READINGS
THURSDAY 11/9
*URSULA K. LEGUIN
LeGuin is one of this universe’s most beloved and prolific science fiction/fantasy novelists. The Telling, the latest volume in her Hainish cycle, was praised by Peter S. Beagle for combining “the gift of a pure storyteller at the height of her powers with a wise and passionate heart and the disciplined, ceaselessly questioning mind of a true philosopher… she is creating a social anthropology of the future, fascinating and utterly believable.” Elliott Bay Book Company, 101 S Main, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, advance free tickets available at store.
*WILLIAM J. DUIKER
Duiker served in the U.S. Embassy in Saigon during the horrific and utterly ill-conceived conflict that was the Vietnam War. His new biography of North Vietnamese Communist leader Ho Chi Minh takes advantage of a load of recently declassified documents to create a “meticulously researched, profoundly perceptive, and highly readable” study that “finally demystifies one of the most fascinating, enigmatic, controversial and influential figures of the 20th century” (Stanley Karnow). Co-sponsored by the World Affairs Council and the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies. University Bookstore, 4326 University Way NE , 634-3400, 7 pm, free.
CHAIM BEZALEL
Reading and art showing by the author of Songs from the Territories. Tree of Life Books & Judaica, 2201 NE 65th, 527-1130, 7 pm, free.
*MELINDA MUELLER
Mueller will read from her recently published book-length poem, What the Ice Gets: Shackleton’s Antarctic Expedition 1914-1916. See Bio Box. Open Books, 2414 N 45th St, 633-0811, 7:30 pm, free.
ANNE SWEET, KRISTY O’NEILL MACKINNEY, E. M. MCMAHON JR., & RUDIE SINGER
Four featured authors perform at this installment of the “It’s About Time Writers Reading Series,” preceded and followed by a come-and-take-it open mic. Seattle Public Library, 5009 Roosevelt Way NE, 684-4063, 6:30 pm, free and completely egalitarian.
DAVID ROBERTS
Roberts–along with co-author Conrad Anker–is the creator of The Lost Explorer: Finding Mallory on Mount Everest, a collection of real-life adventure stories that have appeared in Outside magazine over the last 30 years. Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way NE, 366-3333, 7 pm, free.
FRIDAY 11/10
*JIM BOUTON
Bouton’s controversial Ball Four (1970) is considered by fans and experts alike to be one of the finest and funniest accounts of the day-to-day existence of major-league baseball players. The just-published “Millennium Edition” of this classic of sports journalism includes a new author’s epilogue. University Bookstore, 7 pm, free.
VINCE FLYNN
Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci might have considered a book such as Flynn’s The Third Option (about CIA agent Mitch Rapp) to be a hegemonic document supporting the xenophobic and belligerent capitalist infrastructure. This may explain why so many conservative assholes read Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum. Third Place Books, 6:30 pm, free.
*WILLIAM J. DUIKER
See Thursday listing. Elliott Bay Book Company, 7:30 pm, advance free tickets available at store.
SATURDAY 11/11
*ELLEN SAMUELS
Samuels–along with Noelle Howey–is the editor of Out of the Ordinary: Essays on Growing Up with Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Parents. Lisa Miya Jervis calls this anthology of writings by adult children of gay parents “ground-breaking, long overdue, and moving,” while Riki Wilchins claims “there is gold in these pages.” Among the local contributors expected to be on hand for this feel-good event are Col. Margarethe Cammermeyer, COLAGE activist Stefan Lynch, and Julie Diana Rawley. Elliott Bay Book Company, 4:30 pm, advance free tickets available at store.
*MICHAEL THOMAS FORD
Lambda-award winning author Ford (Alec Baldwin Doesn’t Love Me and That’s Mr. Faggot to You) reads from and signs his latest book of homo humor, It’s Not Mean If It’s True, a collection that Michael Bronsky called “witty, funny, and surprisingly moving.” Elliott Bay Book Company, 7:30 pm, advance free tickets available at store.
*JIM BOUTON
See Friday listing. Brentanos, Westlake Center, 400 Pine St, 467-9626, 5 pm, free.
PHYLLIS K. COLLIER, HANK DAVIS, RETA JARVIE, & CARRINGTON MACDUFFIE
Reading by featured poets, plus open mic. Pages Books, News & Web, 435 15th Ave E, 682-1268, 8 pm, free.
SUNDAY 11/12
ROBERT JORDAN
Jordan, the ever-popular author of epic fantasy novels, signs his latest work, Winter’s Heart. University Bookstore, 2 pm, tickets required (call 634-3400 for information).
STEVE REED
Vashon Island-based writer Reed’s new book, Pebbling the Walk: Surviving Cancer Caregiving, gives nurses, friends, and family members “the tools to better care for their patients and transform cancer treatment into an opportunity to grow and develop a new appreciation for life” (Leah deRoulet, M.S.W., Swedish Medical Center). Elliott Bay Book Company, 2 pm, advance free tickets available at store.
LISA CAREY
Here is what Publishers Weekly had to say about Carey’s latest novel, In the Country of the Young: “Crafting a backstory as vibrant and poignant as her primary narrative, [Carey] lovingly charts the unearthly relationship between suffering souls, carefully skirting simple saccharine solutions.” (Now that’s one alliteration you can really sink your teeth into!) Elliott Bay Book Company, 4 pm, advance free tickets available at store.
