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Readings & Events

Stella Cameron A surgeon’s troubled past follows him to his new Louisiana home in A Marked Man. Seattle Mystery Bookshop, 117 Cherry St., 206-587-5737. Noon. Wed. Nov. 8.

Barry A. Christianson This activist speaks on “The Religious Right’s Assault on Religious Liberty, and How You Can Fight Back.” Sponsored by the Seattle chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Nathan Johnson Hall, University Unitarian Church, 6556 35th Ave. N.E. 7 p.m. Wed. Nov. 8.

Dead Sea Scrolls: An Interfaith Dialogue With Rev. Alexander Brunett, Hisham Farajalla of the Islamic Center of Washington, and Rabbi Daniel S. Weiner. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 206-652-4255. $15. 7:30 p.m. Wed. Nov. 8.

Matthew Diffee Sure, everybody loves the cartoons in The New Yorker, but wouldn’t it be great to peek at the cartoons that didn’t make it into the magazine? Diffee did—he edited The Rejection Collection: Cartoons You Never Saw, and Never Will See, In The New Yorker. The best of the worst? Or great cartoons that are a little too racy or weird? Which ones would you have published? Sponsored by the University Book Store. JOANNE GARRETT Kane Hall, Room 110, UW campus. 7:30 p.m. Wed. Nov. 8.

Thomas Homer-Dixon He discusses the five interrelated “stresses” affecting global cultural stability in his new book The Upside of Down. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 206-652-4255. $5. 7:30 p.m. Wed. Nov. 8.

Carol Leigh Also known as “Scarlet Harlot,” this sex worker and advocate founded the Bay Area Sex Workers Advocacy Network. Hear her speak at Room 1110/1111, Main Building, Seattle Central Community College, 1701 Broadway. Noon. Wed. Nov. 8.

John Moir The story of the condor’s comeback from a population of 22 in the ’80s in his Return of the Condor. Bellevue Regional Library, 1111 110th Ave. N.E., 425-450-1765. 12:30 p.m. Wed. Nov. 8. Elliott Bay Books. 7:30 p.m. Wed. Nov. 8.

Kenneth Turan The Los Angeles Times film critic muses on the future of good movies at big studios in his new collection Now in Theaters Everywhere. The Warren Report Headquarters, Carnegie Free Public Library, 2026 N.W. Market St. 7 p.m. Wed. Nov. 8.

Charlie Smith This New York poet reads from his recent collections. Wessel & Lieberman Booksellers, 208 First Ave. S., 206-282-2677, www.counterbalancearts.org. $10. 7 p.m. Wed. Nov. 8.

Quintard Taylor The UW prof explores a slice of our city’s past in his lecture “African American Settlement Between 1941 and 1971: Continuity and Change in the Emerald City.” Museum of History and Industry, 2700 24th Ave. E., 206-324-1126, www.brownpapertickets.com. $5-$12. 7 p.m. Wed. Nov. 8.

Ngugi wa Thiong’o This exiled Kenyan author’s latest novel is Wizard of the Crow. Presented by the Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas. Pigott Auditorium, Seattle University, 900 Broadway, 206-624-6600. $5. 7 p.m. Wed. Nov. 8.

David Biespiel Reading from Long Journey, the anthology he edited of 200 poems, most new and previously unpublished, by Northwest writers. Open Books, 2414 N. 45th St., 206-633-0811, www.openpoetrybooks.com. 7:30 p.m. Thurs. Nov. 9.

David Callahan Moral issues—but not the ones you think—really should be America’s prime concern, as he explains in The Moral Center. Downstairs at Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 206-652-4255. $5. 7:30 p.m. Thurs. Nov. 9.

Michael Collins A novelist’s plotline mirrors a real-life crime in his Death of a Writer. University Book Store, 7 p.m. Thurs. Nov. 9.

Alexandra Day Next up in her adorable “Good Dog Carl” series, the resourceful rottweiler gets some much-needed rest in Carl’s Sleepy Afternoon. Eagle Harbor Books, 157 Winslow Way E. (Bainbridge Island), 206-842-5332. 4 p.m. Thurs. Nov. 9.

