ANN PATCHETT
Like Anne Tyler, Patchett spins a good yarn that, at its heart, hasn't been picked free of all its thorns. Her newest, Bel Canto, is being anticipated as her best read yet: in it, an opera singer and her audience are taken hostage in a South American country, but the unexpected intervenes. University Bookstore, 4326 University Way NE, 634-3400, noon, free; then, Elliott Bay Books, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free advance tickets.
SARAH FLANNERY
Precocious Irish teenager Flannery first came to public attention when she won a prize for Internet cryptography. Tonight, she reads from her memoir, In Code: A Mathematical Journey. Sixteen years old and she's got a memoir--do that math. University Bookstore, 4326 University Way NE, 634-3400, 7 pm, free.
JAMES WELCH
Critically-acclaimed novelist Welch kicks off a series of talks and readings concerned with Pacific Northwest history and literature, by discussing his work, The Heartsong of Charging Elk. Based (loosely) on the true story of an Oglala Sioux who joins Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show and eventually lands in France, the book has been praised by the likes of Ivan Doig as "a consummate leap of imagination." Savery Hall, Room 239, UW Campus, 634-3400, 2 pm, free.
ANDREW HORVAT
A writer and broadcaster who was for many years based in Tokyo, Horvat discusses his book, Japanese Beyond Words: How to Walk and Talk Like a Native Speaker. Elliott Bay Books, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 5 pm, free.
G. BRUCE KNECHT
In The Proving Ground, Knecht pulls a Truman Capote, blending journalism and fiction to recreate the tragic story of the 1998 630-mile yacht race from Sydney to Hobart. Knecht, who is currently a Hong Kong correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, is also friends with Jeff Bezos, and it has been noted by many that, as of press time, not one negative review has been posted of the book on Amazon.com. Elliott Bay Books, 5 pm, free.
* GOLDBERRY LONG
Debut novelist reads from Juniper Tree Burning. See Stranger Suggests. Elliott Bay Books, 7:30 pm, free.
MARY LOU SANELLI
Port Townsend poet and performer Sanelli reads tonight from her new collection, Women In The Garden, seeded with the beautiful language of compassion. Elliott Bay Books, 6 pm, free.
J.W. MARSHALL
Who knew there was a literary cabal of John Marshalls in Seattle? Tonight, one of the inner circle--the one who co-runs Open Books: A Poetry Emporium--reads from Blue Mouth, a chapbook recently published by Wood Works. Elliott Bay Books, 9 pm, free.
KAREN TEI YAMASHITA
Yamashita represents the little-covered Japanese-Brazilian population in Japan--their traditions, food, homesickness--in Circle K Cycles, a fascinating blend of fiction, essay, and pop collage. Kinokuniya Bookstore, Uwajimaya Village, 525 S Weller St, 587-2477, 4 pm, free.
STEVE CHESEBOROUGH
Cheseborough talks about the historic sites profiled in his guidebook, Blues Traveling: The Holy Sites of Delta Blues. The author is also an accomplished musician, and will perform acoustic country blues from the 1920s and '30s! Elliott Bay Books, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 5 pm, free.
KAREN TEI YAMASHITA
See Sunday listing. Elliott Bay Books, 7:30 pm, free.
NALO HOPKINSON
Hopkinson lends the world of speculative fiction a freeform style rooted in Caribbean patois; her award-winning first novel, Brown Girl in the Ring, sets a multi-ethnic cast of characters in the near future. Elliott Bay Books, 7:30 pm, free.
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