Author Events

Bellevue Regional Library, 1111 110th Ave. N.E., 425-450-1765, kcls.org.

Eagle Harbor Books, 157 Winslow Way E. (Bainbridge Island), 842-5332, eagleharborbooks.com.

Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 10th Ave., 624-6600, elliottbaybook.com.

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, 1201 S. Vale St., 658-0110, fantagraphics.com.

Northwest African American Museum, 2300 S. Massachusetts St., 518-6000, naamnw.org.

Ravenna Third Place, 6500 20th Ave. N.E., 523-0210, ravennathirdplace.com.

Rebar, 1114 Howell St., 233-9873, rebarseattle.com.

Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave., 322-7030, hugohouse.org.

Seattle Asian Art Museum, 1400 E. Prospect St. (Volunteer Park), 654-3100, seattleartmuseum.org.

Seattle Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., 386-4636, spl.org.

Seattle Mystery Bookshop, 117 Cherry St., 587-5737, seattlemystery.com.

University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., 634-3400, bookstore.washington.edu.

University Book Store (Bellevue), 990 102nd Ave. N.E., 425-462-4500, bookstore.washington.edu.

University Temple United Methodist Church, 1415 N.E. 43rd St., 634-3400, bookstore.washington.edu.

UW Campus, 634-3400, bookstore.washington.edu.

Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way N.E., 366-3333, thirdplacebooks.com.

Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 652-4255, townhallseattle.org.

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Steven Brill The Time magazine writer talks about his America’s Bitter Pill: Money, Politics, Backroom Deals, and the Fix to Fix Our Broken Healthcare System. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 652-4255, townhallseattle.org. $5. 7:30 p.m. Weds., Jan. 14.

Jeannette Franks The former UW gerontologist talks about his To Move or to Stay Put: A Guide for Your Last Decades. University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., 634-3400, bookstore.washington.edu. 4:30 p.m. Weds., Jan. 14.

Marin Katusa He’s written The Colder War: How the Global Energy Trade Slipped from America’s Grasp. Town Hall, $5. 7 p.m. Weds., Jan. 14.

Eric Liu He’ll discuss his memoir A Chinaman’s Chance: One Family’s Journey and the Chinese American Dream. RSVP required at asianlaw@uw.edu. UW Law School (UW campus), 3:30 Weds., Jan. 14.

Jeanne Matthews Her thriller Where the Bones are Buried is set in Berlin. Seattle Mystery Bookshop, 117 Cherry St., 587-5737, seattlemystery.com. Noon, Weds., Jan. 14.

James Penner He’s written Timothy Leary: The Harvard Years: Early Writings on LSD and Psilocybin with Richard Alpert, Huston Smith, Ralph Metzner, and Others. Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 10th Ave., 624-6600, elliottbaybook.com. 7 p.m. Weds., Jan. 14.

Lin Kaymer

Who is Mackie Spence? is her locally set new YA novel for girls. Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 10th Ave., 624-6600, elliottbaybook.com. 7:30 p.m. Thurs., Jan. 15.

Cathy Madden He’ll discuss Integrative Alexander Technique Practice for Performing Artists: Onstage Synergy. University Book Store, 7 p.m. Thurs., Jan. 15.

Tod Marshall & Dara Wier

Bugle and You Good Thing are their new poetry volumes, respectively, Elliott Bay, 7 p.m. Thurs., Jan. 15.

Graeme Simsion He considers the travails of parenthood in his novel The Rosie Effect, sequel to The Rosie Project. Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way N.E., 366-3333, thirdplacebooks.com. 7 p.m. Thurs., Jan. 15.

Eric Andrews-Katz

Balls and Chain is his new spy spoof. University Book Store, 7 p.m. Fri., Jan. 16.

Thomas Perry

A String of Beads is his latest crime novel. Seattle Mystery Bookshop, Noon, Fri., Jan. 16.

Jason Schmidt

A List of Things That Didn’t Kill Me is his humorous new memoir. Third Place, 6:30 p.m. Fri., Jan. 16.

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David Shields & Caleb Powell Have you heard about that controversial James Franco movie? No, not The Interview. Apparently he filmed a version of the extended dialogue that is I Think You’re Totally Wrong (Knopf, $25.95) by the two Seattle writers (Shields being the more prolific and renowned, Powell being his former UW student). Their book, subtitled “An Argument,” is the result of a four-day marathon bullshit session spent in a Skykomish cabin together, with topics ranging from parenthood to art, from Ron Paul to Cormac McCarthy. It’s essentially a long, edited transcript of their sparring-in which Shields naturally makes reference to My Dinner With Andre. How’d the movie come about? (No release date is currently set.) Franco was a student of Shields during a visiting stint at North Carolina’s Warren Wilson College; and he subsequently invited his prof (and Powell) down to L.A. to reenact it. (He also appears in the film, natch.) Oh, and there’s still more Franco-Shields news to report: Esquire says Franco now hopes to direct a fictional treatment of Shields’ 1999 Black Planet, about race and sports, a book based partly on his ’90s reporting on the Sonics in these pages. Whether that movie happens or not remains to be seen, but let’s hope that Shields and Powell have tales to tell from the Francosphere. BRIAN MILLER Elliott Bay, 7 p.m. Fri., Jan. 16.

…. TK cont with Sat 17….

E.A. Channon

Flesh of the Blood is her new fantasy tome. University Book Store (Bellevue), 990 102nd Ave. N.E., 425-462-4500, bookstore.washington.edu. 5 p.m. Sat., Jan. 17.

