Three years after circumstances in Istanbul, in largest part, dictated cancellation of a planned Seattle visit for her novel, The Bastard of Istanbul, acclaimed Turkish author Elif Shafak makes this long-awaited first visit here, this for her newest novel, The Forty Rules of Love (Viking). The author of ten novels in her homeland, and now five in English, Elif Shafak (or Safak) in The Forty Rules of Love weaves together two narratives, set hundreds of years apart, linking an unhappy, contemporary U.S. housewife and the great Sufi mystic and poet Jelaluddin Rumi, and his dervish mentor, Shams of Tabriz. "In The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak has woven a wonderful tale of spiritual longing, brilliantly exploring the universal desire for intimacy—with another human being, as well as with the divine. It is provocative in the best sense of that term, a rare novel that succeeds in illuminating the mystical aspects of daily existence, a novel of intelligence as well as heart, with wisdom that infuses every page." - Roland Merullo. With thanks to our friends and neighbors at CAFÉ PALOMA (93 Yesler Way, www.cafepaloma.com) for their assistance. A special post-reading gathering for Café Paloma is in the works.

Co-presented with the TOWN HALL CENTER FOR CIVIC LIFE. A National Security Council member during the Clinton administration who is now a professor of international relations at Georgetown, Charles Kupchan visits Town Hall with his new book, How Enemies Become Friends: The Sources of Stable Peace (Princeton University Press)."This is a work of admirable breadth and unusual interest. Combining an engaging theoretical framework with an extraordinarily diverse set of case studies, Kupchan has produced a lucid work that should be valued by both the academic and policymaking worlds in sorting out the relationships among classic diplomacy, democracy, and peace." - Anthony Lake. Charles Kupchan is also the author of The End of the American Era. $5 tickets are available at the door starting at 6:30 p.m. or in advance via www.brownpapertickets.com (or 1-800-838-3006). Preferred seating for Town Hall members. Town Hall Seattle is at 1119 Eighth Avenue (entry on Seneca). For more information, please call Elliott Bay at (206) 624-6600, Town Hall at (206) 652-4255, or see www.townhallseattle.org.