THURSDAY 8/8
JILL ANDREWS
Editor Jill Andrews presents a collection of essays composed by Vashon residents on the topic of waterlocked living, in The Nature of an Island. Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way NE, 366-3333, 7 pm, free.
RICHARD BACH
Jonathan Livingston Seagull author discusses his allegorical account about rodents, the Ferret Chronicles series. Borders Books & Music, 16549 NE 74th St, Redmond, 7 pm, free. Also Elliott Bay Book Company, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, Aug 14 at 7:30 pm, free.
BARRY EISLER
Paid assassins. Government hits. A protagonist named after a force of nature. Yawn. Eisler reads from Rain Fall: A Novel. Barnes & Noble, 2700 NE University Village, 517-4107, 7 pm, free. Also, Seattle Mystery Bookshop, 117 Cherry St, 587-5737, Fri Aug 9 at noon, free.
JIM NOLLMAN
Pioneer of “inter-species communication” Nollman offers an account of 25 years of orca research, The Man Who Talks to Whales, and suggests that one potential solution to the growing concern about the whale’s population could lie in his musical Doctor Doolittle act. Why can’t I get the image of a man wearing sandals with socks whilst passionately fingering a recorder out of my head? Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free. Also Third Place Books, 366-3333, Fri Aug 9 at 6 pm, free.
FRIDAY 8/9
LORIAN HEMINGWAY
There’s no celebrity curse quite like paternity. Such is the double-edged sword of Miss Lorian Hemingway–that’s right, you guessed it, Papa’s granddaughter–who has begun putting keys to paper, and, of course, the editors have bitten. And regardless of what she’s written, if you’re a big enough Ernie fan, you’ll bite too. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
GREG MARTIN
“Enlightened being” Greg Martin knows more than you about spiritual enlightenment. Believe me. He wrote a book about it–The Buddha in the Mirror. And he wants to teach you how to reach your “true potential.” Barnes & Noble, University Village, 517-4107, 7 pm, free. Also Third Place Books, 366-3333, Sat Aug 10 at 7 pm, free.
SATURDAY 8/10
CHIZU OMORI, MITSUYE & JENI YAMADA
The legacy of Japanese internment is explored in depth with a number of contributors to Last Witness, a collection of various accounts of the lasting effects of Executive Order 9066. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 3 pm, free.
JODI PICOULT
In Perfect Match, author Jodi Picoult (The Pact) paints the portrait of Nina Frost, an assistant district attorney whose son accuses a local priest of molestation. Frustrated with a failing legal system, Frost murders the priest in open court–who is later acquitted by DNA evidence. University Bookstore, 4326 University Way, 634-3400, 2 pm, free.
SUNDAY 8/11
CHERRY PEDRICK
Learn to give up such embarrassing habits as fingernail biting, amphetamine mainlining, and (in my case) flagrant plagiarism with Pedrick, who signs The Habit Change Workbook. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 1 pm, free.
JENNIE GOODE & FRIENDS
Join Jennie and a group of two-lane-blacktop-lovin’ ladies as they discuss the dangerous relationship between women and petroleum in Drive. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 3 pm, free.
DeETTA DEMARATUS
Ten years of research pours into Demaratus’ latest–an account of the life of Biddy Mason, a former slave who, upon gaining her freedom, helped found Los Angeles’ first black church. Demaratus reads from and signs Force of a Feather. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 5 pm, free.
MONDAY 8/12
GEORGE DYSON
Popular science fact writer George Dyson discusses Project Orion: The True Story of the Atomic Spaceship, his recent account of the U.S. government’s Cold War efforts to create an atom-bomb-propelled space vessel. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.
RIDLEY PEARSON
The best-selling buddy of Stephen King, Ridley Pearson returns to his Lou Boldt character (a Seattle police lieutenant made famous in Middle of Nowhere and First Victim) in his latest, The Art of Deception. Seattle Mystery Bookshop, 117 Cherry St, 587-5737, noon, free. Also Third Place Books, 366-3333, 7 pm, free.
SHARON SALZBERG
“Spiritual awareness mumbo jumbo” week continues with this beloved American meditation instructor, the author of Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience. University of Washington, Kane Hall, Walker-Ames Room, 634-3400, 7 pm, free. Also Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, Tues Aug 13, 7:30 pm, free.
TUESDAY 8/13
SHERRIE KRANTZ
Thanks to Sherrie Krantz and this “autobiography,” history books will no longer be able to ignore one Vivian Livingston, extremely popular webcam girl and star of the website vivianlives.com. Third Place Books, 366-3333, 7 pm, free.
LAURIE NOTARO
The Arizona Republic columnist collects her depraved stories of youth into Idiot Girls’ Action-Adventure Club, a compilation ranging from booze to bathroom talk–and every filthy spinster topic in between. Barnes & Noble, University Village, 517-4107, 7:30 pm, free.
WEDNESDAY 8/14
STANLEY H. BLOCK, M.D.
The science of spirituality? I don’t know–but with “comprehensive knowledge of psychiatry, psychoanalysis, and quantum mechanics,” I guess dude’s got enough plaques on his wall to talk circles around my cynicism. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 5 pm, free.
E. LYNN HARRIS
See Stranger Suggests. Bailey/Coy Books, 414 Broadway E, 232-8842, 7 pm, free.
CONNIE KAPLAN
The mystical claptrap continues as Dreams Are Letters From the Soul opens Kaplan’s theories regarding spiritual awareness by way of dream community. Third Place Books, 366-3333, 7 pm, free.
POETRY/OPEN MICS
* IT’S ABOUT TIME–Featured writers include Laura Snyder, Sharon Svendsen, Kary Wayson, and Stacey Levine. Thurs Aug 8 at 6:30 pm. Seattle Public Library, 5009 Roosevelt Way NE, 684-4063, free.
POETSWEST–Open mic with featured poets Donna Frisk, Kim Hamilton, and Philip Patten. Sun Aug 11 at 7 pm. Wit’s End Bookstore & Tea Shop, 770 N 34th St, 682-1268, free.
SEATTLE POETRY SLAM–Open mic, feature, and slam with Karen Finneyfrock. Featuring Bruce V. Bracken. Wednesdays at 8 pm. Sit & Spin, 2219 Fourth Ave, 441-9484, $4.
* SWIRLS BEFORE PINE–A weekly forum for writers by writers. Mondays at 7 pm. Coffee Messiah, 1554 E Olive Way, 861-8233, free.