GRETEL EHRLICH
The author of Open Spaces presents her new book, This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland. Here is one sentence from her book: "It begins with and ends with ice." Elliott Bay Book Company, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
BILL AYERS
Tonight, the distinguished professor of education makes a confession. Town Hall, Eighth Ave and Seneca St; tickets available from Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
* TAKESHI MURAKAMI
Reviewed this issue. Murakami talks about My Reality, a preview of the Superflat exhibition at the Henry, which chronicles the work of 20-plus Japanese artists. Tickets available through University Bookstore, 634-3400. Kane Hall, Room 120, UW campus, general $7, members $5, students free.
* WALT CROWLEY AND COMPANY
To celebrate the city's sesquicentennial birthday, Crowley and the staff of www.HistoryLink.com have compiled Seattle and King County Timeline: A Chronological Guide to Seattle and King County's First 150 Years. This book traces the region's development from the arrival of Seattle's first white settlers to the city's unsettling WTO riots. Crowley's essays are complemented by lots of pictures. Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way NE, 366-3333, 7 pm, free.
BURTON GOLDBERG
The connoisseur of "alternative medicine" will give a talk on longevity and sign his book, Longevity. But honestly, why live beyond 80 if you can't get an erection? East-West Book Shop, 6500 Roosevelt Way NE, 587-6002, 7 pm, free.
* IT'S ABOUT TIME READING SERIES
A monthly reading for all people who must write. This month's featured readers are Ted McMahon, Frances McCue, Susan Rich, and Anne Sweet. Seattle Public Library, 5009 Roosevelt Way NE, 684-4063, 6:30, free.
KARLA McLAREN
In her book, Are You An Emotional Genius?, McLaren explains exactly where the innate genius-level "wisdom" is "stored" in our "emotional states." East-West Book Shop, 587-6002, 7 pm, free.
* JAMES WELCH
Missoula's James Welch wrote The Heartsong of Charging Elk, the story of an Oglala Sioux warrior who joins Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, and then gets accidentally left behind in 19th-century France during a tour through Europe. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
FREDERICK SU
A professor of astronomy, an ex-Marine, and a Vietnam vet, Su wrote a novel about all kinds of things: growing up Asian in mainstream America, sin, sex, redemption, and war. Third Place Books, 366-3333, 6:30, free.
TRISHA THOMAS
Thomas, author of Nappily Ever After, will address nappy hair-related questions "and more," via A Hair Affair. Afterward, she and moderator Barbara Thomas will facilitate an interactive discussion about hair acceptance. Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, 322-7030, 2 pm, $5.
DIANE JESSUP
Jessup is a pit bull expert who brings her firsthand experience to her novel, The Dog Who Spoke with Gods. The story is about a med student who falls in love with a dog that's being used as a test subject. Like George Clinton once said, "Bow-wow-wow-yippie-yo-yippie-yea/Bow-wow-yippie-yo-yippie-yea/Bow-wow-wow-yippie-yo-yippie-yea/ Bow-wow-yippie-yo-yippie-yea!" University Bookstore, 4326 University Way NE, 634-3400, 2 pm, free.
* THE UNSAVVY TRAVELER
Seal Press presents an anthology of anecdotes about women's travel catastrophes, as read by co-editors Rosemary Caperton, Anne Mathews, and others. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 4 pm, free.
* ROBYN LANDIS
A motivational talk by Landis, health consultant and author of the "myth-shattering" book, BodyFueling. Read it and learn why it's okay for Landis to eat for pleasure, emotional fulfillment, or comfort because she thinks that weight is meaningless. This reading will be held at a boxing gym, where everyone will most likely agree with her. Cappy's on Union, 2002 E Union, 322-6410, 3 pm, $5.
NEVA WELTON, LINDA WOLF, AND FRIENDS
Bainbridge Island activists collaborated to produce Global Uprising: Confronting the Tyrannies of the 21st Century, an illustrated how-to guide for young people who aspire to be protesters. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 3 pm, free.
DIANA GABALDON
Gabaldon (who has had more customer requests for a reading at Third Place Books than any other author!) presents the fifth installment in the Outlander series, which follows the zany adventures of 18th-century Scotsman James Fraser and his 20th-century wife, Claire Randall. The Fiery Cross finds the couple in pre-Revolutionary War America. Third Place Books, 366-3333, 7 pm, free.
* OUR FAVORITE SCENES
Cinema Seattle's Screenwriters Salon presents the third installment of the program, which examines ideas within film (such as character, composition, and storytelling) to figure out what makes a "good scene" good. Panelists scheduled to appear are Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects), Stewart Stern (Rebel Without a Cause, The Ugly American), film producer Kathleen McInnis, and The Stranger's Visual Art Editor, Emily Hall. Richard Hugo House, 322-7030, 7 pm, general $5, students $2, members free.
MARY POTTER ENGEL
Engel holds a Ph.D. in Christian theology, and wrote her first book about a woman's conflict over secular life versus her desire for spirituality. Third Place Books, 366-3333, 7 pm, free.
NAOMI WOLF & TONI WECHSLER
I once had a crush on Naomi Wolf. Tickets available from University Bookstore, 634-3400; Kane Hall, Room 130, UW campus, 7 pm, free.
* KITTY HARMON
Reviewed this issue. Editor of The Pacific Northwest Landscape: A Painted History talks about the collection. The book is prefaced by Jonathan Raban, and includes work by Mark Tobey, George Tsutakawa, and others. Tickets available from University Bookstore, 634-3400; Kane Hall, Walker-Ames Room, UW campus, 7 pm, free.
KATHERINE MARTIN
Katherine Martin is certain that women are spiritual. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
* JOHN TOEWS
A historian of modern Europe, Toews is lecturing as part of UW's "Scholarly Adventure and Creative Process" series. Kane Hall, Room 220, UW campus, 543-3839, 7 pm, general $45, University of Washington Alumni Association members $35, students $15.
MAR SULAIKA OCHS
In her book Nine Letters to a Dead Man, Ochs shares with her readers about how to proceed from one place of love to another. Barnes & Noble, 600 Pine Street, 264-0156, 6 pm, free.
ANDREW MORTON
Author of that Princess Diana biography does the same thing to Madonna. It's titled On Madonna. But here is the question: Do you like hiphop like Madonna likes dick? University Bookstore, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.
JOSH ORTEGA
Seattle's Ortega reads and signs from his new sci-fi book, Frequencies. Third Place Books, 366-3333, 7 pm, free.
OLIVER SACKS
After writing about the lives of others, neurologist Sacks now presents a "journey of self-discovery" with his new book Uncle Tungsten: A Chemical Boyhood. Tickets available from University Bookstore, 634-3400. Town Hall, 7 pm, free.
