Celebrating Seattle Reads and ‘Parable of the Sower’ With Performances, Panels and a Party

The Library’s annual Seattle Reads program usually culminates with several days of events featuring the selected author and book.

This year, our citywide book club is celebrating the 2024 selection, Octavia Butler’s “Parable of the Sower,” with more than two months of performances, panels and discussions that will be held in collaboration with community organizations from late April through June.

“Because Octavia Butler was a writer with both deep local roots and global influence, we had a unique opportunity to explore her work with community partners across the city,” said Stesha Brandon, Literature & Humanities program manager for The Seattle Public Library. “We invite everyone to discuss, learn, discover and celebrate ‘Parable of the Sower’ – there is something for everyone, including a birthday party for Octavia on June 22.”

The author, who passed away in 2006 in Lake Forest Park, would have been 77 this year. The selection of ‘Parable of the Sower,’ which begins in the year 2024, is the first time that Seattle Reads has chosen a work of science fiction and the first time that the Library has chosen an author after their passing. It is also only the second time an author with Seattle-area ties has been selected.

Seattle Reads 2024 is presented in partnership with the African-American Writers’ Alliance, ARTE NOIR, Clarion West, Elliott Bay Book Company, Langston Seattle, loving room: diaspora books + salon, Sistah Scifi, Third Place Books and Wa Na Wari. Below are program highlights, which take place in a variety of locations around Seattle.

Performances, panels, parties

“DREAM TEMPLE (for Octavia).” Through May 22. King Street Station. Artists Mia Imani Harrison and Mayola Tikaka used the writings of Octavia Butler to create a gathering space for Black folx to be heard and to hear each other at King Street Station. Presented by the Office of Arts and Culture, DREAM TEMPLE aims to counteract the exhaustion and stress carried intergenerationally by creating a portal of healing and imagining.

Seattle Reads Launch Party and Panel Discussion. From 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 1. Central Library, Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium. Join The Seattle Public Library Foundation in kicking off Seattle Reads with a panel discussion about why “Parable of the Sower” still resonates in 2024 and a preview of community-led programs to come. Panelists include Jazmyn Scott, executive director of ARTE NOIR; Brooke Bosley, design researcher in education technology; and Kristina Clark, owner and curator of LOVING ROOM: diaspora books + salon. Registration is required.

The Seattle Public Library to implement scheduled branch closures through June 4

The Seattle Public Library is scheduling intermittent branch closures at several locations through Tuesday, June 4 due to limited staffing capacity. The temporary schedule listed below is being implemented to reduce unplanned closures and provide more reliable schedules to patrons.

Several factors have impacted the Library’s staffing capacity, including changes to the Library’s minimum staffing levels, increasing leave usage, and the Library’s current freeze on hiring. Our impacted staffing capacity has led to unplanned closures, as the Library must redirect staff from one location to another if a branch doesn’t have the right number, or right mix, of staff to open and operate a building safely and with full library services. The Library is working to bring on additional staffing support. More information about these impacts to the Library’s current staffing levels can be found below.

While most locations will experience scheduled closures, the Library has identified some locations that will not see schedule changes to ensure ongoing library access in all areas of the city.

Patrons are encouraged to check the Library’s website before visiting one of our branches, as unplanned closures can still occur due to maintenance, safety or other staffing issues.

Below is a complete list of scheduled closures through Tuesday, June 4. Additional information about the Library’s schedule beyond June 4 will be shared this May.

“In Their Own Words”: Youth Voices on Books Unbanned, Censorship and the Freedom to Read

Two years ago, Brooklyn Public Library launched Books Unbanned, an initiative to fight unprecedented levels of censorship by offering a free digital-access library card for young people across the U.S.

The Seattle Public Library joined the effort one year ago. During that time, the two libraries have have received thousands of compelling stories from teens and young adults about why they were signing up for the card.

Today, the two libraries released a new report, “In Their Own Words: Youth Voices on Books Unbanned,” which shares what we’ve learned from these stories about the devastating impact of censorship and how restrictions and other barriers to access build upon and reinforce each other. It’s a unique chance to hear directly from the youth who are most affected and how programs like Books Unbanned are providing joy, representation and escape for a new generation of readers.

