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MONDAY
FILMSAM Films: Indian Film Masterpiece: The World Of Apu
In honor of the Peacock in the Desert exhibition, the Seattle Art Museum will screen the final film of the late-'50s trilogy Apu Trilogy by Indian writer-director Satyajit Ray. The series traces a boy named Apu’s spiritual path from his village origins to his urban university years, all the way through marriage and fatherhood.
At the Inkwell: Odd Numbers
A terrific lineup of readers awaits you at this month's At the Inkwell, including poet and translator Don Mee Choi, reading from her translation of Kim Hyesoon's Autobiography of Death, plus work by D.A. Navoti, Loree Spriggs, and Juan Carlos Reyes.
Eileen Myles: Evolution
Eileen Myles is a living legend in the world of poetry and one of the foremost dog biographers of their generation. They're reading from their first new book of poems in seven years—Evolution (Grove/Atlantic). Lambda Literary says Myles “circles back to classic themes such as their love of dogs, loneliness, and parental loss” in this book, which suggests a return, perhaps, to their chattier and less abstract modes. Ashley Tomaszewski at the Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor called it “chicken soup for the queer soul.” You're going. RICH SMITH
MONDAY-THURSDAY
FILMCinema Italian Style
The Cinema Italian Style is a weeklong SIFF mini-festival featuring the best in contemporary Italian cinema. This year, check out Dogman, Italy's submission to the 2019 Oscars, about a docile dog groomer who embarks on the path of vengeance against a local bully, and The Story of a Love Affair, Michelangelo Antonioni's classic melodrama about two lovers on the path to murder.
MONDAY-SATURDAY
FILMSeattle Turkish Film Festival
The Turkish American Cultural Association of Washington will present the sixth annual edition of their community-driven, volunteer-led festival featuring a rich panorama of new Turkish films.
Schoolhouse Rock Live
My guess is there are more people who get the fond nostalgic feels about Schoolhouse Rock than there are people who hate it or don’t even know about it at all. Granted, the animated, educational series of musical shorts touching on history, grammar, math, science and politics might have had its original run from 1973 to 1985, but it was revived for a while in the ’90s, and grade school teachers are likely still showing it to their students. A quick poll of millennial staffers finds that “I’m Just a Bill” (1976) and “Conjunction Junction” (1973) are the top two faves, which just goes to show you this shit is timeless. ReAct Theatre will present both of the aforementioned jams, along with various others (like “Lolly, Lolly, Lolly” and “Interplant Janet”) during their 90-minute stage production. LEILANI POLK
No performance on Wednesday
MONDAY & THURSDAY-SUNDAY
PERFORMANCEA Bright Room Called Day
Because we're all such rugged American individuals, it's easy to dismiss the rising tide of fascism in this country and across the globe as a troublesome but ultimately passing fad doomed to be washed away by the incoming blue wave. A group of Berlin artists had a similar thought, too—in 1932. In Tony Kushner's 1985 classic, A Bright Room Called Day, those artists wrestle with all the same questions we're all wrestling with now—Do we stay or do we go? Do we stage a revolution? Or do we try to fight it from the inside? Like all of Kushner's plays, it's an intelligent and gripping story that will make you feel like you live in a vibrant, thriving city that matters. And if the play spurs you to get off your ass and actually do something for that city—or for the country at large—the show's producer, The Williams Project, says they'll put you in touch with local activists in order to facilitate civic action. RICH SMITH
TUESDAY
FOOD & DRINKAuthor Talk: Pasta, Pretty Please with Linda Miller Nicholson
Why did SaltySeattle's Linda Miller Nicholson decide to make superfood-dyed pasta in all the colors of the rainbow? In order for her kid to eat more vegetables. Scroll through her polychromatic Instagram and then go get your new copy of her book, Pasta, Pretty Please!, signed.
Author Talk: The Cooking Gene by Michael Twitty
Culinary historian Michael Twitty will discuss his book The Cooking Gene, which traces his lineage through food from Africa to America and explores the politics behind Southern cuisine and food culture and which received two James Beard awards.
