SEPT. 21
AN EVENING WITH JESS WALTER
AND THE SPOKANE SYMPHONY
The average person will write zero novels in their lifetime. Spokane author Jess Walter has written seven. Walter is a local literary legend, having left his mark on the regional and national literary scenes — including when President Barack Obama named his short story collection We Live In Water his favorite book of 2019. Bring out the band...er...symphony, because that's a feat worth celebrating! With selections from Walter's work read by the author himself, the Spokane Symphony takes audiences from the Italian seaside to the gritty 1980s streets of downtown Spokane through carefully curated musical selections on this journey through Walter's works. This intersection of literature and music is an apt celebration of the talent that is harbored within Spokane. Fox Theater, 7:30 pm; $32.50-$87.50, foxtheaterspokane.org (MP)
OCT. 9
LIBERATING LATIN
AMERICAN GENRE
FICTION:
IN CONVERSATION WITH BESTSELLING AUTHOR SILVIA MORENO-GARCIA
Magical realism. Horror. Crime. Novella. Sci-Fi. Where does one start and another begin? Mexican-Canadian author Silvia Moreno-Garcia asks a different question: Who the heck cares? Moreno-Garcia has written best-selling genre benders including Mexican Gothic, Gods of Jade and Shadow, Signal to Noise, Certain Dark Things and The Beautiful Ones, and she's not done yet. Join an online webinar presented by Spokane County Library District in partnership with Library Speakers Consortium to hear Moreno-Garcia talk about her most recent novel, The Seventh Veil of Salome, as well as her writing process and her happy disregard for neat literary boxes. Learn how Moreno-Garcia intertwines a historical look at 1950s Hollywood with an epic retelling of the biblical mythology of princess Salome, complete with all the sex, glamor, jealousy and tragedy it deserves. A recording will be available online afterwards. Online, 4 pm, free, scld.org (EB)
OCT. 10
WOMEN WRITE SPOKANE
A trifecta of female novelists join forces for this special Spokane-centric writing event. Sharma Shields, Leyna Krow and Carla Crujido, who've all written novels set in and around Spokane (The Sasquatch Hunter's Almanac, Fire Season and The Strange Beautiful, respectively), invite readers, history nerds and library lovers alike to the Spokane Library's Inland Northwest Special Collections room to discuss how this invaluable resource supported them during the research and writing of their books. Archivist and librarian Dana Bronson showcases items related to each of the authors' titles, offering a special behind-the-scenes look at this precious trove that's open to all who seek its knowledge. Auntie's Bookstore will be on hand selling books, too. After the presentation, attendees can join the three authors for a social hour at the Historic Davenport Hotel. Central Library, 5:30-6:30 pm, free, spokanelibrary.org (CS)
OCT. 11
UFO NORTHWEST: HOW WASHINGTON STATE SPAWNED THE MEN IN BLACK
Did you know that one of the first UFO sightings in the U.S. occurred in Washington? In 1947, the crash of a B-25 bomber plane triggered an FBI investigation into "The Maury Island Incident" — an infamous UFO sighting and the first alleged encounter with the so-called "Men in Black." Now, Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau presenter Steve Edmiston is examining the history of that moment that sparked many of our current UFO narratives from the X-Files to Men in Black. By examining FBI files from 1947 that had been sealed for decades, Edmiston aims to tell the full story of that incident from the cover-ups and false confessions to the very real Cold War fears of the time. South Hill Library, 3:30 pm, free, humanities.org (CR)
OCT. 16
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
MARY, SHELLEY AND MONSTERS
Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein is a classic for a reason. The author was only 18 when she began writing the 1818 book, and its impact is still felt in modern gothic and horror novels today. Whether you're new to the story or it's an old favorite, this lecture by Eastern Washington University professor Chris Valeo illuminates hidden themes and explores the names in and around the novel as a way to guide discussion. Following the lecture, attendees get a chance to peruse the National Library of Medicine exhibit taking place at the Central Library, Frankenstein: Penetrating the Secrets of Nature, which features anatomical drawings from the 19th century from which Shelley most likely took inspiration. Central Library, 6 pm, free, spokanelibrary.org (MP)
