Risqué Tips Sure to Embolden—and Empower—the Shy

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Readings & Events

Kelly Braffet Her new Virginia-set suspense novel is Last Seen Leaving. Elliott Bay Books. 8 p.m. Wed. Nov. 15.

Richard Peck The noted children's author speaks on "Voices in an Empty Room: Five Apologies for the Narrative." Walker-Ames Room, Kane Hall, UW campus. $5. 7 p.m. Wed. Nov. 15.

Terry Tamminen This former California EPA secretary discusses the health, environmental, and economic downside of petroleum use and suggests solutions, in Lives Per Gallon: The True Cost of Our Oil Addiction.Elliott Bay Books. 6 p.m. Wed. Nov. 15.

Scott Turow A book party/reading/signing to launch his latest legal thriller, Limitations. W Seattle, 1112 Fourth Ave., 206-632-2419. $15. 6 p.m. Wed. Nov. 15.

Bruce ZuckermannAll you ever wanted to know about preserving and restoring ancient documents in his lecture "Bringing the Dead Sea Scrolls Back to Life." Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 206-652-4255. $15. 7:30 p.m. Wed. Nov. 15.

Rebecca Apsan Owner of New York City's La Petite Coquette, and lingerie purveyor to the stars (the cast of Sex and the City, for example), she shares 30 years of wisdom on what to wear, how to wear it, and when to take it off in her Lingerie Handbook. Although the event is sold out, the Handbook's girlfriendly voice is a pleasure to read, whether Apsan's offering practical advice, like how to properly measure your bra size, or risqué tips sure to embolden, and empower, the shy. The Big Picture, Redmond Town Center, 7411 166th Ave. N.E., 425-556-0565, www.thebigpicture.net. $15 (includes a champagne reception). 6:30 p.m. Thurs. Nov. 16.RACHEL SHIMP

The Evangelical Phenomenon Local religious and secular leaders (Valerie Tarico, the Rev. Rich Lang, David Domke, and Rabbi Daniel Weiner) discuss the growth of Christian fundamentalism and its increasing influence on U.S. politics. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 206-652-4255, www.brownpapertickets.com. $5-$7.50. 8 p.m. Thurs. Nov. 16.

Jeff GromanThe Six-Day Bicycle Races: America's Jazz-Age Sport tells all about this popular early-20th-century trend. In conjunction, Maria Mason, a representative of Bikes for Education, will be on hand to accept used bicycles for shipment to Togo. Eagle Harbor Books, 157 Winslow Way E. (Bainbridge Island), 206-842-5332. 7:30 p.m. Thurs. Nov. 16.

David Kelly His work, and that of other queer cartoonists, in his book Boy Trouble. Bailey/Coy Books, 414 Broadway, 206-323-8842. 7 p.m. Thurs. Nov. 16.

Keith KnightSEE VISUAL ARTS.

Claire Messud Achieving Borat-levels of hype–depending on your proximity to a West Side brownstone–The Emperor's Children (Knopf) Claire Messud's satire of aimless and privileged Ivy League grads in New York circa 2001, casts a gilded sheen over intellectual and social strivers like Henry James seen through the pages of New York magazine. Murray Thwaite, a celebrity journalist in Christopher Hitchens' loafers, struggles to complete his life's work in secret, while his daughter Marina, who's moved back home, wants to write something of importance beyond the cultural history of children's clothing for which she's already spent her advance. Her best friend Danielle, a television producer, pursues the new hotshot editor launching a publication under a Murdochian Aussie media baron. Messud's fourth novel (including a book of novellas) is her first set in the United States. She's clearly at home in media-consumed Manhattan, reflecting our own anxieties just as easily as her characters. And while flashbacks are her trademark, Messud keeps this island chillingly in the present. The rest of us are forced to look back. Elliott Bay Book Co. 7:30 p.m. Thurs. Nov. 16.KATE SILVER

Solveig Torvik & Kirby OlsonHer novel Nikolai's Fortune tells of the hardships of three generations of Finnish women; his Temping is a comedy. Finnish Lutheran Church, 8504 13th Ave. N.W. 7 p.m. Thurs. Nov. 16.

Christianity and "The Problem of Evil" A weekend conference led by Lynn C. Bauman. St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 4805 N.E. 45th St. www.ststephens-seattle.org to register. $15 Fri./$30 Sat. 7:30 p.m. Fri. Nov. 17, 9:30 a.m. Sat. Nov. 18.

Color of Violence A panel discussion to launch Color of Violence: The Incite! Anthology, writings on violence against women of color. UW Ethnic Cultural Center, 3931 Brooklyn Ave. N.E., www.cara-seattle.org. Free. 6 p.m. Fri. Nov. 17.

Dorothy Granada The director of the Maria Luisa Ortiz Women's Health Clinic in Nicaragua speaks on her embattled efforts in the area of rural women's health care. St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 732 18th Ave. E. 7 p.m. Fri. Nov. 17.

Sarah Katherine Lewis Secrets of the sex industry in her Indecent: How I Make It and Fake It as a Girl for Hire. Elliott Bay Book Co. 7:30 p.m. Fri. Nov. 17.

Pontoon Nine This anthology includes work by Annette Spaulding-Convy, Susan Landgraf, Katharine Whitcomb, Johnny Horton, and Erin Malone, who will read at Ravenna Third Place Books, 6504 20th Ave. N.E., 206-525-2347. 7:30 p.m. Fri. Nov. 17.

Robert Schenkkan Winner of a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony nomination for his play The Kentucky Cycle, he'll speak on his process and storytelling. Suzzallo Library 101, UW campus, 206-616-8397, uwlibs@u.washington.edu. Free. 7 p.m. Fri. Nov. 17.

Jill SmoloweA Love Like No Other: Stories From Adoptive Parents is her anthology of pieces by 20 writers. University Book Store, 7 p.m. Fri. Nov. 17.