World Book Night: A Million Reasons to Read a Book

Registration for World Book Night – an ambitious literary event that seeks to put a million books in the hands of a million people, for free – is fast approaching. You have until Monday, February 6th, at midnight (EST) to submit your name as a possible book giver. Those selected will receive 20 free paperbacks to distribute throughout their community on April 23rd, this year’s chosen night of book giving.

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World Book Night first took place in the United Kingdom on March 5th, 2011, with a particularly massive (and enviable) literary celebration occurring in London’s Trafalgar Square  – who wouldn’t love to hear Nick Cave read from Lolita, or receive a free book from Brian Eno and Margaret Atwood? It was a tremendous success: thousands of book lovers attended the festivities in London and, as promised, over a million books were given away throughout England and Ireland. This year, Germany and the United States will join in on the celebration.

World Book Night, looking less like a book festival and more like a Flaming Lips performance - Trafalgar Square, March 2011

How do you sign up? Simple. Head over WBN’s registration page and plug in your name, address, and contact info. You’ll be asked to pick three of your favorite books from a stellar list of thirty titles for distribution. This, to me, proves that there are real book lovers running the show backstage. WBN isn’t looking to indiscriminately disperse a box full of flimsy and unread paperbacks. They want their volunteers to love what they’re giving out, to tell each person, “you have got to read this,” as they hand them a particular book. Bibliophiles worldwide know the magic of this moment; there’s nothing better than sharing a novel that knocked you off your feet.

Despite the sheer scope of their operation, WBN is surprisingly modest in explaining why they do what they do. To “spread the love of reading and books” they say, simply. They’re also out to promote the merit of bookstores and libraries, which, ahem, I wholeheartedly endorse. Still, I’d say what makes World Book Night such a spectacular program, such a valuable program, is that it creates new readers. Over a million people received free books last year. This year, that number will triple. So here’s to falling in love with literature – both for the first time and all over again.

Take a look at just a few of the excellent titles to be given away this year:

- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
- Kindred by Octavia Butler
- Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
- The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
- Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
- Just Kids by Patti Smith
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Become a book giver today!

Dethawing with The Flame Alphabet

Having emerged from another dim December winter, now is a great time to peruse what’s new in the world of literature. More daylight means more reading light, after all, and while I’m told the weather is getting better, a couch and some coffee plus a couple of books still sounds just fine to me.

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The Flame Alphabet
By Ben Marcus

With his mesmerizing new novel, The Flame Alphabet, Ben Marcus envisions a world in which the speech of children literally kills their parents.

Language itself becomes a tool for excruciating destruction and malice in this stunning, horrific and yet funny novel – funny like the serrated edge of a knife. Fast-paced and quick-witted, Ben Marcus is a true mastermind. Not to be missed.

- Dave

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The Fallback Plan
By Leigh Stein

Leigh Stein paints an uncomfortably accurate portrait of twenty-somethings adrift in the twenty-first century with The Fallback Plan.

A subtle depiction of the rather anxious, very unglamorous fate that awaits recent college graduate Esther Kohler. Stein has created a moving, hilarious, and honest character who will resonate with anyone who has ever wondered what the hell they’re going to do with a degree in Drama. A great read. – Casey O.

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Smut
By Alan Bennett

Celebrated English novelist Alan Bennett peers into the uncomfortable space between people’s public appearance and their private desires with Smut.

Official charade, superficial appearances, gossip, and secrets. Alan Bennett delivers it all in this funny, surprising, and slightly peculiar duo of stories. And smutty? Yes. – Karen

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Legend
By Marie Lu

Marie Lu imagines a dystopian American future in which the nation has split into two separate countries with her debut YA novel, Legend.

In a distant future, the United States has collapsed into two separate lands – the Republic, a country of order and class, and the colonies, a land in perpetual war with its neighbor. Day and June both live in the Republic but lead very different lives. June is a prodigy brought up to take her place among the nation’s elite. Day, a child of the slums, was destined to die before his wits led him to the top of the Republic’s most wanted criminal list. When an act of murder throws their worlds together, Day and June discover that the Republic may not be all that it seems. – Casey S.