Cabaret of Evil: Menstruatin' with Satan Kick Off Party
Cabaret of Evil and the Satanic Temple will partner up for a "Menstruatin' with Satan" menstrual hygiene drive. Bring boxes of pads and tampons (or cash) and watch some devilishly titillating burlesque.Â
Kate Wallich + The YC: Industrial Ballet
Dance church deacon and choreographer Kate Wallich brings her Industrial Ballet back to the Moore Theatre. In City Arts, Rachel Gallaher described the goth rock dance performance—full of lightning and stage smoke and the driving minimalism of Johnny Goss—as Wallich's "best work yet." RICH SMITH
Adam Hochschild: Lessons from a Dark Time and Other Essays
Town Hall will present a talk by the journalist Adam Hochschild (who wrote the essential histories Spain in Our Hearts and King Leopold's Ghost) on the occasion of his new collection of essays and articles from throughout his career. He observes everything from "a California gun show to a Finnish prison, from a Congolese center for rape victims to the ruins of gulag camps in the Soviet Arctic," and from Nelson Mandela's campaign to the machinations of the CIA.
Idra Novey: Those Who Knew
In the wake of considering the rape accusations against former Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and amid considering the rape accusation against State Senator Joe Fain, Seattle needs to be reading Idra Novey’s new novel, Those Who Knew. In her brilliantly structured story, a woman who was sexually assaulted by a successful progressive senator years ago learns that a young staffer on his campaign has died. She suspects he was involved—and she suspects she’s not the only one he’s assaulted—but fears that coming forward will put herself and others at risk. The book ultimately, according to press materials, “traces how trauma reincarnates and creates connections across networks of people.” RICH SMITH
The Maillardet Automaton: Andrew Baron
Before being invited to repair the famous Maillardet automation (the invention built by Swiss mechanician Henri Maillardet in 1800), Andrew Baron created pop-up books and served as a "consultant" for Brian Selznick's book The Invention of Hugo Cabret, which was inspired by Maillardet's invention, and which in turn inspired Martin Scorsese's film Hugo. Hear Baron reveal the process behind solving some of the automaton's mechanical mysteries.
Salon of Shame
Writing that makes you cringe ("middle school diaries, high school poetry, unsent letters") is read aloud with unapologetic hilarity at the Salon of Shame.
SFWA Presents: Sandra Odell and Mary Robinette Kowal
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, which "brings together the most successful and daring writers of speculative fiction throughout the world," will host Pacific Northwest sci-fi writers Sandra Odell and Mary Robinette Kowal, who will discuss their most recent works (Godfall and Other Stories and The Fated Sky, respectively).
Think & Drink: Red Feed, Blue Feed – What Our Echo Chambers Are Doing to Democracy
Listen in on a discussion with a panel of UW professors about the pros and cons of social media as a tool for spreading news and information. Panelists include David Domke, Mark Smith, and Andrea Otanez. They ask: "If democracies depend on exposure to differing ideas, and on citizens starting from more-or-less the same set of facts, what happens when the media landscape is splintered across tens of millions of different news feeds and thousands of websites?"
TUESDAY-SATURDAY
COMEDYSeattle International Comedy Competition
For nearly all of November, a lengthy last-comic-standing battle rages. Thirty-two comedians (split into two batches, each of which performs every night for one week) start the contest, and one will finish a champion. Celebrity judges and audience reactions determine who passes the preliminaries and who becomes a finalist.
WEDNESDAY
COMEDYCole Escola
There are lots of talented comic impressionists out there, but no one masters the subtle complexities of suburban moms and cooped-up widows quite like Cole Escola, the New York-based comedian/actor/writer whose YouTube origins with comic Jeffery Self earned him roles on shows like Nurse Jackie, Mozart in the Jungle, and Difficult People. He'll stop in Seattle on his HELP! I'M STUCK! tour. You don't want to miss it.
