A Blog of Seattle Arts & Lectures
Valentine there is a red-quilted heart-shaped box of chocolates sitting on my bedside and a pink envelope with my name on it written in a script that speaks secrets I will never spill even if the time comes that the script is all I have left to remember rain on a green ice cream […]
By Christina Lee Barnes, WITS Writer-in-Residence I’m often asked if my time in the WITS classroom helps inspire my own writing. While I haven’t yet written very much that is directly about my work with the students, I do draw inspiration from the willingness that students show to try out prompts, to dive in and […]
Each month, the Seattle-based nonprofit Books To Prisoners receives upwards of 1,000 requests for used book titles from inmates all across the country. And, every year, tens of thousands of free books leave their volunteer location in Greenwood to head to readers in U.S. prisons. Beyond this vital service, the organization has also fought to […]
A brown tree and its rough bark a boar with big tusks shifting through leaves my grandma strolling me through a park Singapore, and how it had so many trees When I wake up, when it’s still dark The bitterness of sour candy My grandma buying me sweets my grandma’s room, it was dandy my […]
By Naa Akua, WITS Writer-in-Residence When I was a student in elementary school, I was happy to not immediately start “working” as soon as we got to our desks. Since I went to Catholic school, the necessity of saying the “Our Father” and the Pledge of Allegiance were staples before “class” actually started. It was […]
This essay is part of a series in which Poetry Northwest partners with Seattle Arts & Lectures to present reflections on visiting writers from the SAL Poetry Series. At 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 6, Paisley Rekdal will read at Hugo House. Tickets are still available! By Bill Carty, Senior Editor at Poetry Northwest Pythagoras’s greatest influence upon his […]
Just because she’s one of the newest additions to the SAL Board doesn’t mean that writer Jennifer Leatherman Wong hasn’t been attending SAL events for years. Today, we’re delighted to share a Faces of SAL feature with Jennifer so you can get better acquainted. Read on to learn more about “The Great Black Swamp” that […]
By Bianca Glinskas Carmen Maria Machado’s new work, In the Dream House, uses elements of creative nonfiction, fantasy, pulp fiction, and horror, and more. Each genre uses the capital ‘I’ as its powerful entry point to retell Carmen’s experiences in an abusive queer romantic partnership with somebody who shares the same gender identity. Buzzfeed News […]
What books did you gift this winter? While we love a good “Best of 2019” reading list (and share them with abandon), sometimes our favorite book recommendations come from taking a peek at the holiday shopping lists of avid readers. With that in mind, here is our compilation of 32 titles the SAL team gifted, […]
By Rachel Bachler Planet Money. For many Americans, this National Public Radio program is a household name. But for those who find themselves less familiar with its creator, Adam Davidson, let us introduce you: he’s the economy guy. The award-winning co-founder of Planet Money, the former New York Times Magazine’s “It’s the Economy” columnist, and […]