“In Their Own Words” analyzes 855 stories shared by young people, ages 13 to 26, who signed up for a free Books Unbanned e-card from either BPL or SPL from April 2022 through December 2023. University of Washington Information School graduate students categorized and tagged the stories to identify common themes.

A key theme uncovered in the analysis was how formal acts of censorship, bans, challenges and restrictions to reading material can create a climate of fear and intimidation for young people. Cardholders also mentioned the impact of more “hidden” forms of censorship — self-censorship, soft or “quiet” censorship (pre-emptively restricting access as a means to avoid controversy), or the threat of future censorship — in affecting their freedom to read.

Young people told stories of librarians commenting on their checkouts, of books being locked up and unavailable, and of small, limited collections not containing the kinds of books they would most like to read.

Some cardholders reported the lack of access to representative materials, especially for LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual) and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) cardholders, and how it exacerbated feelings of isolation and the sense that their identities are under attack. For these young people, digital access to books is essential to the ability to read freely.

While books are often challenged because of misplaced concerns around harm to young people, the youth featured in this report told a very different story – that the real harm is caused by censorship and limiting access to books that mirror their experiences and expand their understanding of the world.

Reading Widely, Cheering Wildly: Global Reading Challenge City Finals Recap

And the winner was the Loyal Heights’ The Sparky Beavers after 10 tiebreaker rounds.

Ten was the magic number for Loyal Heights Elementary’s The Sparky Beavers at the Global Reading Challenge citywide finals on Tuesday, March 26, at the Central Library. That’s how many tiebreaker rounds it took for this team of fourth and fifth graders to eliminate eight other finalist teams and become the 2024 Global Reading Challenge champions.  

A packed audience of around 275 parents, siblings and friends clapped for the Beavers and all the teams’ valiant efforts as the winning team received their trophy. (The Beavers’ cheer squad included fans in a panda suit and a chicken suit, since a beaver suit wasn’t available.)    

This year’s Global Reading Challenge books

Now in its 29th year, the Library’s Global Reading Challenge is a collaboration between the Library and Seattle Public Schools that encourages reading as a fun and recreational activity for fourth and fifth graders. The program starts in the fall, with students of all reading abilities forming teams to read and study eight books selected by the Library for their accessibility and because they represent a wide range of experiences by authors with cultural connections to the stories they tell.

The Library makes thousands of the books available to students in multiple formats (including Always Available digital copies and uncatalogued copies) and in Spanish-language versions when available.

Solar Power: Plan for a Safe Eclipse Experience on April 8

Get ready! On Monday, April 8, 2024, parts of the U.S. will experience a total solar eclipse. Seattle will experience a partial eclipse starting at around 10:39 a.m. and ending at 12:21 p.m., with the maximum coverage of the sun (20%) at 11:29 a.m.

Here’s a reminder about how to experience it safely and how to pick up free eclipse-viewing glasses at The Seattle Public Library.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and earth, and the moon fully or partially blocks the sun. This eclipse will be a partial eclipse for most of North America, but a total eclipse will be visible on a path (“the path of totality”) from Western Mexico to Eastern Canada.

Totality will be visible first in Mexico, then in Texas just after noon, local time. The eclipse will then move northeast through Oklahoma, Missouri, Ohio, New York and Maine, to name just a few of the states, and into Canada. To see what Seattle will observe of this eclipse use the Eclipse Simulator. Find more information on the gov eclipse site.

To view the eclipse safely, you’ll need eclipse glasses. If you look directly at the sun during an eclipse without correct eyewear, severe eye damage may occur.

If you don’t yet have eclipse glasses, the Library is offering a limited supply at 27 locations. The glasses are available on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. Please limit glasses to two pairs per family to ensure as many as possible can participate.

Solar eclipse glasses must be picked up in person at a Library location — no phone call or email reservations will be accepted.

You can also purchase eclipse glasses online. Be sure to find glasses that are ISO-certified for use during an eclipse. And be sure to supervise young children when outdoors during the eclipse.

The next total eclipse to cross the continental U.S. will not be until Aug. 12, 2045.