We creep ever and ever closer to the end of the year, meaning that the variety of events taking place in and around Seattle start becoming a little homogenous. Today, we've found a number of disparate activities for you; from Monday Night Football, to a preview of new artistic materials taking place in lower Queen Anne. more ›

Today is all about books. And history. 2 books about Seattle's history and 1 book about someone else's history. more ›

Josh Ritter has always believed that “a good song can turn into a novel.” Even if you’re already a loyal fan of the Idaho-born singer/songwriter’s narrative folk-style, you may not know that Ritter has recently done just what he’s always suspected he could. more ›

Hainanese chicken rice, laksa curry, beef rendang, nasi goreng …We’re looking for Singaporean food. In Seattle. Where to find it? Author Cheryl Tan gives us descriptions, book suggestions, and a special recipe. more ›

There is just too much to choose from this week—and because I don’t want my head to explode, I’m piling on the listings for Seattle’s literary events. You lucky folks get to choose from ex-boyfriends and headless bodies, to Spring reading and boozing, to “homemade” (and pizza-filled) lives. Let the good times, vivacious speakers, and full bars roll. more ›

FREE SHAAAAAAAAFT: you can't see the word and not sing it, can you? Because Isaac Hayes made it too awesome. Who's the cat that won't cop out? Shaft. Although Blue Moon Tavern's movie nights are usually on Tuesday, tonight they bring us Shaft and Black Dynamite, for a little special Monday joy. more ›

SEATTLE'S SON: Northwest Film Forum is showing I Am Secretly an Important Man tonight and for all the Sub Pop fans and grunge-era Seattle faithfuls, this is truly a not-to-be-missed film. Directed by Peter Sillen, the documentary follows close friend of William Burroughs and Seattle's own Steven "Jesse" Bernstein, who despite his mental health issues, drug abuse and anger problems, was known in the Seattle music and art scene as one of the most influential voices of the late 20th century. A poet and performance artist, Bernstein influenced the likes of Kurt Cobain, writers, filmmakers and grunge/punk musicians before committing suicide in October of 1991. FYI--this film is only playing for two more days. more ›

Bartlett's real life account of rare book thief John Gilkey and the Utah rare book dealer and self-appointed "bibliodick" Ken Saunders who caught him, will leave book lovers astounded and most likely looking a little closer through garage sale or bargain bin books in the future. Bartlett takes us deep into not only the years that Saunders chased Gilkey around the country while he stole possibly up to $300,000 worth of rare books with stolen credit card numbers, but also into a world where Bibliomania is the main stream, dust jackets are described like beloved children and many would sell their soul for a first edition copy of J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye. more ›

Award-winning writer and professor Howard Norman's latest historical fiction novel What Is Left the Daughter is an extraordinary read. Set in the Canadian Maritime Province of Nova Scotia, the book centers around the tragic, unforgettable occurrences that have taken place in Wyatt Hillyer's life, as he details his family's history in a memoir to his estranged daughter Marlais on her 21st birthday. The story is filled with devastating misfortunes: Hillyer is orphaned at 17 after his parents each jump to their deaths on the same night off of separate bridges; a gruesome murder is committed out of madness; WWII hardships; a family member's life is taken when a German U-boat sinks the Nova Scotia-Newfoundland ferry Caribou. more ›

TIME FOR CAKE: Aimee Bender will be reading from her latest novel The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake tonight at Elliott Bay Book Company. As Bender's second novel, the book introduces Rose Edelstein, who, on her ninth birthday begins to have a secret ability of tasting the secret emotional lives of those who make her food. We love Bender's work and almost bought this book last week (and now we're kicking ourselves that we haven't yet). Regardless, we're pretty sure that this cake has never tasted so good! more ›

In Cammie McGovern's third novel, Neighborhood Watch, we meet Betsy Treading, the "Librarian Murderess," who has been exonerated from prison with the help of DNA evidence after twelve long years. Betsy believed that she had murdered her neighbor Linda Sue during one of her sleepwalking episodes after finding a bloody nightgown in her laundry hamper; though she has no recollection of the night or of committing the murder. more ›

SHORT ATTENTION SPAN: The Seattle version of the international 48-Hour Film Project is officially six years old and tonight, Northwest Film Forum will announce and screen the winning local films. A couple of weeks ago, 1,000 Seattle filmmakers were asked to create a 4-7 minute short (or long) film with a character, line of dialogue, prop, and particular genre. So if you're not already tuckered out from SIFF viewings, be sure to check out the best of the best in Seattle filmmaking more ›

Jean Kwok will be in town to read from her debut novel Girl in Translation at the Elliott Bay Book Company on Saturday, May 8, at 7 p.m. This event is FREE. more ›

HEY LADIES: The Fremont Abbey will be hosting a ladies-only Dance Dance Party Party (DDPP) tonight in the church's basement for those who would rather break a sweat to Madonna than go to the gym as usual. Described as a "female-only cult phenomenon," DDPP has no instructors, fitness goals, and absolutely nothing to prove. Damn straight. Expect to do a lot of dance, dance, dancing and have a ton of fun with some fellow ladies bustin' a move to all the usual dance party favorites. more ›

ALEXIE COMES TO TOWN: Sherman Alexie will be reading poetry from his book War Dances tonight at Elliott Bay Book Company with Arizona's emerging poet Sherwin Bitsui and the fabulous folks of Copper Canyon Press. National Poetry Month is almost over (!) and tonight also presents a great opportunity to give Alexie a high five for his recent, amazingly awesome and well-deserved PEN/Faulkner Award achievement. more ›

