Even though the November 1 start of NaNoWriMo (that’s National Novel Writing Month to newbs) is more than a week away, the prospect of tackling a 50,000-word piece of fiction in 30 days requires adequate preparation, no? Now in its 12th year, the annual writing program—the word “contest” is avoided—has matriculated dozens of published authors, the most known of which is likely Sara Gruen (Water for Elephants, Ape House). But the goal of NaNoWriMo isn’t to toil away for publication purposes; it’s to have fun and foster community. Participants have access to message boards and forums, can arrange for local workshopping powwows, and are able keep tabs on their word counts with fun widgets. There's even a Procrastination Station for slackers. This year also marks the first annual NaNoWriMo book drive, so contributors can introduce youngins to the joys of reading. It’s really win-win for everyone involved. Just don’t write the same word 50,000 times. (No, really, that’s one of NaNoWriMo’s few rules.) more ›

ACROBATS AT THE MALL: We understand that, when the Southcenter mall opened up a couple weeks ago, there were some aerialists and acrobats there to provide some fanfare. Apparently, Pacific Place got all jealous, because they'll be welcoming aerialists, diablo artists and comediennes from Teatro ZinZanni Thursdays through Sundays for the rest of the month. Head to the mall tonight to get a free show! more ›

NPR IN DA HOUSE: Seattlest was kind of surprised to hear that tickets are still available for NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me live show at the Paramount tonight. We've never personally been to a live radio show before, but we do love the N to the PR, and we're guessing this'll be well worth your time. In case you don't mack on the NPR, it's the silly quiz show that takes a humorous look at current events. Good stuff. more ›

FREE BALLARD DAY: It's been over a century, but maybe today's the day that Ballard will finally secede from the city. Stranger things have happened. Anyway, in celebration of Free Ballard Day, the fine folks at Archie McPhee will be giving a free gift to anyone who enters their store saying the secret word: "lutefisk." They'd also like you to know that you'll get a free gift if you spend more than $25. So go get your free remote-controlled yodeling pickle. (We can't guarantee that your free gift will be a remote-controlled yodeling pickle. It's just our favorite thing at Archie McPhee, and we couldn't resist giving it a shout out.) more ›

We left it up to Jami Attenberg to pick a spot in a not-so-crowded Bauhaus Coffeehouse this morning, and somehow she managed to find the cavelike area behind and below everything that goes on in a not-so-crowded coffeehouse. Overtired, pre-caffeinated and maybe a little bit getting sick, Attenberg seemed comfortable in the cave. An interview she did with Metblogs on her last book tour indicated that Bauhaus is one of her favorite Seattle haunts, so that explains that. more ›