SAL/ON

A Blog of Seattle Arts & Lectures

Category: 2019/20 Season

Ruth Dickey stands at a lectern speaking into the microphone while holding a piece of paper.

A Letter from Ruth

Dear friends, When Carol Anderson was with us just over two weeks ago, she talked about how the work of racial equity and justice is like a symphony that needs all the various players to work. She shared, “One of the things that really comes to the fore when you study the strategies of the [Civil Rights […]

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SAL’s Guide to Bookstore Re-Openings

Although many wonderful Seattle-area bookstores have online offerings and curbside pick-ups during this time, there’s something about roaming the shelves that we just miss. If you’ve been wondering which independent bookstores are re-opening near you, look no further than this guide to our 2020/21 bookstore partners’ new hours and offerings, updated as of July 9, […]

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“To Who I Think: I Want These Things to Stop,” by Ebenezer Tewolde

Although we couldn’t share a reading from our Writers in the Schools student to open our 2019/20 Literary Arts Series event with Carol Anderson, we’re pleased to be able to share the poem “To Who I Think: I Want These Things to Stop” by Ebenezer Tewolde, a 5th grader at Leschi Elementary School, written with WITS […]

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Introductions: Carol Anderson

By Ruth Dickey, SAL Executive Director Every summer, the SAL staff picks an author from the coming season and reads one book all together. Last summer, the book we read together was Carol Anderson’s New York Times bestselling One Person, No Vote, and I remember sitting in a circle and sharing our outrage at what […]

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A close up of Min Jin Lee, wearing a white blouse, smiling and looking into the camera.

Introductions: Min Jin Lee

By Ruth Dickey, SAL Executive Director I read most of Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko on a plane, back when we flew on planes and had the sensation of the whole world condensed to our single seat, the luxury of hours focused on a single book. It’s a special sort of reading time that’s hard to […]

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“Hyphenated Identity Crisis,” by Bitaniya Giday

Hyphenated Identity Crisis   And the American war machine takes on the motherland And I finally am no longer A hyphenated identity crisis See the words Ethiopian-American Imply me a patriot for the casualty of war they make out of my birthplace We diaspora longed to find home on the winning Side, in exchange our […]

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Ruth Dickey stands at a lectern speaking into the microphone while holding a piece of paper.

A Letter from Ruth

Dear friends, Last week, it was an honor to hear from Luis Alberto Urrea, who spoke to us from his writing desk, sharing stories of his journey as a writer and even showing us the photos on his desk and the notebooks he has kept since childhood. I’ve been thinking about many things Luis shared, […]

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Hand holds a mason jar with a lid on it up to the setting sun

“My Wishes,” by Rey Manjarrez

My Wishes I wish I had my new heart and could leave the hospital. I wish all my friends would not be sick or hurt or bullied or punched. I wish I didn’t have what I have right now. I wish no animals would get hurt. I wish no one would do crimes or heists […]

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Rebecca Hoogs stands at a lectern looking out at the audience

Introductions: Rick Barot

By Rebecca Hoogs, SAL Associate Director It is bittersweet to introduce Rick Barot to you in this medium. This event was originally scheduled for March 15 to launch his new book, his fourth book, The Galleons, into the world. And though May finds us still floating on our own, we are very glad to deliver […]

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Against a black background, a close up of Urrea's face, wearing glasses and unshaven. He's smiling almost mischievously in to the camera.

Introductions: Luis Alberto Urrea

By Ruth Dickey, SAL Executive Director Two years ago, Seattle Arts & Lectures had the pleasure of presenting Luis Alberto Urrea at a conference as part of a panel about place and narrative. The event began with each panelist reading for ten minutes, and Luis was the final one to read. He strolled to the […]

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