ESM: RAJI CODELL
A young adult novel about a misunderstood girl mistakenly placed in special education, Sahara Special is the first work of fiction by this authority on children's literature. All for Kids Books, 2900 NE Blakeley St, 526-2768, 7 pm, free.
NATHAN GEBHARD, MIKE MARRINER
The obligations of postcollegiate life are many, so it's important in these trying times to listen to a bunch of rich, famous people blabber on about how they made it to the top. Enter Roadtrip Nation, a look at career choices through the eyes of those you envy. University Bookstore, 4326 University Way NE, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.
GARY GLAZNER
The rose-colored hue of tourism: Glazner reads from Ears on Fire, a collection of poems written under the ephemeral enchantment of world travel. Open Books: A Poem Emporium, 2414 N 45th St, 633-0811, 7:30 pm, free.
DANNA QUINN
Semantics as a way of life: In Redefining, Quinn invites readers to "rethink, repattern, and re-create" the words that govern their lives as they resolve themselves to mediocrity. Barnes & Noble, 600 Pine St, 264-0402, 7 pm, free.
ANTHONY SWOFFORD
In Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle, Swofford, a Marine sniper in the first Iraqi conflict, details his time as a soldier at the moment Operation Desert Shield became Operation Desert Storm. Elliott Bay Book Company, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
FRIDAY 4/18
BRIAN HERBERT
From the loins of the man himself--the son of Dune creator Frank Herbert recounts his father's story in Dreamer of Dune. University Bookstore, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.
MARY LOU SPINELLI
Taking the poetry out of tortured classrooms and into the familial comfort of the dining room, Spinelli presents The Immigrant's Table, a collection of family recipes and the opulent verbiage they inspire. Barnes & Noble, 264-0402, 12:30 pm, free.
SATURDAY 4/19
LONO WAIWAIOLE
Portland gets all slit-throats-and-prostitution in Waiwaiole's Wiley's Lament, a well-received crime novel about the even seedier underbelly of the Rose City to the south. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
SUNDAY 4/20
Quiche. Yeah, you heard me: quiche.
MONDAY 4/21
BOTH SIDES OF THE FENCE
Sure, I've heard about the recent war in Iraq--but what I hadn't been aware of, until I was recently alerted by a press release for the above listed program, is the tragic campaign on something called "Iroc." This evening presents poetry from both sides of this brutal conflict. Mr. Spot's Chai House, 5463 Leary Ave NW, 297-2424, 7:30 pm, free.
JACQUELINE CAREY
Art historian Carey presents the third volume of her Kushiel fantasy series, in which a "woman warrior... faces great battles of sword and soul while unraveling mystical enigmas." University Bookstore, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.
TESS GALLAGHER, HOLLY HUGHES
Celebrated poet Gallagher and cohort Hughes put all the pretty words together for National Poetry Month, in an evening of couplets and sonnets. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
* DAVID SEDARIS
Sedaris is perhaps the funniest man alive today--and you've never really experienced his stories until you hear them come out of his mouth. That alone may be the single justification of the books-on-tape industry. That and Charlton Heston Presents the Word. Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St, 728-4121, 8 pm, $22-$37.
TUESDAY 4/22
LORA JO FOO
Foo discusses her latest, a "community conversation" called Asian American Women: Issues, Concerns, and Responsive Human and Civil Rights Advocacy. Nippon Kan Theater, 628 S Washington St, 461-3617, 4 pm, free.
BRUCE McEWEN
Despite its hollow, self-help-ish title, neuroendocrinologist (yeah, I don't know either) McEwen's The End of Stress As We Know It is in fact something of a critical scientific analysis on the nature and cost of stress within the body. You know, so you have something else to worry about. University Bookstore, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.
MICHAEL RUHLMAN
Ruhlman (The Soul of a Chef, Wooden Boats) continues his study of excellence with Walk on Water: Inside an Elite Pediatric Surgery Unit, the story of a doctor who is really good at cutting up babies. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
WEDNESDAY 4/23
CARLEEN BRICE, COLLEEN J. McELROY
Forty-five middle-aged African American women come together for the recent anthology Age Ain't Nothing but a Number. Editor Brice and Seattle-based contributor McElroy discuss and sign. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
JUDITH FREEMAN
Those crazy Mormons are at it again in Freeman's Red Water, a fictionalized retelling of a 19th-century massacre in the hills of Utah. University Bookstore, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.
W. S. MERWIN
Of late, Merwin seems to be in the midst of a word race against death--the seventysomething poet has published three new works in the past year, and a couple of reissues are on their way in the coming month. Take the hint, and see him while you still have the chance. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
POETRY/OPEN MICS
HOMELAND--Words. So many words. Tuesdays at 7 pm. Caffe Vita, 1005 E Pike St, 709-4440, free.
POETRY JAM ONE--Collaborative multimedia poetics. Sat April 19 at 7 pm. Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center, 104 17th Ave S, 721-7244, 7 pm, free.
POETSWEST--Featuring Lauren Valk Lawson, Glenn Reed, Kristi Rozdilsky. Sun April 20 at 7 pm. Penny Cafe, 1707 NW Market, 682-1268, free.
RED SKY POETRY THEATRE--Featuring Don Wilsun. Sun April 20 at 7:30 pm. Globe Cafe, 1531 14th Ave, 547-4585, free.
SCRATCHING POST--Poetry open mic, all ages. Thursdays at 8 pm, signup at 7:30 pm. Mr. Spot's Chai House, 5463 Leary Ave NW, 297-2424, free.
SEATTLE POETRY SLAM--Open mic and slam with Karen Finneyfrock. Wednesdays at 8 pm. Bad Juju Lounge, 1518 11th Ave, 709-9951, $4.
STAGEFRIGHT--All-ages (literary) action! Wed April 23 at 7 pm. Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, 322-7030, free.
TAKE A POEM INTO YOUR HEART--Featuring Ann Marie Hackenberger. Thurs April 17 at 7 pm. Lottie Motts, 4900 Rainier Ave S, 725-8199, $2.