chefs+togetherSEATTLE
Some of Seattle’s most acclaimed chefs—including Tamara Murphy of Terra Plata, Brian Clevenger of Le Messe, Monica Dimas of Neon Taco, John Sundstrom of Lark, Ericka Burke of Volunteer Park Cafe, and Ethan Stowell—have banded together to create a group called +togetherSEATTLE, with the intention of supporting human rights issues in our community. For their inaugural event, over 100 participating Seattle restaurants, coffee shops, and businesses will donate 10 percent or more of their proceeds to the NW Immigrant Rights Project, which defends immigrant rights by providing legal services, advocacy, and community education. Choose from some of the most exciting places to eat in Seattle right now, including Ba Bar, Bar Melusine, FlintCreek Cattle Co., Hitchcock, Lark, Mamnoon, and Terra Plata, and help support one of the most urgent causes of our time. JULIANNE BELL
Brendan Nyhan: Selective Exposure to Misinformation
Nyhan, a professor of public policy at the University of Michigan, will lecture on his data-centric approach to analyzing the role of fake news in the 2016 election. A sample: "Using unique data combining survey responses with individual-level web traffic histories, we estimate that approximately 1 in 4 Americans visited a fake news website from October 7-November 14, 2016. Trump supporters visited the most fake news websites, which were overwhelmingly pro-Trump. However, fake news consumption was heavily concentrated among a small group—almost 6 in 10 visits to fake news websites came from the 10% of people with the most conservative online information diets. We also find that Facebook was a key vector of exposure to fake news and that fact-checks of fake news almost never reached its consumers." This is part of the UW Public Lecture Series on "Bunk."
Drew Collins: Puget Sound Underwater
When you think of the aquatic animals that typify the Pacific Northwest, you think of orcas, salmon, and harbor seals. They're our unofficial mascots. And rightfully so! Local diver and photographer Drew Collins loves those animals just as much as anyone else, but he says there are all kinds of other fascinating creatures swimming around Puget Sound—ones more indicative of the kind of life that flourishes in our especially cold, greenish, murky, and generally inhospitable waters. The giant Pacific octopus, the wolf eel, and the Pacific spiny lumpsucker are three of Collins's favorites. In his first book of photography, Puget Sound Underwater, he champions these and other unjustly unacknowledged critters. Collins says he's done dives all over the world, but the waters of Puget Sound bring him back every time. RICH SMITH
Francis Fukuyama: Identity
Earlier this year, Charles Mudede described Fukuyama's philosophy: "But all of this ideological business seemed way out of place in a post-historical world. Thinkers like Fukuyama marked the end of the Cold War as the end of ideology: American ideology rose to the condition of reality; Soviet ideology sank into the depths of the past. Human development had reached its terminal point with democratic capitalism." But, of course, ideology has never been out of the picture, and its triumph in American life today is all too obvious. To his credit, in 2014, Fukuyama warned of the deterioration of American institutions and the fall of the state to special interest groups. In this talk, Fukuyama will speak about the "demand for recognition of one's identity," which he says is "a master concept that unifies much of what is going on in world politics today."
WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY
FOOD & DRINKBoba Street x Adana Pop-Up: Boba Cocktails Edition!
Try boozy and non-boozy boba drinks from Boba Street in conjunction with Japanese comfort food snacks like katsu sandos from Adana.
WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY
ARTGravity Jokes
When a joke “goes over well,” we say that it “lands.” Sometimes a joke doesn’t land because it “misses the mark” or “sails over the heads” of its intended audience. What is it about comedy that invites so many comparisons to the trajectories of flying, falling objects? In Gravity Jokes, dubbed an “experimental exhibition-as-conversation” by curator Molly Mac, six artists who create work on a “continuum between traditional sculpture and stand-up comedy” have come together to tell jokes of all forms that collaborate with the forces of gravity: Dewa Dorje, Andy Fallat, Philippe Hyojung Kim, Mario Lemafa, E.T. Russian, and Khadija Ann Tarver. EMILY POTHAST
Closing Saturday
WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY
ARTNeddy Artist Awards Exhibit
One of the largest and most prestigious art awards in the state of Washington, the Neddy Awards provide cash prizes to outstanding artists living in the Puget Sound region. See the artists' work for yourself at this exhibit.
