Bumbershoot 2005 hosted the inaugural People Talking and Singing show, where 2,800 festival attendees packed McCaw Hall to see Dave Eggers, Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket), Mike Doughty, Sarah Vowell, and Death Cab for Cutie, all the while raising $18K for 826 Seattle, the youth writing center in Greenwood. Last year's event, also at Bumbershoot, was hosted by Daily Show Resident Expert™ John Hodgman and singer Jonathan Coulton. Eggers, Handler, Gibbard, and Vowell were back for more, along with Decemberist Colin Meloy, Smoosh, and Stephin Merritt. All together, the benefit raised another $10K.

Next week, the third annual PTAS will fill the seats at Town Hall. Comedian Patton Oswalt had to cancel, but the event still features host John Roderick of the Long Winters, Dave Eggers, comedians Todd Barry and Eugene Mirman, New Yorker music critic (and current blogosphere gadfly) Sasha Frere-Jones, local songstress Rosie Thomas, and Geologic of the Blue Scholars.

People Talking and Singing has become the must-see annual fundraiser for 826 Seattle, offering a unique pairing of hip, critically acclaimed "Talkers" (luminaries from the literary and comedy worlds) with equally renowned "Singers" in the form of musicians and songwriters.

Raising money for the kids is good and all, but it'd be worth the price of admission just to have the opportunity to ask Sasha Frere-Jones how he can decry the overwhelming whiteness of indie rock while still being a white guy in an indie rock band.

Thursday, November 8th // 6:30 doors, 7:30 show // Town Hall // 1119 8th Ave // Tickets $35-$100

Seattlest has one pair of tickets to give away to next Thursday's all-ages event. Enter to win by filling out the form below. No worries: Your info is safe with us and will not be shared with advertisers and/or the government, yadda yadda yadda. We'll be drawing one winner Monday at 10am.