Katherine Boo in Retrospect
December 21, 2018
By Danielle Palmer-Friedman Katherine Boo is not just a reporter—she’s a sponge. When she’s working on a story, she spends months, sometimes years, thoroughly documenting the lives of families l...
SAL/ON
A Blog of Seattle Arts & Lectures
Category: SAL Authors
Introductions: Danez Smith
November 30, 2018
By Rebecca Hoogs, SAL Associate Director Once upon a time, we might have thought of ourselves as a series that featured mid-to-late career poets. But, when a poet like Danez Smith comes along, two boo...
Not an Elegy
November 26, 2018
This essay is part of a series in which Poetry Northwest partners with Seattle Arts & Lectures to present reflections on visiting writers from SAL’s Poetry Series. Danez Smith reads at 7...
Get Ready for Danez Smith with Anastacia-Reneé
November 13, 2018
By Danielle Palmer-Friedman, SAL Volunteer When I asked Seattle Civic Poet Anastacia-Reneé (she/they) why I should go see Danez Smith (they/them) speak on November 26, she had this to say: “Get you...
Six Alice Walker Poems for Everyday Life in Seattle
October 4, 2018
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 activi...
How to Listen to Water
May 16, 2018
This season, SAL’s friends at Poetry Northwest are partnering with us to present reflections on visiting writers from our Poetry Series. Below, Michelle Peñaloza reviews Oceanic, the collection ...
Required Reading: Viet Thanh Nguyen
May 2, 2018
As part of our Required Reading series, we share a list of three essential works from SAL’s featured writers. Up this time: Pulitzer Prize-winning scholar & author of The Sympathizer, Nothing Ev...
Required Reading: Questlove
April 19, 2018
By Stephany Kim, SAL Intern Recognize Questlove, the drummer with the signature afro pick on The Tonight Show, but don’t know much about him? Well, grab your earbuds, groove out to the Grammy Award-...
Madeleine Albright’s Warning
April 5, 2018
“Why has international momentum toward democracy slowed, and why are so many charlatans seeking to undermine public confidence in elections, the courts, the media?” This is the urgent ques...
Thinking Outside the Book: Tyehimba Jess and OLIO
March 19, 2018
By Gabrielle Bates Anastacia Renée: “Do you feel free on the page?” Tyehimba Jess: “I feel opportunity.” * Seeing and hearing Tyehimba Jess read from his Pulitzer-Prize winning collection Oli...