November 30, Wednesday
My Old Man and the Mountain Reading The youngest son of “Big Jim” Whittaker, the first American to climb Mount Everest, is also a mountain climber. Maybe Leif Whittaker can explain what the deal is with his bizarre family business—everybody knows the punchline “because it’s there,” but what really makes two generations of a family decide to climb mountains? Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave., 624-6600, elliottbay book.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m. PAUL CONSTANT
December 1, Thursday
Moonglow Reading Michael Chabon’s latest combines rocket science, deathbed confessions, and family secrets into one memoirish novel. Ostensibly a story about Chabon’s dying grandfather, Moonglow is quieter and more direct than some of his other novels, and its realism and relatively simple sentences might open Chabon to a new audience. Seattle Public Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., 386-4636, spl.org. Free. All ages. 7 p.m. PC
The Handsome Family A few years ago, I asked Rennie Sparks, 50 percent of The Handsome Family, about the amazing way the band writes about nature in the midst of humanity. She replied, “The crows and the weeds are kind of my heroes … I don’t speak crow, but I know they have a language.” Such is the sublime, eerie, naturalistic beauty of this New Mexico alt-country outfit, now touring behind their new album Unseen (available on “pond green vinyl.”) The Triple Door, 216 Union St., 838-4333, thetripledoor.net. $18. 21 and over. 8 p.m. DANIEL PERSON
When She Dies, You Will Die Too Chugach Suqpiaq artist Christine Babic grew up in Alaska during the devastating Exxon Valdez oil spill. The firsthand experience and the effect it had on her family called her to protest alongside the water protectors at Standing Rock, where she intends to return soon. In the meantime, Babic will open her first solo exhibition in Seattle, When She Dies, You Will Die Too, a “love letter inspired by the devastating and unspoken history of colonization written to every victim of ‘The American Genocide of the Native.’ ” CoCA, 114 Third Ave. S., cocaseattle.com. Free. All ages. 6–9 p.m. KELTON SEARS
December 2, Friday
Filson Launch Party C.C. Filson Co., the once-rugged-now-hipster (but still rugged) Seattle clothier, is opening a new store in Ballard, and is throwing hell of a party to celebrate. Drone-metal veterans Earth will be supported by the stoners in Weeed and the mega-stoners in So Pitted to properly christen the store. Pacific Fisherman Shipyard, 5351 24th Ave. N.W. 21+. Free with RSVP on Facebook event page (RSVP does not guarantee entry). 7 p.m. DP
Softscapes Social media, politics, and contemporary culture prompt (and sometimes force) folks to perform their identities in strange ways, both good and bad. Tonight’s art show, Softscapes, explores the evolving idea of identity performance “in relation to landscapes,” which in this context includes “the natural environment, the landscape of advertising, psychological landscapes, and the physical landscapes of human bodies.” Featuring work from Lee Davignon, Linda Fenstermaker, Andrew Lamb Schultz, Marilyn Montufar, and Maggie O’Rourke. Common Area Maintenance, 2125 Second Ave., commonartspace.com. Free. All ages. 7–10 p.m. KS
December 3, Saturday
Rainier Valley Lit Crawl The fourth Rainier Valley Lit Crawl centers around Hillman City, venturing to, in order, Spinnaker Bay, Big Chickie, Adugenet, and Union Bar. Those four venues will host an array of authors including Daemond Arrindell, Sarah León, Fernando Pérez, Jekeva Phillips, Anastacia Renee, Thomas Walton, and Corina Zappia. Spinnaker Bay, 5718 Rainier Ave. S., 725-2337, gregbem.com. Free. All ages. 5 p.m. PC
Trails and Ways This insistently upbeat indie-pop troupe from Oakland might just be what you need right now. They sing in three languages, reminding you that not all Americans are monolingual know-nothings, and they often sing about climate change, which, granted, isn’t very upbeat, but necessary. Their new LP, Own It, is out now on Seattle’s Barsuk Records. Barboza, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9442, thebarboza.com. $10. 21 and over. 7 p.m. DP
Seattle Women March Against Hate For reasons that defy easy understanding, our country recently elected a misogynist par excellence to the White House. Starting at Volunteer Park and ending at Cal Anderson, the March Against Hate is a place for the women et al. who’ve borne the brunt of Trump’s campaign rhetoric to come together and be together. Volunteer Park Amphitheater, 1400 E. Prospect St. Free. All ages. 1–3 p.m. CASEY JAYWORK
December 4, Sunday
Urban Craft Uprising Seattle’s largest craft show is a great place to cross off all the last-minute gifts on your holiday shopping list. You can find a little bit of everything here, but be sure to visit the seven papercraft exhibitors, including journal makers, book-arts experts, and letterpress printers. Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, 301 Mercer St., urbancraftuprising.com. Free. All ages. 10 a.m. PC
Penny U: Building Community in Our New Reality Join fellow concerned citizens for an open-ended discussion of the most pressing issues facing our society. Find practical ways that you can organize with neighbors and peers around human rights, social and economic justice, and the political process “after this shocking election.” Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave, 652-4255; register at townhallseattle.org. Free. All ages. 2–4 p.m. CJ
DJ Fulltono and Foodman Thanks to local booking crew CUSTOMS, Seattle is getting treated to two of Japan’s most exciting electronic-music producers this week. First off is Foodman, whose brilliantly bizarre, melting, yet somehow cohesive sonic collages are the closest music will get to a Dalí painting—combining Dada experimentalism with the loose framework of Chicago footwork’s skittering rhythms. DJ Fulltono, on the other hand, hews much closer to footwork’s Chicago roots, acting as one of the high-bpm genre’s biggest champions in Japan (where he founded the footwork-centric label Booty Tune back in 2008). With DJ NHK GUY, sighup. Timbre Room, 1809 Minor Ave., timbreroom.com. $10 adv./$12 DOS. 21 and over. 8 p.m. KS
December 5, Monday
Thank You for Being Late Reading This reading is ostensibly sold out, but many Town Hall events have last-minute seating available for people who show up and wait in line. Friedman’s latest book—about technology, globalization, and climate change—looks like it’s worth a few minutes of standing in the cold. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 652-4255, townhall seattle.org. $5. All ages. 7:30 p.m. PC
December 6, Tuesday
The Way of the Writer Reading Charles Johnson is a Seattle-area legend. The UW professor and National Book Award-winning novelist’s latest collects a lifetime of learning under the ambitious title The Way of the Writer: Reflections on the Art and Craft of Storytelling. Tonight, Johnson will talk onstage with one of his prize students, novelist David Guterson. Northwest African American Museum, 2800 S. Massachusetts St., 624-6600, elliott baybook.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m. PC
Laraaji You stressed? I’m stressed. There are for sure lots of things to be stressed about right now. You know who can help you destress? Laraaji. One of the leading lights and all-time legends of ambient/New Age music, Laraaji has been writing gorgeous, transcendental hymns since the early ’70s with the explicit intention of helping folks meditate, find their center, and vibrate harmoniously with the universe. Tonight, Seattle is blessed by an appearance from the man himself, presented by Rare Air and Elevator, which means that beyond soothing music, you can expect transportive visuals as well. With Bardo:Basho and DJ Explorateur. Q Nightclub, 1426 Broadway, qnightclub.com. $12. 21 and over. 8 p.m.–midnight. KS
