A Blog of Seattle Arts & Lectures
By Rachel Edelman American legislators can’t seem to resist using impoverished children to slander and taunt the opposing political party. Forty-eight hours after Jesmyn Ward spoke for Seattle Arts & Lectures at Benaroya Hall, the U.S. Senate used a standoff over bare-bones protections for undocumented and uninsured kids—DACA and CHIP—to halt all “nonessential” work of […]
By: Emmy Newman, SAL Intern We can think of many reasons why you should join SAL on Wednesday, January 17 to see Jesmyn Ward, the lyrical Southern author gracing all of 2017’s best-of book lists, but here are our top five: 1. She writes close to home. Jesmyn Ward’s two National Book Award-winning novels, Salvage the […]
Cuando Estás Conmigo Dulzura era una cosa que no tenía. Entonces, cuando abriste la puerta estaba tan feliz. Tú haces brillar la habitación. Me trajiste afuera de la tumba. Tú me enseñaste que el mundo puede ser precioso. Pero el mundo es más precioso Cuando estás conmigo. When You Are With Me Sweetness was something […]
On Tuesday, November 28, we welcomed the fiery, warm, and witty literary legend Isabel Allende to our 2017/18 Literary Arts Series, returning to the SAL stage thirty years after her first appearance in our premier season. Isabel was introduced by Sherry Prowda, the founder of Seattle Arts & Lectures and its first Executive Director. As […]
Ever since Helen Oyeyemi gave her panoramic talk, “Shine or Go Crazy,” about Korean television dramas on April 25th, we’ve been wanting to binge-watch this distinctive genre with all its unlikely twists and turns, imaginative narratives, and soapy addictiveness. Some of you must feel the same, as we’ve gotten audience requests for a complete list of all the […]
Falling Angel My father stands by my side listing rule after rule after rule. I roll my eyes and shun his words of caution as he straps on my wings. The wings are big and white. I secretly threaded a raven feather for luck. I look toward the blazing sun and spread my wings and […]
On March 1 at Benaroya Hall, Ben Fountain—National Book Critics Circle Award-winner and author of the novel Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (now a film by Ang Lee)—floored us with his well-crafted lecture on what compels us to participate in the (somewhat crazy) act of writing, despite all the economic, social, and political odds stacked against […]
On March 28, lauded social justice lawyer and author of Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson, captivated a sold-out Benaroya Hall with his lessons in the “power of proximity” and hope. SAL Executive Director Ruth Dickey introduced Bryan as part of SAL’s 2016/17 Literary Arts Series. This event also celebrated the winners of SAL’s annual Elaine Wetterauer Writing Contest. […]
For Black Boys Delicate Black boy. Solider, plum painted spirit, deep rooted, dreamer. I can tell from the oceans on your bed that you’ve never been told you were beautiful. Mother didn’t remind you of rainbows in her malleable insides. She soaked you in songs but never self-love. Never explaining the pink hue of your […]
By Michael Overa, WITS Writer-in-Residence Americans love the art of the spectacle. And if you’re talking business, there’s nothing like a giant American flag and patriotic music to sell whatever it is you want to sell. It becomes a dangerous cocktail, this concoction of flag-waving jingoism, capitalism, and pageantry. Billy Lynn’s Long Half Time Walk […]