Holiday Recommendations from Our Staff – Children’s & Young Adult

At the Elliott Bay Book Company we believe that there is no better gift than a book, and we have the perfect one for everyone on your holiday list this season. We look forward to serving you and wish you Happy Holidays!

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Every Thing On It

By Shel Silverstein

I have been obsessed with the work of Shel Silverstein since I first heard that fantastic cautionary tale about shirking your chores, “Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out.” I was young and impressionable and Uncle Shelby’s poems and illustrations helped me become the voracious reader and diligent chore-doer I am today (To be honest I’m more of a voracious reader than a diligent chore doer, but I certainly would never let my garbage get that high). Every Thing On It includes never-before-published poems and drawings by the man himself. It’s the perfect gift for people that grew up with Uncle Shelby and for anyone who hasn’t yet experienced his genious. —Casey S.

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George and Martha: The Complete Stories of Two Best Friends Collector’s Edition

By James Marshall

I cannot think of a better way to show your children how a wonderful relationship can be fraught with misunderstandings, hurt feelings, and silly jokes that backfire, yet only grow stronger. In this splendid volume, all thirty-five of James Marshall’s stories are brought together to celebrate friendship and two of the most lovable characters ever created —Leah

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A Dog Is a Dog

By Stephen Shaskan

This oh-so-clever rhyming picture book from debut author and illustrator Shaskan is a splendid read aloud! Follow the quintessential brown and white pup; naughty or nice, skinny or fat as he unzips himself and becomes—a cat! Watch the tubby feline as he hisses or purrs, in trouble for something he did or didn’t do as he unmasks himself and becomes—a truly unexpected treat! Youngsters will delight in the silly rhymes, the goofy possible guesses, and the fun illustrations. —Holly

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The Princess and the Pig

By Jonathan Emmett, Poly Bernatene

This book is adorable and just plain fun! What could be more delightful than the story of a baby and a piglet who get switched at birth? Lively colorful illustrations and a recurring theme make it a great read aloud and the playful tone manages to both tease and embrace storybook tradition. Eat your heart out Mark Twain! —Jamil

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The Dictionary of Ordinary Extraordinary Animals

By Leslie Jonath, Lisa McGuinness

In appearance this book recalls the Golden Nature Guides however it’s a little more playful. Both the illustrations and the text describe the wonders of the natural world with liveliness and a sense of humor. It will be a sure delight to all young readers and the older readers may even learn a thing or two! —Pamela

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Little Mist

By Angela Mcallister, Sarah Fox-Davies

Little Mist the baby snow leopard confronts the big, beautiful world for the very first time, with the help of his mom. Along the way he meets the animals of the great Himalaya, and discovers that this wonderful world will soon be all his to savor, without limits… Absolutely darling! —Jesse

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I Want My Hat Back

By Jon Klassen

Bear has lost his hat and embarks on a quest to ask all of his little woodland friends if they’ve seen it. But one of these cute, innocent seeming creatures isn’t being completely honest with Bear. In fact, he could be outright lying to him. What will Bear do when he the truth is revealed? Will the forest ever be the same? —Rich

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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

By Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake

I’ve always loved pop-up books, and what better gift idea for children of all ages?—It’s like giving a book in 3-D. Out just in time for the holidays is this charming new rendition of the classic tale by Roald Dahl, featuring the unique illustrations of Quentin Blake. Wonka fans will delight as they read through the story and get to open a Wonka bar and find a golden ticket or help with the demise of all the naughty children. This pop-up book is simply scrumdelicious. —David

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Three Tales of My Father’s Dragon

By Ruth Stiles Gannett

The first story in this 1940s Newberry Honor trilogy involves Elmer Elevator, a young boy who runs away to a jungle island in order to rescue Boris, a baby dragon. He utilizes the twenty pink lollipops, rubber bands, chewing gum and fine-toothed comb that he packs for his journey as he encounters the wild inhabitants of this magical place. Somewhat nonsensical and in the same vein as The Phantom Tollbooth, these stories will delight. Good for boys and girls ages 6-10 and parents of any age… —Tracy

Holiday Recommendations from Our Staff – Cooking & Spirits

At the Elliott Bay Book Company we believe that there is no better gift than a book, and we have the perfect one for everyone on your holiday list this season. We look forward to serving you and wish you Happy Holidays!

