Celebrating Stories and Community with TRASAL
December 16, 2025
SAL is excited to spotlight our sponsor, TRASAL! Read on to learn more about their work in Seattle.
Winter 2026
Seattle has always been a place where stories take root. From the oral traditions of the Coast Salish peoples to the city’s bookstores tucked into every neighborhood, literature has long been part of the way this region understands itself. At TRASAL, we feel grateful to contribute to that landscape, and we are honored to join Seattle Arts & Lectures in celebrating the many ways reading and conversation bring people together.
TRASAL is the nonprofit behind JLF Seattle, the international chapter of the Jaipur Literature Festival, often described as the greatest literary gathering in the world. But at heart, our work is simple. We want to bring people together through stories. We host monthly book groups, seasonal programs, and one beloved festival each fall, all with the hope of creating a place where curiosity and connection can flourish.
Highlights from JLF Seattle 2025
This past fall, JLF Seattle returned for its second edition, and the energy was unforgettable. Over two days, readers from across the region gathered to listen, reflect, and take in conversations that moved across continents and ideas.
Our 2025 lineup featured some of the most influential voices writing today:
- Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist
- Kiran Desai, Booker Prize winner and longlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize
- William Dalrymple, historian, JLF co-founder, and bestselling author
- Arundhati Subramaniam, acclaimed poet and essayist
- John Vaillant, award-winning journalist
- Marcus du Sautoy, mathematician and science communicator
- Patrick McGee, author and cultural commentator
- Prajakta Koli, actor, author, and UNDP India Youth Climate Champion
Their sessions invited audiences to think about identity, memory, belonging, creativity, and the worlds that literature opens for us. Thanks to the enthusiasm of Seattle readers, JLF Seattle became one of the most attended JLF festivals internationally this year. It felt like a moment of real pride for the Pacific Northwest, and we look forward to building on that momentum in 2026.
Seattle as a Literary Home
Seattle’s designation as a UNESCO City of Literature is more than a title. It reflects a living, breathing ecosystem. Independent bookshops, residencies, libraries, and cultural spaces make this a place where writers and readers can find one another. TRASAL is lucky to stand within that network, helping bring international voices into conversation with the vibrant literary community already here.
TRASAL Year-Round
Although JLF Seattle is our brightest annual moment, our work continues long after the festival ends. Our monthly book group (South Asia and Beyond) meets on Mercer Island and Elliot Bay Books, offering a space for anyone who wants to slow down, read with intention, and talk with others who love books.
These gatherings are open to all. They are friendly, intimate, and curious, the kind of conversations that remind us why reading still matters in an ever-quickening world.
We also host book talks, writing workshops, open mics and other collaborative community programs with partners across Seattle. Every program is rooted in the belief that literature helps us understand one another and ourselves.
Get Involved
If you would like to join a book group, attend future programs, or learn more about being part of the TRASAL community, we would love to welcome you. Our next book group in Seattle meets on January 20 to discuss Arundhati Roy’s memoir Mother Mary Comes to Me, and the Mercer Island reading will be held on January 28 for Marjan Kamali’s novel The Lion Women of Tehran. Sign up here for our monthly newsletters to receive details and updates. If you would like to volunteer or explore ways to support our work do email us directly at info@trasal.net
Learn more and join our community:
Website: https://www.trasal.net/
Newsletter sign-up: https://www.trasal.net/contact
Next book group registration:
Contact: info@trasal.net
Join Us
Stories connect us. They challenge us. They remind us to imagine a world with more openness and compassion. Whether you join us for a book group, attend an author conversation, or come to JLF Seattle 2026, we look forward to celebrating the power of literature with you.