It's that time again. Today, readers will gather en masse for LitCrawl Seattle, the annual, one-night-only, literary event featuring more than 80 performances by local writers. Drunk-ass or sugared-up or shrub-pumped book people will take over bars and bookstores all over Capitol Hill and First Hill to hear new authors and re-appreciate old favorites.

I'm on record saying lit crawls are overwhelming, FOMO-inducing nightmares that are bad for writers. But my last couple years of crawling have proven me wrong. Somehow, every reading draws a good crowd. When you miss a reading, chances are one of your friends didn't. And the evening's general hustle and buzz keeps all events at a civilized 45-minutes in length.

However, blazing a path through the forest of the 35 readings on offer can be a paralyzing prospect. Luckily, we're here to help. Below, you'll find four different paths to suit the four literary genders featured during Thursday night's festivities: poetry, prose, party, and ghosts. I've also included a Google map, which will help you plot out your evening.

Here's a map if you want to isolate routes. Otherwise, here's the map of all the routes at once.

Poetry

5 p.m. A Reading with JMase III, Luzviminda Carpenter, Ana Walker, and Nic Masangkay

6 p.m. The Poet Salon

7 p.m. Furhman. Judd. Roberts.

8 p.m. Playing in the Dark: Works Inspired by Toni Morrison

9 p.m. Winter In America

Prose

5 p.m. A Woman's Work

6 p.m. I've Got Friends In Queer Places

7 p.m. Bodies of Science

8 p.m. Surreal Storytelling with Strange Women

9 p.m. Writing Against Body

Ghosts

5 p.m. Stinky and Spooky with a Side of Magic

6 p.m. Ghost Song

7 p.m. Haunted by Heartbreak

8 p.m. Let's Talk about Death Over Drinks

9 p.m. Scary Stories to Tell in the Bar

Party

5 p.m. An Evening with Robert Francis Flor, Kathya Alexander, Mary Anne Moorman

6 p.m. A Bunch of Sad Hot Trash
(Full disclosure: I'm reading at this event. Normally my participation automatically disqualifies readings from attaining "party" status. But since Sarah Galvin, Bill Carty, and Corinne Manning will also be reading, it counts as a party x 10 or even 15. We'll each read one bit of semi-embarrassing juvenilia, so really it'll be a shame party, but a party nonetheless.)

7 p.m. House of Ink

8 p.m. The Making of Seattle Cooks

9 p.m. Weed the People

10 p.m. Lit Crawl After-Party