Jill L. Ferguson Her debut novel Sometimes Art Can’t Save You! tells of a troubled young painter. Parkplace Books (Kirkland), 348 Parkplace Ctr., 425-828-6546. 7 p.m. Thurs. Nov. 9.

Reichen Lehmkuhl The model, actor, and Amazing Racer certainly will tell, if you ask, about his days as a gay U.S. Air Force Academy cadet, as recounted in his new memoir Here’s What We’ll Say. Bailey/Coy Books, 414 Broadway Ave. E., 206-323-8842. 7 p.m. Thurs. Nov. 9.

Wendy Northcutt Laughing in the face of death—someone else’s—in The Darwin Awards 4: Intelligent Design, further anecdotes of fatal accidents. Third Place Books. 7 p.m. Thurs. Nov. 9.

Geoffrey Nunberg This Berkeley linguist reveals just how the right has set the terms of political debate in this country in Talking Right: How Conservatives Turned Liberalism into a Tax-Raising, Latte-Drinking, Sushi-Eating, Volvo-Driving, New York Times-reading, Body-Piercing, Hollywood-Loving, Left-Wing, Freak Show.Elliott Bay Books. 7:30 p.m. Thurs. Nov. 9.

Lawney L. Reyes He’ll read from his biography of his activist brother, Bernie Whitebear: An Urban Indian’s Quest for Justice. Burke Room, Burke Museum, UW campus, 206-543-5590, www.burkemuseum.org. $5-$8. 6:30 p.m. Thurs. Nov. 9.

Skye Moody Beachcombing is a competitive sport—especially when it comes to searching for glass fishing floats or rare purple sea glass. In her quirky new Washed Up: The Curious Journeys of Flotsam and Jetsam, local author Moody tells all about the obsession—and about the wacky things that wash up on ocean shores: Nike shoes, sealed wine bottles and food, ID cards, “beach whistles” (er, plastic tampon applicators), ambergris, and much more. Moody may even share her favorite Puget Sound spots for finding treasures. MOLLY LORI University Book Store. 7 p.m. Fri. Nov. 10.

Stuart F. PlattLetters From The Front Lines is this retired naval rear admiral’s collection of letters, e-mails, and blog entries from those serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. Third Place Books. 6:30 p.m. Fri. Nov. 10.

Barbara Sjoholm She recounts her days of hitchhiking around Spain in Incognito Street: How Travel Made Me a Writer. Ravenna Third Place Books, 6504 20th Ave. N.E., 206-525-2347. 7:30 p.m. Fri. Nov. 10.

Dame Darcy A visit from the author of the neo-Victorian horror/humor/romance comic, Meat Cake. Bailey/Coy Books, 414 Broadway Ave. E., 206-323-8842. 3 p.m. Sat. Nov. 11.

Barry Golson Gringos in Paradise is his memoir of a switch from a fast-track media career to retirement in Mexico. Third Place Books. 6:30 p.m. Sat. Nov. 11.

Joyce Maynard A fourth-grade teacher hatchets her husband in her true-crime book Internal Combustion: The Story of a Marriage and Murder in the Motor City. Elliott Bay Books. 7:30 p.m. Sat. Nov. 11.

Roadtrip Nation Originally manned in 2001 by three college grads looking to discover their true calling through interviews with leaders from all walks, Roadtrip Nation has since grown a fleet, a PBS documentary series, and a grassroots agenda, urging others to hit the road for answers. Sandra Day O’Connor, Hugh Hefner, and Madonna’s head stylist Arianne Phillips are a few of the interviewees on a list that now reaches well into the hundreds. In tandem with travel-guide publishers Lonely Planet, the RV team stops downtown in their day-glow green RV to screen footage from the series, open for inspection, and allow time to mingle with its crew and Lonely Planet writers who would probably like to convince you to look for those answers a little further away and, of course, buy a guidebook to take along. BRIAN BUTTLEMAN Elliott Bay Books. 2 p.m. Sat. Nov. 11.

Writing and Activism Panel Rebecca Brown, Robert Mittenthal, moderator Jeanne Heuving, and others discuss the political dimension of the writers’ art. Room 205, Library, UW Bothell Campus. 2 p.m. Sat. Nov. 11.

