A Blog of Seattle Arts & Lectures
Everyone at SAL is deeply saddened to hear the news that poet and essayist Lucia Perillo has passed away at the age of 58 in Olympia, Wash., a place she called home for many years. A MacArthur fellow, Lucia authored seven collections of defiant and sharply humorous poetry, including Inseminating the Elephant in 2009, which was a finalist […]
If you could curate your own series of authors and thinkers to come to Seattle, who would you choose and why? Besides starting up your own local reading series, the closest you can get to a literary-style Choose Your Own Adventure is probably SAL’s Create Your Own Series, in which you can pick any four of our events […]
On October 5th at McCaw Hall, Ada Limón—the wildly generous and truthful poet whose “heart wants her horses back”—read from her book Bright Dead Things and gave us all excellent writing advice. SAL Associate Director Rebecca Hoogs introduced and interviewed Ada for this event, which opened SAL’s 2016/17 Poetry Series. By Rebecca Hoogs, SAL Associate Director For a […]
By Alison Stagner, SAL Events Coordinator & Sonder Editor When SAL’s luminous 2016/17 Poetry Series opener Ada Limón visited Roosevelt High School last Thursday, there was a surprising moment in the classroom. Asked about the writing exercises she uses in her own classes, Ada described a technique she ordinarily practices with much younger children: a group effort poem, composed aloud, […]
On June 23rd, acclaimed novelist and short story writer Annie Proulx revealed the secrets of her writing process, family history, and Barkskins – her new masterwork – at Temple De Hirsch Sinai for SAL’s 2015/16 SAL Presents Series. This conversational interview was moderated by author David Laskin, and SAL Executive Director Ruth Dickey gave an introduction to their talk, below. I’ve moved quite […]
As part of our Required Reading series, we share a list of three essential works for each of SAL’s featured writers. Up this time: the great American novelist and short story writer, Annie Proulx. It’s now Thursday, which means it’s too late. If you haven’t already started, you’ll never finish reading Pulitzer Prize-winner Annie Proulx’s new 713-page epic, Barkskins, in time […]
Summer Book Bingo is a partnership with The Seattle Public Library and Seattle Arts & Lectures to provide free summer reading fun for adults. Swing by your local Seattle library branch or any one of SAL’s partner bookstores to grab a Bingo Card, then spend your summer reading great books—you can win fabulous prizes! In […]
Have you ever wondered how or why a particular writer is chosen to speak at a SAL event? Rebecca Hoogs is answering curation questions on Sonder! Send questions to Alison Stagner at [email protected] with “Ask the Curator” in the subject line, and we’ll pick our favorites to respond to. By Rebecca Hoogs, SAL’s Associate Director How do you choose? […]
By Elijah Brooks, SAL Intern The virtual world has become an inescapable part of modern life, and because of this, the wisdom of Pablo Neruda is ripe with new applicability. In a 1971 interview with Radio-Canada (originally conducted in French), Neruda admires the physical world and voices his suspicion of writing that departs from it. When […]
On April 21st, writer, photographer, and art historian Teju Cole delivered a sweeping lecture on heritage, craft, and political responsibility at Town Hall Seattle for SAL’s 2015/16 Literary Arts Series. SAL Executive Director Ruth Dickey introduced his talk and moderated their conversation that evening. By Ruth Dickey, SAL Executive Director In a passage I love in Every […]