READINGS
THURS-3
SAM KEEN
He got Katie Couric to don a harness, so Sam Keen's Learning to Fly: Trapeze--Reflamesections on Fear, Trust and the Joy of Letting Go can't be all bad. Pop psych couched in entertaining personal detail. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 5 pm, free.
FRI-4
HELEN FIELDING
With all the popularity and controversy of Ally McBeal-type postfeminist humor, Fielding's Bridget Jones' Diary gained avid lovers and haters alike with its publication a year ago. Fielding reads from the paperback version. Kane Hall 120, UW Campus, 634-3400, 7:30 pm, free (tickets).
MARINA BUDHOS
You really want to like Budhos' second novel, The Professor of Light. First of all, it's beautifully packaged, and the idea of a daughter inflamesuencing her professorial father's personal philosophy is a lovely and resonant one. But Budhos stays in the realm of symbol, adding to the overwrought literature of parents going mad. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
SAT-5
POETSPEAK
Poets who are members of the Washington Poets Association read at this gala event, featuring Victory Schouten, whose book Wolf Love will be published later this year. Frye Art Museum, 704 Terry Ave, 682-1268, 2 pm, $5.
JENNIFER PRICE
A light and entertaining study of the idea of Nature in our indoor society, Price's Flight Maps: Adventures with Nature in Modern America incorporates history and anecdote. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 2 pm, free.
*PETER PLATE--See Calendar Box. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7;30 pm, free.
SUN-6
STUART HOWELL MILLER
Gay rights activist Miller has lots of material for personal anecdote, which he reveals in Prayer Warriors: The True Story of a Gay Son, His Fundamentalist Christian Family, and Their Battle for His Soul. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 4 pm, free.
MON-7
DAVID F. BREASHEARS
High Exposure: An Enduring Passion for Everest and Unforgiving Places is yet another account of the tragic 1996 Everest climb, this one from the documentary filmmaker of the Imax film Everest. Kane Hall 130, UW Campus, 634-3400, 7 pm, free (tickets).
GALAXY CRAZE
She's been a hippie kid, a movie star, a model, and now Galaxy Craze presents her debut novel, By the Shore. The gentle narrative of a '60s child living with her mother at an inn in England, By the Shore explores the desire for family in the very age that redefined it. Craze knows how to keep her distance, so the claustrophobia of the book doesn't smother, but neither does it sting. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
TUES-8
BRUCE FERGUSON
Ferguson plays with genetic tendencies in The Piper's Son, a thriller pitting an adopted son against his birth father, who is a serial killer. Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way NE, 366-3333, 7 pm, free.
WED-9
GERMAINE GREER
Greer, groundbreaking author of The Female Eunuch, talks about her newest, The Whole Woman, a penetrating look at the numbers behind the female beauty industry: costs of plastic surgery, percentages of cancer, the politics of medicine. Kane Hall 120, UW Campus, 634-3400, 7 pm, free (tickets).
OPEN MIC
Note to regularly programmed open mics: The Stranger will list events only if we receive an announcement--regular listings will be dropped unless we are notified that the events are in fact ongoing.
THURS-3
665--Words and music add up in this evening venue, tonight presenting Kansas. Four Angels, 1400 14th Ave (at Union), 689-8661, 7:30 pm, free.
SUN-6
RED SKY POETRY THEATER--Continuing its 18th season of readings, spotlighting local writers plus an open mic. Tonight, Steve Sundin steps on stage. Globe Cafe, 1531 14th Ave (at Pine), 633-5647, 7 pm, free
MON-7
LIVINGROOM--Every Monday about this time, people read and rant and play music. Tonight features Nadya Kayyali. Habitat Espresso, 222 Broadway E, 689-8661, 7:30 pm, free.
TUES-8
HOMELAND--The homiest of open mics, with the Morrigan "Wandering Uterus Tour" from Chicago, and espresso chocolate chip cookies. Globe Cafe, 1531 14th Ave (at Pine), 324-8815, 7:30 pm, free.
WED-9
COFFEE MESSIAH--Come to confess your sins, stay for a cookie. Open mic for poetry, stories, music, rants, & more. Coffee Messiah, 1554 E Olive Wy, 860-7377, 8:30 pm, free.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR WRITERS:
WORDSCAPE--The Stranger recommends that you pick up Wordscape, Seattle's free monthly guide to literary events, to find a complete listing of opportunities for writers. Wordscape has an outstanding listing of contests, grants, and calls for writing, which we can only envy. Pick it up at most local bookstores and libraries!
