Monday, January 8: African-American Writers' Alliance Poetry Reading

Members of Seattle’s own African-American Writers' Alliance share their poetry in a laid-back setting. Have you noticed that there are more readings happening in the south side of Seattle these days? Isn’t that great? Third Place Books Seward Park, 5041 Wilson Ave S, 474-2200, http://thirdplacebooks.com, 7 pm, free.

Tuesday, January 9: The Doomsday Machine Reading

Daniel Ellsberg is, flat-out, one of the greatest American heroes of the last hundred years. His bravery in exposing the Pentagon Papers should have earned him a monument in Washington DC, but perhaps he is just supposed to feel grateful for the fact that he hasn’t spent his entire adult life rotting in prison. In any case, Ellsberg is in town reading from his new book, The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner. Given that our president tweets unhinged things about our nuclear arsenal at weird hours of the day, this seems like an especially relevant book right now. University Temple, 1415 NE 43rd St,634-3400, http://www2.bookstore.washington.edu/, 7 pm, $5

Wednesday, January 10: Castalia

The first 2018 edition of the UW creative writing reading series features poets Emma Aylor and Ainsley Kelly,as well as prose stylists Areej Maysarah Quraishi and Anca Szilagyi, along with faculty reader Maya Sonenberg. Hugo House, 1021 Columbia St., 322-7030, http://hugohouse.org., 7 pm, free.

Thursday, January 11: The Immortalists Reading

Author Chloe Benjamin’s latest novel, The Immortalists, is about a mystical prophecy that foretells death. It’s a clever addition to the genre of fiction based around the primal thought experiment centered around what you would do if you knew the exact date and time of your death. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 624-6600, http://elliottbaybook.com, 7 pm, free.

Friday, January 12: The Days When Birds Came Back Reading

Oregon author Deborah Reed’s latest novel is about a writer who hires a carpenter to renovate and refresh her grandparents’ decaying home. It’s a book that deals with questions of trauma and guilt and the horrible things that members of families do to each other. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 624-6600, http://elliottbaybook.com, 7 pm, free.

Saturday, January 13: Two Countries: US Daughters and Sons of Immigrant Parents Reading

See our Event of the Week column for more details.

Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 624-6600, http://elliottbaybook.com, 7 pm, free.

Sunday, January 14: Writers Read

This event, which is co-sponsored by the African-American Writers’ Alliance, is a reading and open mic featuring fiction, poetry, and essays. Bring your latest writing and see how it lands on a crowd of real live people. Seattle Public Library, Columbia City Branch, 4721 Rainier Ave S, 386-1908, http://spl.org, 2 pm, free.