At Parkplace Books last Wednesday, one could easily mistake the visit of a noted Seattle-area author for an appearance filmed for the Comedy Central Network.

Trading stories both irreverent and personal between smiles and laughter, noted author Sherman Alexie discuss-ed his most recent book “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” with an audience of more than 325 people. Welcomed by Parkplace Books co-owner Rebecca Willow and King County Library branch manager Elsa Steele, his appearance was the third sponsored by the King County Library System’s reading program, “If all of Kirkland read the Same Book.”

“Sherman is very out there,” said Willow. “He’s always looking to meet with groups of people and has really developed into an asset for the Pacific Northwest.”

Seated 11 rows back from the podium before Alexie arrived, Bothell residents Daniel Cook and his wife Denise Melton drove down to get a better sense of what made the Native American author tick.

“It’s always interesting to hear the author’s take,” he said. “I really enjoyed his description of ‘Mr. P,’ his teacher on the reservation that sometimes forgot to show up for his class.”

Alexie’s appearance marked his second visit to the venue, first speaking at the Kirkland bookstore in 1996.

“Back then, I didn’t even know what the Eastside was,” he said.

“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” has won several literary honors and awards on its publication, including the 2007 National Book award. The novel is described in a press release as “written with humor and raw emotion,” and “chronicling the coming of age of Junior, a budding cartoonist from the Spokane Indian reservation and a very unlucky boy.”

Wearing a dark dinner jacket with a red handkerchief tucked in the breast-pocket and sarcastically calling himself a “socially committed commie-liberal,” the author kept the large crowd on the edge of their seats with his quick wit and bawdy humor.

He skewered his own personal foibles during the discussion of his book, which he said is fictional but filed with anecdotes from his own life.

“I was always interested in weaknesses, vulnerabilities and the ways our senses deceive us,” he said.

Taking a number of questions from the audience, a conversation entertained ideas of children, censorship, teaching, presidential politics and Alexie’s recitation of the Future Farmers of America creed.

He also announced at the event the pending publication of a new work of poetry, titled “Face” and a new work of fiction based on picking up the life of Junior where Part-Time Indian left off.

He said he expected the poems would be published in January and the new book would be out next fall.

Past program visits included authors Jim Lynch and Ivan Doig.