July 12, Wednesday
Bat Trek Most people think salmon when they think Pacific Northwest, but we’ve also got tons of bats. Urban bats. Let the folks at the Seward Park Audobon Center show you where these leathery winged weirdos like to hang out on this guided walk at dusk. If you can’t make it to this one, fear not—more Bat Treks are planned through July and August. Oh, and don’t miss the Owl Prowl on Friday. Seward Park Audubon Center, 5902 Lake Washington Blvd. S., sewardpark.audubon.org. $5. Ages 8 and over. 8:30–10 p.m. KELTON SEARS
July 13, Thursday
The Dollhouse Reading Fiona Davis’s first novel takes place in the Barbizon Hotel for Women, a real women’s hotel in 1950s New York. Women who moved to New York—including Sylvia Plath and Joan Didion—would stay there while trying to get their careers off the ground in a chauvinistic society. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave., 624-6600, elliottbaybook.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m. PAUL CONSTANT
Oil Divestment Vote Join 350 Seattle for a vote by the Board of Administrators on whether to divest $2.5 billion in city pension funds from fossil fuels. Divestment campaigns—a strategy which helped end apartheid in South Africa—have proven one of the most successful tools for rolling back greenhouse-gas emissions. Encourage the Board to help save the world from catastrophic climate change by pulling their money from polluters. Pacific Building, 720 Third Ave., Ninth Floor, 929-5950, 350Seattle.org. Free. 9–11 a.m. CASEY JAYWORK
The Future of Film Is Feminist Festival Local nonprofits Reel Grrls, Northwest Film Forum, and the National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY) are teaming up to help bridge the industry’s gender gap. Tonight’s festival promotes the work of young female-identified filmmakers through a fundraiser and a screening of their films, which explore everything from the experience of Yemeni refugee children to the exploitation of black women in a world of Eurocentric beauty standards. The Neptune, 1303 N.E. 45th St., nffty.org. Free. All ages. 7 p.m. CHRISTY CARLEY
Summer at SAM The SAM is kicking off the summer (in mid-July) with groovy live music and insightful tours of the sculpture park by local artists. Kick back on the lawn while you enjoy dinner from one of three food trucks—and don’t miss the chance to hear spoken-word poetry or become an artist yourself by designing sunglasses in an activity inspired by Infinity Mirrors. Olympic Sculpture Park, 2901 Western Ave., seattleartmuseum.org. Free. All ages. 6 p.m. CC
Barna Howard’s records sound like they could have been released into obscurity in the early 1970s, only to be unearthed by modern-day bin-hunters. In fact, he’s a young singer/songwriter from Missouri putting out some of the best-crafted folk music today. He comes through Seattle with Andrew Combs, a fine folky in his own right. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., tractortavern.com. 21 and over. $12. 9 p.m. DANIEL PERSON
July 14, Friday
The Atlas of Forgotten Places Reading New-to-Seattle author Jenny D. Williams debuts her very first novel, about ivory smuggling and civil war in Uganda and the Congo, with a big, fancy reading as only Elliott Bay can do. Williams traveled extensively to research the book, and she has many fascinating stories. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave., 624-6600, elliottbaybook.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m. PC
The Avalanches I’ll never forget being way too stoned when I first heard the Avalanches’ 1999 sound collage “Frontier Psychiatrist.” I thought I was going to need a shrink, frontier or otherwise, before it was over. The Aussies have finally released a followup to their late-’90s debut. Wildflower is a less frenetic affair, but just as astounding in its madcap sampling. TL;DR: Get stoned, see the Avalanches. The Showbox, 1426 First Ave., showboxpresents.com. All ages. $29.50. 9 p.m. DP
July 15, Saturday
Dock Street Salon The ongoing reading partnering Greenwood bookstore Phinney Books with Ballard publisher Dock Street Press celebrates summers with three writers from Spokane. Leyna Krow brings her debut book of stories, I’m Fine, But You Appear to Be Sinking, along with two poets: Tim Greenup (Without Warning) and Ben Cartwright (After Our Departure). Phinney Books, 7405 Greenwood Ave. N., 297-2665, phinneybooks.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m. PC
Seattle Street Food Festival South Lake Union will be hopping this weekend when the fifth annual Festival pairs with Urban Craft Uprising. There’s something for everyone at an event that boasts 150 food and handicraft vendors. If one day of food trucks isn’t enough to fill you up, or if you find yourself overwhelmed by the breadth of options, stop by again on Sunday to try anything else that suits your fancy. 217 Ninth Ave. N., seattlestfoodfest. Free. All ages. Noon–10 p.m. Also Sun. CC
Seattle Outdoor Theater Festival Feel antsy in theaters? Sitting in a sunlit, grassy field might be the antidote. This year’s Seattle Outdoor Theater Festival boasts “three stages and 16 performances by 10 local theater companies” all in one weekend. A few performances to look forward to: Freehold Theatre’s Hamlet, 14/48’s Coyote Trails, and Wooden O’s Much Ado About Nothing. Volunteer Park, 1247 15th Ave E. Free. All ages. Noon–8 p.m. Also Sun. BECS RICHARDS
July 16, Sunday
Making My Pitch Reading According to press materials, Ila Borders “was the first female to win a scholarship to play men’s collegiate baseball.” She also pitched minor league baseball with men. In her spare time, she’s a firefighter in Portland. Yes, you’ve just found a new hero. She’s in town with her memoir Making My Pitch: A Woman’s Baseball Odyssey. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave., 624-6600, elliottbaybook.com. Free. All ages. 3 p.m. PC
Invisible Womxn Choreographer Alice Gosti loves an unusual location—her most recent works were staged at St. Mark’s Cathedral and on the Seattle waterfront. Her newest is designed to foreground people who usually stand in the back, while bringing us together in a “park near you.” Invisible Womxn tells stories from Seattle’s female founders as a part of Velocity Dance Center’s Strictly Seattle Festival. Capitol Hill, location TBA, 325-8773, velocity dancecenter.org. Free. 11 a.m. SANDRA KURTZ
July 17, Monday
Jack Straw Writers You should always pay attention to the Jack Straw Writers. The program, in which 12 newish writers learn how to better communicate their ideas via readings and recordings, is often an incubator for writers on the verge of becoming major forces in Seattle literature. Tonight’s include Ellie Belew, Wancy Young Cho, Steph Kesey, Hera McLeod, and D.A. Navoti. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave., 624-6600, elliottbaybook.com. Free. All ages. 7 p.m. PC
July 18, Tuesday
Battle Hill Bolero Reading Every summer, the awesome Seattle writing organization Clarion West brings sci-fi writers to town. Tonight’s features Daniel José Older, whose most recent series of music-themed novels involves a battle between the living and the half-dead on the streets of New York City. Seattle Public Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., 386-4636, spl.org. Free. All ages. 7 p.m. PC
