It certainly may be a sweeping cliché to say that we Boomers are (collectively) bigger readers than our children and their offspring. And of course, even if this is true, there are many exceptions, including my own daughter who is a voracious consumer of books.
Also, it’s important to note that e-books and audio books have been a great success for those who don’t need or want a physical volume in their hands to peruse—young folk and many seniors alike.
But print-and-ink-on-paper books have survived, despite the doomsday forecast of them disappearing entirely from our culture. And, alongside them, so have book events readings, lectures, festivals, all of which can both promote literacy and provide inspiration for further reading.
The Seattle area has rightly earned its reputation as a community brimming with book lovers. In 2017, Seattle was designated a UNESCO City of Literature in the Creative Cities Network. And the Seattle City of Literature organization is a nonprofit group that promotes local programming and relationship building with other designated Cities of Literature and Creative Cities around the world.
There is an enticing panoply of literary events at local bookstores, libraries, and universities making Seattle and environs a great destination for fiction and non-fiction authors on book tours—and readers who want to hear from them.
Here is a select guide to organizations that present readings, discussions, and lectures featuring wordsmiths from near and afar, as well as other literary activities. In many cases, these events have free admission.
Elliott Bay Books
One of the premiere bookstores in town, this Capitol Hill emporium is now owned and run by some of its longtime employees. A spacious, two-level store, it is a terrific place to browse and also has a café where you can sip coffee or tea while thumbing through your latest purchase.
Elliott Bay presents many author events, including recent talks featuring such high-profile writers as Malcolm Gladwell, David Sedaris, and Miranda July. It also hosts book groups open to the public.
For a current calendar of events and more information visit elliotbaybook.com
Seattle Arts & Lectures (SAL)
Since 1988, this nonprofit organization has produced an array of popular programs that include literary talks, readings, and performances, as well as civic discussions on many timely subjects. SAL also runs a Writers in the Schools project and Seattle Poet Laureate events.
Readings and onstage conversations with such luminaries as novelist and memoirist Ta‑Nehisi Coates, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, journalist Connie Chung, as well as local youth poets, are part of the 2024-25 lineup.
Public programs are held at several locales, including Town Hall, Elliot Bay Book Company, and Common Area Maintenance, which is a community art gallery, studio, and event space in downtown Seattle. Paid tickets are required for some events, while others are free.
For a lineup of coming events visit https://lectures.org/events/
King County & Seattle Public Libraries (SPL)
From Auburn to Shoreline and Renton to Issaquah, the King County Library system is a network of 51 public libraries stretching throughout Washington state’s most populous county.
In addition to offering on loan thousands of print books, e-books, and audiobooks, the individual libraries host Zoom book discussion groups in many literary genres (romance, comics, classics and cookbooks, among others), and some live and online author events are also on the docket, most of them free of charge. Learn more at https://kcls.org/authorevents.
The Seattle library system serves city residents at 27 neighborhood branches, with such regular services as election information, support for immigrants and refugees, and children’s story times, along with a high volume of collections.
But SPL also hosts a busy schedule of author readings, concerts, and literary discussions. Many are held in the large auditorium at the downtown Central Library, but some neighborhood branches also offer live events with Puget Sound writers as well as national scribes. Most are free of charge.
For more information visit https://www.spl.org/event-calendar.
For decades Third Place Books—a locally owned chain of three popular bookstores— has been a great meet-and-greet locale for writers to discuss and promote their latest works with lit lovers. All Third Place stores—in Lake Forest Park and in Seattle’s Seward and Ravenna neighborhoods—maintain a busy schedule of author appearances and provide a cozy, informal atmosphere for listening and browsing.
Recent events have focused on new books about hiking in the Northwest and in Europe, as well as hot-off-the-press novels (like Ilana Long’s debut rom-com, Pickleballers), tomes on scientific topics, and more.
All events are free, with book signings available. For more information visit thirdplacebooks.com.
Hugo House
Though known primarily for its helpful writing classes and workshops for novice and veteran scribes, this longstanding Seattle literary hub on Capitol Hill also schedules live readings, often featuring local poets and fiction writers.
While some authors are reading from finished works, others are airing “in process” efforts.
The organization is, by the way, named after Richard Hugo—the late and highly respected Pacific Northwest poet whose verses often celebrate the extraordinary natural beauty of this region.
For more information visit https://hugohouse.org/.
Interested in more opportunities for bibliophiles to delve into the literary whirl and feed a reading habit? Perhaps right in your own neck of the woods?
You can find a listing of additional bookstores in the area, many of which offer readings and other activities, at this website devoted to the annual Independent Bookstores Day promotion and more: https://www.seattlebookstoreday.com/.
Happy reading!
Misha Berson writes about the arts for crosscut.com and many other media outlets, teaches for the UW Osher program, and is the author of four books, including Something’s Coming, Something Good: West Side Story and the American Imagination (Applause/Hal Leonard).