The Seattle Public Library - Programs & Events

Photographer/actor Ted D'Arms, author of the introductory essay to "Mary Randlett Landscapes," in conversation with the acclaimed Northwest photographer. Randlett and D'Arms discuss and show images from the book. Randlett and D'Arms were joined by contributors to "Mary Randlett Landscapes," including Washington artist Barry Herem, who will read from his essay. Poet Tim McNulty and Mark Jenkins, UW School of Drama associate professor, read poems by the internationally renowned late poet Denise Levertov. Randlett has been photographing the Northwest for more than 55 years. Her works are held in numerous permanent collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Institution.

On November 29, poet, performer, and activist Amanda Diva read from her new book of poetry, "Young Skin, Wise Mind, Old Soul" at the Central Library. Several teen poets from the Young Queens group of teen poets also performed their own work.

Ha Jin's novel "Waiting" won the National Book Award for fiction as well as the PEN/Faulkner Award in 1999. His 2004 novel "War Trash" also won the PEN/Faulkner Award. He has published two collections of poetry and two award-winning collections of short fiction.

Historian Daniel Walker Howe discussed the newest installment in the acclaimed Oxford History of the United States series. "What Hath God Wrought?" was the message transmitted in 1844 by Samuel F.B. Morse to demonstrate his new electric telegraph. But it was also a commentary on the state of an era that meant so much to American history. Between 1815 and 1848, the United States expanded to the Pacific and achieved dominance over the richest part of the North American continent. Howe illuminates the transformation, starting with the battle of New Orleans and ending with the war against Mexico.

Ellis discussed "American Creation," an account of the founding years of the United States, a time of both triumphs and tragedies, all of which contributed to the shaping of our nation. Ellis examines the period between the War of Independence and the Louisiana Purchase. He argues that part of what made the American Revolution so extraordinary was the gradual pace at which it occurred, and the fact that it was brought about by a group of now iconic leaders (Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, et al.) rather than a single individual.

Humanities scholar-Chautauquan John D. Anderson presented his portrayal of Robert Frost, four-time Pulitzer Prize winning poet, considered the bard of New England. A National Endowment for the Humanities fellow, Anderson focuses his research in the area of narrative theory and performance.

Jessie Gruman, a social psychologist and founder of the Center for the Advancement of Health, discussed lessons she learned as the survivor of four life-threatening illnesses over the past three decades.

Laurie Lamon has lived in the Pacific Northwest and taught poetry workshops and literature seminars at Whitworth College, Spokane, since 1985 (where she is associate professor of English). Her poems have appeared in numerous journals and magazines, including The Atlantic Monthly, The New Republic, Ploughshares, Colorado Review, and Poetry Northwest. Michele Glazer is the author of two books of poetry: "It Is Hard to Look at What We Came to Think We'd Come to See," which received the Associated Writing Programs Award in Poetry and "Aggregate of Disturbances," which received the Iowa Poetry Prize. Her poems have been published widely in literary journals such as Harvard Review, Ploughshares, Poetry Northwest, and Colorado Review. She has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and Oregon's Literary Arts, Inc. Glazer teaches at Portland State University.

Bestselling author Alice Sebold discussed her latest novel, "The Almost Moon," Friday, Oct. 26 at the Central Library.

Dorothy Parker (1893-1967) wrote criticism for Vogue, Vanity Fair, and later The New Yorker, which also published her poems and stories. She was legendary in New York literary and theatrical circles as a member of the Algonquin Round Table. Reports on the group's discussions often quoted Parker's derisive Round Table remarks, such as "Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses." A champion for social justice, Parker became active in the fight for civil rights. She left her estate to Martin Luther King Jr.; on his death months later, it went to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. As a Chautauqua performer, Suzan King has created characterizations of Harriet Beecher Stowe, Margaret Bourke White, Eleanor Roosevelt, Abigail Adams, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Emily Dickinson, among others. She won the 2004 Pinnacle Award for Arts and Humanities from the Tulsa Mayor's Commission on the Status of Women and the Tulsa Women's Foundation. King received her B.A. in Humanities and her M.A. in English from Oklahoma State University.

Physician and bestselling author Oliver Sacks will read from his latest work, "Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain," Friday, Oct. 19 at the Central Library.

These authors were honored at a public ceremony at the Central Library on Wednesday, Oct. 17.

Author Jeffrey Toobin discussed his newest book, "The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court," Friday, Oct. 5 at the Central Library.

Nick Hornby read from his first novel for teens, "Slam," Wednesday, Oct. 24 at the Central Library. His bestselling adult novels include "High Fidelity" and "About a Boy," both of which were made into movies.

Award-winning author Ann Patchett read from her latest novel, "Run," Friday, Oct. 12 at the Central Library. "Run" is the story of the deep-running secrets and bonds of a politically-connected Boston family.