Pamela Christie Her historical murder mystery tale is Death and the Cyprian Society. Seattle Mystery Bookshop, Noon, Sat., Jan. 17.

Mindy S. Halleck The local author’s thriller Return to Sender is set during the ’50s. Third Place, 6:30 p.m. Sat., Jan. 17.

Nick Baker

Turtle is his memoir of autism. University Book Store (Mill Creek), 15311 Main St., 425-385-3530, bookstore.washington.edu. 2 p.m. Sun., Jan. 18.

Carolyn Kizer Memorial Reading Her friends and fellow poets will include Willis Barnstone, Tess Gallagher, Garrett Hongo, and Carol Muske-Dukes. Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave., 322-7030, hugohouse.org. 4 p.m. Sun., Jan. 18.

David Domke In Kane Hall, Room 130, the UW professor and author gives a talk titled “Showdown in Birmingham, 1963: Police Dogs, Fire Hoses, and the Children’s Crusade.” UW Campus, $150 series, $40 individual. 7 p.m. Mon., Jan. 19.

Wes Moore

The Work: My Search for a Life That Matters is his second memoir. Town Hall, $5. 7:30 p.m. Mon., Jan. 19.

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Ron Dakron Tokyo is burning, and Devilfish is laughing. He’s a kaiju, one of those fake-looking rubber monsters running amok-a giant blue manta ray, in this instance-and the very amusing narrator of Dakron’s Hello Devilfish! (Three Rooms Press, $15.95). Devilfish claims to be an enemy not just of Tokyo, where he gleefully topples power lines and elevated trains, munching on their passengers, but also of the novel itself. “Join us in plot-maiming fun!” he exclaims in Manglish, a comic lexicon made up of odd advertising slogans, poorly translated Japanese, LOL-speak, and I Can Has Cheezburger grammar. Destruction is this manta ray’s mantra. Yet the more his sting-tailed protagonist inveighs against Big Lit, local writer Dakron begins to sneak in some structure and literary mischief. Devilfish has an unwanted paramour in pursuit of him: another kaiju he calls Squidra, a giant pink kraken with tentacles and laser beams that shoot from her eyes. So there’s a bit of a love story in Hello Devilfish!, and a chase through the city’s smoldering rubble, an abrupt transformation (hello, Doug!), and flourishes of humor that recall Mark Leyner. Quoth the Devilfish, “I spit on realism and all its cunning henchmen!” Here’s a creature intending not to enter the literary canon but to destroy the library. BRIAN MILLER Ravenna Third Place, 6500 20th Ave. N.E., 523-0210, ravennathirdplace.com. 7 p.m. Tues., Jan. 20.

Chad Frisk

Direct Translation Impossible is his memoir of life in Japan, where he taught English. Third Place, 7 p.m. Tues., Jan. 20.

Anya Kamenetz Local parents will be interested in her The Test: Why Our Schools are Obsessed with Standardized Testing-But You Don’t Have to Be. Town Hall, $5. 7:30 p.m. Tues., Jan. 20.

Seattle Poetry Slam Local poets share their verse and spoken-word compositions. 21 and over. Rebar, 1114 Howell St., 233-9873, rebarseattle.com. $5 8 p.m. Tues., Jan. 20.

M.A. Lawson

Viking Bay is his new crime thriller. Third Place, 7 p.m. Wed., Jan. 21.

Kate E. Thompson

Bigfoot Hunters Never Lie is his debut novel. University Book Store (Mill Creek), 7 p.m. Wed., Jan. 21.

Amir D. Aczel He’ll discuss his Finding Zero: A Mathematician’s Odyssey to Uncover the Origins of Numbers. Ravenna Third Place, 7 p.m. Thurs., Jan. 22.

Tessa Arlen There’s murder at the estate in her Edwardian thriller Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman. Eagle Harbor Books, 157 Winslow Way E. (Bainbridge Island), 842-5332, eagleharborbooks.com. 7:30 p.m. Thurs., Jan. 22.

Karen Gaudette Brewer She shares recipes from Seafood Lover’s Pacific Northwest: Restaurants, Markets, Recipes & Traditions. University Book Store (Mill Creek), 7 p.m. Thurs., Jan. 22.

Joshua Davis His goes inside a broken educational system in Spare Parts: Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and the Battle for the American Dream. Town Hall, $5. 7:30 p.m. Thurs., Jan. 22.

Nick DiMartino The local novelist considers whether straight-gay male friendships are possible in Golden Handcuffs. University Book Store, 7 p.m. Thurs., Jan. 22.

Holly J. Hughes

Sailing by Ravens is her memoir of life in Alaska. Third Place, 7 p.m. Thurs., Jan. 22.

Andrew Keen The eminent cyber-thinker and CNN journalist discusses his The Internet Is Not the Answer. Town Hall, $5. 6 p.m. Thurs., Jan. 22.

Randall Kenan The novelist (A Visitation of Spirits) talks about his craft. Richard Hugo House, $5-$12. 7 p.m. Thurs., Jan. 22.

Susan Meyers An instructor at Seattle U, she places grief and loss at the center of her debut novel Failing the Trapeze. Elliott Bay, 5 p.m. Thurs., Jan. 22.

Miranda July Everyone’s favorite hipster goddess and filmmaker (Me and You and Everyone We Know, The Future), she’s written her first novel, called The First Bad Man. In it, a neurotic, middle-aged Jewish woman is foolish enough to allow her boss’ daughter to move in with her. Wacky complications ensue. The Neptune, 1303 N.E. 45th St., 877-784-4849, stgpresents.org. $30. 7:30 p.m. Fri., Jan. 23.