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Home Made

By Yvette van Boven, Oof Verschuren

From a Dutch chef, living part-time in Paris, comes this most beautifully designed cookbook, with recipes ranging from tea to cocktails to cheeses, to roasting, smoking and preserving, from morning recipes to late night treats, and from birthday party suggestions to what one might cook for a funeral! The clear instructions and cheerful enthusiasm will probably inspire even the armchair cookbook reader (like me) to savor the descriptions, and then start cooking. —Erica

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The Family Meal: Home Cooking with Ferran Adria

By Ferran Adrià

Before the service begins at el Bulli restaurant, the entire staff sits down to the “family meal”—casual, relaxing and satisfying. This is a meal that needs to sustain the wait staff throughout the long night, as the restaurant business demands. It is also a meal that brings the staff together as a team. The meals are simple and well thought out, much as your own family meal is. These recipes are for real people, real families with real ingredients, yet they make you feel elevated above the usual. Look inside as see the clear and precise photographs, the simple daily menus and the easy to follow recipes—your mouth will begin watering. —Tracy

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Odd Bits: How to Cook the Rest of the Animal

By Jennifer Mclagan, Leigh Beisch

Fergus Henderson said, “Once you knock an animal on the head it is only polite to eat the whole animal.” Jennifer McLagan shows the cook how to do exactly that. She is an advocate for sustainable farming and ethical animal husbandry. It is only right that we show respect for the animal whose life we take to live by eating it “nose to tail.” This is a perfect finish to McLagan’s two previous books Bones and Fat. —Greg

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The Meatball Shop Cookbook

By Daniel Holzman, Michael Chernow, Lauren Deen

Who does not love meatballs? These authors/cooks make 4,000 meatballs a day at their Manhattan restaurant. These recipes are simple and delicious, from their kitchen to your kitchen. Mangia! —Carl

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Momofuku Milk Bar

By Christina Tosi, David Chang

When David Chang’s Momofuku cookbook came out two years ago, I eagerly flipped to the index to find the recipes for the baked delights that have garnered a tremendous cult following in New York and have elevated Chang to near godlike status among stoners with the munchies. Alas, there were no Compost Cookies, no Candybar Pie, no Birthday Cake recipes in that volume. Now, at last Momofuku Milk Bar pasty chef Tosi makes with the goods and allows the rest of us to play Willy Wonka in our kitchens at home. —Jamil

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All about Roasting: A New Approach to a Classic Art

By Molly Stevens

A roast conjures images of holidays and special celebrations. So yes, this cookbook is perfect for the season at hand. But to relegate it to the shelves only to pull it out for those momentous occasions would be a shame. Along with lavish dishes like Sear-Roasted Chateaubriand with Béarnaise Sauce are impressive yet simple ones like Roasted Asparagus Bundles Wrapped in Bacon. The well organized recipes include method, roasting time, plan ahead time, and a wine pairing. Her exhaustive notes on the why and how of roasting, shopping tips and necessary equipment make this an indispensable volume for the novice and expert alike. —Pamela

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Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual

By Michael Pollan, Maira Kalman

If Maira Kalman decided to illustrate a roll of toilet paper I’d find a way to get my hands on it. But lucky for us her latest project is to bring Pollan’s best selling manifesto on the importance of eating wisely to quirky, colorful life. Pollan boils down the essentials and Kalman adds a dash of whimsy to these bite-sized instructions for pleasurable, healthy eating. Bon appetit! —Laurie

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The Seasonal Cocktail Companion: Recipes and Projects for Four Seasons of Drinking

