*CHRISTIAN DE LA HUERTA
See Stranger Suggests, page 52. Bailey/Coy Books, 414 Broadway E, 323-8842, 7 pm, free.
ROBERT WRIGLEY
It must have been quite a challenge to become a poet of Robert Wrigley's stature with a name like that. "Robert Wrigley." It's not exactly euphonious. But become a poet of stature he did, and Mr. Wrigley's fourth collection, Reign of Snakes, makes people who read nature poetry very happy indeed. Open Books, 2414 N 45th St, 633-0811, 7 pm, free.
IVAN DOIG
I know Mr. Doig didn't write the song "I Call the Wind Mariah," but I can't help hearing it scored over his Western novel Ride With Me, Mariah Montana. His new novel, however, is called Mountain Time -- a title that reminds me only of John Denver. Kane Hall 220, UW Campus, 634-3400, 7 pm, free (tickets).
*READING CIRCLES
Hugo House Writer-In-Resident, poet Joan Fiset, breaks open another year of topical discussions and readings with "Reading Circles." The first topic is "Homecoming." This is a drop-in, participatory event that requires no boning up beforehand. Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, 322-7030, 3-5 pm, free.
*COLLEEN MCELROY
A reading by the divine Ms. McElroy is always worth attending. Seattle's premier storyteller, McElroy spins poetry and travel stories that will take you far away from your sad-ass, gray-skied, drudgery-filled existence. Her latest book, Over the Lip of the World, recounts her experiences with the storytellers of Madagascar: a lyrical, heat-stoked safari into the power of words. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
BRIAN HERBERT & KEVIN J. ANDERSON
See Stranger Suggests, page 52. University Book Store, 4326 University Way NE, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.
DANIEL EVAN WEISS
See Book Review Revue, page 32. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 2:30 pm, free.
ROBERT WRIGLEY
See Thursday listing. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 5 pm, free.
REBECCA CHACE
Plumbing the perpetual confusion of adolescence, Chace's first novel, Capture the Flag, illuminates that murky and sickening arena, tenderly. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
*COLLEEN MCELROY
See Friday listing. Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way NE, 366-3300, 4:30 pm, free.
MURIEL NELSON & DEBORAH WOODARD
Local poets Nelson and Woodard read from their recent collections out on Bear Star Press. Open Books, 2414 N 45th St, 633-0811, 7 pm, free.
RON CHERNOW
John D. Rockefeller rocks like a storm-ridden cherry tree in Chernow's biography, Titan. Good cop, bad cop? It's all good business. University Book Store, 4326 University Way NE, 634-3400, 2 pm, free.
ANN SCOTT KNIGHT
Hurry Hurry Home: Novella and Stories you won't. A "clean and sparse" book, evidence of a well-schooled young writer, here to read from New York. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 3 pm, free.
ANNA LINZER
Washington Native American Linzer reads from and signs her award-winning collection, Ghost Dancing, stories that are haunted by narrative connection, ancestral connection, and comparisons to Leslie Marmon Silko and Sherman Alexie. University Book Store, 4326 University Way NE, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.
SUSAN MITRA
Look at colorful slides of India, from Mitra's book Sacred India, an exploration of the many religions that reside there. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 5 pm, free.
SHARIF ABDULLAH
Ambitious world-love drives Commonway Institute Director Abdullah's visionary Creating a World that Works for All. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
ANN RULE
Ruling the waves of true-crime, Northwest author Ann Rule seduces voyeurs like you with her newest paperback, And Never Let Her Go: Thomas Capano, Deadly Seducer. University Book Store, 4326 University Way NE, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.
ABRAHAM VERGHESE
The doctor is back in the house, with the paperback release of The Tennis Partner, a semi-autobiographical work about Verghese's friendship with a drug-addicted doctor. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
*DAN SAVAGE
Fresh from the pages of People magazine, Savage shows a refreshing sentimentality alongside his characteristic pointed political humor in The Kid: What Happened After My Boyfriend and I Decided to Go Get Pregnant. Savage's account is an engaging slap-in-the-face to "family" as co-opted by conservatives. University Book Store, 4326 University Way NE, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.
MARK BENNETT
Mr. Bennett keeps coming up with ideas that are as cute as Don Rickles. Obsessed as ever with television, Bennett's newest project is the book How to Live a Sitcom Life: A Guide to Television Etiquette. Under the pseudonym "Mary Margaret McMertz" (a hybrid of TV homemakers), Bennett is our "humble sitcom etiquette servant," offering "classic sitcom scenarios as solutions for contemporary dilemmas." Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way NE, 366-3300, 7 pm, free.
RABBI DANIEL LAPIN
America's Real War is, according to Rabbi Lapin, a moral one. He writes about the role of religion within it. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 5 pm, free.
DIANE REHM
NPR talk show host Rehm's memoir, Finding My Voice, follows her from traditional Arab-American household to outbreak of individuality. Elliott Bay, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
SWITCHED-ON GUTENBERG CONTRIBUTORS
The locally produced online Switched-On Gutenberg is a highly regarded literary magazine that sort of floats from university editor to university editor. Contributors to the newest issue read. Open Books, 2414 N 45th St, 633-0811, 7 pm, free.
