March 8, 2022
And as dusk neared, The laughs were replaced with nonchalance, For it was dark and unsafe now One mustn’t do something to provoke— An ill-fated destiny corsets hung from old, battered joints An urge to for slim, slender, small, shrunken Gasping, choking, fighting They were struck by the intonation Of its missed, beautiful dictation of […]
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February 28, 2022
The times I smell the sweet and sourness of the broth I know the night with be filled with joy. The pork so tender Just slips off the bone Like slipping into a fantasy of other worlds and imagination Infused with the taste of the broth It’s the kind of meat just by thinking about […]
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February 18, 2022
By Rebecca Hoogs, Executive Director Charles Yu is the author of four works of fiction, including Interior Chinatown, which won the 2020 National Book Award for fiction. Previously, he received the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 Award, which he was selected for by Richard Powers, whom we will see on this stage in April. […]
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January 25, 2022
This essay is part of a series in which Seattle Arts & Lectures partners with Poetry Northwest to present reflections on visiting writers from SAL’s 2021/22 Season. On Friday, January 28, Cathy Park Hong will be in conversation with Ijeoma Oluo at Langston Performing Arts Institute, and the event will also be streamed live. Although […]
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By Rebecca Hoogs, Executive Director I came to Bernardine Evaristo after she won the 2019 Booker Prize for her novel, Girl, Woman, Other. Her win was notable for several reasons. It was the first time that the Booker had been shared by two writers—Margaret Atwood was the other winner for The Testaments. Evaristo describes the […]
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January 20, 2022
My name is truth … but you could call me right on my ancestors’ history, because being right is telling stories with meaning… Remember me. I believe in equality for my brother’s children … I am built from glass which reflects truth and shatters with lies… Remember me. I come from strength that my African ancestors have shown in true times of peril … My […]
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December 9, 2021
Through our Writers in the Schools (WITS) program SAL empowers young people to discover and develop their authentic writing and performance voices—but we believe in the power of writing for people of all ages. In Seattle, we’re fortunate to have a diverse arts ecosystem, which includes several longtime literary arts organizations like SAL, our public […]
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December 2, 2021
Dancing is you with me floating on the sea with the sunshine on your face like you’re on stage with the lights on finding your way back but you can’t leave Dancing is like poetry: the song never ends Poetry is like the beat of the music when you dance like an echo of a […]
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November 30, 2021
This essay is part of a series in which Seattle Arts & Lectures partners with Poetry Northwest to present reflections on visiting writers from the SAL Poetry Series. On Friday, December 3, Rita Dove will read and discuss her work with Anastacia-Reneé at an online-only event. This event is available to attend online until December […]
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November 15, 2021
Everything around us is taken for granted, from the Sun to the Moon to the very wind at our backs. It is with us so often, we don’t think of it as essential or vital Just… there. When it is taken from your life, you notice it. You crave it, you hunger for it, like […]
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