Jonathan Raban is the closest thing the Seattle literary scene has to a paterfamilias. His brilliant, incisive writing taught us how to think about the city around us, and he's influenced countless local writers from Lesley Hazleton to Charles Mudede.

Raban has been out of the spotlight for the last few years due to health-related issues, but I'm excited to report that he's reading at the Frye tomorrow afternoon, from 3 to 4 pm. It's free. I can't recall the last time Raban gave a reading; this is a big, important event for literary Seattle.