Opening Wednesday
14th Annual HUMP! Film Festival
The 14th Annual HUMP! Film Festival, the world's biggest and best porn short film festival, premiers in Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco this November! After the opening festival concludes its run, HUMP! will hit the road in 2019 and screen in more than 50 cities across the U.S. and Canada. HUMP! invites filmmakers, animators, songwriters, porn-star wannabes, kinksters, vanilla folks, YOU, and other creative types to make short porn films—five minutes max—for HUMP! The HUMP! Film Festival screens in theaters and nothing is ever released online. HUMP! films can be hardcore, softcore, live action, animated, kinky, vanilla, straight, gay, lez, bi, trans, genderqueer—anything goes at HUMP! (Well, almost anything: No poop, no animals, no minors, no MAGA hats.) DAN SAVAGE
Arms and the Man
George Bernard Shaw's romance-comedy, set in the Serbo-Bulgarian War of 1885, pits a Swiss mercenary on the run against a brave but boring Bulgarian officer as they war for the love of a romantic Bulgarian woman—who begins to prefer the sneaky Swiss. David Armstrong, formerly of the 5th Avenue Theater, will direct.
A People's History
Mike Daisey is back in town, as he often is, with a pretty simple but brilliant bit. He's going to read you some pages from Good Will Hunting's favorite history book—Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States. Then he's going to read you some pages from his high-school history book. Then we're all going to sit there and have a little reflection session on the difference between history as told by the conquerors and history as told from the perspective of the dispossessed. RICH SMITH
Wonderland
Wonderland returns! Can Can will transform its venue into a snowy chalet and populate it with teasing beauties.
THURSDAY
ARTGather: An Artist Trust Celebration
Meet this year's Artist Trust grant recipients—including the 2018 Creative Catalyst Award winner Karen Lorene—and raise a glass to 10 years of the Conductive Garboil Grant: a $3000 award for a Seattle artist who "challenges the limits of creative discourse and its effects on our society."
Have A Slice with IMNDC!
Local improv troupe IMNDC will give a slice of pizza to one lucky audience member who's willing to offer up their life story. From there, Coonoor Behal, John Carroll, Stephen Carter, and Jess Lampe will spin together a performance inspired by this stranger's life.Â
Meow Wolf: Origin Story
The adorably named Santa Fe artist collective Meow Wolf caught the fancy of George R.R. Martin, who helped them take over a disused bowling alley for an epic art exhibition. But success comes with its own struggles. Enter their world and find delirious, DIY inspiration.
Night Heat: The 41st Film Noir Series
They proliferated in anxious postwar America and still occasionally return to brood and smolder onscreen: films noirs, born of the chiaroscuro influence of immigrant German directors and the pressure of unique American fears. Once again, the museum will screen nine hard-boiled, moody crime classics like tonight's Night of the Hunter, about a religiously motivated serial killer who targets sexually liberated women.
Author Talk: Catalan Food by Caroline Wright
Hear local food writer Caroline Wright talk about her new book Catalan Food and her time in Spain with chef Daniel Olivella, try a small bite from the book, and purchase a signed copy.
Makers of the Now: Contemporary Native American and First Nations Artists Lecture Series
Burien-based Acoma Pueblo writer Sara Marie Ortiz will discuss how she explores Indigenous culture of the past and present in her work.
THURSDAY-SATURDAY
ART(Where) Do We Belong?
These artworks respond to Trump's "zero-tolerance" immigration policies through the eyes of immigrant artists, including Humaira Abid, Hawo Ali, Tatiana Garmendia, Hiba Jameel, Rohena Alam Khan, Jake Prendez, Marcia Santos, and Judy Shintani.
Closing Saturday
Anansi and the Halfling
A black millennial navigates the classroom and the realm of the gods in this song-, puppetry-, and dance-filled take on African storytelling and the discovery of one's people's history, written by Madison Jade Jones.