NANCY ABERCROMBIE, JOHN BURGESS, & JULIE S. CEDERBERG
Yep, you got it… three featured poets and an open mic. Wit’s End Bookstore & Tea Shop, 770 N 34th St, 682-1268, 7 pm, free.
*JIM BOUTON
See Friday listing. Borders, 1501 Fourth Ave, 662-7625, 3 pm, free.
LES BELETSKY
Slide show and informative talk on the subject of Ecuador by Ecotraveller editor and biologist Beletsky. Kane Hall, UW Campus, 634-3400, 2 pm, free.
MOLLY TENNENBAUM
Tennenbaum is the featured reader at this installment of the Red Sky Poetry Theatre reading series. This event also includes an open-mic reading (sign-up begins at 7 pm). Globe Cafe, 1531 14th, 633-5647, 7:30 pm, free.
LILLIAN BORAKS-NEMETZ & MICHEL MIELNICKI
Reading and Q&A with Boraks-Nemetz (author of Ghost Children) and Mielnicki (author of Bialystok to Birkenau). Stroum Jewish Community Center, Mercer Island Facility, 3801 E Mercer Way, 232-7115, noon, free.
MONDAY 11/13
JENNIFER NIVEN
Reading and signing by the author of The Icemaster: The Doomed 1913 Voyage of the Karluk and the Miraculous Rescue of Her Survivors. And if you really consider it in a sociological sense, the continuing popularity of uplifting books about real-life shipwrecks and miraculous rescues might say more about our collective fears of impending global catastrophe and our deeply ingrained need for ersatz happy endings than anything else. University Bookstore, 7 pm, free.
*CHUCK COLLINS
Collins is the author of Economic Apartheid in America: A Primer on Economic Inequality & Insecurity, a book that “punctures the great dogmas of the day and talks common sense” (Charles Derber). Elliott Bay Book Company, 5 pm, advance free tickets available at store.
*WENDELL BERRY
Acclaimed poet, novelist, and essayist Berry returns to Seattle on the occasion of the release of two brand-new books: the novel Jayber Crow–“an elegiac celebration of the redemptive power of love and community” (Kirkus Review)–and Life Is a Miracle: An Essay Against Modern Superstition. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, $5 (available at store).
TUESDAY 11/14
*STUART KAUFFMAN
Kauffman–a MacArthur Genius Grant Award-winner, founding member of the Santa Fe Institute, and author of At Home in the Universe–reads from and signs his latest scientific mindblower Investigations, a study of biological order and evolution based on the revolutionary theory of a “co-created cosmos.” “I have watched the long gestation of (this book) with some apprehension,” writes Nobel Laureate in Physics Phillip Anderson, “but more anticipation. Its reach is gigantic, from the most primitive origins of life to the macroeconomics of innovation.” Sounds heavy. Kane Hall, UW Campus, 634-3400, 7 pm, tickets required (available free at University Bookstore).
GEORGE R. R. MARTIN
Martin reads from and signs A Storm of Swords, the third novel in his “A Song of Fire and Ice” fantasy series. University Bookstore, 7 pm, free.
ALEX STEFFEN
Steffen will discuss “Imagining the Urban Future” as part of the “Imagined Landscapes: Imagined Seattle” reading series. Consolidated Works, 410 Terry Ave N, 381-3218, 8 pm, $7 general, $5 members.
PAOLA GIANTURCO & TOBY TUTTLE
Gianturco & Tuttle are the authors of In Her Hands: Craftswomen Changing the World, a cross-cultural study of “micro-entrepreneurs” that Susan Krieger called “more than a book on marvelous crafts, it is a study of the economic ingenuity and priorities of women.” Elliott Bay Book Company, 5 pm, advance free tickets available at store.
*ANNA QUINDLEN
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Quindlen’s latest book is A Short Guide to a Happy Life. Elliott Bay Book Company, 7:30 pm, advance free tickets available at store.
WEDNESDAY 11/15
MADISON SMARTT BELL
Master of the Crossroads is the second novel in Bell’s planned trilogy about the slave revolt in Haiti nearly two centuries ago. “Even though this novel, like its predecessor, ends with the grim promise of yet more bloodshed, Bell brings children of many hues into his compelling universe, thus reminding his readers that life, and hope, abide” (Donna Seaman, Booklist). Elliott Bay Book Company, 7:30 pm, advance free tickets available at store.
SIMON SCHAMA
A History of Britain: At the Edge of the World, 3500 B.C.–1603 A.D. is the first volume of Schama’s planned two-part epic history of Britain. Kane Hall, UW Campus, 634-3400, 7 pm, tickets required (available gratis at University Bookstore).
MARILYN JORDAN GEORGE
George is the author of the new memoir Following the Alaskan Dream. “Her grit is true and her heart is as big as Alaska itself,” says John van Amerongen of the Alaska Fisherman’s Journal. Elliott Bay Book Company, 5 pm, advance free tickets available at store.
EDMUND MORRIS
Morris claims that Dutch, his controversial memoir of President Reagan, “derives directly from Ronald Reagan’s own way of looking at his life.” Considering the fact that Reagan was intellectually incapable of separating reality from cinematic fantasy, I’d like to know exactly what combination of psychotropic pharmaceuticals Morris had to ingest to adopt old Ronnie’s “way of looking” at things. Third Place Books, 7 pm, free.