On November 13, Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum invites local self-published authors, poets, bloggers, storytellers, and all wordsmiths to participate in their inaugural open mic night. Writers will be invited to share a piece from their self-published work in a supportive literary setting while enjoying a complimentary beer and wine reception. Arrive by 6:30pm to sign up for a spot on the stage.

Authors can bring their self-published books to the event to sell. Reservations are recommended and tickets are a “donate what you want.” More information about the event can be found at folioseattle.org.

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) write-ins also return to Folio in November on Saturday afternoons.

Writers are welcome to write in sprints with the group or go at their own pace while enjoying the company of fellow writers from 1pm to 4pm. They can also add to their NaNoWriMo duck collection or win other prizes such as a pocket notebook, free books, pens or Folio passes. More details on the website.

About Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum
Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum is a nonprofit library and cultural center located in the Pike Place Market. Folio offers a circulating book collection, provides workspaces for writers, and presents numerous public programs, author readings, civic discussions and musical evenings.  It is located at 93 Pike St. #307.

More information and details about currents can be found at folioseattle.org

Folio is located in the Seattle’s famed Pike Place Market in the Economy Building at First Avenue and Pike Street. They provide rental space for other literary events and meet-ups as well as hosting their own events.

Photo of NaNoWriMo 2019 courtesy of Folio.

Why does the Northeast corner of the country attract monsters, magic, and superheroes? Find out from Northwest writers reading fantastic, strange, and even cozy horror fiction set in New England. Enjoy an evening at Distant Worlds Coffeehouse in Seattle on November 28, 6pm to 8pm, as six local authors give a sampling of their recent and upcoming novels.

The event is free. The authors are providing treats for the audience and asking people support this geek-friendly establishment by ordering a caffeinated or non- caffeinated drink of choice.

* Amanda Cherry and Erik Scott de Bie read from Bad Intentions as a super-powered love affair gets messy with magic and revenge.

* Rosemary Jones presents Arkham Horror’s first Christmas novel The Bootlegger’s Dance where time travel goes awry in a town haunted by monsters past and present.

*Jeremy Zimmerman reads from Kensei 3, the continuing adventures of Kensei as she navigates life as a superhero and young adult.

* Dawn Vogel reads from Brother’s Keeper, where a team of superheroes stops a threat far bigger than any of them alone.

* The founder of the Cobalt City series, Nathan Crowder, will read from a new release Warlock Rising.

Learn more about upcoming fiction from local publisher DefCon One and find out how a Seattle author ended up writing for Aconyte Books in Nottingham, England. Distant Worlds Coffeehouse is located at 6401 Roosevelt Way NE in Seattle. They offer a variety of events including a spoken word open mike night every first Saturday of the month and will be hosting “Come Write In” every Wednesday in November for NaNoWriMo. To find out more about all events at Distant Worlds, see their website at distantworldscoffee.com.

Portland Book Festival returns to the Portland Art Museum and neighboring venues in downtown Portland on Saturday, November 4, 2023.

Starting October 30, PBF Cover to Cover events will be held throughout the city. From storytime singalongs to poetry karaoke, these events create a literary week which embraces the entire city and involves many of the city’s small press and independent publishers.

Linda Letra Bilingual Books and Portland Mercado have created a Day of the Dead celebration on November 2, 4:30pm, at Mercado. Nelda Reyes will be reading “Huesos” by Luis San Vicente and sharing a wise story from her own book “Huehuetlatolli, The Wise Stories of My People.”

Independent press Propeller Books will celebrate recent and forthcoming releases at Up Up Books, bookstore and community workshop space in the Buckman neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. Expect to hear samples from the work of Propeller authors including Dan DeWeese, Evan P. Scheider, Mary Rechner, and Miriam Gershow on November 2, 4:30pm to 6:30pm.

Northwestern University Press imprint Curbstone Books and online literary magazine The Rumpus will host a evening of readings at Rose City Pub on November 2. Featuring performances from Omar El Akkad, Jennifer Fliss, Elisa Gonzalez, Perry Janes, Sebastián Páramo, and Jane Wong. Hosted by Marisa Siegel and Marissa Korbel. This free event begins at 6:30pm.

For these and information on more Cover to Cover events, see pdxbookfest.org/cover-to-cover-schedule.