Parliament Square
James Fritz's play, critically admired in the UK, follows an unstable young mother who commits an extreme act of protest that, instead of igniting revolutionary fervor, is largely ignored and leaves her life ruined. Will she stick to her (unspecified) political principles? Pony World Theatre will stage the drama's US debut.
THURSDAY-SUNDAY
PERFORMANCEJuan Palmieri
In the 1960s, Uruguay’s economy was in crisis. An urban guerrilla group called the Tupamaros rose up and began redistributing the wealth by robbing banks and giving food and money to the poor. A right-wing military dictatorship took power in a coup d'etat and started putting the kibosh on all that. Shortly thereafter, the United States swooped in and trained local police to interrogate and torture dissidents, which led to hundreds of disappearances and thousands of incarcerations. Uruguayan playwright Antonio Larreta dramatizes this story of political upheaval and US intervention in Juan Palmieri, which ACT will present for the first time in English. Arlene MartĂnez-Vázquez translates and directs. RICH SMITH
FRIDAY
COMEDYThe Second City's Dysfunctional Holiday Revue
Chicago's legendary comedy theatre Second City's Dysfunctional Holiday Revue will appear in Everett for some good old satire of classic holiday films, family gatherings, Christmas carols, and more seasonal topics.Â
True Love at First Date, But Gay | Kristine Ota | Haley Beglau | Kasia
This evening's Solo Performance Month stars include versatile improviser Kristine Ota (seen previously at Jet City), the endearingly grumpy Haley Beglau, Kasia Cassidy, and the storyteller/vlogger AarontheJin.Â
Author Talk: Season by Nik Sharma
In his stunning new cookbook, Season: Big Flavors, Beautiful Food—recently selected as one of this fall’s best cookbooks by the New York Times—Mumbai-born food writer, photographer, and A Brown Table blogger Nik Sharma notes, “Seasoning is more than just a way to achieve flavor in the food we eat. It represents our desire to connect with our past, present, and future. It tells our story.” Sharma’s cooking tells his own story as a gay immigrant from India who moved to the Midwest to study biochemistry in college, then spent time in Washington, D.C., Virginia, and San Francisco. Weaving together disparate influences from different cultures, he combines different flavors, techniques, and ingredients in his recipes, like a Margherita naan pizza, Caprese salad with sweet tamarind, curry leaf popcorn chicken, and butternut squash soup flavored with smoky Lapsang souchong tea. At this event, Sharma will chat with Seattle Times food writer Tan Vinh, field questions from the audience, and sign copies of Season that are purchased at Book Larder. JULIANNE BELL
The Best Chefs You’ve Never Heard Of 2018: Female Powerhouse Edition
Some chefs are household names in this city: Renee Erickson, Tom Douglas, Rachel Yang. But do you know the names of those more down-to-earth cuisiniers who run the kitchens? At this event emceed by Seattle Met editor Allecia Vermillion alongside Ethan Stowell and Joe Ritchie of Goldfinch Tavern, become acquainted with an all-female lineup of sous-chefs, banquet chefs, and chefs de cuisine who craft the excellent meals at some of the best restaurants in the city. BJ Bresnik (of The Walrus and the Carpenter), Rosie Cisneros (Lark), Martha de Leon (Cafe Juanita), Rebekah Dickson (Goldfinch Tavern), Cecily Kimura (Joule), Nicole Matson (How to Cook a Wolf), Sarah Nowak (Reckless Noodle House), and Kaylah Thomas (JuneBaby) will prepare small dishes, with dessert by pastry chef Dionne Himmelfarb (Ethan Stowell Restaurants), and drinks by Alexa Berry (Monsoon) and Tania Ross (Tavolata Capitol Hill). Visit each chef's station, graze on their morsels, and relax with a drink (two are included with each ticket). Once you’re finished, you’ll have a new appreciation for the busy and brilliant first mates of head chefs. JOULE ZELMAN
Seattle's 26th Annual Beaujolais Nouveau Wine Festival
In France, the first of the season’s Beaujolais nouveau—a famous, fruity young red wine made from Gamay grapes that is fermented for only a few weeks—is uncorked at midnight on the third Thursday of November and greeted with much fanfare and revelry. Even if you can’t make it to France, you can have the same experience with Seattle’s own Beaujolais Nouveau Wine Festival, hosted by the French-American Chamber of Commerce of the Pacific Northwest. Quaff Beaujolais nouveau as well as a host of other French wines, partake in a buffet of French cuisine, and take in live French music. JULIANNE BELL
Cote Smith, Zack Akers, and Skip Bronkie: Limetown-The Prequel to the #1 Podcast
Of all the supernatural and suspense podcasts out there, Limetown may be the tautest and most elegantly executed. Nowhere to be found is the cheesiness of, say, NoSleep or the wide-ranging whimsy of Welcome to Night Vale. This live event will be a prequel to the story about the vanishing of 300 people at a top-secret research facility.
