-John Mason Brown

 The most exciting literary event of the weekend[*] is at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery on Friday, August 29th. Fantagraphics is hosting an artist’s reception and book signing for Daniel Clowes, the author-artist of Ghost World. Mr. Clowes will be signing Ghost World: The Special Edition 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM. The special edition not only includes the original Ghost World, one of the most critically acclaimed comics (or “graphic novel” if you are afraid your friends will make fun of you for reading comics, but what kind of friends are those, anyway? Get new friends.) ever, but also includes the Oscar-nominated screenplay adapted by Clowes and Terry Zwigoff, et cetera, et cetera, all the usual bells and whistles guaranteed to persuade fans old and new to fork over their lunch money.

 Saturday, August 30th, Seattle Mystery Bookshop hosts a book signing for author Cricket McRae, at the usual time, i.e. noon. Ms. McRae currently lives in Colorado, but the heroine of her novels, Sophie Mae Reynolds, is a crafty amateur sleuth based in Seattle (okay, Seattle-ish). Heaven Preserve Us is the second novel of this cozy series (after Lye In Wait), with a third (Spin a Wicked Web) forthcoming.

 Not free, but if you are already going to Bumbershoot, why not support a (more or less) new literary series? ACT Theatre’s Kurt Beattie directs Short Stories Live, pro actors reading stories by Seattle writers. Mary Ewald will read “Junk Mail” by Rebecca Brown and Tim Hyland reads Ryan Boudinot’s “Newholly.” This is the first year that Bumbershoot has hosted the semi-monthly Town Hall series. Sunday, August 31st, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM at the Leo K. Theatre.

[* Except Bumbershoot. Bumbershoot bumbershoot bumbershoot. Josh will be compiling and posting our Bumbershoot recs, so I'll refrain from further geekery here. (Bumbershoot!)]