The Portland Book Festival fills the Portland Art Museum and neighboring venues on Saturday, November 4, 2023. Oregon’s all-ages, daylong event celebrates books and storytelling, including author panels, pop-up readings, writing workshops, kids’ story time, and a book fair.

Literary Arts recently released the following list of authors scheduled to appear at the 2023 Portland Book Festival:

Fiction

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Chain-Gang All-Stars | Kathleen Alcott, Emergency | Naomi Alderman, The Future | Jazmina Barrera, Cross-Stitch | Patrick deWitt, The Librarianist | Debra Magpie Earling, The Lost Journals of Sacajewea | John Freeman, Freeman’s: Conclusions | Megan Kamalei Kakimoto, Every Drop Is a Man’s Nightmare | Lydia Kiesling, Mobility | Angie Kim, Happiness Falls | E. J. Koh, The Liberators | Edan Lepucki, Time’s Mouth | Jonathan Lethem, Brooklyn Crime Novel | Ayana Mathis, The Unsettled | Tim O’Brien, America Fantastica | Curtis Sittenfeld, Romantic Comedy | Justin Torres, Blackouts | Luis Alberto Urrea, Good Night, Irene | Vauhini Vara, This Is Salvaged | Michelle Wildgen, Wine People | Alice Winn, In Memoriam

Nonfiction

Aaron Adams & Liz Crain, Fermenter | Erica Berry, Wolfish | Cat Bohannon, Eve | Roz Chast, I Must Be Dreaming | Nicole Chung, A Living Remedy | Stacey Mei Yan Fong, 50 Pies, 50 States | John Freeman, Freeman’s | Santi Elijah Holley, An Amerikan Family | Sabrina Imbler, How Far the Light Reaches | Mitchell S. Jackson, Fly | Kate Lebo, Pie School | Michael Lewis, Going Infinite | Navied Mahdavian, This Country | Hetty Lui McKinnon, Tenderheart | Viet Thanh Nguyen, A Man of Two Faces | Roger Reeves, Dark Days | Safiya Sinclair, How to Say Babylon | Angela Sterritt, Unbroken | Jane Wong, Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City

Poetry

Stephanie Adams-Santos, Dream of Xibalba | Victoria Adukwei Bulley, Quiet | Oliver de la Paz, The Diaspora Sonnets | Elisa Gonzalez, Grand Tour | Jane Hirshfield, The Asking | Major Jackson, Razzle Dazzle | Anis Mojgani, The Tigers, They Let Me | Jae Nichelle, God Themselves | Paisley Rekdal, West: A Translation | Charif Shanahan, Trace Evidence

Young Adult

Jennifer Baker, Forgive Me Not | Kendare Blake, Champion of Fate | Jennifer Dugan, The Last Girls Standing | Courtney Gould, Where Echoes Die | Kim Johnson, Invisible Son | Kayvion Lewis, Thieves’ Gambit | Kelly McWilliams, Your Plantation Prom Is Not Okay | Elizabeth Rusch, The Twenty-One | Arya Shahi, An Impossible Thing to Say | Jen St. Jude, If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come

Middle Grade

Breena Bard, Wildfire | Mac Barnett & Shawn Harris, The First Cat in Space and the Soup of Doom | Eoin Colfer, Juniper’s Christmas | Jim Di Bartolo & Laini Taylor, Billie Blaster and the Robot Army from Outer Space | Arnée Flores, The Spirit Queen | Donna Barba Higuera, Alebrijes | Pedro Martín, Mexikid | Rosanne Parry, A Horse Named Sky | Jewell Parker Rhodes, Treasure Island: Runaway Gold | Nisi Shawl, Speculation | Zachary Sterling, Mabuhay! | Jennifer Torres, Meet Me at Midnight

Picture Book

Emily Arrow, picture book host | Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen, How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? | Andrea Beaty, Lila Greer, Teacher of the Year | Ben Clanton & Andy Chou Musser, Ploof | Amy Seto Forrester & Andy Chou Musser, Search for a Giant Squid | Andy Griffiths, The 156-Story Treehouse: Holiday Havoc! | Charise Mericle Harper, I Cannot Draw a Bicycle | Joanna Ho, Say My Name | Nikkolas Smith, The Artivist | Salina Yoon, Penguin and Ollie

Pop-Up Authors

Joshua James Amberson, Staring Contest | Matilda Bickers, Working It | Rebecca Clarren, The Cost of Free Land | Zaji Cox, Plums for Months | Carla Crujido, The Strange Beautiful | Brennan DeFrisco, Honeysuckle & Nightshade | Incite: Queer Writers Read, with Dean Backus, Trystan Angel Reese, & Karelia Stetz-Waters | Tim Lane, The Neighbors We Want | Shilo Niziolek, Fever | Mary Rechner, Marrying Friends | Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya, Helen House | Charity E. Yoro, ten-cent flower & other territories | and more!

