The following description comes from the event organizer.

As Elliott Bay turns fifty years, we’ve been looking in various directions for perspective and context. Being relative newcomers, after thirteen years on Capitol Hill, some of the reflection that is more than due is to look at Capitol Hill as a center of queer life in Seattle and the part bookstores have played in building and sustaining community. This evening brings together two people who have been central to that work over the years: Michael Coy, most known for Bailey-Coy Books (414 Broadway E.) and Karen Maeda Allman, who was a vital  part of the Red and Black Bookstore Collective (432 - 15th Ave. E. was the last of several Capitol Hill locales) through its closing in 1999. Their stories, along with stories of Barbara Bailey and her catalyzing role, and Ron Whittaker with Beyond the Closet, should make for an engaging evening. We suspect those who attend can and will bring stories, questions, and insights as well.