* TRISTAN TAORMINO
See Stranger Suggests. Bailey/Coy Books, 414 Broadway E, 323-8842, 7 pm, free.
ERIC L. MULLER
This North Carolina law professor wrote an historical exposé, Free to Die for their Country: The Story of the Japanese American Draft Resisters in World War II. Elliott Bay Book Company, 101 S Main, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
BEN KAPLAN
After landing more than two dozen scholarships and attending Harvard at virtually no cost, Kaplan wrote How to Go to College for Almost Free. University Bookstore, 4326 University Way NE, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.
PETER POTTERFIELD
Potterfield wrote In the Footsteps of Shackleton, about the time he retraced Shackleton's route through the mountain ranges of South Georgia Island. Really, I wish people would just leave Antarctica alone. Burke Museum, NE 45th & 17th Ave NE, UW campus, tickets available at University Bookstore, 634-3400, free with museum admission ($8 general, $6.50 seniors, $5 UW students).
* DAVID RAKOFF
See Stranger Suggests. Kirkland Performance Center, 350 Kirkland Ave, Kirkland, (425) 893-9900, 7:30 pm, free.
PHIL SMART
Capitol Hill's most esteemed Mercedes purveyor wrote a book about his secret double life as a volunteer at Children's Orthopedic. Angels Among Us is a collection of stories about the kids he's worked with. Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way NE, 366-3333, 7 pm, free. Also at Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, Sun Nov 18, 2 pm, free.
MARC MARON
"Alternative" stand-up comedian has transformed his one-man show into a book, The Jerusalem Syndrome: My Life as a Reluctant Messiah. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
* SUZAN EREM
A veteran union organizer from the "Hog Butcher for the World" (that is, Chicago), Erem presents her new book, Labor Pains: Inside America's New Labor Movement. Considering the current butt-kicking (layoffs) the poor and middle-class are receiving from the super-rich, this is a timely reading to attend and support. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
VICTORIA ZACKHEIM
The Bone Weaver is a blend of history and fiction about women researching genealogy. Third Place Books, 366-3333, 6:30 pm, free.
* JOSHUA ORTEGA
Set in Seattle, 50 years in the future, Frequencies is a narrative about freedom and security. I hope to be alive and well in the year 2051. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 4 pm, free.
JOHN COLAPINTO
Colapinto's new book About the Author is about modern publishing trends and the "public lust for scandal." University Bookstore, 634-3400, 7 pm, free. Also at Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, Sat Nov 17, 7:30 pm, free.
MICHAEL MEADE
Meade presents an evening of stories, poems, and discussion that address the repercussions of September 11. He'll draw on stories and traditions from various cultures regarding the apocalypse. Town Hall, Eighth Ave & Seneca St, 935-3665, 7 pm, $12 donation.
* JEROME GOLD
Gold will speak on Book Publishing: From Getting It Written to Getting It Into Bookstores, in which he details the obstacles he encountered while trying to get his (other) books published. Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, 322-7020, 3:30 pm, free.
ERNIE BARNES
Barnes is an artist and former football player for the San Diego Chargers, and he wrote a book, From Pads to Palette, about his experiences. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 5 pm, free.
JAMES NEFF
The Wrong Man examines the 1954 murder case of Marilyn Sheppard, upon which The Fugitive was based. Neff uses DNA analyses and interviews to exonerate her husband, Sam, and determines who the real murderer was. University Bookstore, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.
* ROSS KING
Britain's Ross King wrote Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture, in which King tells how Firenze's yet-unparalleled Duomo was engineered and built over the course of a century, and elaborates on the life of its mastermind, Filippo Brunelleschi. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
* PATRICIA THOMAS
Medical journalist dramatizes the politics involved in the search for an AIDS vaccine in her new book, Big Shot. University Bookstore, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.
* ARLITA JONES
An Alaskan butcher's daughter grows up to write a book of poems about it. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
POETRY/OPEN MICS
* INTERRUPTION--All-ages queer spoken-word performance. Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, 322-7020, Sat Nov 17, 7 pm, free.
* HYPOCRACY--Mon at 7:30 pm; sign-up at 7 pm, Coffee Messiah, 1554 E Olive Way, 208-1188, free.
* POETRY ANDANTE--Thurs at 7:30 pm, Cafe Allegro, 4002 University Way NE, 634-2310, 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. Featured reader is Peter Aaron. Sun at 7 pm, Globe Cafe, 1531 14th Ave, 324-8815, free.
SEATTLE POETRY SLAM--This week is the Haiku d'Etat: head-to-head competition plus open mic. 21+, Wed at 9 pm. Sit & Spin, 2219 Fourth Ave, 441-9484, $4.
