You may know Colin Meloy as the enigmatic frontman for Portland-based band the Decemberists. You may know Carson Ellis as an incredible illustrator for many children's books as well as the Decemberists album covers. They've decided to collaborate on a children's book where Colin writes the story and Carson illustrates. The best part is they're visiting the downtown Seattle Public Library tomorrow to chat about their new literary adventure. more ›

Seattle is a meta-city... We talk about talking, we self-examine, we tell stories about our stories. Which makes tonight’s Town Hall Seattle talk with Eva Gabrielsson the perfect Seattle literary event. more ›

Nancy Pearl is well-known (both in and out of Seattle) as the librarian who brings people together through reading. From Pearl's readers' advisory techniques to her best-selling "Book Lust" series, she has taught people how to connect through the books they love. Library Journal recently selected Pearl as its 2011 Librarian of the Year, saying "No one other than Nancy Pearl has so convinced Americans that libraries, books, and reading are critical to our communities...Her work has reinforced reading via libraries as essential and empowering for all people." more ›

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 ›

You know what sunny and 76 degrees is? Perfect outdoor reading weather, that’s what. Good thing the Friends of the Seattle Public Library are hosting a flash mob reading party at Westlake Center on Friday at noon, just in time for you to escape your cubicle for a glorious it’s-almost-the-weekend lunch break. The group is hoping Seattleites will band together with their favorite books to demonstrate their love of reading and of our fair city’s public libraries. So pick a slab of zig-zaggy concrete and get reading. And maybe get a hint of a tan while you’re at it. more ›

Sorry, we were too immersed in re-reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (gotta prep for part one of the movie, natch!) to realize the irony that the 2010 Banned Books Week started on Saturday. In honor of the 28th annual celebration of free speech, libraries and book retailers nationwide are creating window displays and hosting readings and other cheeky events—including in Seattle and Puyallup. In case you’re new to the banned books scene, the American Library Association has compiled a thorough list of the 20th century’s most commonly prohibited reading materials around the world; you may be surprised at what shows up. The Huffington Post even put together a corresponding list of popular movies based on some of our most beloved (yet once-blacklisted) books. Tolkien and Lee and Rowling, oh my! more ›

Literary darling Sara Gruen will likely bask in the glow of praise in perpetuity for her 2006 novel Water for Elephants—a story so saturated with rich characters both human and animal that readers grew quite besotted with Gruen’s fanciful imagination. It’s a theme she runs with in her newest book, Ape House—and while it’s received mixed reviews since its Sept. 7 release, the book is already a New York Times best seller. This go around, Gruen introduces us to the fictional world of the Great Ape Language Lab, where reporter John Thigpen is writing about the work of one Dr. Isabel Duncan, who is researching communication with bonobos (a relative of the chimpanzee) before the lab is bombed and the bonobos are, well, bonobo-napped, and forced to star in a sleazy reality show. Zaniness—and an increasingly hard-to-keep-track-of cast of characters—ensues. Perhaps Gruen will be able to help us keep things straight when she stops by the Seattle Public Library’s Central Library this evening for a reading, previously shortlisted on today's Can't Miss It. more ›

DROP DEAD GORGEOUS Remember that Republica song Drop Dead Gorgeous? "I know my ex-boyfriend lies? Oh he does it every timmmme?" Well, this has nothing to do with that song, just wanted to get it stuck in your hand. But the completely different group Drop Dead Gorgeous is in town tonight, with Sleeping with Sirens, Attila, Abandon All Ships, For All Those Sleeping, Scarlett O'Hara, and Woe Is Me. That's a crap ton of tunes. more ›

Mark Doty will be reading as a part of the Seattle Arts & Lectures 2009-2010 Poetry Series at 7:30 p.m., on Friday, February 26, at Benaroya Hall. Tickets range from $10-50. As Continued from yesterday... more ›

There are many things that Doty is well-known for regarding his work in both poetry and memoir. Doty has been featured in popular literary publications such as The New Yorker and The Atlantic Monthly; was a New York Times Bestseller for his memoir, Dog Years; has was honored with the National Book Award for Poetry (Fire to Fire) among many others, and most impressively, was the first American to have won the U.K.'s T.S. Elliot Prize for My Alexandria (which also won him the National Book Critics Circle Award.) more ›