Adrianne Harun: Catch, Release
An underappreciated short story writer who lives in Port Townsend, Adrienne Harun is the real deal. She’s fantastic. Her work has appeared in Best American Short Stories and Best American Mystery Stories, and her new collection is called Catch, Release. JOULE ZELMAN
FRIDAY-SATURDAY
PERFORMANCEAkwaaba: Healing a Queer Black Soul
In this one-person show, local queer theater performer Naa Akua shares stories of their "Queer Black Healing Process" through poetry, sound, ritual, and monologue.Â
FRIDAY-SUNDAY
PERFORMANCEKitten N’ Lou Present: Cream
A confession: I've watched Kitten N' Lou's wedding video at least 20 times. They're just so gosh darn intoxicating and lovely. (It's on their website. I didn't, like, steal it or anything.) The burlesque duo exudes a chemistry unrivaled by any other stage pair I've seen, and, luckily for Seattle, this "world's showbusiest couple" are mainstays of the Emerald City. Their show Cream brings Vivacious, Cherdonna, and the Atomic Bombshells along for a Spanksgiving feast of drag and burlesque. Go and prepare to fall in love.CHASE BURNS
The Twilight Zone: Live!
Experience the cheesy yet unsettling 1960s thrills of the classic Twilight Zone scripts—live! Rachel Delmar will direct "To Serve Man" (the only alien story hinging on nuances of the English language), "The Shelter," "Death's Head Revisited," and "The Changing of the Guard."
SATURDAY
ARTCharlie Parriott, Cappy Thompson, Dick Weiss: Old Friends, New Work
Cappy Thompson is responsible for the 90-foot-long window mural—a woodland/celestial scene of painted glass titled I Was Dreaming of Spirit Animals (2003)—at Sea-Tac International Airport. Thompson will show work with Dick Weiss, an Everett-born glass artist whose large-scale piece can also be seen at Sea-Tac, and Charlie Parriott, who spent 12 years as a colorist at Chihuly Studio before helping to run the hot glass studio at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma.
Opening Saturday
Deep Space Fine
The latest installment of Prairie Underground's artist series features Stranger music calendar editor and Gramma editor Kim Selling, who has created two open-size garments (from 0 up to around 32) out of sheer silk organza, which will be live modeled by Briq House, Adria Garcia, McKenzie Porritt, and Guayaba. There will also be projected visual art made by Kim Selling, Briq House, McKenzie Porritt, and Mel Carter, plus music from Guayaba and DJ RO. Selling says: "We are capable of being more than one thing, more than simply a physical body. The pieces showcased here are meant to both expose and empower; regardless of your size or shape, these garments will collaborate with you to create evanescent architectural movements, as if you were a celestial body moving through space, swathed only in dark matter."
Jenny Heishman: rectangle, rectangle
Jenny Heishman’s prolific exploration of materials has included everything from foam core, paper, tape, inkjet print, nylon strap (Wall Belt, 2012) to igneous rock, stainless steel, and urethane paint (skystones, 2016 at Skyway Library). The material is the starting point, and its form is teased into being with throwaways like cardboard becoming monumental in the process (Medium, 2015). For her first solo show since 2015, Heishman has added another dimension by interpreting material into another material—specifically paper fiber into wool fiber. In one piece, paint-splattered handmade paper serves as the reference for a labor-intensive hand-hooked rug, resulting in a meditative portrait of something seemingly accidental. KATIE KURTZ
Closing Saturday
Book Club: The Holiday Party
This improv performance centers on the story of "a group of well-off mid-thirties adults" who have gathered for their monthly book club meeting "in the Nice part of town on a regular night, after their Barre classes and upscale juice crawls." Audience members are asked to bring a book to the performance, which the improvisers will then discuss, with "no self-awareness, an entire bottle of wine, and an absolute lack of critical skills."