Tomorrow is Elliott Bay Book Company's last day in its well-known Pioneer Square location. The First and Main Globe building had been the historic book store's home since June 29, 1973. Even though Elliott Bay Books will remain in town at its new Capitol Hill location (1521 10th Ave.), opening in mid-April, we can't help but feel as if a good friend is moving away. more ›

On first appearance, one might assume that Melissa Febos' new memoir, Whip Smart, is only a story about sex. And granted, the memoir does involve sex--considering that it details Febos' four-year experience or, "secret life," as a dominatrix in a Manhattan sex dungeon--but if you ask the author herself, she'll be the first to tell you that Whip Smart is, "a story about love, identity, getting honest with oneself--all that normal and incredibly difficult human stuff." more ›

This week certainly started off with a bang for author Sherman Alexie, as it was announced on Tuesday that the author's fiction collection, War Dances, had just been selected as the winner of the 2010 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction--America's largest peer-juried prize for fiction. more ›

ROADS TO CONSIDER: Ted Conover will be speaking tonight about his new book, The Routes of Man: How Roads are Changing the World and the Way We Live Today, in which he describes the ways that we connect or separate ourselves globally through our chosen paths of travel, escape, control, and more. If you've been meaning to catch one last reading at the original Elliott Bay location, this would be a great opportunity before they hit the road for Capitol Hill at the end of the month. more ›

SEX AND CUPCAKES: Editor Rachel Kramer Bussel and local authors Kerry Cohen and Janet Hardy will be reading from their selected work in the annual collection, Best Sex Writing 2010 tonight. For this year's anthology, Bussel reveals that if she had to pick a theme it would be centered around the idea of a sexual outlaw. And along with stories on ideas such as married sex vs. affair sex, or cunts and their relationship to sexuality, there will be free cupcakes from Trophy on a first come, first served basis. All in all pretty darn enticing. 7:30 p.m. // Elliott Bay Book Company, 101 S. Main St. // FREE more ›

A TOAST TO EXOTIC: Teatro Zinzanni is hosting The "Exotic Wine Festival" tonight and it's for a good cause. Proceeds will go to benefit non-profit organization Art with a Heart, which "focuses on improving the lives of high-risk youth with therapeutic tools that promote mental health and well-being." Only "crazy" blends are being featured such as Mourvedre, Sangiovese, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot, Grenache, Viognier, Gruner, and more. And what's crazier than getting tipsy on a bunch of varietals? Gettin' tipsy for a good cause. more ›

IT’S JUST WHAT WE ALWAYS WANTED: The bad news is Pioneer Square just lost a chunk of its soul the size of The Complete Miss Marple. The good news is Elliott Bay Bookstore is coming to Capitol Hill! It’s a big day for the 36-year-old bookstore, which announced its upcoming move yesterday. The news makes tonight’s Season’s Readings event one not to miss. Publishers will gather to share their book recommendations in a night sure to be filled with holiday joy and maybe a few tearful goodbyes. more ›

THE YES MEN FIX THE WORLD: Only two days left to catch this film and reminisce about your WTO activist days. Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno battle free market mentality by selecting a despised corporation, setting up a fake website, and waiting until they’re invited to speak at an event as a representative of that company. Shenanigans ensue. more ›

Ah, how we love Lydia Davis.... We're so excited that she will be here in Seattle next week to speak on the subject of "A Beloved Duck Gets Cooked: The Influence of Innovative Forms." Yes, we know that this premise may sound strange, but if you've read her work, you understand--this woman is quite the odd duck herself, and we absolutely love her for it. more ›

THE RISING SEA: Town Hall hosts Orrin Pilkey and Rob Young, professors and authors of The Rising Sea, tonight as the second installment of a series on sustainability issues titled Soundings From Island Press. The two will be discussing the possible consequences of sea levels rising by as much as seven feet in 2100, and how we can plan ahead for saving lives and communities in coastal cities such as Miami, New York, and New Orleans. more ›

WILD THING: Although it is time for the playoffs, we aren't referring to Mitch Williams or Charlie Sheen's character from Major League. The Wild Things is the novel version of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are,for which Dave Eggers wrote the screenplay. The Spike Jonze movie is in theaters October 16 but Eggers will be speaking about the book today. more ›

BATTLE FOR SEATTLE: Fundraiser sponsored by McGinn for Mayor, Pete Holmes for City Attorney, and Friends of Dow Constantine featuring the Presidents of the United States of America, Krist Novoselic, The Maldives, and DJ Supreme. VIP reception at Via Tribunali. more ›

RESTAURANT CRITIC STRUGGLES WITH EATING DISORDER: A couple of weeks ago, former New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni was in town to promote his book documenting his battle with bulimia. This evening another former restaurant critic recounts her fight with the illness, but it's her daughter who struggled with anorexia. Sheila Himmel will be at the Elliott Bay Book Company to read from Hungry: A Mother and Daughter Fight Anorexia and discuss her personal experience with the intersection of foodie culture and eating disorders. more ›

Dirty Three play depressing but somehow uplifting songs. The group instrumental music takes elements from jazz, folk, chamber music, and traditional rock. They’re led by Nick Cave’s favorite violinist--fans of Cave’s brand of Australian literary post-punk rock will enjoy this. more ›

LET THEM EAT CAKE: Essential Baking Company is celebrating their 15th birthday, which means a taste of their signature chocolate hazelnut birthday cake is on the house today--for every customer making a purchase and while supplies last, of course--at both the Wallingford and Madison locations. After the free cake has run dry, both locations will be selling $1.50 cupcakes until October 14 in honor of the occasion. Considering the amount of Seattle boutique cupcake shops, we have obviously proven our love for cake and would recommend showing up early before the free cake disappears into everyone else's mouths. more ›