Listen to a conversation between authors Tracy Barone and Maria Semple about Barone's debut novel "Happy Family." "Happy Family" is the story of Cheri Matzner, an academic and former cop forced to come to terms with the family that raised her, the one that gave her up and the one she so desperately wants. -- Barone was the executive producer on "Wild Wild West," "Rosewood," "My Fellow Americans" and Money Train," and was instrumental in the acquisition and development of "Men in Black" and "Ali." She’ll appear in conversation with Seattle’s own Maria Semple ("Where'd You Go, Bernadette"), whose new novel, "Today Will be Different" will be published in October. -- "In her debut novel, screenwriter, playwright, and film producer Barone uses a wide lens to capture Cheri Matzner's life, from a precarious beginning to a confident, peaceful middle age... Cinematic in its scope, this novel takes readers on a broad, deep, and poignant journey alongside a tough, admirable woman and the varied characters who populate her life."―Kirkus.

You've completed your business plan, sought financing, developed your market strategy - now what? Listen to this podcast to learn about operating your business. Topics include: Choosing vendors, investors, stakeholders and advisors; Credit and collections; Hiring, firing and employment law; Timely tax reporting sales and B and O; Correct registrations and licensing; Distribution channels; Banking relationships; and Preparing, reading and interpreting financial statements.

In the wake of Michael Brown, Jr.’s tragic death in 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri, what can other cities and regions do to advance racial equity and authentically work together to support and empower communities? Listen in to a conversation with Reverend Starsky D. Wilson, president and CEO of Deaconess Foundation and co-chair of the Ferguson Commission. Appointed by Missouri’s governor in 2014, the Ferguson Commission made recommendations in 2015 to help the region address issues exposed by Brown’s death including changes in policing, the courts, child well-being and economic mobility. -- Karen Toering of Social Justice Fund Northwest moderates a discussion and audience Question and Answer session with Reverend Wilson. Discussion topics include the role of the media in shaping conversations about race and how to engage diverse community voices when working towards equity and equitable outcomes for all.

Listen to residents of the homeless encampment called The Jungle as they share their perspectives on their community. -- The Jungle: This is a deep dive into the encampment, the city's efforts to clean it up, and what the alternatives are for people who live there. This conversation was moderated by KUOW's Joshua McNichols, with a panel of current and former Jungle residents, Tim Harris from Real Change, and other advocates.

Listen to this podcast about programs and assistance available to LGBT-owned small businesses, and how to register as a certified LGBT-owned small business with the NGLCC. Certified LGBT Business Enterprise® (LGBTBE), businesses are able to build relationships with America's leading corporations, generate prospective business and clients, and collectively team with each other for contracting opportunities. As corporate America becomes more inclusive and further diversifies its supply chain, certification offers the opportunity for LGBT-owned businesses to differentiate themselves from their competitors.

Listen in to a panel on youth and young adult homelessness as they engage the audience in a conversation about the causes of youth homelessness, as well as potential solutions. Why are some groups disproportionately represented among insecurely housed young people? How are local agencies and organizations addressing youth homelessness? How can community members take action and advocate for young people experiencing homelessness? -- Hosted by the Accelerator YMCA and The Seattle Public Library.

Listen in to an evening with future Pulitzer Prize-winning voices! Students will share original poems, short stories, and memoirs created during their residencies with the Writers in the Schools (WITS) program. -- WITS middle school and high school students read from their work.

Listen in to an evening with future Pulitzer Prize-winning voices! Students will share original poems, short stories, and memoirs created during their residencies with the Writers in the Schools (WITS) program. -- WITS elementary and middle school students read from their work.

Jo Baker reads from her new novel, "A Country Road, A Tree". From the best-selling author of “Longbourn,” a stunning new novel that follows an unnamed writer, Samuel Beckett, whose life and extraordinary literary gift are permanently shaped in the forge of war. -- When war breaks out in Europe in 1939, a young, unknown writer journeys from his home in neutral Ireland to conflict-ridden Paris and is drawn into the maelstrom. With him we experience the hardships yet stubborn vibrancy at the heart of Europe during the Nazis' rise to power; his friendships with James Joyce and other luminaries; his quietly passionate devotion to the Frenchwoman who will become his lifelong companion; his secret work for the French Resistance and narrow escapes from the Gestapo; his flight from occupied Paris to the countryside; and the rubble of his life after liberation. Through it all we are witness to workings of a uniquely brilliant mind struggling to create a language that will express his experience of this shattered world. Here is a remarkable story of survival and determination, and a portrait of the extremes of human experience alchemized into timeless art. -- Jo Baker is the author of five previous novels, including “Longbourn,” a national best-seller and New York Times Notable Book.

Listen in to our 2016 Seattle Reads - Main Event, as Book-It Repertory Theatre presents staged readings from “We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves.” Karen Joy Fowler joins adapter, director, and cast for a post-performance discussion. -- Fowler’s smart, funny, heartbreaking novel is about a middle-class American family, ordinary in every way except one: Fern, being raised by psychologist parents, is a chimp. Rosemary, the narrator, knows Fern as her sister. Then something happens and Fern disappears from the family. The novel explores memory, family life, childhood, child rearing, and what it means to be human. -- 2016 Seattle Reads “We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves,” is a project designed to deepen engagement in literature through reading and discussion.