Summer Author & Community Events at The Seattle Public Library
release date: June 30, 2025
From a summer StoryWalk in Magnolia to events featuring local authors to pop-up book sales and gallery exhibits, The Seattle Public Library’s summer events will inspire and entertain you!
All Library events are free and open to the public. Find information and registration through the event links below or at spl.org/Calendar. You can also find many wonderful summer programs for kids and families at our Kids and Families calendar. Many of these events are supported by The Seattle Public Library Foundation and the Gary and Connie Kunis Foundation.
UPCOMING AUTHOR EVENTS AND EXHIBITS
- Magnolia StoryWalks® from July 1 to August 31. For the fifth year, the Magnolia Branch is partnering up to offer StoryWalks® at three locations in the neighborhood: outside the Magnolia Branch, at the Magnolia Farmers’ Market, and at Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center. Each trail features a picture book by Indigenous authors, chosen by Daybreak Star preschool teachers. This year, we also partnered with the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library (WTBBL) to transcribe all books into Braille.
- ZAPP Zine Collection Open Hours on Saturdays from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Central Library’s Level 7 Zine Room. This summer, visit the Library’s ZAPP Zine Collection during open hours on Saturdays to explore its collection of over 30,000 zines, minicomics, and other small press periodicals. Registration is not required.
- An Evening with Mira Grant aka Seanan McGuire on Thursday, July 10 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Central Library’s Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Join us for a lively evening with local horror and fantasy writer Mira Grant aka Seanan McGuire. In Grant’s latest work, “Overgrowth,” Anastasia Miller has been telling anyone who would listen that she’s an alien disguised as a human being, and that the armada that left her on Earth is coming for her. What happens when you know what’s coming, and just refuse to listen? Registration is required, but all Library events are free.
- Pop-Up Book Sale at the Green Lake Branch on Saturday, July 26 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Find books and gifts for all ages at the Friends of The Seattle Public Library’s pop-up sale, including children’s books for $2, adult paperbacks for $3 and adult hard cover books for $4. And you can check out the newly remodeled Green Lake Branch!
- Kim Fu discusses “Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century” on Wednesday, July 30 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Central Library’s Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. As part of the KUOW Book Club’s summer series, Seattle author Fu will discuss their new collection of 12 surreal and haunting stories with KUOW’s Katie Campbell. Katie and Kim will explore the inspiration behind these short stories, and you’ll have the chance to peek inside the author’s imagination and ask questions. Registration is required, but all Library events are free.
- Isabel Cañas discusses “The Possession of Alba Díaz” with Sadie “Mother Horror” Hartmann on Tuesday, August 19 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Central Library’s Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Set in 1765 Zacatecas, Mexico, the bestselling author’s latest novel stars a demonic presence that awakens deep in a Mexican silver mine. When a young woman fleeing her plague-ridden region is seized by the demon, she must turn to the one man she shouldn’t trust in a fight for her life. Registration is required, but all Library events are free.
- Lynda Mapes discusses “The Trees are Speaking: Dispatches from the Salmon Forest” on Wednesday, Aug. 27 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Central Library’s Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. At the final event in our summer book club series with KUOW, Seattle Times environmental journalist Mapes will discuss her latest work, which is already being hailed as essential reading for anyone interested in environmental stewardship. Registration is required, but all Library events are free.
- Circle Up! Listen to the Moment Exhibit through July 31 at the Central Library’s Level 8 Gallery. This exhibit documents how Black educators brought restorative justice to South Seattle schools. Partners include Wa Na Wari, the Black Heritage Society of Washington State, and WA-BLOC (Washington Building Leaders of Change). 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 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 www.spl.org/Ask. Staff are ready to answer questions and direct you to helpful resources and information.