We're a day late on Authorial Intent, our wrap-up of the week's readings. That's largely because we were talking to two of the authors who will be in town tomorrow night, which seems to be the night that the stars aligned and all writers thought it would be a good idea to visit Boston. So, without further adieu …

Thursday, October 11--Today, Super Thursday!
Robert Reich, 6:00 pm, Swedenborg Chapel (via Harvard Book Store), 50 Quincy Street, $5. More info.
The smartest shorty around will be talking about "Supercapitalism," or the version of capitalism that is eating democracy from the inside out.

Shalom Auslander, 7:00 pm, Foreskin's Lament, Brookline Booksmith
Auslander's memoir is about his misadventures while growing up in an Orthodox Jewish Community and the rocky relationship with God that resulted. All we know is that he was tempted to take his pants off when we spoke to him.

Jonathan Messinger, 7:00 pm, Lorem Ipsum Books, 157 Hampshire Street, Cambridge
Messinger will bring his Dollar Store readings, in which he reads tales based on bargain goods, to Boston. He's a favorite of the Ist-a-Verse, and we had the chance to interview him.

Friday, October 12
Orhan Pamuk, 7:00 pm, Memorial Church (via Harvard Book Store), 1 Harvard Yard, $5. More info.
Nobel Prize-winner Orhan Pamuk will be reading from Other Colors: Essays and a Story.

Monday, October 15
Kitty Dukakis, 6:30 pm, Raytheon Auditorium, Egan Research Center, Northeastern University Ford Hall Forum Series.
The former first lady of Massachusetts will talk about how electroshock therapy helped her get her life back after years of deep depression, and former Governor Michael Dukakis and journalist Larry Tye will be on hand to vouch for it because there sure aren't a lot of people out there who are pro-shock.

Steve Almond, 7:00 pm, Porter Square Books
Bostonist favorite Steve Almond makes another local stop in honor of his book (Not That You Asked). Feel free to ask him anything you want. He'll answer. We know. We talked to him.

Garry Kasparov, 7:00 pm, First Parish Church Meetinghouse (via Harvard Book Store), $5. More info.
Chess master Kasparov talks about how his decision-making skills can improve life, the universe, and everything, but we're more interested in his bold move to run against Vladimir Putin in the Russian presidential race.

Tuesday, October 16
Tom Perotta, 6:00 pm, Coolidge Corner (via Brookline Booksmith), $5
The poet laureate of the United States of Suburbia visits Coolidge Corner to celebrate his latest, The Abstinence Teacher. You know where this is going, right?

Stephen King, Jim Shepard, Karen Russell, Richard Russo, and Heidi Pitlor, Memorial Church (via Harvard Book Store), 8:00 pm, 1 Harvard Yard, $15. More info.

This event, in which an illustrious Justice League of writers discusses The Best American Short Stories 2007, is already sold out. But you might get lucky if you get there early and put on your sweetest face.

Images of Robert Reich's Supercapitalism and Garry Kasparov's How Life Imitates Chess from Amazon.