READINGS

by Traci Vogel

THURSDAY 5/11

*THOM GUNN

Thom Gunn, one of contemporary poetry’s innovators, went for a walk down Valencia Street one day thinking about his new collection, Boss Cupid, and thought that perhaps it would be a good thing to revisit Seattle to give a little reading. Faculty Club, UW Campus, 282-2677, 7:30 pm, free.

JOHN DOUGLAS MARSHALL

Meanwhile, Seattle P-I writer John Marshall sat looking out over Puget Sound. A glistening mussel shell on the windowsill shimmered in his vision, recalling the shiny epaulets that adorned his famous grandfather, General S. L. A. Marshall, about whom he had just written a book: Reconciliation Road: A Family Odyssey. University Book Store, 4326 University Way NE, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.

LAYNIE BROWN, SUZANNE BOTELLI, LAURA MCKEE, ACE MOORE

“Reading series,” thought poet Laynie Brown, smiling as the waiter set down a wide bowl of corn chowder. “Three evenings of original works by Jack Straw Writers Program 2000 participants.” The light, aslant, set one corn kernel apart — almost ablaze. Jack Straw Productions, 4261 Roosevelt Way NE, 634-0919, 7:30 pm, free.

MARTHA SHERRILL

The mussel, the kernel of corn, each in its isness. Washington Post reporter Martha Sherrill explores Buddhism in America in her volume The Buddha from Brooklyn. Elliott Bay Books, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 5 pm, free (advance tickets).

JUDITH BARRINGTON

As if working up to a life story, Portland writer Judith Barrington has produced two well-received books of poetry, a how-to on memoir writing and now, at last, Lifesaving: A Memoir, an account of losing her parents to the sea, a book described as “complex” and “hard-won.” Elliott Bay Books, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free (advance tickets).

FRIDAY 5/12

J. D. DOLAN

Driving can be more than a mere method of transportation; it can be a lead-in to a kind of meditation. For many people, the commute is the only time of day they’re all alone. Driving across the U.S. on his tour, J. D. Dolan arrives to read from his highly praised memoir, Phoenix: A Brother’s Life. Elliott Bay Books, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free (advance tickets).

SATURDAY 5/13

KENN HARPER

More than 30 years in the Arctic has schooled Kenn Harper. His study, Give Me My Father’s Body: The Life of Minik, New York Eskimo, expresses the clash of cultures. Elliott Bay Books, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free (advance tickets).

JEFF CRANDALL

Seattle poet and visual artist Crandall’s collection The Grief Pool stirs the emptiness left after the death of a man. Elliott Bay Books, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 5 pm, free (advance tickets).

HANNE BLANK

Saying “Boston columnist” is a good way to practice broadening your all-too-homogenized American accent. Try it: “Boston columnist.” Hanne Blank, who is in fact a Boston columnist (her column is called “Sexpot Savant”) has written a book titled Big Big Love, about sex for people “of size,” and she will be signing it today. Venus Clothing, 1015 E Pike St, 322-5539, 2 pm, free.

MONDAY 5/15

*GEORGE SAUNDERS

See Book Review Revue. Elliott Bay Books, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free (advance tickets).

DAVID BOLT

The young boy drooled while he fiddled with the joystick. He also drooled while reading. It was an indication of concentration. Across the country, David Bolt, the award-winning film producer and editor, opened the first copy of his book Digital Divide: Computers and Our Children’s Future, complete with a list of community and Internet resources. University Book Store, 4326 University Way NE, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.

MARCO PASANELLA

“Creating a beautiful living environment can be so easy,” thought Marco Pasanella, Parsons School of Design instructor. He frequently had this thought while walking past the morose, laundry-littered houses of G — — — — — . So he wrote Living in Style: Without Losing Your Mind, and became the toast of the design world. Borders, 1501 Fourth Ave, 622-4599, 7 pm, free.

TUESDAY 5/16

SUSAN RICH

Seattle poet Susan Rich’s inspiration settled like soft rain. The Cartographer’s Tongue — this was her next title, yes. Open Books, 2414 N 45th St, 633-0811, 7 pm, free.

TERESA JORDAN, BRENDA PETERSON

An evening of nature writing, first in journaling, then in essay. Jordan: Field Notes from the Grand Canyon: Raging River, Quiet Mind; Peterson: Singing to the Sound: Visions of Nature, Animals and Spirit. Elliott Bay Books, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 5:30 pm/7:30 pm, free (advance tickets).

WEDNESDAY 5/17

STELLA DONG

Shanghai is Stella Dong’s historically-virtual recreation of that (in)famous city, mid-19th century. The city bustled with pickpockets, madams, and gold-hungry Europeans; today, much the same scene is being revived. Kane Hall, Walker Ames Room, UW Campus, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.

*KATHRYN HARRISON

See Stranger Suggests. University Book Store, 4326 University Way NE, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.