SAL/ON

A Blog of Seattle Arts & Lectures

“Stand Up,” by Calvontre White

Stand Up America, America a place that is unknown like history there are secrets that have never been told Many have stood up for years, why don’t we celebrate them, why don’t we give them cheers When we started Black Lives Matter and people said they care, then tell us why police brutality is still […]

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“I’m Planting Waterfalls: A Letter To America,” by Hiroshi Sakauye

I’m Planting Waterfalls: A Letter To America America, where have your white stars flown? Why do the stripes on your flag look like crossbones? Gravestone pathways you say… America, why do I see my own blood river bathing In war badges run between my fingers. America, I’ve grown with my hand on my heart, north […]

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“Imperfect,” by Akshaya Ajith

Imperfect A dark purple bruise on perfect skin Hidden, painful, an accident But I know, I am the eye opened, watchful, while the other is closed I see it all The perfect world that everyone sees now Merely a curtain To hide the ruined chaos behind Hide the bruise Don’t let them know That you […]

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Six Alice Walker Poems for Everyday Life in Seattle

By Danielle Palmer-Friedman, SAL Volunteer Who else is extremely excited to hear the eloquent, fiercely loving, and courageous Alice Walker read tonight at Benaroya Hall? This author and social activist is friends with Gloria Steinem, Yoko Ono, and Oprah (hello, dream book club!). Tickets will be available at the Benaroya Box Office tonight, which opens […]

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Relive the Magic of the WITS Back-to-School Luncheon!

Thank you so much to everyone that attended SAL’s Back-to-School Luncheon last week to support our Writers in the Schools program! As WITS parent Tammy Watson told us, “Each child, each voice that needs to be heard, is depending on someone to make that difference.” Last Tuesday, we came together to make a lasting difference […]

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Why WITS Matters

It’s a magical moment when young people begin experimenting with writing in order to make sense of their place in the world. We see this every fall, when Writers in the Schools hosts its WITS Anthology Launch—in this powerful afternoon of youth voices, we see what happens when space is created for youth to think, engage, […]

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Truth to Power: The Intentional Partnerships of CNN’s Van Jones

On Wednesday, October 10, Seattle Arts & Lectures will be welcoming our 2018/19 Journalism Series opener, Van Jones–social entrepreneur, CNN political contributor, and host of The Van Jones Show–in celebration of the paperback release of his New York Times bestseller, Beyond the Messy Truth. Called the “voice of reason” by people in red and blue states throughout […]

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Bushwick and SAL: Art Inspiring Art for a Fourth Season

By Wes Weddell, Associate Director of The Bushwick Book Club If my friend Phil hadn’t secured it for his (wonderful) Now See Hear project first, the tagline I’d want for The Bushwick Book Club Seattle is only three words: Music. Art. Repeat.  Heading into its ninth season, Bushwick stages events where a bill of 8-12 […]

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A Summer Book Bingo Wrap-Up

Are you planning to join us for the best book party of the summer? Celebrate the wrap-up of our free summer reading from 2:00 – 3:00 pm on Saturday, September 15, with our friends at The Seattle Public Library. Grab some bingo swag, eat cake, discuss your favorite summer reads with fellow Book Bingo-lovers, swap […]

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Summer Book Bingo: Finish a Book You Started & Put Down

Only twelve days remain to binge-read your way through the last of your board—2018 Summer Book Bingo ends on September 4th. If you’ve found yourself guiltily eyeing that American epic you planned to tackle at a more optimistic point in your summer, then Dr. Ed Taylor, Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs at the University […]

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