Literary favorite David Sedaris will be in Seattle for a show at Benaroya Hall on May 9, and tickets go on sale today! Though many are familiar with Sedaris' much-loved short story collections such as Barrel Fever, Me Talk Pretty One Day, and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, the chances to see him live and in person do not happen often, so take the chance while you have it! If you've been a longtime fan, now is the time. more ›

Hugo House will be officially kicking off its 2009-2010 Literary Series this Friday with well-known Seattle favorites such as Rebecca Brown, Keri Healey, Eric McHenry, and local hip-hop artist Macklemore. more ›

Matthew Crawford's Shop Class as Soulcraft is a peculiarly engaging read--it's a polemic about the necessity for self-directed work, an "I did it my way" memoir about a political science Ph.D. who resigned from a thinktank to fix motorcycles, and an illuminating critique of the "knowledge worker" paradise. Probably because of the motorcycle repair, it's getting comparisons to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, but Crawford is equally happy to tackle the after-effects of Taylorism and Druckerism, too. more ›

SINGER/SONGWRITER: It's been too long since we heard Molly Rose's dulcet vocals ring out in a local bar, but that's remedied tonight at the Tractor. It's a CD release show for her new album Clandestine, and she's appearing with the Nick Jaina Band and Pickwick. Molly puts just the right amount of poetry into her lyrics, conjuring up image fragments that wriggle like a worm on a catchy hook. more ›

Author Mark Kurlansky doesn’t always write about food, but it has been the subject of two of his bestselling books (Cod, Salt) and his newest book, The Food of a Younger Land (he's reading at Elliott Bay tonight, 7:30 p.m., free admission). But don’t call him a food writer. more ›

CHANNELING NIRVANA, ONLY BETTER: Yeah, we said it, but as Kurt Cobain once noted about the Vaselines, "They are my most favorite songwriters in the whole world." So much so, that he named his daughter Frances Bean after lead singer Frances McKee. We agree and think it's totally awesome that they're in town playing on a Tuesday for only $20. A hugely famous band that doesn't come to town very often, fairly affordable, plenty of tickets left, and on a Tuesday. We are practically pinching ourselves, and can't wait to hear old favorites such as "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" and "You Think You're a Man," among others. The last time Seattle got a chance to see them was at Sub Pop Records' 20th Anniversary, and we are loving that this time around it will be in the city, with hopefully a smaller crowd. more ›

STAND-UP FOR CHIMPS: Pioneer Square's Comedy Underground will be hosting a charity event for our rescued furry friends over at Cle Elum's Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. Put on by Yoram Bauman a.k.a. "the stand-up economist" and founder of Non-Profit Comedy, the stand-up comedy also includes raffle tickets, a slide show, and merchandise for sale. All proceeds of Stand-up for Chimps! will go toward spring planting for the chimps' vegetable garden, and besides money, they will also be taking donations of seeds and seedlings. more ›

For those of you who didn't know, April is not only about Easter and April Fool's Day; it's also National Poetry Month! more ›

BEGLEY VISION: We don't know about you but we are stoked about this visit from Ed Begley, Jr., who wants to tell us all about--and write his name on--his new book, Living Like Ed: A Guide To Eco-Friendly Life. It's not clear if Ed bicycled up here from L.A., but you know he could have. The Siskiyou Pass would have been a challenge on a bike this time of year, though, so maybe he stuck with his electric car or jet or what-have-you. The great thing about Ed, really, is that he's (in)famous in L.A. for riding that bicycle--you know, holy shit! a bicycle! A man is riding a bicycle! L.A. could just choke on its exhaust and it wouldn't bug us. If Ed was out of town at the time, we mean. more ›

HAPPY WASHINGTON WINE HOUR: The Sorrento is marking the Washingtonization of The Hunt Club's previously Californicated wine list with a series of “Winemaker Happy Hours!” every Wednesday in March, with dueling winemakers, their wines, and appetizers--all for just $10. Tonight's guest vintners are Lantz Cellars (Yakima Valley, focus on Bordeaux and Rhone varietals) and Baer Winery (Woodinville, blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot). more ›

