THURSDAY 8/14



DAVID CRUISE, ALISON GRIFFITHS

Married authors Cruise and Griffiths play historical hopscotch with their newly cowritten novel, an epic story beginning in 13,000 B.C. --in BC. Between then and now are the 12 stories that compose Vancouver: A Novel. University Bookstore, 4326 University Way NE, 634-3400, 7 pm, free. Also Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way NE, 366-3333, Fri at 6:30 pm, free.

T. G. FLEMING

Seattle humorist Fleming shares his no doubt enlightening take on the trivial odds and ends of life in his latest, Dead Leprechaun in a Tire-Swing. Cobalt Cafe, 1530 Bellevue Ave, 329-5388, 6 pm, free.

IT'S ABOUT TIME READING SERIES

A monthly open discussion on the writer's role in society. Featured readers this month include Crysta Casey, Idore Anschell, Lynn Miller, Rebecca Louden, and Len Siddhartha. Ravenna Third Place Books, 6504 20th Ave NE, 525-2347, 7:30 pm, free.

KIRK READ, MATT BERNSTEIN SYCAMORE

See Nightstand. Bailey/Coy Books, 414 Broadway E, 323-8842, 7 pm, free.

YOUNG WRITERS' WORKSHOP GROUP READING

In the culmination of a summer slaved away in vitamin D deficiency, the young scribes of the City of Seattle's Southwest Youth and Family Services Young Writers' Workshop come out from the dark depths of their bedroom desks for an evening's reading of their wares. Elliott Bay Book Company, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 6 pm, free.

FRIDAY 8/15



FIROOZEH DUMAS

Dumas (imported to the U.S. from Iran at age seven) and her family face the backlash of the Iranian revolution in America in her debut autobiographical text, Funny in Farsi. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.

SATURDAY 8/16



MARSHALL MOORE

Local author Moore makes his debut in the form of the homo-mystery (note to self: Consider franchising new subgenre) The Concrete Sky. Chock-full of sharp-tongued gays doing what they do best--no, not that. I mean making fun of things. And who can get enough of that? Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 5 pm, free.

ANDY PERDUE

Perdue makes his exhaustive living searching out, tasting, and critiquing wines. And you're going to even consider lining his plush pockets with the cover price of The Northwest Wine Guide? Think about this for a second. Third Place Books, 366-3333, 6 pm, free.

MARJORIE SANDOR

Oregonian author Sandor presents a new collection that threads together the generations of a Jewish family in the century past, titled Portrait of My Mother, Who Posed Nude in Wartime. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.

SUNDAY 8/17



NEW VOICES 6

Students of the University of Washington Extension Program's fiction-writing class share their contributions to the recent anthology New Voices 6. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 3 pm, free.

MONDAY 8/18



CHRIS ABANI

Nigerian poet Chris Abani--the victim of national censorship and imprisonment in his home as a result of his writings while he was a teenager--signs his poetry collection Daphne's Lot. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.

TUESDAY 8/19



KEVIN ARMSTRONG

The harsh realities of yachting (!) in the South Pacific fall on these deaf ears with Armstrong's latest collection, Night Watch. Third Place Books, 366-3333, 7 pm, free.

NORA GALLAGHER

The death of her brother sends author Gallagher's faith into question as she reconsiders her bid for the priesthood in Practicing Resurrection, the follow-up to her popular memoir Things Seen and Unseen. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.

WEDNESDAY 8/20



SKYE KATHLEEN MOODY

Venus Diamond, the heroine of Medusa (the sixth volume in Moody's environmental-mystery series), takes a break from playing Captain Planet to try to help her murder- suspect little brother. Elliott Bay Book Company, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.