SAL/ON

A Blog of Seattle Arts & Lectures

Mary Ruefle gazes into the camera, head down, brows up, through her curly hair. Her navy blue blazer is decorated with a small pin.

Introductions: Mary Ruefle

By Rebecca Hoogs, SAL Associate Director Twenty-five years ago, I jumped into a pool in Switzerland and when I got out of the pool, I went about my business, i.e. my life for a while—maybe a half hour?—before I realized everything was blurry. I’d jumped in with my glasses on and when I went back, […]

Read More

Lily Baumgart's profile is thrown into sharp relief against stage lights. Their hair is cropped short casts a shadow onto their cheek. They are wearing a yellow turtleneck with a wide-collared coat. A red SAL logo is behind the lectern where they're speaking.

“Dissection of a Western Kingbird,” by Lily Baumgart

Extinguish larynx, strung down neck & plucked from voice box, pulling out a sharp snap; I holler to the kingbird out of loneliness. Feathered body & beak yellowed with age, sleek wings broken in by many winters, his dead eyes, refusing to acknowledge. Measurements of clawed feet, the push of the scalpel into his full […]

Read More

Nicholas Kristof has his arm over Sheryl WuDunn as they stand in front of a grey backdrop. Both are smiling.

Six Reads by Nicholas Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn

New York Times Op-Ed Columnist Nicolas Kristof grew up on a cherry farm in rural Yamhill, Oregon, and it’s there that he and Sheryl WuDunn, his wife and co-writer, return in their latest reporting. In part, their book is about the lives of some of the children with whom Kristof grew up, about a quarter […]

Read More

Amor Towles, in glasses and a bold blue suit, stands in the center of the picture, against a backdrop lit by multicolored, circular lights. He's smiling energetically and making direct eye contact.

Introductions: Amor Towles

By Ruth Dickey, SAL Executive Director A few years ago, everyone I knew began telling me about a book they absolutely adored and that I simply must read. But when I learned the book was about a Count who spends 30 years in a hotel in Moscow, I was first skeptical, and then outright resistant. […]

Read More

Wei-Wei Lee, looking slightly over her shoulder, grins at the camera amid a black backdrop lit by multicolored, circular lights.

“cold hard marble truth,” by Wei-Wei Lee

It’s a mite hard to believe on nights like this that, somewhere, I have friends who aren’t dream-deep and snug in their beds, asleep, but may be dozing off in lecture with pens stuttering on notes; air conditioners humming furious against the peak afternoon heat. Harder still to believe, that while they scribble and we […]

Read More

Bianca Glinskas stands on a cliff amid a sunrise, mountains in the background. She's leaning against a rock, small in the frame of the photo.

Faces of SAL: Bianca Glinskas

We are so grateful for the many volunteers who make our world go round at the SAL headquarters. Bianca Glinskas is one such volunteer, and not only does she help out in the office—she also writes for our blog! Check out her recent pieces on poet Mary Ruefle here and here. To see what’s inspired […]

Read More

Andrea Dimond stands at the top of the steps of an old, brick building, with her hands interlaced and her leg crossed behind her. She's wearing a checkered dress with black tights and boots.

Faces of SAL: Andrea Dimond

Numerous creative and brilliant people work on behind-the-scenes projects for SAL. Andrea Dimond is one of two freelance designers and has freelanced for SAL for over three years, where she uses her superb design skills to produce our Annual Report and other pieces. See some of her past work here. Read on to find what […]

Read More

In this composite image, Mary Ruefle's black and white head shot on one side, with a copy of her book cover, Dunce, on the other side.

Readers as Aliens: Reading Mary Ruefle’s Poetry

On Thursday, November 21, 2019, Seattle Arts & Lectures will present a reading with Mary Ruefle at Broadway Performance Hall in Capitol Hill. Mary Ruefle has published over ten collections of poetry. Below, local writer Bianca Glinskas reveals three favorite Ruefle poems and what they tell us about the reader and the writer. By Bianca Glinskas […]

Read More

Summer Book Bingo: The Many Reasons to Play

by Kate Jones, Summer Intern   Another wonderful summer has come and gone, and I’m looking at my finished Summer Book Bingo board, trying to articulate why I love this experience so much. I’m no Book Bingo veteran—this is only my second card—but I’m starting to boil it down to a few reasons, reasons that […]

Read More

Faces of SAL: Danielle Palmer-Friedman

Many people work for SAL behind-the-scenes and it take a team to make it all happen. Danielle Palmer-Friedman has worked with SAL for the past year in a variety of ways—as a Words Matter volunteer, running front of house at events, and being a social media extraordinaire, to name just a few. Read on to […]

Read More