JANE GOODALL

Back in my day, "monkeying around" was not a thing to make a career of. But Dr. Goodall has set things aright, with her conservationist philosophy that we must discover a higher purpose through respect for all life forms. Try telling this to my neighbor Edna, when she blasts her gol-damn Perry Como at all hours of the night! Dr. Goodall reads from Reasons for Hope: A Spiritual Journey. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave, 634-3400, 7:30 pm, free.

THUBTEN CHODRON

Yes, I like these Buddhist ideas. When they started coming around in the '60s I thought it was all a bunch of hippie hogwash, but people like this Venerable Thubten Chodron really have got it going. Chodron reads from her book, Taming the Monkey Mind. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.

CARLENE CROSS

Ms. Cross has written The Undying West: Stories from Montana's Camas Prairie. It is described as tales of "growing up on a Montana ranch that her great-grandmother homesteaded in 1919." Ah, yes, the stories I could tell you. Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way NE, 366-3300, 7 pm, free.

*JAMES HILLMAN

Hillman has the right idea about aging. Let me tell you, kids -- you never know yourself better than when you find yourself, one day, stopping mid-hill to catch a breath and noticing the beautiful leaf pattern on a brick wall you have never seen before. It's not all that bad, you see. Hillman reads from The Force of Character: And the Lasting Life. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7 pm, free.

NATASHA SAJ:

I haven't read any Sajé, but her work has variously been described as intelligent, sensuous, hungry, ethnic, strong, and lovely. That sounds more like a personals ad to me. Her debut collection is titled Red Under the Skin. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.

ELI NEWBERGER, MD

Dr. Newberger's book is titled The Men They Will Become: The Nature and Nurture of Male Character. You might think a young boy is clean-cut as a whistle, but turn your back and you find he's stolen your Water-Pik -- and for what pranks? I wonder.... Well, coffee will be served. University Book Store, 4326 University Way NE, 634-3400, 10 am, free.

*JOHN OLSON

Beautiful, erudite poetry from one of Seattle's treasures. Olson reads from Eggs and Mirrors. Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park, 366-3300, 4:30 pm, free.

*DAVID KENNEDY

A fine dose of history never did anyone wrong. The illustrious Mr. Kennedy has just published Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945, published by Oxford Press as part of its voluminous history of the United States. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 5 pm, free.

CARLENE CROSS

See listing above. University Book Store, 4326 University Way NE, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.

*PHILIP GOUREVITCH

See Stranger Suggests, page 49. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.

MIKAYA HEART

Reads from and signs When the Earth Moves, a book about female sexuality and orgasm. Oh my, yes. Beyond the Closet Bookstore, 518 E Pike St, 322-4609, 7:30 pm, free.

GEORGE SCHAFFNER

Numbers are a religion for people like Mr. Schaffner. He reads from his book,The Arithmetic of Life, which looks at math as a life philosophy. University Book Store, 4326 University Way NE, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.

CARLENE CROSS

See listing above. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.

OPEN MIC

RED SKY POETRY THEATER

Seattle's longest-running reading series turns 19 this season, and welcomes you back to Fall with a themed open mic: "How I Spent My Summer Vacation." Globe Cafe, 1531 14th, off Pine, 633-5647, 7:30 pm, free.

SEATTLE POETRY SLAM

Seattle's most popular slam combines the smoky appeal of the OK Hotel with cash money prizes. This is interactive stuff. OK Hotel, 212 Alaskan Way S, 621-7903, 9 pm, $3.