Laura KalpakianAmerican Cookery is the Bellingham author’s novel with recipes. University Book Store. 7 p.m. Mon. Nov. 13.

Barry Lynn Presented by the World Affairs Council, he’ll address the role of global supply chains and the role of multinational corporations in shaping globalization. Downstairs at Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 206-652-4255. $10-$15. 7:30 p.m. Mon. Nov. 13.

Bill Morgan His new bio, Ginsberg, I Celebrate Myself: The Somewhat Private Life of Allen Ginsberg, is a celebration of the poet on the 50th anniversary of the publication of Howl. Elliott Bay Books. 6 p.m. Mon. Nov. 13.

Tamora Pierce She imagines a world of magical law enforcement in her new Beka Cooper young-readers series (Book 1: Terrier). University Book Store at Mill Creek Center, Bothell-Everett Highway & 153rd St. S.E., 425-385-3530. 7 p.m. Mon. Nov. 13.

Joan Roughgarden Her book Evolution and Christian Faith: Reflections of an Evolutionary Biologist suggests the two worldviews may not be so opposed. Sponsored by Elliott Bay Books. Seattle First Baptist Church, 1111 Harvard Ave., 206-624-6600. 7 p.m. Mon. Nov. 13.

Bill Scher If things go wrong on Election Day, his Wait! Don’t Move to Canada! A Stay-and-Fight Strategy to Win Back America might console. Elliott Bay Books. 6 p.m. Mon. Nov. 13.

Elizabeth Arnold Reading from her second poetry collection, Civilization. Open Books, 2414 N. 45th St., 206-633-0811, www.openpoetrybooks.com. 7:30 p.m. Tues. Nov. 14.

Gregory BlackstockBlackstock’s Collections is his latest anthology of drawings. Fremont Place Books, 621 N. 35th St., 206-547-5970, www.fremontplacebooks.com. 7 p.m. Tues. Nov. 14.

Neal Gabler He’ll discuss Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination, his bio of the mysterious but immensely influential mogul, in conversation with Warren Etheredge. The Warren Report Headquarters, Carnegie Free Public Library, 2026 N.W. Market St. 7 p.m. Tues. Nov. 14.

Philip Gourevitch For bibliophiles, a glimpse into Ernest Hemingway’s work space (the corner of a bedroom in a Havana house), which he offered The Paris Review‘s George Plimpton, is akin to the Virgin Mary opening up her home in Bethlehem to Cribs. Since its inception in 1953 on a Left Bank barge, The Paris Review has remained a handbook to the literati, and its extensive author interviews are as storied as the magazine itself: Q&A’s drawn from a sit-down and correspondence, and, in an unprecedented move, returned to the subject for review and expansion—a format much copied today, from The Believer to Playboy. They’ve finally been collected in The Paris Review Interviews, Vol. I, edited and with a foreword by Gourevitch, the first permanent editor since Plimpton’s death in 2003. Here, Hemingway talks horseracing; Dorothy Parker reveals a predilection for choosing character names from the phone book and obituaries; and Saul Bellow can’t escape the chaos of modern city life—just a few of many insights gleaned from the most influential writers of the 20th century. Gourevitch chats here with KUOW’s Marcie Sillman. KATE SILVER Elliott Bay Books. 7:30 p.m. Tues. Nov. 14.

Roya Hakakian Her new memoir is Journey from the Land of No: A Girlhood Caught in Revolutionary Iran. Sponsored by Elliott Bay Books. Seattle Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., 206-386-4636. 7 p.m. Tues. Nov. 14.

Heidi Julavits A launch party for her novel The Uses of Enchantment, to benefit writers’ center 826 Seattle. The Big Picture, 2505 First Ave., 206-256-0566. www.thebigpicture.com. $10. 7 p.m. Tues. Nov. 14.

T.J. ParsellFish: A Memoir of a Boy in a Man’s Prison is his first-hand account of prison rape. University Book Store. 7 p.m. Tues. Nov. 14.

