Wednesday 10/19

Dave Eggers

(BOOKS) Dave Eggers? At Elliott Bay Book Company?? In-person??? FOR FREE!?!? Yup, the McSweeney's superstar is making a long-awaited stop in Seattle to celebrate the release of his 2021 novel, The Every, and instead of a ticketed reading in a fancy venue, the Pulitzer Prize-nominee is hanging out at the Capitol Hill bookstore like some kind of commoner. The Every is a follow-up to 2013's The Circle, and it's a commentary on how big bad tech impacts our lives. While the book itself received mixed reviews—the Washington Post called it "unnecessary," Bloomberg called it "thought-provoking" and "wickedly dark"—Eggers further cemented his place in the heart of bibliophiles everywhere when he announced that hardcover copies would only be sold through independent bookstores and the McSweeney's online store. Paperbacks were eventually made available on Amazon, weeks after the initial release. Elliott Bay will have hardcover copies available for purchase and, in another pro-bookseller twist, Eggers has released literally dozens of different cover variations, so you'll have to show up and throw more money at Elliott Bay if you want to snag the most recent editions. (Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 6 pm, free) MEGAN SELING

Terrible pic but you get the idea. JK

Thursday 10/20

The Shakerato at Broadcast Coffee 

(FOOD & DRINK) Over the past year, I’ve been deeply obsessed with Starbucks’ mouthful of a drink, the Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso. Let me explain: I’m a longtime Bucky Stars hater, only deigning to drink it while at the airport or somewhere that’s not Seattle. But when my friend bought the coffee chain's excessive invention for me last December, I became instantly addicted. The foaminess! The ice! The sweet-but-not-too-sweet brown sugar syrup! The creaminess of the oat milk! It’s the perfect drink, despite my distaste for the corporate coffee company. Enter Broadcast Coffee. The excellent coffee spot on Yesler has answered my prayers with its seasonal Shakerato drink. Inspired by Starbucks, this fancy beverage is made of Broadcast’s delicious espresso, their homemade brown sugar syrup, and your milk of choice, shaken and served over ice. I had one last week and it was divine—creamy, bitter, and just sweet enough to propel you through the day. A hit! (Broadcast Coffee, various locations) JAS KEIMIG

Friday 10/21

F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu

(FILM) I must admit, there is a huge "F.W. Murnau's 1922 film Nosferatu"-shaped gap in my film knowledge. Back when Netflix solely sent out DVDs by mail, my mom ordered this silent horror and I BEGGED her to turn it off because it was just too scary. Max Schreck as the vampiric Count Orlock, with his creepy visage, pointy fingers, and rat-like teeth, continues to be just as unnerving as any contemporary makeup or CGI. As part of their All Monsters Attack! series, Grand Illusion Cinema is screening the 35 mm restoration of the iconic vampire movie in honor of the film's 100th anniversary. Go get spooked in high-definition! If you're not too scared. (Grand Illusion, 1403 NE 50th St, Fri Oct 21 at 7:30 pm and Sun Oct 23 at 4 pm) JAS KEIMIG

Smell a pine tree during Seattle Forest Week starting October 22. MS

Saturday 10/22

Seattle Forest Week

(NATURE) Would you like to look at a frog? Or smell a pine tree? Or drink some cider? Outdoorsy types will have their dance cards full October 22-29 with a bustling week of activities for Seattle Forest Week. There’s all-ages creek walks, birdwatching excursions, guided meditations among the foliage, and tree-planting parties galore. A particular highlight is the Tilth Alliance’s wetland scavenger hunt, a real crowd-pleaser for anyone whose heart is set aflutter by the scent of a slough. The Longfellow Creek tour also looks great—you might see a salmon! Please do not lean into the creek face-first and try to catch one with your mouth, fat bear week is over. All of these events are free and support the restoration of native habitats around town. What better way could there be to welcome the crisp fall weather? And what better way to make your relatives in other parts of the world jealous of how pretty the PNW is? (Various locations Oct 22-29, visit greenseattle.org for more information) MATT BAUME

Patty Murray and Tiffany Smiley will debate in Spokane on Sunday, October 23. ANTHONY KEO

