The week of amazing readings continues with a poetry slam, a book about building up your finances if you’re young, and three great events, which I will tell you all about right now.

At the University Bookstore, Jonathan Raban, a writer who Christopher has profiled, and who has written about Barack Obama and many other subjects for us, will be speaking at a tribute to poet William Dunlop. Dunlop passed away a year ago, and he was a much-loved teacher as well. It should be a sweet, sad, and funny event.

At The Shoebox on Capitol Hill, Ryan Boudinot, a very funny and talented local short story author, will be reading. His last book was The Littlest Hitler, but perhaps he will read from something new.

And down at Elliott Bay Book Company, Nathan Englander will read from his new-in-paperback-novel, The Ministry of Special Cases. I haven’t read this one, but I loved his short story collection from quite a ways back, For the Relief of Unbearable Urges, which is the book that appeared to have water stains on the cover. As a bookseller, I used to love watching customers with coffee cups hovering over the books, and then looking down to see the cover of For the Relief of Unbearable Urges. They would of course think that they spilled their beverage and stained the book. Sometimes, they’d try to rub the stain off the cover, but for the most part they’d slink away, thinking that they were getting away unnoticed.

More information about all these readings and the next week or so is in the full readings calendar.