April the month for literary lovers

In addition to Get Lit!, which annually makes Spokane the literary capital of the Inland Northwest, April should be a good month for local lovers of all forms of the written word.

“Get Lit!, Eastern Washington University’s celebration of all things literary, is set for April 18 through 21 at various spots in Cheney and Spokane.

The draws this year include mystery writer Walter Mosley (7:30 p.m. April 20 at EWU’s Showalter Auditorium, 9:30 a.m. April 21 at the Spokane Club); Jonathan Lethem (10 p.m. April 21 at CenterStage); Sherman Alexie (2 p.m. April 22 at the Bing Crosby Theater); Tess Gallagher and Keiko Hara (2 to 3:30 p.m. April 21 at the Lorinda Knight Gallery); and Jess Walter and Timothy Egan (7:30 p.m. April 19 at the Bing).

For further schedule and ticket price information, go online at www.ewu.edu/getlit. Or call (509) 623-4262.

“Patrick Carman, author of the “Land of Elyon” series – “The Dark Hills Divide,” “Beyond the Valley of Thorns,” “The Tenth City” – will revisit Spokane on April 12-13 to present the first book in his new series: “Atherton: The House of Power.”

“With subtlety, Carman delivers a strong message,” wrote a reviewer for Publishers Weekly. “(H)e constructs a world in which water is precious above all, and tampering with nature always ends badly.”

Carman will sign copies of the book at the Valley Barnes & Noble at 6 p.m. on April 12 and will read from the book at 7:30 p.m. April 13 at Auntie’s Bookstore.

“Seattle author Lydia Yuri Minatoya, whose novel “The Strangeness of Beauty” is the April read for The Spokesman-Review Book Club, comes to Auntie’s on April 26 to read from the book.

“Popular romance writer Debbie Macomber, who splits time between Port Orchard, Wash., and Florida, will visit Spokane on April 28 to sign copies of her recent book, “Back on Blossom Street.”

“And looking even further ahead, Anne Lamott – whose latest book is titled “Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith” – is scheduled to speak at Whitworth College on May 12.

Auntie’s changes

By the way, fans of the reading series at Auntie’s Bookstore may have noticed that more and more events are being held in the ground-floor Liberty Cafe.

This is because, according to store co-owner Chris O’Harra, she wants to open the second-floor space for retail business rental.

They hope to have the books moved by today. Moving the larger literary events will take a little longer.

“We’ll still use it for the biggest events until we get the space rented out,” O’Harra said.

By the time, say, Chuck Palahniuk returns to Spokane (tentatively in the fall) to read from his new book “Rant,” O’Harra hopes to find an alternative site.

If you know of a place that seats 200 to 300 people and comes cheap (if not free), contact O’Harra at (509) 838-0206.

S-R reads

Seems there’s been a bit of miscommunication between Auntie’s Bookstore and me.

The people who run the newsletter there printed that The Spokesman-Review Book Club selection for April is Lydia Yuri Minatoya’s memoir “Talking to High Monks in the Snow: An Asian-American Odyssey.”

In actuality, the book that we ended up choosing was Minatoya’s first novel, “The Strangeness of Beauty” (see story on page D3). I’m not sure how the mistake was made, but I take full responsibility.

Anyway, Lois Hughes of Auntie’s reports that both books are selling well, which is good news any way you look at it.

By the way, the S-R Book Club reads for the next four months are as follows: May, “The Blight Way,” by Spokane humorist Patrick F. McManus; June, “Earthly Meditations: New and Selected Poems,” by Moscow, Idaho, poet Robert Wrigley; July, “Buffalo Medicine,” by Coeur d’Alene novelist April Christofferson; and August, “The Pugilist at Rest,” by Tacoma writer Thom Jones.

I’m always open to suggestions (which is why we chose Minatoya; April 21 through 28 is Japan Week).

E-mail your ideas to danw@spokesman.com. Or send them by post to Dan Webster, The Spokesman-Review, 999 W. Riverside, Spokane, WA 99201.

Unless otherwise noted, all events are free and open to the public.

Book talk

“Gay & Lesbian Book Group (“Alternatives to Sex,” by Stephen McCauley), 7 p.m. Tuesday, Auntie’s Bookstore, Main and Washington. Call (509) 838-0206.

“Spokane Authors and Self-Publishers, 11 a.m. Thursday, Old Country Buffet, 5504 N. Division St. Speaker: Mike Hinz on podcasting your novel. Lunch purchase is required. Call Barbara Cagle at (509) 233-8051.

The reader board

“Terry Martin (“The Secret Language of Women”), poetry reading, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Auntie’s Bookstore.

“Debut Promotions – Spring Fling, staged readings of short comedies by such Spokane-area playwrights as Jeanne Gustafson, Penny Lucas, Sandra Hosking, Parker Francis, 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Auntie’s Bookstore.