By Maggie Savarino

Seattle mixologist Savarino gives us exciting concoctions that are geared towards the individual seasons. Warm and cozy drinks for winter, refreshing and light drinks for summer. Ingredient lists are seasonal. You will be inspired to throw cocktail parties all year with this guide! —Hilary

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On Booze

By F. Scott Fitzgerald

It’s not the holidays until the wine is spiced, the toddy is hot, the coffee is Irish, the cake is rummed and the egg is sufficiently nogged. If you’re not sloshed by Solstice, you might consider going shot-for-shot with F. Scott Fitzgerald, American literature’s favorite lush. (Oh, and folks, please drink responsibly.) —Dave

Elliott Bay Book Company Holiday Gazette 2011

WINTER 2011

Every holiday season our staff of voracious readers finds those books that we believe will make truly loved and cherished gifts. We then collect these gems into this Holiday Gazette to help you find the perfect something for your special someone. If you want something more special, consider our Maiden Voyage Program, in which a first edition of a novel arrives in the mail every two months for a year. If you still aren’t completely certain that you can find the perfect book, we also offer gift certificates in any amount you choose. Gift wrapping is always free and we will ship your gift books to any destination world wide. We look forward to serving you this holiday season.

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MetaMaus: A Look Inside a Modern Classic, Maus

By Art Spiegelman

Twenty-five years after Maus I was first published, this beautiful volume revisits Spiegelman’s profound depiction of his parents’ survival of the Holocaust. Filled with interviews, sketches, notebooks, primary source material, as well as a hyperlinked DVD featuring the full text of Maus along with audio recordings and much more, METAMAUS is an extensive and moving document. By engaging three questions: Why the Holocaust? Why Mice? Why Comics?, Spiegelman illuminates how the accomplishment of Maus resulted from both his formal innovation and his insistent engagement with the most harrowing and uncomfortable complexities of his subject. —Casey O.

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Winter: Five Windows on the Season

By Adam Gopnik

Whether your winter is cold and dark, bright and frosty, mountainous and adventurous, warm and homey, or quiet and meditative, there’s something attractive about the season. Adam Gopnik’s tone betrays his childlike fascination with winter as he takes us from sacred Dickensian holidays to intense hockey games to give us an atmospheric survey of the shortest, dimmest days in the northern hemisphere. Whether you’re a snowbird or a ski bum, Gopnik writes a wonderland you’ll enjoy. —Dave

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The Italian Baker, Revised: The Classic Tastes of the Italian Countryside–Its Breads, Pizza, Focaccia, Cakes, Pastries, and Cookies

By Ed Anderson, Carol Field

Carol Field’s The Italian Baker is a gem of a book. There is nothing I like more than good rustic Italian bread, and this, short of travelling to Italy, is the way to find it. What one discovers in the course of reading and perusing this book is that there are over one thousand varieties of Italian bread—all regionally unique— and don’t you dare confuse them. Field covers it all, from breads to cookies and everything in between. This is a must-have baking book. I was bowled over.—Greg

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The Prague Cemetery

By Umberto Eco, Richard Dixon

Simonini is a fervent gourmand with a splintered psyche, a penchant for deceit, and a hatred of just about everyone. After much devious plotting, he is on the cusp of a forgery so incendiary that it may alter the course of history. In putting his diabolical plan into action he becomes something of an odious Zelig, affecting famous events and interacting with all manner of actual historical personages. Eco has again succeeded in delivering a compulsively readable story deeply rooted in actual events. —Jamil

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The Louvre: All the Paintings

By Erich Lessing, Vincent Pomarede

Wowsa! For the first time ever, all 3,022 paintings from the Louvre’s permanent collection are brought together in one staggeringly beautiful book. Expertly assembled and magnificently detailed, The Louvre: All the Paintings provides lavish, full-color reproductions, comprehensive background information on each piece and its artist, illuminating extended essays on 400 highly celebrated works, and immersive DVD-ROM software allowing you to virtually explore the Louvre’s labyrinthine passageways. Here is a book you can be dreamily lost in for days. Just look at Mona Lisa’s smile; she’s practically daring you to do it. What a mind-boggle. —Matthew