For more information on the Portland Book Festival, see pdxbookfest.org.

The kids may be heading back to school this month, but Seattle children’s book writers and publishers can find plenty of fun things to do in September.

On Saturday, September 9, 11am to 12pm, the National Nordic Museum marks World KidLit Month by offering a free panel discussion “Bringing Nordic Children’s Literature to an English Readership.” Four publishing professionals cover the aspects that make Nordic children’s literature unique as well as the challenges and opportunities for bringing these stories to an English-speaking audience. Tickets for this event are free and can be reserved in advance at nordicmuseum.org. The museum is located at 2655 NW Market Street in Seattle. Walk-ins are welcome.

Each September World Kid Lit Month celebrates world literature and translation for children and young adults. At the museum, the panelists will be Laura Simeon, Young Readers’ Editor at Kirkus Reviews and former school librarian; Mia Spangenberg, who translates fiction, nonfiction, and children’s literature from Finnish, Swedish, and German into English; Lotta Gavel Adams, Professor Emerita of Scandinavian Studies, University of Washington in Seattle, and Barbro Osher Chair Emerita of Swedish Studies; and Dr. Elizabeth DeNoma, the founder of DeNoma Literary Services. They will delve into the world of Nordic children’s literature including such popular characters as Pippi Longstocking and the Moomins. Expect discussion of the current publishing climate and how it impacts translation for children and young adults.

On Saturday, September 23, starting at 8am, SCBWI Western Washington presents a Zoom webinar with Holiday House editor Elizabeth Law. In “We Don’t Talk About Cash Flow (No, No),” Law demystifies parts of the publishing process that can particularly thwart both not-yet-agented writers and artists as well as those with more experience. It’s also designed to provide a few concrete tools to help with submitting and following up. Tickets are $15 for SCBWI Premium Members and $20 for Registered Users. Register for this virtual event at scwbi.org.

In a second virtual seminar that afternoon, Law and author author Lisa L. Owens also will discuss a variety of business topics, including the acquisitions process, the editor-author relationship, and their best advice for creating and sustaining a career as a children’s book creator. “Crafting a Kidlit Career: A Conversation with Elizabeth Law” takes place at 1pm on Saturday, September 23. Tickets are $15 for SCBWI Premium Members and $20 for Registered Users. Register at scwbi.org.

All times given are Pacific Time. Find out more about World KidLit Month at worldkidlit.org including tools for social media, reading lists, and more! SCBWI Western Washington is a regional chapter of the Society of Book Writers and Illustrators International. Learn more about their activities at scbwi.org/regions/wwa.

Third Place Books welcomes Josh Cook of Porter Square Books to their virtual event series, for a conversation about his new collection of essays, The Art of Libromancy: On Selling Books and Reading Books in the Twenty-first Century on September 11 starting at 4pm. Third Place’s Author Events Manager Spencer Ruchti will lead a conversation with Cook about reading (and selling) literature in translation, progressive bookselling, and the historic place of bookstores as community “third places.” This Zoom talk is free and registration available at thirdplacebooks.com.

Also in September is Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association’s annual Tradeshow. This year, the gathering of booksellers, librarians, and publishers takes place at Holiday Inn Portland on the Columbia Riverfront, September 19 through 21. Organizers say that the parties will actually begin on Monday, September 18, with publisher Tin House hosting an open house in their Portland office home. There’s also Monday plans for “a mega-suite Scholastictastic House Party happy hour, and later that evening the sophisticated suite stylings of CBS/GS with a we don’t care it’s Monday Friday Night Cocktails vibe,” according to their recent newsletter

To find out more, check pnba.org/tradeshow.html.

