Library Podcasts
Each year the Library hosts readings, lectures, and discussions by authors and other public figures. You may watch video recordings of recent programs on our YouTube channel. Our archive of audio recordings goes back more than 10 years and includes thousands of memorable Library events.
Quick search for podcasts
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Nick Licata reads and discusses 'Becoming a Citizen Activist'
Longtime Seattle City Councilmember Nick Licata discusses 'Becoming a Citizen Activist: Stories, Strategies, and Advice for Changing Our World.' -- Licata has been one of Seattle's most effective leaders of political and social change since the 1960s. In his new book, he explains how to get organized, congregate power, and master the tactics for change.
Listen to Audio (mp3) [file size: 30.62MB] [Play time: 01 hr 06 min]
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The Science of Love with Dr. Pepper Schwartz
We often think of love as a mystery, or even a fairy tale, but there is science underlying our attractions! Listen to Dr. Pepper Schwartz, popular relationship expert and author of '50 Myths About Human Sexuality', discuss the science of love and how understanding it can help improve your love life. Dr. Schwartz touches on different theories of what makes people fall in love, different (and often conflicting) styles of showing love, and how love and intimacy (sexual and non-sexual) can be renewed in a relationship.
Listen to Audio (mp3) [file size: 34.71MB] [Play time: 01 hr 15 min]
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Martha Rosler: Housing Is a Human Right
Join Martha Rosler, Alison Eisinger - Executive Director of the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, and invited guests, for a community talk examining housing as a human right. -- Martha Rosler works across a range of media, including photography, video, writing, performance, sculpture, and installation, often addressing matters of the public sphere and everyday life, especially as they affect women. Rosler has for many years produced works on war and the "national security climate," connecting everyday experiences at home with the conduct of war abroad - most famously in 'House Beautiful: Bringing the War Home', originally made as a response to the war in Vietnam in the late 1960s and reprised in 2004-2008 as a new series on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Listen to Audio (mp3) [file size: 51.27MB] [Play time: 01 hr 51 min]
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Rainier Beach Branch: Re-opening Celebration
Join us in celebrating the grand re-opening of the Rainier Beach Branch with brief remarks by City Librarian Marcellus Turner and Mayor Ed Murray as well as a poetry reading by the African American Writers' Alliance.
Listen to Audio (mp3) [file size: 13.90MB] [Play time: 0 hr 30 min]
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Page to Screen presents: Tod Browning's 'Freaks'
The "Page to Screen" series explores the adaptation of short stories to film. This program presents "Freaks," Tod Browning, director (1932); based on "Spurs," by Tod Robbins (1923). -- She despised him as a freak, but married him for his money. Who then is the real monster? Robbins' macabre circus tale becomes Browning's infamous cult classic, a horror film showcasing actual sideshow performers. -- Listen to a reading of 'Spurs'.
Listen to Audio (mp3) [file size: 22.50MB] [Play time: 0 hr 49 min]
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Gretchen Rubin reads from and discusses 'Better Than Before'
How do we change our habits? Bestselling author Gretchen Rubin turns her attention to this crucial question. Join us for a reading and Q&A to help start your 2016 off on the right track! Gretchen Rubin ("The Happiness Project") brings a provocative yet practical perspective to habits in her New York Times Bestseller "Better Than Before: What I Learned About Making and Breaking Habits - to Sleep More, Quit Sugar, Procrastinate Less, and Generally Build a Happier Life." With her signature mix of rigorous research, easy humor and personal experimentation, Rubin identifies and illustrates the core principles of habit change. -- The New York Times Book Review said: "'The Happiness Project' lays out life's essential goals ... Her [Rubin's] new book, 'Better Than Before,' serves as a kind of detailed instruction manual on how to achieve them."
Listen to Audio (mp3) [file size: 30.38MB] [Play time: 01 hr 06 min]