Ted SexauerVeterans of War, Veterans of Peace is an anthology of work by participants in Maxine Hong Kingston’s writing-and-meditation workshops for veterans and their families, Sexauer among them. University Book Store (Bellevue), 990 102nd Ave. N.E., 425-646-3340. 7 p.m. Tues. Nov. 14.

Kelly Braffet Her new Virginia-set suspense novel is Last Seen Leaving. Elliott Bay Books. 8 p.m. Wed. Nov. 15.

“How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Rhyme” Sherman Alexie, Chelsea Rathburn, Richard Wakefield, and others share insights in a roundtable discussion and reading. Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave., 206-322-7030, www.hugohouse.org. $5-$7. 7:30 p.m. Wed. Nov. 15.

Richard Peck The noted children’s author speaks on “Voices in an Empty Room: Five Apologies for the Narrative.” Walker-Ames Room, Kane Hall, UW campus. $5. 7 p.m. Wed. Nov. 15.

Terry Tamminen This former California EPA secretary discusses the health, environmental, and economic downside of petroleum use, and suggests solutions, in Lives Per Gallon: The True Cost of Our Oil Addiction.Elliott Bay Books. 6 p.m. Wed. Nov. 15.

Scott Turow A book party/reading/signing to launch his latest legal thriller, Limitations. W Seattle, 1112 Fourth Ave., 206-632-2419. $15. 6 p.m. Wed. Nov. 15.

Bruce Zuckermann All you ever wanted to know about preserving and restoring ancient documents in his lecture “Bringing the Dead Sea Scrolls Back to Life.” Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 206-652-4255. $15. 7:30 p.m. Wed. Nov. 8.

Spoken Word/Open Mike

A Night of Cheap Wine and Poetry Wine for a buck a glass, an open-mike segment, and readings from Harvey Goldner, Brendan Regan, Willie Smith, Deborah Woodard, and Seattle Poet Populist Jourdan Keith. Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave., www.hugohouse.org. 7 p.m. Thurs. Nov. 9.

It’s About Time A reading series for beginning and experienced writers, with open-mike time interspersed between featured readers Susan Rich, Lana Hechtman Ayers, and Carolyne Wright. Ravenna Third Place Books, 6504 20th Ave. N.E., 206-525-2347. 7:30 p.m. Thurs. Nov. 9.

ProseWest Joseph Aprile and Sheri Harper are featured. Newberry Books, 561 N.E. Ravenna Blvd., 206-682-1268. 4 p.m. Sat. Nov. 11.

Stringtown A celebration of the release of the ninth annual issue of this literary magazine, with readings by Caleb Barber, Ann Tweedy, Debra Borchert (no relation), and others. Santoro’s Books, 7216 Greenwood Ave. N., 206-784-2113. 7 p.m. Sat. Nov. 11.

Poetry Reading New work from Tom Jay, Jenifer Lawrence, Roger Midgett, and Stan Sanvel Rubin. Eagle Harbor Books, 157 Winslow Way E. (Bainbridge Island), 206-842-5332. 3 p.m. Sun. Nov. 12.

Trans-scribe A night of readings by transgender, or gender-transgressive, writers: Gavin Katz aka Athens Boys Choir, Cowboy Cass, and Ivan Coyote. Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave., www.hugohouse.org. $7-$10. 8 p.m. Sun. Nov. 12.

Cancer Lifeline Readings from their journals and works in progress. Ravenna Third Place Books, 6504 20th Ave. N.E., 206-525-2347. 6 p.m. Wed. Nov. 15.

Jack Straw Writers Program Alumni Readings by Kent Chadwick, Kip Robinson Greenthal, Frances McCue, and Joan Swift, curated by Don Kentop. Jack Straw Studios, 4621 Roosevelt Ave. N.E., 206-634-0919. 7 p.m. Wed. Nov. 15.

Venue Guide

Elliott Bay Book Co. 101 S. Main St., 206-624-6600, www.elliottbaybook.com

Third Place Books 17171 Bothell Way N.E., 206-366-3333, www.thirdplacebooks.com

University Book Store 4326 University Way N.E., 206-634-3400, www.bookstore.washington.edu