Co-presented with the WASHINGTON CENTER FOR THE BOOK AT THE SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY and the UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON PRESS. If you think that the Civil and War and slavery was something experienced far away from Seattle, you won't want to miss this talk by writer/historians Lorraine McConaghy and Judy Bentley, authors of Free Boy: a True Story of Slave and Master (University of Washington Press). Free Boy is the story of Charles Mitchell, aged 13, whose escape from slavery in Washington territory in 1860 on a steamer bound for Victoria was made possible by help from free blacks. Written with young adults in mind, the authors provide the historical context to understand the lives of both Mitchell and the slaveholder, Washington territory surveyor-general James Tilton. Tilton's letter (which inspired the story) appears in Lorraine McConaghy's book, New Land, North of the Columbia (Sasquatch Books). Judy Bentley is also the author of Hiking Washington's History (University of Washington Press). Free admission is on a first-come, first-serve basis. The Seattle Public Library is at 1000 Fourth Avenue (between Madison & Spring). For more information, please see www.spl.org or call (206) 386-4636.