Every Day Is Small Business Saturday at The Seattle Public Library

Coming up just after Thanksgiving on Nov. 26, Small Business Saturday is a day to support local businesses and entrepreneurs and celebrate what they do for communities while (possibly) getting some holiday shopping done.

If you’re interested in not just supporting small businesses but starting one of your own, it’s also a good time to learn about and start using the Library’s many free business programs and services, which are available all year long.

We offer our business programs in partnership with dozens of community-based organizations and all are free and open to the public. Check them out, and if you have any questions, you can email the Library’s business team using this Ask a Librarian form. Here are some highlights. 

One-on-one help with business, law, credit

• Business and nonprofit help: As a core service, we offer virtual one-on-one help sessions with business librarians. Sign up for a 60-minute appointment and we can help you access the information, resources, and skills you need to succeed, from market research to developing a business plan.  

• Legal consults: The Library also partners with the UW Entrepreneurial Law Clinic to offer free legal consults with professionals specializing in intellectual property and corporate law. Sign up for a 30-minute virtual appointment and you can ask a lawyer about issues related to incorporation, contract issues, patents, copyright and more. (Let’s repeat that: A 30-minute business consult with a lawyer, for free.)

• Credit consults: Want to understand your credit score and how to improve it? The Library is working with Tierra Bonds of Take Charge Credit Consulting to offer virtual credit workshops this fall (the final two are on Nov. 22 and Nov. 29), as well as one-on-one credit consults (just a couple of spots left!). The credit workshops are live interpreted in Spanish.

Fall 2022 Events: Improv-Inspired Lit Fest, Business of Books, Seattle Reads and More

Like us, you have a lot going on this fall. But trust us: You will want to make room in your calendar for at least a few of these inspiring, thought-provoking, community-driven and entertaining events at the Library. (Note: This list covers September and October; stay tuned for November and December!)

All Library events are free and open to everyone. Most events require registration beforehand, which you can find at the link. Questions? Go to www.spl.org/Ask. Find more events at www.spl.org/Calendar.

Banned: Censorship and Intellectual Freedom. Monday, Sept. 19, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Online. Seattle-area writers Jewell Parker Rhodes (“Ghost Boys) and Jonathan Evison (“Lawn Boy”), along with librarians Soraya Silverman-Montero, of The Seattle Public Library, and Deb Sica, of Alameda County Library, discuss censorship and intellectual freedom as well as the challenges faced by librarians and schools. Presented with Folio Seattle.

The Business of Books, four-part series.  Thursday, Sept. 22, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Beacon Hill Branch. Want to start a book-related business but don’t know where to start? This four-part workshop series designed for BIPOC literary entrepreneurs kicks off with an overview of the industry by former Sasquatch Books publisher Gary Luke; and a roundtable discussion with publisher Christina Vega, author and festival founder Jeffrey Cheatham II, and longtime bookseller Karen Maeda Allman. Other workshop dates are Oct. 8, Nov. 12, and Dec. 6.

Jekeva Phillips, curator of Bibliophilia

Bibliophilia, a four-day festival. Tuesday to Friday, Sept. 27, 28, 29, 30. Microsoft Auditorium, Central Library. Guest curator Jekeva Phillips brings the page to the stage combining poetry and prose with improvisational theater. Themes include “Heathcliff Letters” (Sept. 27), “Bestsellers” (Sept. 28); “Vonnegut” (Sept. 29); and a “Quiz Show” finale (Sept. 30, with games, prize packages and live reading and performance).

In Their Own Words: Densho and Japanese Americans making oral history

Join us on Saturday, July 23, at 1 p.m. for a conversation with Densho’s executive director Tom Ikeda, Michael Shiosaki of Seattle Parks and Recreation, and author Daniel James Brown about writing Facing the Mountain and the importance of oral histories in revealing a legacy of resilience and courage. The event will include a book signing with the author, with books available for purchase in partnership with Elliott Bay Book Company. Check out this list of further reading and resources around the Internment in our library catalog, and see past Shelf Talk posts on this topic here.

If you aren’t familiar with the local nonprofit organization Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project, come learn about the incredible work they do collecting and preserving the legacy of Japanese Americans unjustly relocated and incarcerated during World War II. And if you are familiar with Densho, take a second look, because there is so much more to discover, including a podcast, interactive maps, digitized documents from the 1940s and beyond, and over 900 oral histories recorded to date—all available online. The incredible depth, breadth, and accessibility of these sources make books like Facing the Mountain: An Inspiring Story of Japanese American Patriots in World War II , by Daniel James Brown possible.

Densho’s work chronicles events leading up to and the 80 years since the spring of 1942, when the United States passed Executive Order 9066 to forcibly remove and incarcerate “all persons of Japanese ancestry, including aliens and non-aliens” from “military zones” on the West Coast. Some 120,000 residents of Japanese ancestry, many from Western Washington, were incarcerated in camps across the United States. Entire families, from infants to elders, were taken from their homes and livelihoods, forced to live in poor conditions with no freedom to come or go. Some people, like young University of Washington student Gordon Hirabayashi, objected to being incarcerated; he refused to board a bus and was taken to King County jail to await legal action that would end up spanning years as he and others challenged Order 9066’s legality. An additional 1,500 Japanese American and Hawaiian men were drafted or volunteered to fight in World War II, such as the all-volunteer 442nd Regimental Combat Team, even as their families were imprisoned by the country they fought for.

Hit the Reading Trail: 4 Earth Week StoryWalks at Seattle Parks

Want a fun way to celebrate Earth Week with the children in your life? Hit the trail at four Seattle parks while reading amazing picture books that are installed along the way.

From Tuesday, April 19 to Tuesday, April 26, StoryWalks® will be installed at Herring’s House Park (Tualtwx) in the Duwamish industrial area; Lincoln Park in West Seattle, Green Lake Park in north Seattle and Genesee Park in south Seattle.

If you’re not familiar with StoryWalks®, get ready to experience reading in a new and active way. A picture book is installed on signposts along a path, which allows children and their caregivers to read along as they walk and enjoy the outdoors. A StoryWalk® encourages reading, imagination, fitness and exploring your community.

Live from Seattle’s Central Library (and Online): Author events this April and May

Last night (April 12), for the first time in two years, the Central Library opened the doors of its Level 1 Microsoft Auditorium for an in-person author event. Award-winning author Reyna Grande joined Seattle-area writer Kathleen Alcalá on stage for a conversation about her novel “The Ballad of Love and Glory,” about an unforgettable romance set against a forgotten war.

Another first for the Library: Attendees could choose between coming to the Library or tuning in online from the comfort of their home.

The Library is holding several other in-person events in April and May, testing the waters of live events again with extra safety precautions in place, including limiting attendance to 50% of the auditorium’s capacity. Mask use, although not required, is strongly encouraged. (More information about Library safety precautions is below.)

From Clyde Ford to Douglas Stuart, we have an exciting lineup for both in-person and virtual events in April and May. Registration is required, but all Library events are free. Check event descriptions at spl.org/Calendar for registration links and more information.