SAL/ON

A Blog of Seattle Arts & Lectures

“Poetry Resonates”⁠—An Interview with Youth Poet Laureate Wei-Wei Lee

Wei-Wei Lee, our 2019/20 Youth Poet Laureate, is a poet whose work pays tribute to both Taiwan and America in her writing. This summer, we sat down virtually with Wei-Wei to ask her about everything from coping with writer’s anxiety, to how place informs her creative practice, to the advice she would give youth writing […]

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A Summer Playlist Inspired by SAL Authors

What’s better than a summer playlist? A summer playlist of songs that SAL authors love! Find out what Lindy West, Malcolm Gladwell, Rachel Maddow, and others are listening to. Access the playlist on Spotify here, play it below, or click on the song titles for YouTube videos of each track.   Hanif Abdurraqib A Tribe […]

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“Dibujar,” by Daniel Chamale

Dibujar Con este lápiz Para encontrar Lo que no es fácil Con puntas de grafito Para crear Rostros, paisajes y el infinito Me gusta practicar Mi estilo en un borrador Es fácil de frustrar Es muy tentador Soy programador Tengo persistencia Soy luchador No olivden mi presencia Soy un soñador No lo sé mostrar Soy […]

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A High School Senior Takes on Summer Book Bingo

This week, our Writers in the Schools program has been delighted to work with high school student and Summer Book Bingo hopeful Tula Hanson, who is job-shadowing with us. Below, Tula gives her recommendations for three reads, including one about a fox who eavesdrops on children’s bedtime stories. As a bonus, if you’re still looking […]

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“Full Moon,” by Josephine Jensen

Full Moon My name is Full Moon but you could call me a cluster of matter ready to pop I believe in protecting humanity, the Earth doesn’t I am made up of my father, womanhood, Erykah Badu I come from the sunshine on the surface of the lake, music leaking through the floorboards My people […]

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2019 Summer Book Bingo: Today’s Top 5 in YA

By Rachel Bachler Something about adolescence is fleetingly romantic. Dystopian odds, unassuming heroes, nights that linger long after the mid-day sun has appeared; worlds that are often lost along the way to more seasoned-life literature. But every now and then, we allow ourselves a nostalgic indulgence in the Young Adult corner of Elliott Bay Book Company—only […]

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Summer Book Bingo 2019: Recommended by an Independent Bookstore

By Danielle Palmer-Friedman Few know books better than independent booksellers—that’s why each year, there’s a #BookBingoNW2019 square dedicated to their sage reading advice. This summer, we decided to take it a step further. What if, instead of just one square, your ENTIRE board was suggested by the experienced, avid readers at your favorite local bookstore? Well, we […]

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WITS Voices: “She Does Not Know Her Beauty”

By Daemond Arrindell, WITS Writer-in-Residence “She does not know her beauty” is one of the first lines in a poem by singer-songwriter and performance poet Iyeoka Okoawo that I use as a mentor text in a lesson I facilitate about reclamation. Iyeoka is a Black woman of Nigerian descent from Boston. The poem provides a […]

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“Making a Poem Helps You Grow Up”—The WITS Year-End Readings

Because so much of the work of our Writers in the Schools program happens behind the curtain—in public school rooms and hospital rooms, in notebooks and on sheets of scrap paper, in classroom anthologies and letterpress broadsides—it’s always a remarkable moment when students take the stage at our Year End Readings. Across two nights of […]

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“My Ode to an ICU Bed,” by Nico Tobias

I really like the ICU beds. They remind me of my pillow. They’re always unpredictable — when you turn the head down, the back will inflate, when someone sits down on the edge, it will deflate, when someone stands up, it will inflate, if you set something on the bed that shouldn’t be there, it […]

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