This Week in Lit: Happy Faces, Robot Races and Frank.
From sour lemons to robots to Fantagraphics and Nepal—I’m pretty excited about lit events in Seattle this week. They may range from the absurd to the autobiographical, but that’s what makes this week so special. Happy week in lit to you all!
Herbert Blau at University of Washington Book Store:
An expert in all that is dramatic, the legendary figure in American theater Herbert Blau, finally relays his own story in As If: An Autobiography & Reality Principles: From the Absurd to the Virtual. Readers can learn about a few chapters of his extraordinary life—from rough Brooklyn streets, to his participation in Actor’s Workshop in San Francisco, to other social changes occurring around him in an increasingly complex world. The man pretty much can and will talk about it all, and the audience is all the richer for learning from a master of the stage. Enough said.
Monday, 7 p.m. // University of Washington Book Store // Free
Tali Sharot at Town Hall:
I always thought that a positive attitude was essential, and in Tali Sharot’s Optimism Bias: A Tour of the Irrationally Positive Brain, I am finally validated! Sharot pretty much expands on that theory about making lemonade out of Life’s occasionally sour lemons—and essentially explores how optimism can only make us healthier, happier, less downbeat human beings. The fact that it’s presented as part of Seattle Science Lectures with Pacific Science Center just makes it all the more believable. How’s that for optimism?
Tuesday, 6 p.m. // Town Hall // tickets $5 at brownpapertickets.org or at door
Daniel Wilson at University of Washington Book Store:
I may have joked before about Kindle and “robot books”, but Daniel Wilson shows us that robots are, in fact, no joke. All right, so maybe his latest tale Robopocalypse isn’t actually as frightening as it is entertaining, but Wilson’s book does discuss a war between our fleshy folks and the ones made of metal. The man who brought us the likes of How to Survive a Robot Uprising, How to Build a Robot Army, and Where’s My Jetpack amuses with his latest novel, and gives our imaginations something to obsess (and freak out) about in our complicated world. Thanks.
Wednesday, 7 p.m. // University of Washington Book Store // Free
Jim Woodring at Elliott Bay Book Co.:
This exciting evening with local talent is co-presented with Fantagraphics and showcases the stylings of Seattle’s very own artist and graphic novelist. A recipient of the 2010 Stranger “Genius Award”, Jim Woodring has been pulling in the fans since his previous works The Frank Book and Portable Frank first appeared—and his first full-length, Congress of Animals, has been a highly-anticipated work of art from this quirky talent. Most fans will tell you the Frank stories can never be read enough…I think they’re on to something.
Thursday, 7 p.m. // Elliott Bay Book Co. // Free
Cary Groner at Elliott Bay Book Co:
And now far from the world of robots and the strange planet of graphic novels, we encounter journalist Cary Groner and his imaginative stories of Nepal. In Exiles—his first novel—Groner creates a tale about a doctor and his daughter in a complicated country, and in turn explores the very essence of family and their twisted bonds. The wanderer in every reader can’t help but enjoy learning about such a distant place, and the child in all of us can’t help but appreciate this story about extraordinary relationships in a family unit.
Friday, 7 p.m. // Elliott Bay Book Co. // Free
