Sarah Toce
The Seattle Public Library is inviting you to laugh out loud with guest curator Amy Hirayama; explore the myth of bringing your authentic self to work with Ted Talk speaker Jodi-Ann Burey; and watch a special screening of She Marches in Chinatown, just to name a few events on their fall schedule.
All Library events are free and open to the public. Find information and registration through the event links below or at spl.org/Calendar. You can also find programs for kids and families on SPL’s Kids and Families calendar.
Many of these events are supported by The Seattle Public Library Foundation and the Gary and Connie Kunis Foundation. Registration is not required unless noted.
FALL EVENTS
Sunday, Sept 14, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Green Lake Branch) – Discovering Hidden Green Lake: A neighborhood Walk-and-Talk with David B. Williams. Join award-winning author and naturalist David B. Williams on a one-mile walk that will explore the historic route of Ravenna Creek (the lake’s original outlet), a Cold War bunker, and how Green Lake was altered to create a bigger park. Registration is required.
Tuesday, Sept 23, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. (Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium)- David Armstrong discusses his new book “Broadway Nation: How Immigrants, Jewish, Queer, and Black Artists Invented the Broadway Musical.” Vivian Phillips will interview Armstong, Artistic Director Emeritus of the 5th Avenue Theatre, about his new book “Broadway Nation.” The event will also include musical performances by Sarah Rudinoff, accompanied by Mathew Wright.
Wednesday, Sept. 24, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium) – Guest Curator Amy Hirayama presents “Comedy Gold.” Hirayama has created a series that invites us to consider the role of play in collaboration and how collaborative play might help us connect with each other. The opening event, “Comedy Gold,” features short sets from local comedians before a conversation about collaboration in comedy. Registration is required.
Thursday, Sept. 25, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium) – Cruel and ineffective: A conversation about the increased criminalization of homelessness in our city, state, and country. Join Josephine Ensign, the author of “Way Home: Journeys Through Homelessness,” along with fellow panelists Derrick Belgarde and Sara Rankin, for a discussion on homelessness and criminalization in our communities. Registration is required.
Sunday, Sept. 28, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium) – She Marches in Chinatown”: Community Screening and Panel. Join us for a special screening of “She Marches in Chinatown,” a documentary about the Seattle Chinese Community Girls Drill Team, formed in 1952. The screening will include a video presentation in remembrance of the late director, Della Chen, and a Q&A with the co-producer and Drill Team alumnae.
Tuesday, Sept. 30, from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. (Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium) – Jodi-Ann Burey Discusses “Authentic” with Sonora Jha. Burey, writer and critic known for her TED talk “The Myth of Bringing Your Full, Authentic Self to Work,” and upcoming book based on the TED talk, delves into the dangers of disclosure in environments that aren’t built for our well-being. Registration is required.
Tuesday, Sept. 30, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. (Wyncote NW Forum at Town Hall Seattle) – Changing our Future: Rethinking Education, Justice and Youth. A panel led by journalist Claudia Rowe explores themes in her new book “Wards of the State: The Long Shadow of American Foster Care.” Rowe will be joined by Kaaren Andrews, Dr. Ben Danielson, and Henterson Carlisle to examine the roots of youth incarceration and explore solutions through education and justice reform. Registration is required.
Through Sunday, Oct 5, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Central Library, Level 8 Gallery) – “Rooted & Rising: Stories from the African American Archive.” This exhibit features artwork inspired by a selection of powerful archival materials from the Douglass-Truth Branch’s African American Collection that capture the depth and diversity of Black life in the Pacific Northwest. It was curated by local interdisciplinary artist Imani Sims of Vivid Matter Collective.
Friday, Oct. 10, from 7 to 8:15 p.m. (Elliott Bay Books) – Chi-ming Yang, author of Octavia Butler: H Is for Horse. An homage to the childhood genius of the legendary Black science fiction writer, Yang’s “Octavia Butler Hi Is for Horse” brings to view a selection of Butler’s unpublished writings and drawings, and traces her fascination with human-alien symbiosis to her early empathy with horses and other marginalized creatures. Registration is required.
Thursday, Oct. 16, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium) – Daniel H. Wilson discusses “Hole in the Sky. Wilson discusses “Hole in the Sky,” a gripping thriller – and Native American first contact story – from the New York Times bestselling author of “Robopocalypse.” Co-presented by Clarion West and Third Place Books. Registration is required.
Wednesday, Oct. 22, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium) – Cory Doctorow discusses “Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It.” When Doctorow coined the term “enshittification,” now a book, he was not just finding a funner way to say “things are getting worse.” He was making a specific diagnosis about the state of the digital world and how it is affecting all of our lives. Registration is required.
Thursday, Oct. 28, from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. (Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium) – Clay Vermulm & Tamara Sellman discuss “Rain Shadows” in conversation with Neena Viel. Dive into local horror with authors Vermulm and Sellman and their podcast-turned-book “Rain Shadows: Dark Tales from Washington State.”
Wednesday, Oct. 29 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. (Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium) – Guest Curator Amy Hirayama presents “Perfect Pairings.” The second event in Hirayama’s series invites surprising collaborative pairs to share their secrets about connection across disciplines, learning from each other, and flow and conflict within collaboration.
Thursday, Nov. 6, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium) – Becky Spratford Discusses “Why I Love Horror.” Edited by Spratford, a longtime librarian, “Why I Love Horror” is a captivating anthology featuring essays from celebrated horror writers including Grady Hendrix, Paul Tremblay, Stephen Graham Jones, Josh Malerman, Victor LaValle, Tananarive Due, and Rachel Harrison. With Sadie Hartmann, aka Mother Horror.
Sunday, Nov. 23, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. (Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium) – Guest Curator Amy Hirayama presents “Collab-o-Rama.” As the final event in Hirayama’s fall series, this collaborative play fair will give you a chance to visit different stations and engage in collaborative, generative activities. You’ll walk away with art projects, written pieces/poems, ideas/resources, and hopefully connections to new friends.