Sunday 10/23

Patty Murray vs. Tiffany Smiley Debates

(ELECTION 2022) In Seattle, we’re used to debates between two self-described Democrat candidates for City Office that distinguish themselves by how much they hate homeless people. This is boring and deeply demoralizing. You know what makes us feel good? Pro-choice Democrats dunking on Republicans who care more about fetuses than living-breathing people who are untethered from their umbilical cord. You can catch such a conflict at Senator Patty Murray and Republican challenger Tiffany Smiley’s debate in Spokane on Sunday, October 23, and their town hall at KIRO Studios in Seattle on October 30. We hope you don’t attend or tune into either event to figure out who deserves your vote—that should be obvious at this point. But, it could still be fun to watch Smiley toe the line between Crazy MAGA Republican and Super Crazy MAGA Republican. You know, the difference between vague election denialism and actually drawing suspicious over where you were on January 6, 2021. We hope someone will ask Smiley about her transphobic tweets or why she avoided a radio host's question about whether or not she supports abortion ban exemptions in cases of rape and incest. God knows she’ll never answer our emails about that. (The debate on Oct 23 will be available on TV, radio, and C-Span livestream here at 5 pm; the debate on Oct 30 will air on KIRO 7 at 5 pm) HANNAH KRIEG

L7

(MUSIC) So many band reunions are obvious cash grabs, with the musicians returning to the stage to do little more than appease an aging fanbase drunk on nostalgia. They offer nothing new; it's simply an opportunity to escape the day-to-day doldrums of adulthood. And that's OK! But do not mistake L7's return as a placating bottle on which Gen Xers can suck. Donita Sparks, Suzi Gardner, Jennifer Finch, and Demetra Plakas are back, and they're every bit as brash and boisterous as before. It wouldn't be fair to say L7 was ahead of its time—the band very much had a place and a purpose throughout the '90s, and those tampons weren't gonna throw themselves—but the women clearly felt there was unfinished business. Their first single in the new millennium was 2017's "Dispatch from Mar-a-Lago," and in 2018 they released a bratty anthem that put bluntly the reason for their return, "I Came Back to Bitch." Thank you! There is so much to bitch about! The full-length Scatter the Rats followed, and while the band will surely pepper the set with new material, this tour also celebrates the 30th anniversary of 1992's metal/punk/at times surprisingly pop classic Bricks Are Heavy. They're gonna play "Wargasm," and decades of pent-up frustration will spill out into the streets like that pink ooze in Ghostbusters II. Cathartic AF. (Neptune Theatre, 1303 NE 45th St, 8 pm, $33/$35, all ages) MEGAN SELING

Guay Tiow Ta Krai at Pestle Rock. Meg van Huygen

Monday 10/24

Guay Tiow Ta Krai at Pestle Rock

(FOOD & DRINK) Guys! It got slightly, slightly cooler outside, and that means it's time for cozy autumn food! Which means noodles! There are so many fantastic ways to eat them in this city, but my current fave is Guay Tiow Ta Krai ("lemongrass noodles"), at Pestle Rock Isan Thai Cuisine in historic downtown Ballard. They take big fatty Japanese-style udon noodles, an egg, and a rainbow of veggies, stir-fry 'em, and serve it all in a basilescent, lemongrassy yellow Thai curry. [Eds note: Basilescent is not a word; basilescent should be a word.] Not 100 percent sure of the entire veggie roll call because there's def more in there than the menu describes, but they got basil, onions, snow peas, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, bell pepper, red cabbage, summer squash... it's pretty much all of the world's vegetables. The result is saucy and spicy and starchy and crunchy and herbal-citrusy and warm—and just plain beautiful to boot. The coziest noodles in town. I'm gonna eat this every weekend until spring. (Pestle Rock Isan Thai Cuisine, 2305 NW Market St., Mon-Thu 11:30 am-9:30 pm, Fri 11:30 am-10 pm, Sat 12-10 pm, Sun 12-9 pm) MEG VAN HUYGEN

Tuesday 10/25

The Last Lit Crawl Seattle

(BOOKS) I've always experienced a swell of excitement mixed with a bit of crankiness when Lit Crawl Seattle announces the date for its annual night of literary mayhem, but this year I only feel crestfallen and weepy-nostalgic. That's because this year marks the last-ever Lit Crawl. After nearly a decade of filling bars and venues all over town with poetry and fiction, they're calling it quits. But like any good story, their final chapter looks like a doozy. The evening begins with a conversation and reading featuring fiction writer Becca Rose Hall, Stranger genius Rebecca Brown, who's out with a new book of essays (!!!) about life and love, and fiction writer Richard Chiem, who reads and writes with mesmerizing, quiet intensity that suddenly bursts into joy or violence or tenderness at any moment. In honor of spooky season, a group of Jack Straw writers promise to offer up some "macabre" fare. And to close out, Unexpected Productions, Seattle's longest-running improv theater, offers a riff on Vonnegut. Hopefully the seeds of the next literary org grow from the grave of this one. (Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, 6 pm, free, all ages) RICH SMITH