Puget Sound Book Festival launches August 6 in Port Orchard, Washington. “Think of it as the biggest boozy book fair, but make it all ages and put it on a gorgeous farm in the stunning Washington sunshine,” says founder Briana Ryan, owner of PNBA member store Wicked Words in the PNBA’s newsletter. The festival will feature over a dozen vendors, including several bookstores that will host and support participating authors. Participating bookstores include:

-Wicked Words, Poulsbo
-Neverending Bookshop, Edmonds
-Away With Words, Poulsbo
-Ballast Books, Bremerton
-Salmonberry Books, Port Orchard
-Invitation Bookshop, Gig Harbor
-Find The Path Books, Port Orchard

The Puget Sound Book Festival takes place Sunday, Aug 6, at the Yoked Farmhouse & Brewery, 525 SW Pine Rd SW, Port Orchard, WA. Yoked’s calendar says they’ll be celebrating Beer, Bagels & Books with some specials at the event.

Literary Arts is seeking “Cover to Cover” program ideas for their annual Portland Book Festival. Think outside of the cover, suggests the organizers:

“We are looking for an eclectic mix of fun and engaging programs across the city. While events fall “under the umbrella” of PBF and should have a literary or storytelling connection, they don’t need to be explicitly book readings. Multi-author readings will be considered, but as PBF already features authors in conversation, think of this as an invitation to go outside the possibilities of a traditional reading. Become the author of your own PBF Cover to Cover event featuring your presenters, in the venue you bring, and with support from PBF.”

Events serve to engage the entire city. BIPOC presenters and businesses are encouraged to apply. Events must match these guidelines:

• PBF Cover to Cover events must take place Monday, October 30 to Sunday, November 5, 2023. 
• PBF Cover to Cover proposal submissions will close August 31. Proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis; please submit early for best consideration. Proposals will be approved, and primary contacts notified, by September 8.
• Priority will be given to free programming, although ticketed events will be considered.
• PBF Cover to Cover events cannot be fundraisers or ask for donations.
• Events must not take place during Portland Book Festival hours, Saturday, November 4, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• Events will be required to feature provided PBF and/or PBF Cover to Cover logos or marks on all promotional and marketing platforms, share information and how to attend with their audience, and distribute/display other possible PBF communications (posters, PBF Cover to Cover materials, etc.).
• PBF Cover to Cover Partners will be required to read and agree to Literary Arts’ Terms and Conditions.

To find out more, check the Literary Arts website for submission guidelines at literary-arts.org/portland-book-festival-cover-to-cover.

The Portland Book Festival takes place in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday, November 4. Cover to Cover events will take place throughout the city prior to the festival.

The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Tradeshow will be held in Oregon this year. Registration for exhibitors is now open. Organizers say that the schedule is built to keep booksellers on the exhibition floor and interacting with publishers, reps, and others.

PNBA’s Tradeshow takes place Sept. 19-21 at Holiday Inn on the Columbia River, Portland, Oregon (formerly Red Lion on the River).

TUESDAY, Sept 19:

• Vendor set-up, 12:00 – 4:30 pm

• The Big Pitch Rep Picks, 12:20 – 4:20 pm (No competing programming!)

• Explore the Floor, exhibits opening and reception, 4:30 to 7:00 pm

WEDNESDAY, Sept 20:

• Vendor set-up, 7:00 – 9:30 am

• Exhibit Hall open for business, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm

• Vendor tear-down and move out, 4:30 – 7:00 pm

THURSDAY, Sept 21:

• Education Day (no exhibits)

PNBA will promote exhibitor profiles on the official Tradeshow Exhibitor page for every company booking a table or booth on the show floor.

Exhibitors will also receive listing for any author appearing in their home space during the first night Explore the Floor reception. Details and sign-ups for those spots will be released soon, along with the full show Call for Authors.

For pricing and more information, see pnba.org/venregform.html.

The Seattle Art Book Fair celebrates independent publishing, book design, and books-as-art. The free event features local, national, and international artists, designers, and organizations. This year’s Seattle Art Book Fair takes place May 6 and 7 at Washington Hall, 153 14th Ave, with more than 65 exhibitors.

Multiple talks will be offered on Saturday and Sunday aimed at creators of art books, zines, and other limited run books. Saturday opens with a discussion of how the the risograph printer can be used for the animation process and share a short screening of risograph animation work. Look for talks on Colonial “zines,” community collaboration and engagement in publishing, and more.

Partners in Print will offer opportunities to engage in letterpress poster printing on Saturday. Visitors can also tour Site/Archive/Cite, an augmented reality art intervention based on the National Archives at Seattle that interrogates the relationship of archive to place and public.

For a full schedule of activities, check seattleartbookfair.org/programs.