You no longer have to buy a Kindle or give Amazon.com any money in order to access the bulk of Kindle content and features, thanks to a new application (download here) released by the Seattle-based book giant today which allows you to read, highlight, and bookmark e-books Kindle-style on your iPhone or iPod Touch. Just last month, Seattlest got to handle our first Kindle; its owner had to gently inform us that the first-generation version did not in fact have a touch screen after a full minute of watching our grimy fingers scooting along the surface in vain. If you have one of the old Kindles and don't want to invest in a new one just for the touch screen feature, now you have options. iPhone-owning readers: will you be downloading this app? [MvB: Just did.] more ›

Stephen Mitchell has introduced us to both Rainer Maria Rilke and Lao-tzu. He did the same for a lot of people, we suspect--his translation of the Tao Te Ching has sold over a million copies. Now he's on a book tour for The Second Book of the Tao, which is based on the writings of Lao-tzu’s disciple Chuang-tzu and Confucius’s grandson Tzu-ssu. He's in town Saturday, February 28, at the Elliott Bay Book Company for a 2 p.m. appearance. We ask him a few "We haven't read your book yet" questions below--after the jump there's an excerpt he selected just for Seattlest. more ›

CACOPHONY: British extreme metal band Cradle of Filth, Norwegian black metal group Satyricon, and Greek death metal band Septic Flesh will converge upon the Showbox at the Market tonight for a riotous, maybe-possibly Satanic, soul-chillingly shockerrific celebration of the dark side this evening. Wear your cutest black leather/nose chain combo and hit up that mess; don't forget your ear plugs. more ›

STELLA! YOU MAKE US YELL-A!: It's a good week when we get to use the phrase "comedic stylings," and the stylings of Stella--that's Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, and David Wain--fall squarely in the comedic category. We're not really "comedy" people, but even we have seen Michael Ian Black live and laughed like there was no tomorrow--when in fact there was, and that became a whole thing we won't get into. The group has been called "bizarre, nonsensical, and very funny" and "dumb comedy in a suit," if that gives you some idea. more ›

ANTIOXIDANTS WILL SAVE YOUR SOUL: Cherie Calbum might not, upon further examination, go that far. But she's really, really, really excited about the possibilities of making and drinking one's own juice--and about sleeping away your pounds, and about coconut as the secret ingredient to everything good in life (we agree with her on that last part). Head over to Town Hall to see what all the fuss is about; who knows, maybe you'll have a fruit combination epiphany that will improve your weekend smoothies exponentially. more ›

Sometimes book readings are news because of the book; sometimes because of the author. With Steven Johnson, you get both. He's in town for a few days on his book tour for The Invention of Air: at Elliott Bay Book Company on Sunday, at 3 p.m.; Town Hall on Monday, 7:30 p.m., and holding court at a "Words & Wine" event at the Pan Pacific Hotel on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. more ›

The King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention will double its book budget by ditching their librarians and having inmates and correction officers deliver books within the jails instead. That's how it is in the movies, so we're assuming the new set-up will work just fine. And more money for books is a wonderful development! The P-I's article is warm and fuzzy, and we love us some books, so it's unknown at this point if there even is a downside to the end of the librarian contract. Suffice it to say that if we ever land ourselves in jail, the doubled variety of books to choose from will be much appreciated. more ›

, but given Grove's and Rosset's history, it's bound to cover plenty of interesting stuff. more ›

GENUINELY COOL, ARTSY FARTSY NIGHT: Go to the Filter release party at the Richard Hugo House tonight for readings, hobnob opps with writerly folks, and performances by Awesome!. The literary magazine celebrates the release of its second issue, and if you haven't seen this work of art yet, you may not know: this is a beautiful and well-crafted literary magazine, not only in content but in construction. more ›

WORDY SHIPMATES: Sarah Vowell's finally here to read from her book about the thought-life of Puritans such as John Winthrop, Anne Hutchinson, and Roger Williams. She's "not interested in the whole person," says Vowell in a recent interview with Seattlest Editor MvB. Take Roger Williams: "I'm mostly interested in what he thought about religion, government, community, Indians and how much Roger Williams was getting on his nerves. I don't really give a hoot what he had for breakfast or how he felt about his mom." This is one reading we feel more than comfortable recommending! more ›