Unmarried to Each Other
Marshall Miller, who co-authored this book with his wife, Dorian Solot... whoops! I mean with his PARTNER, Dorian Solot, will read from it and talk about what it means to live with a significant other permanently without being married to them. In Other Words, 3734 SE Hawthorne Blvd, 232-6003, 6:30, free
Kim Stafford
Continuing his tour around the northwest, Stafford will read from and discuss Early Morning: Remembering My Father, his new memoir about his poet father, William Stafford. Looking Glass Bookstore, 318 SW Taylor, 227-4760, 7:00, free
Stephen Elliot & Adam Johnson
Elliot's new book, What It Means to Love You, boldly portrays the lives of three sex workers who live on Chicago's Halsted Street, a hotbed of transience and drug use. Johnson's debut short story collection, Emporium, focuses on the adventures of teenagers living in a surreal version of middle class Suburbia. Powell's Books on Hawthorne, 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd, 238-1668, 7:30 pm, free
William Langewiesche
This man's name may be impossible to pronounce, but his series of Atlantic Monthly articles on the post-9/11 Ground Zero cleanup was nothing short of fascinating. He is both a meticulous investigative reporter and a superb writer; a wonderful combo. The articles are now a book: American Ground: Unbuilding the World Trade Center. Check it out. Check him out. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St, 228-4651, 7:30 pm, free
Harriet Chessman
Art and family collide in Chessman's new book, Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper, in which an aspiring artist paints her sister. Pretty readable considering it takes place in 19th century France. Annie Bloom's Books, 7834 SW Capitol Hwy, 246-0053, 7:30 pm, free
Alexander Chee
The Korean-American Chee will share his new book, Edinburgh, about a Korean-American choir boy who falls in love with a fellow choir boy. Twenty-Third Avenue Books, 1015 NW 23rd Ave, 224-5097, 7:30 pm, free
Keith Devlin
Also known as "The Math Guy" on NPR, Devlin presents his new book, Millenium Problems: The Seven Greatest Unsolved Mathematical Problems of Our Time, in which he explains the seven problems in layman's terms. Borders Books and Music, 708 SW 3rd Ave, 220-5911, 7 pm, free
Zadie Smith
So what if her new novel, The Autograph Man, sucks? The fascinating literary presence that Zadie Smith established with White Teeth has not faded one bit. She's also a.) hot, and b.) British. Literary Arts, at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, SW Broadway and Main, 227-2583, 7:30 pm, $5-$23
Susan Straight
Straight's new novel, Highwire, is a brutal look at a fictitious California town and the migrant farm workers who inhabit it. The impoverished lives of these people are not fun to read about, and yet you will read, and read, because Straight's prose is so good. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St, 228-4651, 7:30 pm, free
The Language of Hunger
Part of the Enteractive Language Festival, a massive series of events going on this month that celebrate language. This show is a benefit to raise money for the fight against hunger, and features appearances by dozens of writers. Spare Room, at Pacific Crest Community School, 116 NE 29th, www.2gyrlz.org, 12-8 pm, $15 suggested donation
