"Authorial Intent" is Bostonist's fledgling attempt to wrap up all the readings in Greater Boston.

Steve Almond, Thursday, September 13, 7:00 pm, Brookline Booksmith.
Read Bostonist's interview with Steve Almond. His latest book is named (Not that You Asked). Rest assured, if you ask, Almond will answer. In great and glorious detail. Brookline Booksmith's latest e-mail blast warns that, if you plan on attending, you better bring candy if you know what's good for you. And they also point readers to Almond's infamous rumble with Sean Hannity. Sic 'im, Steve!

John W. Dean, Thursday, September 13, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm, Old South Meeting House. Ford Hall Forum Series.
Mr. John W. Dean is pissed. His books, including Conservatives Without Conscience and Worse Than Watergate go after the Bush administration with unabashed zeal. The title of his latest book should come as no surprise - Broken Government: How Republican Rule Destroyed the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches. He should know what he's talking about - he was counsel to Nixon and testified at Watergate. Like all Ford Hall Forum series, the conversation with Dean is free, and this is just the first in what promises to be an exciting series. See Keillor, Garrison, below.

Martha Stout, Friday, September 14, 3:00 pm, Harvard Book Store. More info.
Martha Stout finds that the very notion of a "war on terror" may have some unpleasant side effects on our brains. She should know since she taught at Harvard Medical School. See Dean, John, above, for more side effects of the current state of government.

Garrison Keillor, Monday, September 17, 6:30pm to 8:00 pm, Blackman Auditorium, Ell Hall, Northeastern University. Ford Hall Forum Series.
Keillor will be in town to discuss and sign Pontoon: A Novel of Lake Wobegon. But, since this is the forum series and people will be able to interact, we'd like to hear what he thinks of the crumbling infrastructure of his home state of Minneapolis - not to mention the infrastructure of the rest of the country.

Edmund White, Monday, September 17, 6:00 pm, Brattle Theatre (via Harvard Book Store). More info.
In Hotel de Dream, Edmund White writes fiction about fiction writers, namely Stephen Crane. As Crane dying of tuberculosis, he dictates a tale of a "painted boy" on the Manhattan streets to his wife.

Bostonist can't read everything, so please e-mail or leave a tip if you think a reading has been left out. Promo image of Garrison Keillor looking stern.