THURS-10
ANITA SHREVEâ Shreve's novel, A Pilot's Wife, was a late-blooming best seller, a kind of Geisha of the Skies. And no wonder: It's full of mystery. When the main character's husband dies in a plane wreck, she discovers that he's been leading a secret life. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
PAUL ROGAT LOEBâ Loeb, scholar at Seattle's Center for Ethical Leadership, has penned a creed for which many will be grateful: Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in a Cynical Time. He speaks about citizen participation in vivid anecdote, rife with good advice. Kane Hall 220, UW Campus, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.
DALE PECKâ The popular author pecks away at Big Issues in his third novel, Now It's Time to Say Goodbye. I'm sure it's not true, though; he'll be around for a while. Bailey/Coy, 414 Broadway E, 323-8842, 7 pm, free.
FRI-11
LYDIA MINATOYAâ See Book Review Revue. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
SAT-12
JOHN DAVID EBERTâ The glimmering hours between religion and science set the stage for Ebert's brilliant Twilight of the Clockwork God: Conversations on Science & Spirituality at the End of an Age. Ebert interviews luminaries like William Irwin Thompson, Lynn Margolis, and Terence McKenna. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 4 pm, free.
*RICK DEMARINISâ See Calendar Box. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
JOHN DOUGLASâ An FBI profiler shares his secrets to catching violent criminals, including a look at the childhood origin of anti-social personality, in Anatomy of a Motive. University Book Store, 4326 University Way NE, 634-3400, 2 pm, free.
SUN-13
CHRISTOPHER HOWELL & SCOTT POOLEâ Opposite aesthetic poles create friction at Seattle's poetry bookstore tonight, with readings from east-of-the-hills poets. Howell reads from Through Silence: The LingWei Texts; Poole reads from The Cheap Seats. Open Books, 2414 N 45th St, 633-0811, 7 pm, free.
JOYCE SEQUICHIE HIFLERâ Cherokee writer Hifler's autobiography When the Night Bird Sings collects tiny essays depicting her relationship to her traditional heritage and to Christianity. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 2 pm, free.
MON-14
SAUL WILLIAMSâ Hiphop poet-preacher-actor-rapper-singer-musician Saul Williams performs/reads from his poetry collection SHE, full of love language. Third Place Books, 1717 Bothell Way, 366-3320, 7 pm, free.
SUSAN GRIFFINâ Pulitzer Prize-nominee poet Griffin adds to the literature of illness, its etiologies and epistemology, with a major work of prose writing: What Her Body Thought: A Journey into the Shadows. Griffin sets her own immune dysfunction syndrome with the role of 18th-century tuberculosis, known as consumption, in the lives of women. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 5:30 pm, free.
TUES-15
FLOR FERNANDEZ BARRIOSâ Born to lightning, Barrios' experiences growing up in Cuba provide fertile material for Blessed by Thunder: Memoir of a Cuban Girlhood. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
*RALPH ELLISON ROUNDTABLEâ Academic types like Charles Johnson nosh about Ellison's posthumous manuscript, Juneteenth, which has excited literary critics and fans alike with its appearance this month. University Book Store, 4326 University Way NE, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.
REBECCA BROWN PARTYâ Send Hugo House writer-in-residence off with a flurry of words. Fans and fellow writers read as a tribute, followed by an open mic dedicated to admiration for Brown, tireless writing advocate and brilliant author of works such as The Dogs: A Modern Bestiary and The Gifts of the Body. Onward and upward! Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, 322-7030, 5:30 pm, free.
WED-16
SCOTT MCCARTNEYâ Eniac: The Triumphs and Tragedies of the World's First Computer is Wall Street Journal writer McCartney's story of the men who invented the first programmable computer. In a crazy turn of the capitalist wheel, these men have received neither credit nor profit! Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 4:30 pm, free; University Book Store, 4326 University Way NE, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.
GISH JENâ "Plain boiled food, plain boiled thinking," is what the narrator of Jen's newest immigrant fiction, Who's Irish? thinks of the titular race. Jen injects humor and character into the genre, earning her the reputation as literary Ellis Island. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
*FINAL SKETCH CLUBâ Two years of scintillating conversation wind down with this last Sketch Club reading, which gathers painter Mary Ann Peters, poet Kimball McKai-Brooke, columnist Jerry Large, poet J. T. Stewart, poet Victoria Ford, and writer Bruce Le Sourd for a discussion of "Shelter." Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, 322-7030, 8 pm, free.
RICHARD BELZERâ Belzer, stand-up comic and star of TV's Homicide, reads from his serious take on conspiracies, UFOs, JFK, and ELVIS. Expect sunglasses galore. 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 announcementâregular listings will be dropped unless we are notified that the events are in fact ongoing.
THURS-10
665â Words and music add up in this evening venue, tonight presenting Open Mic O'Rama. Four Angels, 1400 14th Ave (at Union), 689-8661, 7:30 pm, free.
THE PEARLâ Turn irritation into beauty: bring fiction, poetry, film, or drama. Every first Thursday celebrates Dead Poets. The Pearl, 4215 University Way NE, 547-3326, 8 pm, free.
SUN-13
RED SKY POETRY THEATERâ Continuing its 18th season of readings, spotlighting local writers plus an open mic. Tonight, Robin Merigan steps on stage. Globe Cafe, 1531 14th Ave (at Pine), 633-5647, 7 pm, free.
MON-14
livingroomâ Every Monday about this time, people read and rant and play music. Tonight features Jeremy and Jon. Habitat Espresso, 222 Broadway E, 689-8661, 7:30 pm, free.
TUES-15
HOMELANDâ The homiest of open mics, with reader Tin Tin, and espresso chocolate chip cookies. Globe Cafe, 1531 14th Ave (at Pine), 324-8815, 7:30 pm, free.
WED-16
BLOOMSDAY PARODYâ Bring yer worst James Joyce imitations to this whiskey-whiskered contest. Prizes will be awarded. F. X. McRory's, 419 Occidental Ave S, 425-290-7839, free, 21 and over.
COFFEE MESSIAHâ Come to confess your sins, stay for a cookie. Open mic for poetry, stories, music, rants, and more. Coffee Messiah, 1554 E Olive Way, 860-7377, 8:30 pm, free.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR WRITERS:
WORDSCAPEâ 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!
