Readings, Signings, and Literary Events for the Week of March 7, 2011

Big news from the Seattle Public Library! The SPL now accepts online payments for your fines and fees. Not that you would ever have any such thing, being a conscientious community member who would never keep a material for one second longer than permitted, but those of us who are a trifle more absent-minded are very happy patrons.

3/7/2011 12:05 p.m. Seattle Public Library
Thrilling Tales
Story Time for Grown-Ups
Monday lunch hour series at the Central Library.

3/7/2011 12:15 p.m. Elliott Bay Book Company
Gabrielle Hamilton
Blood, Bones, and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef
Anthony Bourdain and Mario Batali go into raptures on the jacket of this memoir. Personally, it’s growing on me, but slowly. Not as lively as Waiting or Kitchen Confidential, but not a total bore, either. She will be doing a dinner event this evening; see below for details.

3/7/2011 6 p.m. Town Hall Seattle
James Billmaier
Jolt!
The author and founding partner of Change Northwest looks into the future of EVs.

3/7/2011 6 p.m. Pilot Books
Writers’ Group
New exercises every week. Come prepared to write and discuss. Aye, Cap’n!

3/7/2011 7:00 p.m. The Walrus and the Carpenter
Gabrielle Hamilton
Blood, Bones, and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef
The author presides over a dinner discussion and signing. Anthony Bourdain and Mario Batali go into raptures on the jacket of this memoir. Personally, it’s growing on me, but slowly. Not as lively as Waiting or Kitchen Confidential, but not a total bore, either.

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3/7/2011 7 p.m. UW Bookstore
Patricia Briggs
River Marked
The sixth novel in this series about shape-shifting auto mechanic Mercy Thompson.

3/7/2011 7 p.m. Elliott Bay Book Company
Susan Froderberg
Old Border Road
“Froderberg’s remarkable feat of literary ventriloquism gives us two inventive and haunting voices to remember. One is that of Katherine, the young ranch bride striving for the language to fit her predicament; the other is the author’s own, a fresh dialect of talent on the fiction scene.” – Ivan Doig

3/7/2011 7 p.m. Richard Hugo House
Works in Progress
Open Mic
A monthly open reading series. Sign up begins at 6:30 p.m.

3/8/2011 11 a.m. Barnes & Noble U-Village
We Can Do It!
Women’s History Month
Storytime to celebrate women’s history.

3/8/2011 4 p.m. UW Bookstore
Michael Showalter
Mr. Funny Pants
The comedian presents his book of comic essays. UW Bookstore says this book is half-memoir, but I’m not sure what that means.

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3/8/2011 6 p.m. High Point Branch Library
Poetry Workshop
Workshop
Get feedback on your writing from a panel of poets.

3/8/2011 6:30 p.m. Elliott Bay Book Company
Howard Fineman
The Thirteen American Arguments: Enduring Debates That Define and Inspire Our Country
Global Issues & Ethics Book Group

3/8/2011 7 p.m. Elliott Bay Book Company
Andrew Foster Atschul
Deus Ex Machina
“[T]rashes the absurdities of our media culture with a pleasing brio, while never losing sight of the inhumanity bred in this new domain of unchallenged corporate hegemony, where everything is subordinate to the Show. And it never lets us forget that no one is immune from—and that everyone is accountable for—all our toxic dreams of power.” – Jim Shepard

3/8/2011 8:30 p.m. Rebar
Seattle Slam
Poetry Reading
Competitive poetry open mic.

3/8/2011 9 p.m. Triple Door
Michael Showalter
Mr. Funny Pants
The comedian presents his book of comic essays. UW Bookstore says this book is half-memoir, but I’m not sure what that means.

3/9/2011 6 p.m. Richard Hugo House
Write Time
Weekly Series
A drop-in writing circle for teens, facilitated by the Hugo House writer-in-residence, Karen Finneyfrock.

3/9/2011 7 p.m. Elliott Bay Book Company
Jennifer Lauck
Found: A Memoir
Another memoir from Lauck. Fans of Blackbird and Still Waters will want to meet the author, one presumes.

3/9/2011 7 p.m. Secret Garden Books
Jon Scieszka
Spaceheadz!
The author of The Stinky Cheese Man visits with his daughter and her co-author for a road show.

3/9/2011 7 p.m. UW Bookstore
Jonathan Bloom
American Wasteland: How America Throws Away Nearly Half of Its Food (and What We Can Do About It)
I refer you to the title.

3/10/2011 7 p.m. Elliott Bay Book Company
Alan Paul
Big in China: My Unlikely Adventures Raising a Family, Playing the Blues, and Becoming a Star in Beijing
“What a romp. After writing about music for years, Alan Paul walked the walk, preaching the blues in China. Anyone who doubts that music is bigger than words needs to read this great tale.” – Gregg Allman

3/11/2011 7 p.m. Elliott Bay Book Company
Flor Fernandez Barrios
Candela
The local writer and psychotherapist presents her third book, but first novel. “A brilliant, poetic, erotic fable of one Cuban boat woman’s search for Self.” – Jose Carrillo

3/11/2011 7 p.m. UW Bookstore
Louise Marley
Mozart’s Blood
NW Media Arts is proud to host Marley as part of its Fantastic Fiction series.

3/11/2011 7 p.m. Northwest African American Museum
Nathaniel Mackey
From a Broken Bottle Traces of Perfume Still Emanate: Volumes 1-3
Reading and signing.

3/12/2011 2 p.m. Pilot Books
Canarium Books
Group Reading
Multiple authors with multiple books. Set aside two hours, minimum.

3/12/2011 2 p.m. Elliott Bay Book Company
Joyce Yarrow
The Last Matryoshka
“Intricately layered like the Russian nested doll of the title, this tale of vengeance and hatred flavored with a Russian cultural backdrop will appeal to readers who enjoy mysteries with an international setting.” – Library Journal

3/12/2011 4 p.m. Green Lake Branch
PoetsWest
Open Mic
Open mics the first three Saturdays in March.

3/12/2011 7 p.m. Elliott Bay Book Company
Grace Krilanovich, J.R.D. Middleton, & Aaron Dietz
Group Reading
Three debuts.

3/12/2011 9:30 p.m. SAAM
Joel Walker & Daniel Waugh
Religious Pluralism of Central Asia
Saturday University World Little Known: Central Asia, Its Histories and Place in Today’s World Lecture Series

3/13/2011 1 p.m. Town Hall Seattle
King/Snohomish County
Spelling Bee
Sixty middle-schoolers prove their literacy at the ever popular spelling bee. The winner goes to D.C. for the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee.

3/13/2011 2:30 p.m. UW Bookstore
Adam Carolla
In Fifty Years We’ll All Be Chicks
I heard this guy exactly once, on the radio, and that’s when I quit listening to commercial radio. Fans will be happy to know that Mr. Carolla is not restricting the number of copies he will sign per person. That makes me think better of him as a human being, but I still don’t think he’s funny. YMMV.

3/13/2011 8 p.m. Moore Theatre
Adam Carolla
In Fifty Years We’ll All Be Chicks
I don’t think this event will include a book signing.