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Hemingway’s Boat: Everything He Loved in Life, and Lost, 1934-1961

By Paul Hendrickson

There are many Hemingway biographies out there, but this one stands above the rest. Hemingway’s Boat focuses less on the author’s infamously disagreeable behavior, which has been exhaustively chronicled elsewhere, and more on his relationships, his love of fishing, and his sense of adventure on the ocean. It offers a fresh perspective that reveals the person, rather than the legend. Pilar, Hemingway’s 1934 custom fishing boat, is the actual vehicle that the author uses to guide the narrative. Hendrickson has created an amazingly detailed and thorough investigation of Hemingway’s life with Pilar. The upbeat, straightforward, and enjoyable narrative will leave you feeling like you’ve sailed with Ernest Hemingway. —Hilary

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Daughter of Smoke and Bone

By Laini Taylor

Karoo is a beguiling mystery to her art school friends in Prague. She’s been known to run off for weeks without notice, returning only to nurse vague excuses and bruises, her sketch pads are inhabited by the most curious horned and winged creatures, and she has the uncanny ability to make wishes come true. Raised by a creature named Brimstone, Karoo has no clue who her real family is, where she came from, or that she might have a pivotal part to play in an ancient battle between good and evil. Readers of The Golden Compass will devour this gorgeous urban fantasy! —Leighanne

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The Angel Esmeralda: Nine Stories

By Don DeLillo

This is Don DeLillo’s one and only collection of short stories, dating from 1979 through 2011. In some ways, it’s too bad DeLillo hasn’t written more short stories because it’s a form that he is very adept at—to no surprise. There is a precision of language in each story—an ambiguity—and I was unsettled by them in subtle ways. These stories are the perfect introduction to DeLillo for the uninitiated, and for those who are fans, they are a confirmation of his place among the best of contemporary American writers. This is a book that can be savored over time and returned to again and again. —Greg

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Jerusalem: The Biography

By Simon Sebag Montefiore

Most known for his biographies of Stalin and works on Russian history, Simon Sebag Montefiore turns his eye to the city of Jerusalem—Judean hilltown-turned-cradle of the Abrahamic religions, crossroads and meeting place, Holy City and place of worldly ferment. With superb narrative writing, Montefiore makes thousands of years—every epic rise, fall, and rise again, from King David to the 1967 Six-Day War—come compellingly alive. As it is a biography, this book gives a great sense of life and all that is encompassed in the lives of so many who have been part of its history over time. —Rick

Fall Booknotes from Our Staff – Young Adult

The Chronicles of Harris Burdick
by Chris Van Allsburg (Houghton Mifflin)

Nobody who’s ever perused the pages of The Mysteries of Harris Burdick could ever forget them. So when I heard there was a compilation of stories based on these puzzling images, I was delighted. Within these pages we meet a boy on a quest to understand and manipulate time, witness a pair of nasty twins receive a most imaginative comeuppance, and double-take as a baby girl with an oatmeal-smeared chin floats into the air. But instead of explaining away one mystery, these amazing stories take the reader further down a spiraling rabbit-hole of possibility. Which was exactly what Harris Burdick had in mind. -Leighanne

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The Apothecary
by Maile Meloy
illus. by Ian Schoenherr (Putnam)

In 1952 America, Cold War politics are prevalent, and fourteen-year-old Janie reluctantly moves to London with her blacklisted parents. Her new life soon becomes interesting when her schoolmate’s father, the local apothecary (or pharmacist, as we’d call him), is kidnapped and Soviet spies seem to be coveting his sacred book of medicines, The Pharmacopoeia. With her fearless friend Benjamin, they conspire to save the book and his father, and prevent an impending Russian nuclear experiment! An enthralling mix of history, fantasy, alchemy, and adventure, a dash of teen romance, and a splash of political intrigue, this to-be-continued story grabs you the minute you meet its plucky young heroine. -Erica

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Legend
by Marie Lu (Putnam)

In a distant future, the United States has collapsed into two separate lands: the Republic, a country of order and class, and the Colonies, a land in perpetual war with its neighbor. Day and June both live in the Republic but lead very different lives. June is a prodigy brought up to take her place among the nation’s elite. Day, a child of slums, was destined to die before his wits and cunning led him to the top of the Republic’s most-wanted criminal list. When an act of murder throws their worlds together, Day and June both discover that the Republic may not be all that it seems. Fans of The Hunger Games will love the first book of this trilogy. -Casey S.

