Making American History in Seattle
Sunday, Aug. 16, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. International District – Chinatown Branch. As part of the “Out of Many, One” state initiative commemorating America250, author Frank Abe and Densho will honor the first-ever Day of Remembrance with a talk and exhibit. The mini-exhibit features a poster from the first Japanese American Pilgrimage from Seattle to the Puyallup Fairgrounds, which marked the first Day of Remembrance in 1978. Abe, who helped create the Day of Remembrance, will share stories from the pilgrimage, followed with an art-making activity.
Seattle I love you, Adios – El Vez
Sunday, Aug. 16, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium. Robert Lopez, aka El Vez the Mexican Elvis, is a musician, playwright, actor, activist, advocate and socio-political comedian and artist. Join him as he tells his tales of living and creating in Seattle for over 25 years and says “Adios” to his “Muse,” Seattle. The show will be a combo of a slideshow, musical, lecture, and lounge act fever dream accompanied by pianist Tom Kellock & ASU professor Dr. Karen Jean Martinson.
“Raised by Ferns” Author Maya Jewell Zeller and Katie Campbell
Thursday, Aug. 20, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Central Library, Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium. Born in a Pacific Northwest gas station to itinerant, countercultural parents, Maya Jewell Zeller grew up in a world shaped by poverty, wildness, and fierce self-reliance. In conversation with KUOW Book Club host Katie Campbell, Zeller will reflect on her journey from what she calls “a feral girl” to a middle-class adult reckoning with identity, belonging, and uneasy privilege. Registration required.
Queer Silent Book Club Seattle
Thursday, Aug. 20, 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 on the third Thursday of the month. After reading, feel free to stick around for bookish chitchat in the Living Room on Level 3.
Book Bingo Party
Thursday, August 27, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 3, Living Room. The summer may almost be over, but you still have more than a week of reading until the Book Bingo deadline! Mix and mingle, share Book Bingo finds, and enjoy light refreshments with us. Registration is required.
“Teaching of the Tree People” Film Screening
Thursday, Aug. 27, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Join United Indians of All Tribes Foundation and the Green Seattle Partnership for a screening of “The Teaching of the Tree People,” an award-winning documentary that honors the life and legacy of Gerald Bruce Miller (Subiyay), a beloved Skokomish elder, master weaver, teacher, and cultural leader. Registration is required.
Living with Conviction: Sentenced to Debt for Life in Washington State Exhibit
Through Sept. 27. On display at the Green Lake Branch gallery and the Central Library Level 8 gallery. 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. Now extended until September!