May 2025 Author Readings and Community Events at The Seattle Public Library
release date: May 5, 2025
The Seattle Public Library has planned May programs to inspire and entertain, from three events with U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón for Seattle Reads, to “Mindful Doodling” workshops with artist Cara Bean to a talk with author Karen Hao about her new book of “Empire of AI.”
All Library events are free and open to the public. Find information and registration through the event links below or at spl.org/Calendar. Many of these events are supported by The Seattle Public Library Foundation and the Gary and Connie Kunis Foundation. See the Seattle Reads calendar for additional community events related to “You Are Here.”
UPCOMING AUTHOR AND COMMUNITY EVENTS AND EXHIBITS
- Circle Up! Listen to the Moment Exhibit. Through July 31. A new exhibit in the Central Library’s Level 8 Gallery documents how Black educators brought restorative justice to South Seattle schools. By preserving these stories, this project will honor the legacy of Black-led restorative justice work in Seattle schools, inspire future generations, and deepen understanding of how these community leaders have shaped educational systems grounded in justice for all students, particularly those impacted by systemic racism. Partners include Wa Na Wari, the Black Heritage Society of Washington State, and WA-BLOC (Washington Building Leaders of Change). Registration is not required.
- Viet Thanh Nguyen and Shawn Wong discuss “To Save and Destroy.” Wednesday, May 7, from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of “The Sympathizer,” will discuss his new book with fellow author and scholar Shawn Wong. Partners include the Elliott Bay Book Company. Registration is full for this event.
- Seattle Reads: Lynda Mapes and Rena Priest Discuss “The Trees Are Speaking.” Thursday, May 8, from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Seattle Times reporter Lynda Mapes and poet Rena Priest will discuss Mapes’ new book, “The Trees Are Speaking,” which takes readers on a bicoastal journey to connect the present and future of Pacific Northwest forests. Registration is required.
- Mindful Doodling with Cara Bean. Friday, May 9, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 4 - Room 1. Join art educator and author Cara Bean to experience how even the smallest marks on paper have a lot to teach us about honoring ourselves, feeling creative, and connecting to everyone around us. Registration is required. (Also, Sunday, May 11, 2 p.m. at the Southwest Branch.)
- Poetry in Public -- youth focus. Saturday, May 10, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Join Guest Curator Laura Da’ (Poetry Planner), Sierra Nelson (Youth Community Liaison), and featured community members as they highlight their own work and share poetry from the Poetry in Public project. Registration is required.
- Cruel and ineffective: A conversation about the increased criminalization of homelessness in our city, state, and country. Tuesday, May 13, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 – Auditorium. Join Josephine Ensign, the author of "Way Home: Journeys Through Homelessness," along with fellow panelists Derrick Belgarde and Sara Rankin for a discussion on homelessness and criminalization in our communities. Registration is required.
- Seattle Reads presents Ada Limón. The 24th U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón will travel to Seattle to speak at several events related to this year’s Seattle Reads selection, “You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World.” Central Library, Level 1 Auditorium: Friday, May 16, from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. The event will also feature Seattle’s new Civic Poet Dujie Tahat. Green Lake Branch: Saturday, May 17, from 11 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. Former Washington State Poet Laureate Rena Priest will read a poem to start. Columbia Branch: Saturday, May 17, from 3 p.m. to 4:10 p.m. Youth Poet Laureate Janae Lu will open the event.
- Seattle Reads presents An Evening with Laura Da' and Cedar Sigo. Tuesday, May 20, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. This year’s Seattle Reads selection “You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World” features two local Indigenous poets: Laura Da' and Cedar Sigo. We're celebrating their inclusion in the anthology as they share their original work. Registration is required.
- Caitlin Starling discusses “The Starving Saints” with Sadie Hartmann. Thursday, May 22, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 4 - Room 1. Join us to hear Caitlin Starling discuss her newest addition to the queer horror cannon “The Starving Saints,” a work of medieval fantasy and cannibalism, in conversation with Sadie Hartmann. Held in partnership with Charlie’s Queer Books.
- Landscapes of Healing. Thursday, May 22, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Lapis Theater at Hugo House (1634 11th Ave.). Mentors from Pongo Poetry Project and the Hugo House community will read poetry inspired by "You Are Here," and hold an open mic. Registration is required.
- Author Karen Hao discusses "Empire of AI." Tuesday, May 27, 2025, from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. When Karen Hao first began covering OpenAI in 2019, she thought they were the good guys. Founded as a nonprofit with safety enshrined as its core mission, the organization was meant, its leader Sam Altman said, to act as a check against more purely mercantile, and potentially dangerous, forces. What could go wrong? Registration is required.
- Moira Macdonald and Bethany Jean Clement discuss "Storybook Ending: A Novel.” Wednesday, May 28, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Seattle Times arts critic Moira Macdonald will discuss her debut novel, "Storybook Ending," with Seattle Times food critic Bethany Jean Clement. When an anonymous note left in a book finds the wrong recipient, two women — a lonely remote worker and a widowed single mom— find themselves in an unusual love triangle with a handsome local bookstore clerk. Registration is required.
- Writing the Land with La Sala. Thursday, May 29, from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Join La Sala for an inspiring evening celebrating Latino/Latina/Latinx poets who have participated in "Writing the Land," a project by NatureCulture that highlights the deep connection between poetry, place, and conservation. Registration is required.
- Where and When We Find Ourselves: Celebrating Black Histories and Stories. Saturday, May 31, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Central Library, Level 4, Room 1. Engage with local Black history during this interactive day full of crafts, oral histories and even extended reality (XR). Throughout the day's workshops, performances and experiences, you'll have a chance to share your own history and immerse yourself in the work of local Black history keepers and artists. Partners include Wa Na Wari / Black Spatial Histories Institute, the Black Heritage Society of Washington state, The Digital Public Library of America, Mellon Foundation and the Black Genealogy Research Group of Seattle. Registration is not required.
MORE INFORMATION
The Library believes that the power of knowledge improves people's lives. We promote literacy and a love of reading as we bring people, information and ideas together to enrich lives and build community. Find more events at www.spl.org/Calendar.
Contact the Library’s Ask Us service by phone at 206-386-4636 or by email or chat at www.spl.org/Ask. Staff are ready to answer questions and direct you to helpful resources and information.