Legend will be published Tuesday, November 29th. Pre-order your copy today. 

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Booknotes, the newsletter of The Elliott Bay Book Company, is written entirely by bookstore staff. It represents a sampling of recently published books that we have enjoyed reading. We appreciate every opportunity to assist in finding books to meet your interests.

Short Run Fest this Saturday!

On Saturday, November 12th, Vera Project plays host to the first-ever Short Run Festival – an excellently curated small press exhibition featuring regional small press publications and individual makers of art books, zines, comics, literary works, and animation. Doors open at 10:30am with over 70 exhibitors, including showstoppers like Hoarse, Filter, Microcosm Publishing, Jason T. Miles from Profanity Hill, Stumptown Underground, Bureau of Drawers Collective, Sam Lohman with Peaches & Bats, and representatives from the ZAPP archives at Hugo House.

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Organizers see Short Run as an “alternative to large-scale commercial conventions,” with particular attention paid to limited edition, handmade literature and unconventional programming. So, in addition to endless rows of beautiful saddle stitched books, expect a day-long drawing competition inspired by Ryan Molenkamp’s “The Portrait Challenge,” and a series of animation screenings from SEAT (Seattle Experimental Animation Team), David Nixon, and Julie Alpert and Andy Arkley. Also, there’s a bake sale. Honestly, now. Why would you not go to this?

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Short Run is free and open to the public. Doors open at 10:30am and close at 4:30pm. After which, festivities move to Fantagraphics in Georgetown for an after party art show with the exhibitors. Click here for more info!

The sprawling and lovely River scroll by Martine Workman, one of the featured presenters.

Fall Booknotes from Our Staff – Biography

Blue Nights
by Joan Didion (Knopf)

Six years after the publication of her stunning memoir, The Year of Magical Thinking, Didion brings us a deeply moving account of the loss of her thirty-nine-year-old daughter, Quintana. Didion begins with what would be the seven-year anniversary of Quintana’s wedding, and moves back and forth through time to reflect on her daughter’s life and her own role as a parent. The deaths of her husband and daughter forced Didion to face her own mortality, and to acknowledge the majesty of what she once considered ordinary blessings. Didion once again gives us an unflinching chronicle written in her signature succinct prose. -Laurie

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Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness
by Alexandra Fuller (Penguin)

With the fortuitous combination of Alexandra Fuller’s adventurous and charismatic family, and her terrific storytelling skills, this memoir (following Don’t Let’s Go To the Dogs Tonight) presents the story of her mother’s remarkable life. Born in Scotland and raised in Kenya, Nicola Fuller’s passion, bravery, and uniquely wry sense of humor are evident throughout, from settling onto four different farms in southern Africa, to the heart-breaking personal and political challenges that threaten her mental stability. This tribute to an exceptional woman, who, with a bit of wine, her beloved animals nearby, and an occasional song to fit the moment, agreed to be the subject of another (revealing) “awful book,” returns us to the fabulous Fullers with renewed curiosity and pleasure. -Erica

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Feynman
by Jim Ottaviani
illus. by Leland Myrick (First Second)

One difference between the genius mind and the average mind is the ability to view the world from unexpected angles. According to this biographical graphic novel, that ability paired with a great sense of humor are physicist Richard Feynman’s gifts. They undoubtedly helped the scientist with his contribution to the Nobel Prize winning work on the theory of quantum electrodynamics. However, the author also makes a point of showing that they helped Feynman improve the teaching of physics. His desire to make physics more accessible spurred a series of popular lectures. In the end, this achievement vies with those scientific feats as his single greatest work. -Pamela

