Seattle Arts & Lectures champions the literary arts by engaging and inspiring readers and writers of all generations in the greater Puget Sound region.
Our programs include
Literary Arts
Poetry
Journalism
Women You Need to Know (WYNK)
SAL Presents
Hinge
Writers in the Schools (WITS)
Book Bingo
Youth Poet Laureate
Prowda Award
Vision
A future in which imaginative acts such as reading, writing, and creative thinking are indispensable to a curious, engaged, democratic society.
History
Seattle Arts & Lectures was founded in 1987 and launched its first season in 1988 with John Updike, Calvin Trillin, Donald Barthelme, Louise Erdrich and Michael Dorris, Isabel Allende, and Rosamond Bernier.
In 1994, SAL brought the nationally-recognized Writers in the Schools to Seattle—an educational program that places local professional writers in public school classrooms to develop skills and spark student interest in reading and writing. The Poetry Series, featuring such notables as Philip Levine and Anne Carson, debuted in 2000, as did Wednesday University/SAL U, an adult continuing education program co-presented by the University of Washington Alumni Association and taught by distinguished UW professors. Hinge, inaugurated in the 2014/15 season, presents new books by and for the next generation at accessible ticket prices. In the 2015/16 season, SAL introduced Women You Need to Know (WYNK), a three-part series designed to showcase cutting-edge, thought-provoking women. It opened with the graphic novelist and Tony Award winner, Alison Bechdel. Summer Book Bingo, also launched in 2015, is a partnership with the Seattle Public Library to present a free summer reading program for adults (Kids Book Bingo, a program of SAL alone, was launched in 2017). From 2016/17 to 2017/18, SAL presented Sherman Alexie Loves, a two-year series that was curated by Seattle author, Sherman Alexie. In the 2018/19 season, SAL is debuting a three-part Journalism Series in partnership with National Book Award-winning writer and correspondent Timothy Egan and renowned journalist Sam Howe Verhovek.
As Seattle has grown in size and sophistication, SAL has kept pace and helped engage, inspire, and connect our growing community. In 2016/17 alone, over 25,000 SAL attendees had accessible, meaningful experiences with the foremost writers and thinkers of our time through SAL programming. Our Writers in the Schools program matches accomplished creative writers with local K-12 public schools and hospitals for year-long writing residencies. In 2016/17, over 7,800 students worked with a WITS Writer-in-Residence or attended a Spotlight Author Visit to discover their authentic voices, build community, and develop writing skills that will support them throughout their lives.
The Prowda Literary Champion Award is named for Sherry Prowda, SAL’s founder and first Executive Director. It was created to honor Prowda’s vision of a future in which imaginative acts such as reading, writing, and creative thinking are indispensable to a curious, engaged, democratic society, and her leadership as a champion of the literary arts.
Each year, the award, selected by a group of literary visionaries, celebrates the individuals and organizations that make Seattle an outstanding place for writers and readers.
Opportunities
Marketing Coordinator
2018/19
SAL seeks a Marketing Coordinator to increase the visibility and impact of the organization, our mission, and programs. The ideal candidate for this position has a love of the mission, an eye for detail and design, a passion for data and databases, a flair for writing and storytelling, a talent for relationship building with a diverse span of people, and a commitment to racial equity and social justice. The Marketing Coordinator will join a small but passionate team of book lovers to support and implement marketing, advertising, communications, and engagement efforts for all of our programs but with a focus on our Public Programs, which includes the Literary Arts Series, Journalism Series, Poetry Series, Women You Need to Know Series, SAL Presents, Hinge, and Summer Book Bingo.
Applications to join the WITS Writers-in-Residence corps is now open! Writers in the Schools (WITS), a program of Seattle Arts & Lectures, is looking for creative writers—poets, fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, and cartoonists/graphic novelists—who are passionate about teaching the power and pleasure of writing to young people, elementary through high school aged, and who are excited to collaborate with public school teachers to create environments that foster a sense of inquiry, creativity, and inclusion.
SAL interns acquire hands-on experience and training in many aspects of marketing and communications, while also gaining a good understanding of nonprofit literary arts. Marketing & Communications interns assist SAL’s Associate Director and SAL’s Events Associate & Content Editor with content production, sales efforts, and implementing the year’s programs.
Behind the scenes at SAL is a corps of dedicated volunteers who contribute their time to ensure we meet our mission of sparking imaginations and bringing together people and ideas. We have a host of areas to get involved in, from ushering at our events, to assisting with mailings and other administrative tasks, to working on our annual fundraising events.
Seattle, WA— MAY 8, 2018: Yesterday evening, Seattle Arts & Lectures (SAL) announced the headliners of the 2018/19 Season at the closing event for this year’s Literary Arts Series with author Viet Thanh Nguyen. The upcoming season will be the first in SAL’s history to feature a Literary Arts Series made up of entirely female writers. Subscriptions for the 2018/19 Literary Arts Series and SAL’s new journalism series (title TBD) are on sale now. Women You Need to Know (WYNK) subscriptions will go on sale May 15. Poetry Series subscriptions will go on sale May 21. Create-Your-Own subscriptions will go on sale June 18, and single tickets will go on sale July 16.
Seattle Arts & Lectures announces the addition of Madeleine Albright to its 2017/18 Season line-up. Albright will discuss her new book, Fascism: A Warning, in conversation with Mark Suzman of the Gates Foundation on Tuesday, April 24 at 7:30pm at The Paramount Theatre. All ticket packages include a copy of her new books. Tickets will go on sale on Friday, February, 16 at 10:00am at stgpresents.org.
Seattle, WA— Dec 1, 2017: Seattle Arts & Lectures (SAL) announces the addition of Daniel Pink to its 2017/18 Season line-up. Pink will appear on Monday, March 5, 2018 at 7:30pm at the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall at Benaroya Hall. Tickets are on sale now at lectures.org.