Speaking Tour: 2/12 - 2/18

Monday
A NADER REMEMBERS: Recalling his childhood in Winstead, Connecticut, former presidential candidate and longtime political and social activist Ralph Nader offers 17 values a child should learn to become a conscientious adult. Not helping elect neo-fascists was, unfortunately, #18.

7pm // Third Place Books // FREE

Tuesday
EROTICA: "One Foot on the Floor: A Reading of Erotica." Jennifer D. Munro (aka Dawn O'Hara) -- whose work has appeared in many collections, including "Best American Erotica," "Best Women's Erotica" and "Ripe Fruit: Erotica for Well-Seasoned Lovers" -- reads, along with the winner of the competition. For more info: Chris at development@hugohouse.org.

Reading: 7pm / Party: 8:30pm // Richard Hugo House // $5

ORGANIC EATING: Myra Goodman, the author of Food to Live By: The Earthbound Organic Farms Cookbook and co-owner of Earthbound Organic Farms, shares some recipes for people who care about what goes into their food, including Ginger Lime Salmon, Blue Cheese Smashed Potatoes, and Coconut Lemongrass Sorbet.

7pm // UW Bookstore // FREE

AMERICAN HISTORY: UW professor Richard Johnson on the forces that shaped America. Part 5: Reviving Religion and Inspiring Rebellion. Amid a burgeoning prosperity, the colonists seek to recover their religious purpose in America’s first “Great Awakening." Victory in war precipitates imperial reform and resentment.

7-9pm // UW Kane Hall Rm 130 // $15/$12 UWAA members/$5 students

Wednesday
FLOWER POWER: Amy Stewart visits with her new book about the $40 billion global cut-flower industry, Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers. Her book delves into purveyors and distributors big and small, including the Dutch flower auction and a third-generation of grower of violets in California.

7:30pm // Elliott Bay // FREE

TAO OF CO-PROMOTION: Byron Katie, self-inquiry guru, responds to the Tao Te Ching with her newest book, A Thousand Names for Joy: Living in Harmony with the Way Things Are. Each of its 81 chapters corresponds to a chapter in Stephen Mitchell's translation of Lao-Tzu's classic.

7:30pm // UW Kane Hall Rm 120 // $5 (or free with book purchase)

Thursday
EDU-QUALITY: Forum: "Closing the Gap". Faculty from the UW’s College of Education discuss the changing demographics in Washington schools, issues of equity, and growing achievement gap between low-income/minority students and their more affluent peers.

6-9pm // Town Hall // FREE

Friday
CIVIL POLITICS: Anthony Signorelli, cofounder of the Center for Thoughtful Democracy, is the author of Call to Liberty: Bridging the Divide Between Liberals and Conservatives, "a classic retelling of America [that] updates that Liberal vision to address contemporary threats to individual freedom." -- David Schultz.

7:30pm // Elliott Bay // FREE

CRIMESTORE NOVEL: Following her Edgar-award-nominated Dreaming of the Bones, Texas crime novelist Deborah Crombie brings back Scotland Yard detectives and romantic team Gemma Jones and Duncan Kincaid for Water Like a Stone, a tale set in the English countryside of Kincaid’s youth.

6:30pm // Third Place Books // FREE

Saturday
CHICK BIZ LIT: Freelance writer/editor and blogger Michelle Goodman shares her own successes and advice for would-be entrepreneurs, all covered in her new book, The Anti-9-to-5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside the Cube.

2pm // Elliott Bay // FREE

SMALL PUBLISHERS FAIR: Cranky presents (pro)text. 38 small publishers get their texts (journals, magazines, books, zines) in the public eye. Includes a reading by the poet Christian Hawkey (The Book of Funnels) and a panel discussion on "The Purpose of Chap/book Contests: What's Love Got to do with It? from 5-6pm. With Sid Miller (Burnside Review), Sam Ligon (Willow Springs), Janet Holmes (Ahsahta Press), and Nancy Jooyun Kim (Seattle Review).

12-6pm // Richard Hugo House // FREE

Sunday
LEWIS LAPHAM RECOMMENDS: University of Illinois professor Stephen Hartnett talks on his book, Globalization and Empire: The U.S. Invasion of Iraq, Free Markets, and the Twilight of Democracy. "Required reading for anybody concerned about the collateral damage done to the American republic by the Bush Administration's imbecile dream of empire," says the peppery Mr. Lapham.

2pm // Elliott Bay // FREE