PHOTO: Tloke Nahuake Aztec Fire Dancers performed before a large crowd during the Pike Place Market Busker Festival on Sunday Sept. 14 at Seattle's popular farmers market.  The event celebrates 40 years of legal street performing – or ‘busking’ -- in Seattle. Susan Fried photo

The Seattle Public Library ‘Garden of Forbidden Books’

In celebration of Banned Books Week and PARK(ing) Day, The Seattle Public Library is opening The Garden of Forbidden Books in Belltown for one day only. Borrow books and hear story times for children and adults from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19 on Bell Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues.

Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration is not required.

At The Garden of Forbidden Books, librarians will convert two Belltown parking spaces into a reading room with places to sit and read. There will be a collection of banned or challenged books available for browsing and borrowing. Story times will take place at the following times.

11 a.m. - Story time for children, featuring Maurice Sendak's "In the Night Kitchen."

Noon - Story time for adults, featuring tales of censorship written by Ray Bradbury and others.

2 p.m. - Story time for adults, featuring tales of censorship written by Ray Bradbury and others.

PARK(ing) Day is an annual worldwide event where artists, designers, citizens and librarians transform metered parking spots into temporary public parks. For more information, call the Library at 206-386-4636 or www.spl.org.

Next Cultural Conversation: 'Storytelling for Change'

At the first Cultural Conversations meeting of the new season, participants will learn why storytelling from the heart is the most powerful way to communicate, profoundly impacting both the storyteller and the listener.

The meeting, with the theme "Storytelling for Change," takes place 1- 3 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23, at Crossroads Community Center, 16000 NE 10th St. Cultural Conversations is a women's group that meets approximately every six weeks and seeks to build community connections and enhance cultural understanding. For more information go to ww.ci.bellevue.wa.us.

Seattle Speaks: Future of Early Learning

Seattle voters will choose between two competing preschool-related measures on the November ballot: a city-backed, four-year, $58 million property-tax levy to fund a pilot, high-quality pre-kindergarten program or a union-backed proposal seeking better pay and training for child-care workers.

Seattle Channel host Brian Callanan facilitates talk on the future of publicly funded early childhood education , 7 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 24, at Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave. Seattle Speaks is presented by Seattle Channel, Town Hall Seattle and Seattle CityClub.

Joining the conversation to discuss the impacts of high-quality early learning will be Seattle City Councilmember Tim Burgess representing the city-endorsed pre-K proposal (Proposition 1B) and Heather Weiner speaking in favor of the union-backed I-107 (Proposition 1A).

The program will be broadcast live on Seattle Channel cable 21 (HD on Comcast 321 and Wave 721) and online at seattlechannel.org. Join the conversation in person or online, where you can take part in polls and voice your opinion via social media and e-mail. Take the pre-show poll online now: www.seattlechannel.org/seattlespeaks.

Admission to Seattle Speaks is free but advance registration is required. Register at www.seattlecityclub.org or call (206) 682-7395. Doors open at 6 p.m. with audience instructions at 6:30 p.m. and the live televised program at 7 p.m.

The Seattle Public Library Presents Banned! Books In Drag

In celebration of Banned Books Week, The Seattle Public Library is hosting a free evening of drag and literature from 7  to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27 at Neighbors Nightclub, 1509 Broadway.

Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration and tickets are not required. This event is for ages 21 and over. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Banned! Books in Drag will be hosted by The Stranger's David Schmader. Performances by local drag artists and comedians will include Aleksa Manila, Robbie Turner, La Saveona Hunt, Amora Dior Black, Atasha Manila, Isabella Extynn St. James, Ernie Von Schmaltz, comedian Abbey Drake and DJ Dewey Decimal.

Library cards for The Seattle Public Library are free to all who live, work or attend school in Seattle. Learn about using the Library, sign up for a library card, or browse and borrow from a collection of titillating fiction curated especially for this event. Librarians will be on hand to recommend and check out books. For more information, call the Library at 206-386-4636 or www.spl.org.

Douglass-Truth Library Celebrates 100 Years

The Seattle Public Library is planning a special celebration in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Douglass-Truth Branch, 2300 E. Yesler Way, 206-684-4704.

The public is invited to join in the festivities from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27 at the branch. Enjoy a scavenger hunt, button making, canvas bag decorating, historical presentations, performers and refreshments. Historical clothing and accessories from the 1900s will also be on display throughout the Douglass-Truth Branch. All activities are free and open to the public. No registration is required.

At 12:30 p.m., the following community speakers will share brief remarks on the Douglass-Truth Branch's 100th anniversary:

·  Marcellus Turner, city librarian of The Seattle Public Library

·  Ron Sims, former King County Executive and former Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

· Val Matson, public relations chair for the Seattle chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha

For more information, call the Library at 206-386-4636 or Ask a Librarian.

ARTISTS UP at the Northwest African American Museum

To continue reaching communities new to regional arts service agencies, ARTISTS UP will host a free session to connect and inform African and African American artists throughout Seattle, King County and Washington State.

The event is Monday, Oct. 6 from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Northwest African American Museum , 2300 S. Massachusetts St. Artists creating dance, literature, media, music, theater, visual and public art are welcome. Light refreshments will be served.

The event is designed to share best practices through peer learning, build connections between artists and funders, and demystify funding programs and processes. The event is hosted by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, 4 Culture and Artist Trust.

Attendees that require translation, activities for school-aged children, accommodation or alternative format for a disability (facility is accessible) should notify the presenting organizations no later than end of day, October 1. 

Since launching in 2013, ARTISTS UP has successfully built bridges and increased understanding of existing artist funding for Latina/o, Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander artist communities. Register online by Oct.1. For more information, contact Heather Dwyer at heather.dwyer@4culture.org, 206-296-8676

Get Your Business Ready for Disaster with Free Webinar Series

Each year small businesses nationwide are forced to close their doors in the aftermath of severe storms, flooding, tornadoes, wildfires and hurricanes.  Business interruptions, even if they last just a few hours, are costly in terms of lost productivity and profits.

You can get help with your own business preparedness planning through a series of free webinars in September hosted by the U.S. Small Business Administration and Agility Recovery.   The September series is presented in collaboration with FEMA’s Ready Campaign as part of National Preparedness Month.  

The half-hour webinars will be presented at 2 p.m., Eastern time, each Wednesday in September. 

SBA has partnered with Agility Recovery to offer business continuity strategies through their “PrepareMyBusiness” website. Visit www.preparemybusiness.org to check out the archived webinars and for more disaster preparedness tools. 

Find more Portland and Seattle events on The Skanner News Community Calendar