OCT. 24
SPOKANE IS READING:
PERMA RED BY DEBRA
MAGPIE EARLING
Dubbed one of the "Great American Novels of the Past 100 Years" by The Atlantic Monthly, Perma Red by Spokane-born author Debra Magpie Earling is this year's featured title for Spokane is Reading, a communitywide reading initiative. Set on Montana's Flathead Indian Reservation in the 1940s, the novel follows young Salish woman Louise White Elk as she navigates womanhood and creates an independent life for herself in a world where men wish to control her. Earling is set to make two free appearances in the community this fall as part of Spokane is Reading's annual celebration. On Thursday, Oct. 24, she'll visit the Spokane Valley Library at 1 pm, followed by an evening appearance at the Central Library in downtown Spokane at 7 pm to discuss the novel and its impact. Spokane Valley and Central libraries, 1 pm and 7 pm, free, spokanelibrary.org (MP)
OCT. 29
GONZAGA VISITING WRITERS SERIES: QUENTON BAKER
This fall, stop by the Humanities Building on Gonzaga's campus to listen to the words and insights of Quenton Baker, a Black poet exploring the afterlife of slavery in the inner world. Baker is a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee, honoree of the 2018 Arts Innovator Award from Artist Trust, a 2019 Robert Rauschenberg Artist in Residence and a 2021 Fellow with the National Endowment for the Arts. They were also a fellow with Cave Canem, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit dedicated to the edification and inclusion of Black poets. Baker's works include the books we pilot the blood and ballast, as well as poems in such publications as The Offing, Jubilat, Vinyl, and The Rumpus. Come for an evening of soul-searching, beauty, pain and hope. Gonzaga University, 7:30 pm, free, gonzaga.edu (EB)
NOV. 7
SPOKEN RIVER
The Spokane River is as integral to life in the Inland Northwest as air or food, so we ought to support those who protect it. Attending the Spokane Riverkeeper's annual fundraising event Spoken River is a great way to show that support. Attendees can expect a night of cocktails and appetizers as they listen to stories about the river from local artists and writers including Marc Fryt, Heidi Lasher, Bob Bartlett and current Spokane Poet Laureate Mery Smith. There will also be a robust silent auction throughout the night. All money raised directly supports Spokane Riverkeeper's yearly programs and services, such as youth education about healthy watersheds and fish, litter cleanups, and collection of necessary scientific data. Spokane Convention Center, 5:30-8 pm, $70-$85, spokaneriverkeeper.org (CR)
NOV. 12-15
EVERYBODY READS:
THIS AMERICA OF OURS BY NATE SCHWEBER
This year's selection for Eastern Washington and Idaho's Everybody Reads' program is This America of Ours by Nate Schweber. It rediscovers the lost, true story of Bernard and Avid DeVoto, staunch defenders of democracy and public lands in the West. Their fight brought them together with powerful friends like Julia Child and Adlai Stevenson and pitted them against powerful enemies like Joseph McCarthy and J. Edgar Hoover — and would eventually cost Bernard his life. Author Schweber visits eight different libraries in Pullman, Colfax, Clarkston, Moscow, Winchester and Lewiston to discuss his book and the DeVotos' legacy. Check out the book from your local library, and then pick Schweber's brain in what is sure to be a passionate, relevant conversation. Various locations and times, free, everybody-reads.org (EB)
NOV. 14
ON CHILDHOOD MIGRATION FROM CENTRAL
AMERICA: IN CONVERSATION WITH JAVIER ZAMORA
Javier Zamora fled, alone, from a small town in El Salvador to the United States when he was 9 years old. Both his parents had fled before Zamora turned 5, and he thought he'd finally be reunited with them after two weeks of traveling. The weeks turned into months, and the fellow migrants, bonded by trauma and deceitful "coyote," turned into an unexpected family. Join Zamora, who is now a Stanford and Harvard alum with fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, to hear his story in his own beautiful, heartbreaking words — a story at once deeply personal but also shared by millions of others. Online, 1 pm, free, scld.org (EB)
NOV. 14
PIVOT MAIN STAGE: ROOTS
