November 2026 Author and Community Events at the Library

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Join us this fall at the Library for concerts, author readings, a talk by comic artists, cello concerts, and more.

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. Free and reduced access is supported by 4Culture.

Late October events

Booker Prize winning author Douglas Stuart on “John of John.” Tuesday, Oct. 27, from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Central Library, Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium. Stuart’s new book has been called “one of 2026’s literary triumphs,” a vivid, moving novel following a young man returning to his Hebridean island home. Registration is required.

KUOW Book Talk with Anne de Marcken. Wednesday, Oct. 28, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., Central Library, Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium. KUOW Book Club host Katie Campbell will interview Anne de Marcken about her novel “It Lasts Forever and Then It’s Over,” a genre-defying meditation on mortality, transformation, and love. Registration is required.

Film Screening: “The Eternal Song.” Thursday, Oct. 29, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Central Library, Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium. Join United Indians of All Tribes Foundation, Green Seattle Partnerships and Futures Rising for a screening of “The Eternal Song.” Following the screening, a facilitated discussion will explore Indigenous knowledge, land-based learning, and the futures we are building together.

“Diaspora & Belonging” with Daniel Tam-Claiborne. Thursday, Oct. 29, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Little Saigon Creative. Guest Curator Daniel Tam-Claiborne’s final program in his series on diasporas will highlight the artistic contributions of Southeast Asian communities to Seattle.

Voces del Alma se Escribe en Español. Saturday, October 31, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium. A community celebration of a new anthology and short film brings together 23 poets from Latin America and the United States to celebrate their identity, stories, and the power of the Spanish language. This event is in Spanish.

November events

Cello Concerts with Gretchen Yanover. This fall, cellist Gretchen Yanover, a member of NW Sinfonietta orchestra who has performed with Earshot Jazz Festival and TEDx Seattle, will perform several times at libraries.

• Sunday, Nov. 1, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Southwest Branch
• Wednesday, Nov. 4, from 10:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 3 Living Room
• Saturday, Nov. 14, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Central Library, Level 3 Living Room

Ladies Musical Club Concert. Wednesday, Nov. 4, from noon to 1 p.m. Central Library, Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium. Join us for a classical music concert performed by members of the Ladies Musical Club, Seattle’s oldest musical organization.

Elsa Sjunneson discusses “Dear Blind Lady.” Wednesday, Nov. 4, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium. Seattle Deafblind author and disability rights activist Elsa Sjunneson will discuss her book “Dear Blind Lady,” an unfiltered disability advice book answering the awkward, honest, and often complicated questions disabled and nondisabled people encounter in everyday life. Registration is required.

Valeria Luiselli discusses National Book Award nominee “Beginning Middle End.” Thursday, Nov. 5, from 7:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. Town Hall Seattle. Set in Sicily, “Beginning Middle End” is a road novel of exquisite tenderness, spanning four generations of women. Registration is required.

Jack Straw Writers’ Annual Showcase. Saturday, Nov. 7, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium. Join Jack Straw curator Claudia Castro Luna for an event featuring writers with the Jack Straw program, which introduces local writers to the medium of recorded audio. Registration is required.

The Public Life of Comics. Sunday, Nov. 8, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 4, Room 1. In partnership with the Short Run Comix Festival, four comic artists — Whit Taylor (“The Greater Good”), Meredith Li-Vollmer (“Graphic Public Health”), James Sturm, and Kelly Froh, executive director of Short Run Comix Festival — will share how they use comics to communicate, educate, and move the needle on society’s biggest issues.

“A Song of Her Own”: Somali Cultural Wisdom, Creative Expression, and Finding Your Voice. Somali author Saida Bulhan will lead a family-friendly reading, conversation, and interactive program about her debut chapter book. “A Song of Her Own.”

• Saturday, Nov. 7, from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Beacon Hill Branch
• Saturday, Nov. 14, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. NewHolly Branch

“La Pecera” film screening. Thursday, Nov. 12, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Join Artist in Residence Jo Cosme for a screening of “La Pecera/The Fishbowl,” a film by Glorimar Marrero about a woman’s decision to return to Vieques, Puerto Rico, after finding out her cancer is spreading. A Q&A will follow.

Travis Deverell and Drew Hayes discuss “He Who Fights With Monsters” and “Roverpowered.” Saturday, Nov. 14, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Join Travis Deverell and Drew Hayes as they discuss their newest releases, all things LitRPG, creativity, writing, progression fantasy, and sandwiches. Registration is required.

KUOW presents a Focus Live Event: “We Keep Us Safe.” Tuesday, Nov. 17 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 – Microsoft Auditorium. The team behind KUOW’s Focus podcast series “We Keep Us Safe” will lead a community conversation about the investigation into the killing of 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr., who tragically died at CHOP in 2020. Registration is required.

Trans Day of Remembrance Nichos Workshop / Taller de Nichos para el Día Internacional de la Memoria Trans (TDoR). Thursday, Nov. 19, from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Beacon Hill. Vaquero Azul will lead a presentation and workshop on creating Nichos, small shadow box shrines used to memorialize loved ones and folk/religious icons, to commemorate Trans Day of Remembrance on Nov. 20.

Legendary Children. Friday, Nov. 20, from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Olympic Sculpture Park. Celebrate the artistry of the Pacific Northwest’s QTBIPOC community with an evening of drag performances, live music, an open runway, art activities, and more! Partners include Legendary Children, Seattle Art Museum, Shunpike, and community advisors.

“Esta Isla” film screening. Saturday, Nov. 21, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Central Library, Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium. Join Artist in Residence Jo Cosme for a screening of “Esta Isla/This Island,” a film by Lorraine Jones Molina and Cristian Carretero about Puerto Rican youth navigating desperation and hope. A Q&A will follow.

Artist in Residence exhibit: “Battle for Paradise: Puerto Rico, Restrictions Apply*”: Through Sunday, Dec. 6. Central Library, Level 8 Gallery. A new photo exhibit by Artist in Residence Jo Cosme examines the tension between Puerto Rico as a marketed paradise and Puerto Rico as a lived reality. It is part of Cosme’s ongoing project “Welcome to Paradise: ¡Viva Puerto Rico Libre!”