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And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut: A Life
by Charles J. Shields (Henry Holt)

Acclaimed biographer Charles Shields shines an unprecedented light onto Kurt Vonnegut Jr.—that smirking master of American letters. Working directly with the author before his death, Shields seamlessly weaves together a wealth of personal letters and first-hand anecdotes, interviews, and photographs. From Vonnegut’s early days of anonymity as a struggling short-story writer and his grappling with success and life as a family man to a horrific recreation of the bombings in Dresden and tracing how those events gave rise to Slaughterhouse-Five. Intimate and heartfelt without pulling punches, And So it Goes is a fittingly scribbly sketch of this off beat literary icon, both on and off the page. -Matthew

And So It Goes will be published on Tuesday, November 8th.

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Booknotes, the newsletter of The Elliott Bay Book Company, is written entirely by bookstore staff. It represents a sampling of recently published books that we have enjoyed reading. We appreciate every opportunity to assist in finding books to meet your interests.

A Weekend of International Poetry with Wave Books

On November 4th, Wave Books kicks off their 2nd annual Poetry Festival at the Henry Art Gallery in Seattle. This year, their theme is Poetry in Translation, which already has me running around in circles like an over-excited pet. Each day is packed with fifteen separate events, ranging from art exhibitions to lectures and discussions, to readings held in the beatific James Turrell Skyspace. Friday night is looking mighty fine: from 7pm to 9pm over a dozen festival participants are assembling at the Henry Art Gallery Auditorium for a gigantic  group reading. And Sunday’s grand finale sounds phenomenal: at 7:30 pm, MacArthur grant winning poet Peter Cole, preeminent translator of Chinese and Buddhist texts Bill Porter (aka Red Pine), and James Joyce translator/scholar Nikolai Popov gather to speak at the Neptune Theatre. The lecture, entitled, “Translators on Translation,” is presented in partnership with Seattle Arts & Lectures and will be moderated by poet Matthew Zapruder.

The sheer scope of this festival is flabbergasting; especially when one considers just how little international literature we have access to in America. As publishing house Open Letter points out, only 3 percent of books published in the U.S. are works in translation (when you run those numbers for literary fiction and poetry, it’s more like 0.7 percent).  So thank you, Wave, for organizing such a singular and edifying weekend. Here’s a glimpse at just a few of the poets, translators, and editors scheduled to attend:

John Beer, Don Mee Choi, Zhang Er, Jonathan Way, Alejandro de Acosta, Deborah Woodard, Michael Biggins, Sarah Valentine, Maged Zaher, Joshua Beckman, Michael Wiegers, Graham Foust, Samuel Frederick, Anthony McCann, Cole Heinowitz, Summer Robinson, Kevin Craft, Annie Janusch, Giuseppe Leporace, Laura Jensen, Anthony Geist, and Alissa Valles.

The schedule:

(11/4) Friday’s schedule of events is here

(11/5) Saturday’s schedule of events is here

(11/6) Sunday’s schedule of events is here

Purchasing a pass gains you entry to all three days of the festival, plus a welcome packet including, among other delights: a handmade book, pamphlets, festival ephemera, and a ticket to Sunday night’s grand finale.

Visit Wave Books for more info and pick up your pass today!

Midnight Murakami Release Party is Tonight!

Murakami at Midnight

Join us tonight as we celebrate the much-awaited English-language release of Haruki Murakami’s dazzling new novel,
1Q84
with a special midnight release party.

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Tonight, Elliott Bay will stay open past its usual 10 p.m. in anticipation of the new Murakami book release at midnight. As the onsale moment draws near, we’ll offer some fun and diversion (besides other books) in the form of Murakami trivia contests.

A limited number of SIGNED COPIES will be available for those on-hand at midnight.

We have been promised signed first-edition U.S. copies of 1Q84. At midnight, we will have a special drawing for those present who are interested in purchasing one of these autographed copies.

You must be on-hand to be eligible for a signed copy.

Please join us.

And remember: If you pre-order 1Q84 before its midnight release you’ll receive a 20% discount!