November 2025 Author and Community Events at The Seattle Public Library
release date: October 31, 2025
As we head into the Big Dark, the Library is here for you with author and community events that will inspire, education and entertain. Attend a stirring tribute to legendary jazz icon Ernestine Anderson; hear Oyinkan Braithwaite, author of “My Sister the Serial Killer,” discuss her next book; and enjoy a collaborative play fair organized by guest-curator Amy Hirayama.
All Library events are free and open to the public. Find information and registration through the event links below or at www.spl.org/Calendar.
Many of these events are supported by The Seattle Public Library Foundation and the Gary and Connie Kunis Foundation. Registration is not required unless noted.
- Shannon Perez-Darby and Guests discuss "How to End Family Policing." Monday, Nov. 3, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Central Library, Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium. Join us for a discussion about "How to End Family Policing: From Outrage to Action," with anti-violence advocate, author, activist, and consultant Shannon Perez-Darby. Shawn Koyano, Såhi Velasco, and Sully Sullivan are presenters. Registration is required.
- Ladies Musical Club Concert. Wednesday, Nov. 5, from noon to 1 p.m. Central Library, Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium. Join Seattle’s oldest musical organization for a classical music concert featuring piano solos by Piazzolla, Debussy, and Rachmaninoff, as well as French songs.
- Max Delsohn discusses "Crawl." Wednesday, Nov. 5, from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Central Library, Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium. McSweeney’s writer Max Delsohn will discuss his new book, a sharply recognizable yet exhilaratingly transcendent fantasia of transmasculine life in 2010s Seattle. Registration is required.
- Becky Spratford discusses “Why I Love Horror.” Thursday, Nov. 6, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 4, Washington Mutual Foundation Meeting Room 1. Longtime librarian Becky Spratford and Sadie Hartmann (Mother Horror) will discuss Spatford’s “Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature,” an anthology that is a heartfelt tribute to the horror genre. It features essays from celebrated contemporary horror writers including Grady Hendrix, Paul Tremblay, Stephen Graham Jones, Josh Malerman, Victor LaValle, Tananarive Due, and Rachel Harrison. Registration is required.
- ZAPP Zine Collection Open Hours. Saturdays, Nov. 8, 15, and 22, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 7 Zine Room. Explore the ZAPP Zine Collection of over 30,000 zines, minicomics, and other small press periodicals.
- Celebrating Ernestine Anderson. Saturday, Nov. 8, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium. Award-winning singer-songwriter Eugenie Jones presents a live jazz tribute performance and lecture about legendary Seattle jazz icon Ernestine Anderson. Throughout her six-decade career, Anderson recorded over 30 albums, received four Grammy nominations, and performed on the world's most prestigious stages.
- Oyinkan Braithwaite discusses "Cursed Daughters." Wednesday, Nov. 12, from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Central Library, Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium. The author of "My Sister the Serial Killer" discusses her new novel, "Cursed Daughters," described as “a wickedly funny, brilliantly perceptive novel about love, female rivalry, and superstition.” Registration is required.
- Stacey Levine discusses her Pulitzer-Prize finalist novel "Mice 1961." Thursday, Nov. 20, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Ballard Branch Meeting Room. Seattle author Stacey Levine is the author of five books of uniquely voice-driven fiction. Her novel, "Mice 1961," was a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction finalist in 2025. The San Francisco Bay Guardian described her as "one of the most interesting writers working in America today, startling and idiosyncratic in the best sense."
- Guest Curator Amy Hirayama presents “Collab-o-Rama." Monday, Nov. 23, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Central Library, Level 4, Washington Mutual Foundation Meeting Room 1. This collaborative play fair will give attendees a chance to visit different stations and engage in collaborative, generative activities. You’ll walk away with art projects, written pieces, ideas and resources, and connections to new friends. Hirayama’s fall series on “Serious Play” closes with this event. Registration is required.
CONNECT WITH THE LIBRARY
The Seattle Public 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 empower 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 spl.org/Ask. Staff are ready to answer questions and direct you to helpful resources and information. Find out more about our future plans at www.spl.org/StrategicPlan.