Safeword: Queer Comedy Showcase
The inherent absurdity of kink is put to comedic use in Bobby Higley and Claire Webber's enjoyably awkward show, in which comedians attempt to do their sets while being subjected to a randomly chosen kink. Consent is key—comics and participating audience members in the "Splashzone" are free to use a safeword at any time, at which point Bobby or Claire will get spanked. It's a lighthearted, sexy, and guaranteed-silly time.Â
Hep Cats
Cats in movies have symbolized everything from elegance to curiosity to evil, but sometimes—like in the films of the French experimentalist Chris Marker—they are simply their wonderful selves. Hep Cats delivers a handful of these ailurophilic flicks, including Paul Mazursky's charming Harry and Tonto in a 35 mm print.
Gobble Up 2018
This free bazaar from the folks behind Urban Craft Uprising aims to apply the successful indie market format to specialty artisanal foods. This is a unique opportunity to peruse (and taste!) edible wares from more than 100 craft food vendors and to meet the makers themselves. On the lineup this year: heritage preserves from Orcas Island’s Girl Meets Dirt, sourdough croissants from Temple Pastries, distinctive confections (like absinthe and black salt caramels) from Jonboy Caramels, drinking vinegar from the Shrubbery, and more. In addition to food and drink, there will also be handmade linens, ceramics, and other home goods available for purchase. JULIANNE BELL
Ali Fitzgerald
In Drawn to Berlin: Comic Workshops in Refugee Shelters and Other Stories from a New Europe, Ali Fitzgerald provides glimpses into Berlin's emergency shelters, where she ran comics workshops for refugees from Syria and Afghanistan. Her book intertwines their stories and her own experience living in the great European capital. Meet her at tonight's launch party.
Amber Nelson: 'The Sexiest Man Alive' Book Launch
I’ve been waiting for this one. Hometown hero Amber Nelson, former editor of the dearly missed Alice Blue Books, is out with a new book of poetry about the men who’ve earned People Magazine’s highest distinction: The Sexiest Man Alive (Spooky Girlfriend Press). The poems are funny and tragic, composed of chopped up lines from each sexy man’s interview with the rag. Here are a few lines from “Sexiest Man Alive 2008: Hugh Jackman”: I'm not sure I’m proud of it. That’s not sexy. / An old friend of mine e-mailed me and said / he had cowboy boots sexier than me. Nelson’s celebrating her book’s birthday with a reading, a drag king performance, and a DJ dance party. RICH SMITH
Daniel Mangena and Tim Shields: Being Beyond Intention
Authors Daniel Mangena and Timothy Shields will talk about the "Beyond Intention" paradigm and the "Being Experiment" game, both of which are meant to help you "overcome yourself and embody a new state of being."Â
Nathan Englander: Dinner at the Center of the Earth
At this Town Hall event, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Nathan Englander will discuss his new political thriller, Dinner at the Center of the Earth: A Novel, which portrays the state of modern Israel through the story of the complex relationship between a secret prisoner and his guard of a dozen years.
Seattle7Writers' Holiday Bookfest
Meet your favorite PNW authors and buy their books. Not only will they read and sell; they'll also bring tasty baked goods! Readers will include Anca SzilĂ gyi, J. Anderson Coats, Lynn Brunelle, Anna Quinn, Neal Bascomb, and Michael Schmeltzer, and there will be dozens of other writers selling books. Seattle7Writers (your hosts) will also be collecting "gently used" books, so you can clear out some space before bringing home new tomes. The sad news: This will be the last Bookfest, so seize your chance.Â
TedxSeattle: Tall Order
This independently organized TED event promises fast-paced and engaging presentations on the theme of "A Tall Order," i.e., meeting the huge challenges of modern civilization. Panelists include children's book author Barry Johnson, Titan Bioplastics founder Amy Ansel, Gender Equity Now Director Sara Sanford, and others.
