Ellen Forney, acclaimed local cartoonist, illustrator and teacher, spoke about her work Jan. 26 at the Central Library. Ellen Forney is the author of several books, including "I Love Led Zeppelin" and MONKEY FOOD: The Complete "I Was Seven in '75" Collection. "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," written by Sherman Alexie and illustrated by Forney, won the 2007 National Book Award.

The Seattle Public Library and Harper's Magazine presented essayist Richard Rodriguez on. Friday, Jan. 25 at Town Hall. Rodriguez read from "The God of the Desert: Jerusalem and the Ecology of Monotheism."

"The Senator's Wife" is a portrait of two marriages and two unconventional women at different stages of life: Meri, the young wife of a charismatic professor, and Delia, the long-suffering wife of a notoriously philandering retired senator.

Walter G. Andrews is a professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization at the University of Washington. Andrews was interviewed by Dr. Selim S. Kuru, professor of Turkish and Ottoman Literature at the University of Washington.

Chris Crutcher is the author of eight critically acclaimed novels, including "Whale Talk," which won the 2002 Washington State Book Award. He has also written an autobiography and a collection of short stories. He has won three lifetime achievement awards for the body of his work.

Photographer/actor Ted D'Arms, author of the introductory essay to "Mary Randlett Landscapes," in conversation with the acclaimed Northwest photographer. Randlett and D'Arms discuss and show images from the book. Randlett and D'Arms were joined by contributors to "Mary Randlett Landscapes," including Washington artist Barry Herem, who will read from his essay. Poet Tim McNulty and Mark Jenkins, UW School of Drama associate professor, read poems by the internationally renowned late poet Denise Levertov.

Randlett has been photographing the Northwest for more than 55 years. Her works are held in numerous permanent collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Institution.

On November 29, poet, performer, and activist Amanda Diva read from her new book of poetry, "Young Skin, Wise Mind, Old Soul" at the Central Library. Several teen poets from the Young Queens group of teen poets also performed their own work.

Ha Jin's novel "Waiting" won the National Book Award for fiction as well as the PEN/Faulkner Award in 1999. His 2004 novel "War Trash" also won the PEN/Faulkner Award. He has published two collections of poetry and two award-winning collections of short fiction.

Historian Daniel Walker Howe discussed the newest installment in the acclaimed Oxford History of the United States series. "What Hath God Wrought?" was the message transmitted in 1844 by Samuel F.B. Morse to demonstrate his new electric telegraph. But it was also a commentary on the state of an era that meant so much to American history. Between 1815 and 1848, the United States expanded to the Pacific and achieved dominance over the richest part of the North American continent. Howe illuminates the transformation, starting with the battle of New Orleans and ending with the war against Mexico.

Ellis discussed "American Creation," an account of the founding years of the United States, a time of both triumphs and tragedies, all of which contributed to the shaping of our nation. Ellis examines the period between the War of Independence and the Louisiana Purchase. He argues that part of what made the American Revolution so extraordinary was the gradual pace at which it occurred, and the fact that it was brought about by a group of now iconic leaders (Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, et al.) rather than a single individual.