Monday, December 11: African-American Writers' Alliance

Members of the “diverse and dynamic collective of Seattle-area writers of African descent” present new work at this reading. This is a great opportunity to celebrate Seattle-area writers of color and to see what the African-American Writers’ Alliance is up to these days. Third Place Books Seward Park, 5041 Wilson Ave S, 474-2200, http://thirdplacebooks.com, 7 pm, free.

Tuesday, December 12: Navigating Seattle Transit without Losing Your Mind

Town Hall teams up with the Seattle Department of Transportation and TransitCenter to discuss why our traffic is so fucked and how you can help yourself slightly un-fuck the traffic. Hopefully, they’ll also discuss ways to leave your car and get more transit to your neck of the woods in a shorter timeframe, because that’s the only way we’re really going to make a difference around here. Seattle Art Museum, 1300 First Ave, http://townhallseattle.org, 7 pm, free.

Wednesday, December 13: Puzzle Club

The good people at Ada’s Technical Books host a monthly club for local logic puzzle fans. On the website, they call the Puzzle Club “a startlingly kind and clever group of people” who join together for “collaborative puzzle solving.” Ada’s Technical Books, 425 15th Ave, 322-1058, http://seattletechnicalbooks.com, 7 pm, free.

Thursday, December 14: *theMystery.doc Reading

See our Literary Event of the Week column for more details. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 624-6600, http://elliottbaybook.com, 7 pm, free.

Friday, December 15: Four Seattle Poets

The last author reading at Elliott Bay Book Company for the year of 2017 is a stellar lineup of debut poets. You definitely know Jane Wong, whose Overpour was the first big debut of the year. And frequent readers of the site also know EJ Koh, whose A Lesser Love is a genius collection that spans love and war. Mita Mahato is a paper-cut cartoonist whose first collection, In Between, is a milestone in the small-but-growing field of poetry comics. You might not know Montreux Rotholtz or her debut collection, Unmark, and that’s okay. Every great reading has some element of discovery to it, doesn’t it? Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 624-6600, http://elliottbaybook.com, 7 pm, free.

Saturday, December 16: Counting Time Like People Count Stars Launch Party

This event is a documentary and book launch highlighting the poetry of the girls who live at Our Little Roses Orphanage in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Local authors including Luis Rodrigeuz, Lydia Valentine, Tod Marshall, Claudia Castro Luna, and more will read poems from the book. St. Peter’s Episcopal Parish, 1610 S King St, http://stpeterseattle.org, 4 pm, free.

Sunday, December 17: Story Time for Grown Ups

Seattle Public Library celebrity librarian David Wright reads two Christmas-themed stories for adults: John Cheever’s “Christmas is a Sad Season for the Poor,” and Donald Westlake’s creepy “Nackles.” Third Place Books Seward Park, 5041 Wilson Ave S, 474-2200, http://thirdplacebooks.com, 7 pm, free.