* RENDEZVOUS READING SERIES

See Stranger Suggests. Rendezvous (Jewel Box Theatre), 2320 Second Ave, 8 pm, $5 suggested donation.

BRAD DIMOCK

With his book Sunk without a Sound: The Tragic Colorado River Honeymoon of Glen and Bessie Hyde, author Brad Dimock will present a slide-illustrated discussion. Elliott Bay Book Company, 101 S. Main, 624-6400, 7:30 pm, free.

KINKY FRIEDMAN

Country singer-cum-mystery novelist Kinky Friedman signs Steppin' on a Rainbow, the latest installment in his private-eye series, which is allegedly funny, bawdy, and politically incorrect. University Bookstore, 4326 University Way NE, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.

SIMON WINCHESTER

The author of The Professor and the Madman (the epic tale of the compilation of the Oxford English Dictionary) introduces William Smith, creator of the first geographical map, in his new book, The Map that Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Avenue, 7 pm, free; call University Bookstore at 634-3400 for information.

CHRIS BOHJALIAN

Chris Bohjalian's new novel Trans-Sister Radio explores gender identity and sexual preference by way of a tangle of relationships between four rural characters. Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park, 363-3333, 7 pm, free.

* HANNAH HOLMES

Hannah Holmes has written an entire book about dust! It's called The Secret Life of Dust: From the Cosmos to the Kitchen Counter, the Big Consequences of Little Things. It chronicles dust's journey from exploding stars to your bedsheets, and goes on to explain the magic and mayhem that dust causes in the world. An entire book! University Bookstore, 7 pm, free.

JOHN de GRAAF

The author of Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic and the writer and producer of PBS's corresponding Escape from Affluenza programs wants to tell people that material possessions won't satisfy their spiritual hungers. He is, of course, telling this to American people, because African people would only laugh at him. Elliott Bay Book Company, 7:30 pm, free.

MARGO ADAIR

Local activist and author Margo Adair discusses her new book Mediations on Everything Under the Sun: The Dance of Imagination, Intuition and Mindfulness, which draws from 20 years' worth of hard work as a teacher and organizational consultant focused on personal and social transformation. Elliott Bay Book Company, 3 pm, free.

* CALYX 25th ANNIVERSARY GROUP READING

The Corvallis-based feminist literary journal Calyx presents its 25-year anthology, Cracking the Earth. Indeed! Expected to read are contributors Kathleen Alcala, Colleen J. McElroy, Diana Ma, Kristin Becker, and Carol Guess. Elliott Bay Book Company, 7:30 pm, free.

JANE GOODALL

Jane Goodall is still talking about chimps. She will push her autobiography, Beyond Innocence, and speak along with Roger Fouts, author of Next of Kin (yes, about chimps), about what has been learned in 40 years of failed efforts to establish legal rights for chimps. In a perfect world, this event would be sponsored by Chiquita Banana. Town Hall, 2 pm, free; call University Bookstore at 634-3400 for information.

LOIS ANN YAMANAKA

Taking part in King County Library System's Voices From the Rim series, celebrated Hawaiian author Lois Ann Yamanaka reads selections from her works, which include Father of the Four Passages, Saturday Night at the Pahala Theatre, and Heads by Harry. Kirkland Performance Center, 350 Kirkland Avenue, (425) 893-9900, 7 pm, free. Also at Elliott Bay Book Company on Sun Sept 16.

KATHRYN CHRISTIAN

Recipient of a Seattle Arts Commission Artist Award, short-story writer Kathryn Christian will read from new work. Red Sky Theater, Globe Cafe, 1531 14th Ave, 324-8815, 7 pm, free.

THE POET'S DINNER

The Poet's Dinner is a benefit for Seattle Poetry Festival, which is serving poets instead of food. Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, 322-7030, 7 pm, $100 per person (tickets must be purchased in advance); call 725-1650 for information.

KATHLEEN THOMPSON

Thompson presents her newest co-edited volume, Children of the Depression. Elliott Bay Book Company, 7:30 pm, free.

SALMAN RUSHDIE

See Stranger Suggests. Town Hall, 7:30, $5; call Elliott Bay Book Company at 624-6400 for information.

* HA JIN

Ha Jin, author of Waiting, professor at Emory University, and winner of the National Book Award and the Pen/Faulkner Award for Fiction will speak on his works. Jin is a poet and novelist who served in the Chinese People's Liberation Army before coming to the United States. Kirkland Performance Center, 7 pm, free.

* WEI HUI

Badass daughter of a Chinese army officer, Wei Hui's saucy novel Shanghai Baby has been banned by Chinese authorities, and 40,000 copies were publicly burned. This book is about sex and infidelity, and the author is a beautiful woman. University Bookstore, 7 pm, free.

KEN CROSWELL

According to the press release, "Harvard-trained" astronomer Ken Croswell tells "a gripping tale of suspense and discovery--of a universe that has constantly surprised, astonished, and defied those who studied it" in his new book, The Universe at Midnight: Observations Illuminating the Cosmos. He promises to present his discoveries ("The universe is getting bigger!") and his forecast for the universe's demise in jargon-free form for the layman. Kane Hall, University of Washington, 7 pm, free; required tickets available at University Bookstore, call 634-3400 for information.

M. MITCHELL WALDROP

The author of Complexity and Man-Made Minds reads and signs his latest, Dream Machine: J. C. R. Licklider and the Revolution that Made Computing Personal. University Bookstore, 7 pm, free.

* ADAM GOPNICK

Written from Paris as a correspondent for the New Yorker, Gopnick's Paris to the Moon is a collection of his journals about life abroad. Third Place Books, 10:30 am, free. Also at Elliott Bay Book Company, Wed Sept 19.

POETRY/OPEN MICS

* EAST INDIA TRADING CO.--Mon at 7:30 pm; sign-up at 7 pm, Coffee Messiah, 1554 E Olive Way, 208-1188, free.

RE-BIRTH--Thurs at 7:30 pm. Zodiac Cafe, 605 E Broadway, 720-4502, free.

RED SKY POETRY THEATER--The granddaddy of poetry open mics. Sun at 7 pm, Globe Cafe, 1531 14th Ave, 324-8815, free.

SEATTLE POETRY SLAM--Open mic, open slam with a $25 cash-money prize, and a freestyle jazz/spoken-word forum after the show. 21 and over. Wed at 9 pm. Sit & Spin, 2219 4th Ave, 441-9484, $4.