Planning your October events calendar?
Don't miss out on the month's biggest literary events! Read on for details.
|
|
|
|
Word Works | Chris Abani: Mining for Awe
Friday, October 18 | 7 pm
Nigerian poet, novelist, memoirist, humanitarian, and former political prisoner Chris Abani returns to Hugo House to give a Word Works talk on how rediscovering a sense of awe in the world can radically transform the page.
Jailed three times and sentenced to death in Nigeria for his writing, Abani’s humanitarian outlook has come to characterize his writing, which Dave Eggers has called “the molten heart of contemporary fiction.” His TED talks on storytelling and compassion—seen by hundreds of thousands—reflect the deep humanity he brings to all his work.
Tickets: $5–30 »
|
|
|
|
Spotlight Nonfiction: Elizabeth Rosner
Tuesday, October 15 | 7 pm
As firsthand survivors of many of the twentieth century’s most monumental events—the Holocaust, Hiroshima, the Killing Fields—begin to pass away, Survivor Café addresses urgent questions: How do we carry those stories forward? How do we collectively ensure that the horrors of the past are not forgotten?
Elizabeth Rosner, author of Survivor Café (Counterpoint, 2017), as well as three novels and poetry collection, will read from and discuss her award-winning book of nonfiction.
This event is free and open to the public.
|
|
POETRY, FICTION, NONFICTION & MORE
|
|
|
|
|
October 8 | 6–9 pm
Beatniks of all generations are invited to gather in the Fireside Room at Hotel Sorrento to hear a live reading of Ginsberg's most famous poem, "Howl," on the 55th anniversary of its first public reading in San Francisco.
RSVP »
|
|
|
October 24 | 6 pm–Late
6–6:45 pm | A Bunch of Sad Hot Trash
Sarah Galvin, Rich Smith, Corinne Manning, and Bill Carty turn the clock back to age 18, sharing work (new and old) that showcases the messes they are, were, and have been.
7–8 pm | House of Ink
House of Ink is an improvised murder mystery about six famous authors, trapped in a house overnight, slowly realizing that one of them is a murderer. You, the audience will choose a seventh author to be the first victim, and one well-read audience member will choose the murderer! House of Ink is directed by Tony Beeman and was created at Seattle's own Unexpected Productions.
8–9 pm | Spirited Stone: Lessons from Kubota's Garden
Join us for an evening of stories and poetry celebrating the launch of Spirited Stone: Lessons from Kubota's Garden, an anthology honoring the legacy of Fujitaro Kubota, whose unique gardens transformed Seattle’s regional landscape in the 20th century. Featuring Elizabeth Austen, Shankar Narayan, and Alex Gallo-Brown.
10 pm | Afterparty!
After an evening mingling with the city’s literati, celebrate Lit Crawl 2019 with music, drinks, and more.
Pick up limited edition 2019 swag, purchase books from some of your favorite authors of the night, and send Lit Crawl 2019 off with one last toast.
|
|
|
|
October 10 | 7 pm
Daniel Poppick visits Seattle to read from his National Poetry Series-winning second collection, Fear of Description (Penguin, 2019), which turns to the prose poem to take that dark humor of our lived experience in a different direction, one calibrated by the anxieties of modern existence.
Joining Poppick are M’Bilia Meekers, author of the chapbook Wish for a Drowned Daughter, & Gabrielle Bates, cohost of the Poet Salon podcast.
Learn more »
|
|
|
October 28 | 7 pm
Augustine’s Confessions are often looked to as the beginning of a tradition of introspective writing that continues to influence narrative practice in fiction and nonfiction.
Garth Greenwell talks to James K. A. Smith about what writers—both the skeptics and believers among them—can learn from this spiritual guide and pioneer of narrative art.
Learn more »
|
|
|
October 29 | 7 pm
Join us for a screening of David Shield's groundbreaking new film, Lynch: A History, which examines race, protest, and the sports industrial complex through the divisive figure of former Seattle Seahawks running back, Marshawn Lynch. The film is a loose adaptation of Shield’s 1999 book, Black Planet.
The screening will be followed by a conversation between Shields and writer Ijeoma Oluo.
Learn more »
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
