The greater Pacific Northwest is home to Ursula K. Le Guin, Kay Kenyon, Jay Lake, Nancy Kress, Brent Weeks, Ted Chiang and Ramona Quimby. Although Ramona isn’t known for her Science Fiction and Fantasy escapades, the rest are, and will be celebrated as part of the Pacific Northwest Reading Series. These free quarterly events provide the Northwest Science Fiction and Fantasy community a chance to gather, network and enjoy readings from local and visiting authors in Portland and Seattle.

Each event starts with notes from the host, a leading author, who has selected two of their favorite writers to complete the evening’s theme. In turn, each is given time to read from their latest work, interpreting and explaining their concepts and vision. In addition, space is provided for networking and conversation.

The next event in the Seattle area (Kirkland, WA) will be held on Tuesday, August 13 and will be hosted by Laura Anne Gilman, accompanied by Carrie Vaughn and Barbara Caridad Ferrer.

Register to attend the event in Kirkland at the Wilde Rover Irish Pub and Restaurant.

The next Portland event will be held on Wednesday, August 14 and will also be hosted by Laura Anne Gilman, accompanied by Phyllis Irene Radford and Diana Pharaoh Francis.

Register to attend the event in Portland at McMenamin’s Kennedy School.

Laura Anne Gilman is the author of ten Cosa Nostradamus novels and the Nebula award-nominated Vineart War trilogy, plus many short stories and novellas. Her new fantasy novels, Heart of Briar and Soul of Fire, will be released by Luna Books in late 2013. In addition, her Cosa Nostradamus novellas “Miles to Go” and “Promises to Keep” will be released in print by PlusOne Press. Ms. Gilman also writes mysteries under the name L.A. Kornetsky.

Ms. Gilman started her career as a professional book editor, and still does freelance editing. Follow her on Twitter: @LAGilman or visit www.lauraannegilman.net

Carrie Vaughn is the author of the New York Times bestselling series of novels about a werewolf named Kitty. She also wrote the young adult novels Voices of Dragons and Steel (which was named to the ALA’s 2012 Amelia Bloomer list of the best books for young readers with strong feminist content), and the novels Discord’s Apple and After the Golden Age. She’s a contributor to the Wild Cards series of shared world superhero books edited by George R. R. Martin, and her short stories have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies. She’s a graduate of the Odyssey Fantasy Writing Workshop, and in 2011, she was nominated for a Hugo Award for best short story. An Air Force brat, she survived her nomadic childhood and managed to put down roots in Boulder, Colorado. Visit her at www.carrievaughn.com.

Barbara Caridad Ferrer is a first generation, bilingual Cuban-American, whose 2006 YA debut Adiós to My Old Life was the Romance Writers of America’s 2007 RITA® winner for Best Contemporary Single Title Romance while When the Stars Go Blue, her 2010 YA interpretation of Bizet’s Carmen, was honored as the first place YA Novel: English Language at the 2011 International Latino Book Awards. She has also contributed to the anthologies Fifteen Candles: 15 Tales of Taffeta, Hairspray, Drunk Uncles, and Other Quinceañera Stories and Dear Teen Me. Her first novella for Harlequin Kimani TRU will be published in late 2013. A native Floridian, Ferrer now makes her home in the Pacific Northwest.

Phyllis Irene Radford has been writing stories ever since she figured out what a pencil was for. A member of an endangered species, a native Oregonian who lives in Oregon, she and her husband make their home in Welches, Oregon where deer, bears, coyotes, hawks, owls, and woodpeckers feed regularly on their back deck.

A museum-trained historian, Radford has spent many hours prowling pioneer cemeteries deepening her connections to the past. Raised in a military family, she grew up all over the US and learned early on that books are friends that don’t get left behind with a move. Her interests and reading range from ancient history, to spiritual meditations, to space stations, and a whole lot in between.

Diana Pharaoh Francis has written several fantasy series, including The Horngate Witches series, The Crosspointe Chronicles, and The Path trilogy. Bitter Night has been nominated for the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice for Best Urban Fantasy of 2009, and Crimson Wind was nominated in 2011 for the best urban fantasy heroine. RT Reviews calls Diana’s most recent book, Blood Winter, “dark urban fantasy at its best.” Diana teaches in the English Department at the University of Montana Western, and is a lover of chocolate, Victoriana and sparkley things. For a lot more information about her and her books, visit www.dianapfrancis.com. She can also be found on Twitter as @dianapfrancis.