THURSDAY 10/10
DOUGLAS ANDERSON
Oh, the horror. Pale, world-weary Tolkienphiles in hoards emerge from “Middle-earth”
(a.k.a. their parents’ basement) this afternoon with a purposeful glint in their
clouded eyes–and “noted Tolkien scholar” Anderson is happy to take their money
hand over fist as he signs The Annotated Hobbit. University of Washington,
Kane Hall, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.MICHAEL CHABON
Pulitzer Prize-winner Chabon (The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay)
tries his hand at chipping away the Rowling family fortune–crafting a young-adult
fantasy that somehow unites a young boy, baseball, and the forces of evil, in
his latest, Summerland. University Bookstore, 4326 University
Way, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.
CHIP KIDD
Former book-cover designer Kidd hits the keys in the most impressively titled
novel I’ve seen all morning–The Cheese Monkeys: A Novel in Two Semesters–a
playful novel about a particular victim of a state art school. Elliott Bay
Book Company, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30, free.
ANNE LAMOTT
Lamott recounts the petty, trivial crises of a middle-aged, suburban divorcée
in Blue Shoe, her latest novel targeting the vastly popular literary
demographic of middle-aged, suburban divorcées. Town Hall, 1119
Eighth Ave, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, $5.

FRIDAY 10/11
TAYLOR MALI
An arrogant, self-satisfied entertainer, Mali is a four-time national poetry
slam champion, who the New York Times calls “a ranting comic showman
and a literary provocateur.” University of Puget Sound, 1500 N Warner
St, Tacoma, 253-879-3100, 7:30 pm, $3-$8.

MARIANNE WILLIAMSON
The New York Times best-selling author of Illuminata, A Woman’s Worth, and A Return to Love haunts the Women of Wisdom (WOW!) festival with her particular blend of spiritual psychology–utilizing the “power of our womanly knowingness” to connect with the almighty Goddess. Seattle Unity Church, 200 Eighth Ave N, 782-3363, 7:30 pm, $30-$35.

SATURDAY 10/12
RIFF HAFFAR
A selection of bolded, italicized items in Mr. Haffar’s press release for his latest book, Away from My Desk: “fascinating,” “hilarious,” “the life-altering thrill,” “pack up and hit the road,” “round-the-world,” “by motorbike,” “trip of a lifetime.” Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free

SUNDAY 10/13
“See? I’m not pregnant anymore!”

MONDAY 10/14
AMY YURK
Psychic distress signals, physical abuse, mental retardation, pregnancy, and rape populate The Language of Sisters, Yurk’s latest feel-good novel about two adult sisters and their sordid relationship with their mother. Third Place Books, 366-3333, 7 pm, free.

TUESDAY 10/15
KEN ALDER
Ever wonder what mathematical and historical components account for the length
of the world’s universal unit of measure? Yeah, me neither. But if this sort
of inquiry floats your cerebral boat, Alder’s in-depth account of two Enlightenment-era
surveyors responsible for the seven years of work that would determine the measure
of a meter will no doubt serve as splendid bathroom reading. University Bookstore,
634-3400, 2 pm, free, also Third Place Books, 366-3333, Wed Oct 16 at
6:30 pm, free.
* REBECCA BROWN,
CAROLE GLICKFELD, & SARAH SINGER
See Stranger Suggests. Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, 723-8164,
7:30 pm, $3.
RUDOLPH GIULIANI
Remember when everyone thought Rudy Giuliani was a dick? Well if you do, the
terrorists have already won. University Bookstore, 634-3400, 11:30 am,
free.
DONNA MISCOLTA, JOANN FARIAS, FELICIA GONZALEZ, & MARISSA MARTINEZ
Though not specifically addressed in its press release, it appears that the
Hugo House’s The House of Memory is a snapshot of literary talent among
local Latin American women, including the award-winning Donna Miscolta, Joann
Farias, Felicia Gonzalez, and Marissa Martinez. Hugo House, 1634 11th
Ave, 723-8164, 7:30 pm, free.
CHARLES SIMIC
Award-winning poet Simic waxes, well, poetic on topics routine in his new volume,
Night Picnic. University of Washington, Kane Hall, Walker-Ames
room, 634-3400, 7:30 pm, free.
ADAM SISMAN
Sisman’s biography of James Boswell (himself considered by many to be the greatest
biographer of all time) is in many ways a biography of Boswell’s biography of
18th-century literary great Samuel Johnson–onion layers that will hopefully
lead to a biography of Sisman’s biography of Boswell’s biography of Johnson.
University of Washington, Kane Hall, Walker-Ames room, 634-3400, 7 pm,
free.

WEDNESDAY 10/16
DOUGLAS BRINKLEY
The mighty Mississippi, eternal point of geographic and cultural reference,
flows uninhibited through the pages of Brinkley and co-author Stephen Ambrose’s
presumptuous new account, The Mississippi and the Making of a Nation,
which aspires to place the waterway as the “cornerstone of America’s history.”
University of Washington, Kane Hall, room 130, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.
JoANN DEAK, Ph.D., KAREN STABINER
Deak and Stabiner confront the question of women’s liberation and equality versus individual emotional responsibility in a patriarchal society (in Girls Will Be Girls and All Girls, respectively)–offering what appears to be a somewhat convoluted solution that samples only the rewarding aspects of both outlooks. University of Washington, Kane Hall, room 120, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.