Writers Under the Influence: Ursula K. Le Guin
Iconic fantasy, sci-fi, and speculative fiction author and poet Le Guin passed away in January, but her legacy (which includes a breadth of work spanning more than four decades) and part in influencing the genres in which she worked will continue for innumerable ages. At this event, local writers Eileen Gunn, David Naimon, and Nisi Shawl will share stories, thoughts, and more related to Le Guin. LEILANI POLK
SATURDAY-SUNDAY
ARTEdgar Arceneaux: Library of Black Lies
Enter Edgar Arceneaux’s unassuming wooden structure—a low, irregular-sided wooden shack—and find yourself in a parallel-world library of sugar-crystal clouded books. Their titles may be or merely recall the Western canon, like a sequence including the clearly referential Birth of a Nation and the murkier Birth of a Night, Nation Goodnight, and finally, Goodnight Moon. According to museum materials, this installation—first exhibited in Paris in 2016—concerns Arceneaux’s preoccupations with history, memory, and our subjective human reconstructions of both. The result looks like a cramped, mazelike hideaway, a metaphor for the limits imposed on our views of the past by our own need for containment. By amassing references to many different narratives, Arceneaux constructs an anti-narrative of history. JOULE ZELMAN
Opening Saturday
Ellen Ito: Cook
The experimental project and home gallery space of artists Joey Veltkamp and Ben Gannon, cogean? features exhibitions that highlight domestic arts and crafts. Launched in March, their fifth show at the 100-year-old house they share on Cogean Avenue—which is within easy walking distance of the Bremerton ferry terminal—is from Ellen Ito, and it is centered on sharing food as community building. Ito also organized a publication in conjunction with the show; it features illustrations and recipes by more than 40 artists, including Matthew Offenbacher, Nicholas Nyland, and Lulu Yee. Proceeds from recipe-book sales benefit local organizations, and attendees are encouraged to bring donations for a food drive to stock a local food bank. KATIE KURTZ
Opening Saturday
SUNDAY
ARTPacific Northwest Afro X
This special exhibit celebrates blackness and African diasporic culture in the Northwest's past and present with work by Pacific Northwest-based black artists who "[cultivate] and [remix] black brilliance in Seattle and beyond." Stop by for free conversations, drop-in art activities, a reading station, special talks, and more.
Improvised Chekhov
Once again evincing impressive ambition, this improv company will act out scenes based on your suggestions and classic Russian plays like Uncle Vanya, The Cherry Orchard, or The Three Sisters. Since the drama of Anton Chekhov relies on deep character development, complex social mores, and lingering melancholy, these performances—if successful—will truly be coups de thèâtre.
Manologue | Sally/Cannoli | A Day—Anthony Householder | You're Always Home
Anthony Householder, who's performed in indie and Jet City productions as an improviser, has a special presence: warm, innocent, naively passionate, and faintly wounded. For his Solo Performance Month bit, he'll talk about the "comedy and beauty that everyday moments from a single day have to offer." Also on the bill:Â Sam I'Am with a monologue about dumb things men say; "Sally / Cannoli" (that's all we know for now); and Adrian Fragola Kljucec with a queer- and self-discovery-themed piece called "You're Always Home: Listening Looks Like Asking Different Questions."
An Evening with Neil Gaiman
Gaiman is the British author behind darkly evocative works like the Sandman comic series, American Gods (his novel adapted into a well-regarded fantasy drama TV series on Starz), graphic novel-turned-film Coraline, and a huge range of other novels, plus children’s books and collections of short stories and poetry. (He’s also husband to piano-banging chanteuse, Amanda Palmer.) According to the release, on this night, he’ll tell and read stories, answer questions, and “amaze, befuddle and generally delight.” LEILANI POLK
