SAL/ON

A Blog of Seattle Arts & Lectures

Category: Youth Programs

Close-up of Judith Roth, standing amid a blurred background of green, diffused light through trees.

A Remembrance of Judith Roche

By Laura Gamache, WITS Writer-in-Residence Judith Roche grew up in Detroit, Michigan, but she almost didn’t. Her poem, “Drowning in Lake Michigan,” begins: “My first memory looks up to sunlight through water.” I heard her read it a few years back at an It’s About Time reading at the Ballard Public Library. It is the […]

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Wei-Wei Lee, looking slightly over her shoulder, grins at the camera amid a black backdrop lit by multicolored, circular lights.

“cold hard marble truth,” by Wei-Wei Lee

It’s a mite hard to believe on nights like this that, somewhere, I have friends who aren’t dream-deep and snug in their beds, asleep, but may be dozing off in lecture with pens stuttering on notes; air conditioners humming furious against the peak afternoon heat. Harder still to believe, that while they scribble and we […]

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In this composite image, Mary Ruefle's black and white head shot on one side, with a copy of her book cover, Dunce, on the other side.

Readers as Aliens: Reading Mary Ruefle’s Poetry

On Thursday, November 21, 2019, Seattle Arts & Lectures will present a reading with Mary Ruefle at Broadway Performance Hall in Capitol Hill. Mary Ruefle has published over ten collections of poetry. Below, local writer Bianca Glinskas reveals three favorite Ruefle poems and what they tell us about the reader and the writer. By Bianca Glinskas […]

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Maia Pody stands in front of a blurred out background of a body of water, with boats behind her. She's looking down at a page she is reading aloud from.

YPL Ambassador Maia Pody Has Something to Say

Need to brighten up your Thursday afternoon? Nancy Guppy’s Art Zone brings us this video, beautifully shot by Vincent Pierce, of our 2019 Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador Maia Pody reading her poem “Foam.” Thank you to Nancy Guppy and Seattle Channel for making this possible, and to Maia for sharing her work!

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Ragini Gupta stands against a very tall bookcase, smiling.

Welcome, Ragini Gupta, WITS Intern!

We’re giving a warm welcome to Ragini Gupta of the University of Washington, who recently joined the SAL team this fall as a Writers in the Schools intern. We’re so grateful to have such a talented creative writer on board—learn a little bit more about Ragini’s passions below. Welcome, Ragini! Tell us a little bit […]

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Chimamanda Danita Egboh laughs backstage at Benaroya Hall. Her hair is in braids, and she's wearing a blue and white striped cardigan.

“I Am From,” by Chimamanda Danita Egboh

I Am From I am from Nigeria, the western part of Africa From the sandy roads and hot sunny days I’m from delicious egusi soup with pounded yam, jollof red, fried rice with chicken and my favorite African salad, all simmering in the very dim lit kitchen the only light, a kerosene lantern I’m from […]

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Gianni Johnson stands at the podium, smiling and speaking into a microphone, with one hand raised.

“Turf,” by Gianni Johnson

We don’t have to kill our environment to make beautiful things If life was on a dark path, should we continue on to see what life brings? Self-inspired hope after finding new ways to cope Dealing with demolition would leave one so pessimistic Watching it all fall then running off in the distance Returning to […]

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Lydia Ganz reads from a wood lectern, hair held back by a blue headband as she leans forward to look at her paper.

“Ode to Cinnamon,” by Lydia Ganz

Cinnamon O, cinnamon Soft but sharp quiet but demanding You are the tall red spruces old as time cutting the sky and stretching beyond You are clouds who knit together casting a blanket of gray swallowing the earth and casting soft raindrops You are the bear prowling through the forest lumbering paws slapping the mud […]

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Get Spooky in Seattle: WITS Writers at Lit Crawl

Like a choice bowl of Halloween candy, this year’s Lit Crawl on October 24 is sprinkled with a healthy dose of our Writers in the Schools (WITS) and Youth Poet Laureate (YPL) programs. But which WITS writers will be where? Here’s a handy guide to help you map it out. But readers be warned—you have […]

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All at SAM: Exhibition Openings, WITS Broadsides Showcase, & More!

Tomorrow, on Thursday, October 17, the Seattle Art Museum will be opening its doors to the public to celebrate the opening of their new exhibit, Flesh & Blood. The exhibit features Italian masterpieces from the Capodimonte Museum, offering a rare opportunity to experience the fierce beauty of art from the 16th and 17th centuries. What’s […]

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