The Seattle Public Library - Programs & Events

Russell Banks reads from his new novel, "Lost Memory of Skin."

Every first and third Monday, you can laugh, gasp and shudder to live readings of captivating short stories from a wide range of popular and literary authors. This week's featured story: "The Voice in the Night" by William Hope Hodgson.

Laurence Bergreen discusses his new book "Columbus: The Four Voyages." The first major biography of the iconic explorer in more than sixty years shows the madness and genius that only those who traveled with him could have seen.

Longtime Seattle resident David Wertheimer will share his passion for antiquarian books as he explores the significance of early printed books from the 15th century in this program, "Movable Type that Moved the World."

Julie Otsuka reads from her new novel, "The Buddha in the Attic," which traces the lives of young Japanese mail order brides who travel to San Francisco in the early 1900s to meet their husbands and create new lives in America.

Adam Hochschild discusses his new book, "To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918." He tells the first history of World War I to showcase the war's critics as much as its heroes and victims.

Ingrid Betancourt discusses her memoir, "Even Silence Has an End: My Six Years of Captivity in the Colombian Jungle."

Julie Salamon discusses "Wendy and the Lost Boys: The Uncommon Life of Wendy Wasserstein."

Fast forward to 2012: The ultra high-tech Brian Waite Band is on its way to a gig when the plane crashes on a remote island. Their musical instruments now useless, the band members rediscover the beauty of nature and meet other castaways who teach them about their native music.

Esmeralda Santiago reads from her new novel, "Conquistadora," an epic of love, discovery and adventure.

John Burnham Schwartz reads from his new novel, "Northwest Corner," reintroducing the unforgettable characters from his acclaimed 1999 novel, "Reservation Road."

In the August 16 Primary, the citizens of Seattle will be asked to vote on an ordinance "relating to the replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct." Join this panel as we discuss the consequences of the vote procedurally and politically.

In "Seattle Geographies," Michael Brown and Richard Morrill look into Seattle's social, economic, political and cultural geographies, including economic restructuring, gay space, trade with China, skateboarding and P-patches, and homelessness.

In honor of World Refugee Day, former refugees from Burma, Bhutan, Iraq, Somalia and Congo will discuss issues raised by a film and answer questions from the audience. Former refugees and asylees, all of the panelists fled war and persecution in their native lands. Overcoming challenges and resettling here, they now help ease the transition of other newly resettled refugees and asylees.

Join Lisa See for the story behind "Dreams of Joy" and see the trailer of "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan," a film by Wayne Wang. "Dreams of Joy" continues the story of sisters Pearl and May from "Shanghai Girls," and Pearl's strong-willed 19-year-old daughter, Joy.