Reading Local Seattle

One of 2009's highlights was Seattle University's initial Search for Meaning book festival, a free day-long festival of writers working across religious traditions and perspectives that was attended by an enthusiastic gathering of people from all over the Seattle area. Now, for year two, Search for Meaning again features writers from different religious and spiritual backgrounds discussing their work, from formal theology, poetry, fiction, nonfiction essays, memoir, translation, and other genres. This year's keynote speakers are Gustav Niebuhr, author of Beyond Tolerance: Searching for Interfaith Understanding in America (Viking) and Kathleen Norris, author of many books, including The Cloister Walk, and her newest, Acedia and Me (Riverhead). Presenters include children's book author Sheila Bender, Robert Clark, Ann Finger, Lesley Hazleton, Kirby Larsen, Nick O'Connell, Brenda Peterson, poet/translator Red Pine (aka Bill Porter), and many others. Elliott Bay will be there as booksellers along with the Seattle University Bookstore, offering books both by the authors on hand, and on many of the topics at hand. Search for Meaning is a free event, but reservations are requested. For more information/reservations, please see www.seattleu.edu. Piggott Auditorium is located nearest to Seattle University's 12th Avenue and Marion Street entrance.