SAL/ON

A Blog of Seattle Arts & Lectures

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As Soon As You Say This Word: Wolf – El Lupo – Ôkami

By Sierra Nelson, WITS Writer-in-Residence Does the word Wolf move differently than El Lupo? Do we experience anything different in our bodies when we say the Russian word волк (pronounced “volk”) compared to the Japanese word 狼 [おおかみ Ôkami]? I was excited to explore these questions of language and translation in my WITS residency, working […]

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#litgoals: SAL’s Resolutions for the New Year

By Alison Stagner, Events & Development Coordinator, Sonder Editor My New Year’s resolutions, literary and otherwise, always have something in common: I never stick to them. I suspect this has something to do with the ridiculous idea that our calendar year begins in January, the month I am least likely to be out of my pajamas, instead […]

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Friday Roundup: The Holiday Edition!

Twelve fun (holiday) links from around the web. First of all: William Faulkner’s hot toddy recipe. How the Victorians invented Christmas cheer with the help of Dickens. Are you doing the Read Harder Challenge in 2017? “Hygge” is the new word of the season (unless you’re Danish, of course). Winter poems from the editors at Poetry […]

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WITS Voices: “Black Lives Matter is…”

By Daemond Arrindell, WITS Writer-in-Residence the skin stays silent  it is our blind eyes that give them voices or take them away On Wednesday, October 19th, Seattle Public Schools put their foot out there in a pretty public way. Faculty, administrators and parents at numerous schools throughout the greater Seattle area showed their support of […]

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What SAL’s Reading: Best of 2016

One thing about 2017 is certain: the literature will be stunning. As the new year unfolds, many are turning to our cultural thought leaders for direction and perspective, which always makes for a good beginning—reading, as book-lovers have long suspected, has been proven to enhance our ability to empathize and to increase brain function. But before we get ahead […]

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If You Like… You’ll Love: Discover New Authors

We’re just reminding you now: February is a hard month. By February, you’re already slipping with your New Year’s resolutions to get out there and see more art, to be part of more community conversations. You’ve got Valentine’s Day gift-giving panic and that what-do-I-have-to-look-forward-to-now? slump on the wrong side of the holiday season. Luckily, SAL has a stockpile […]

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Scream Out the Bad: An Evening with Marina Abramović

By Amelia Peacock, SAL’s Community Engagement Coordinator “It’s about to get really loud.” Those six simple words from the Town Hall House Manager proved an oddly poignant introduction to my evening with Marina Abramović. Two minutes later, the sound of 900 people screaming themselves into cathartic bliss gave me more context. It was an unearthly […]

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Writing Against: On Rachel Zucker’s “Poetics of Wrongness”

By Rachel Edelman Three weeks ago, on Tuesday, November 8th, I left a reading in South Lake Union and walked west on Harrison. I attempted, unsuccessfully, not to look at the U.S. maps glowing so red on every bar’s television screen. I arrived at the bus stop knowing my own phone was dead, fearing my roiling […]

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WITS Voices: Holding 67 Hearts

By Laura Gamache, WITS Writer-in-Residence On my ninth day with fourth graders at Broadview-Thomson, I asked the kids to take out their hearts, and hand them in to me. I had drawn each heart on red copier paper before our second meeting, after the teachers had expressed doubt the kids could reliably draw them themselves. […]

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Indies First: SAL Instagram Takeover

Book nerds, it’s time to use your powers for good! On Small Business Saturday, November 26, Indies First will be unfolding at an independent bookstore near you. This national campaign to support local indies was launched by Sherman Alexie in 2013, a day where thousands of authors volunteered as guest booksellers across the country. In an open letter to fellow […]

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