A Blog of Seattle Arts & Lectures
By Imani R. Sims, WITS Writer-in-Residence 33 student eyes, all staring at the screen as Martin Luther King Jr. takes the podium: But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we […]
Last week, WITS Writer Daemond Arrindell shared a powerful poem with us written by Marylou Gomez, his partner teacher at South Lake High School. The whole SAL staff was moved by her words and the purpose they hold. As we try to balance on the fast-shifting political landscape, it seems more and more necessary, either […]
On February 22 at Town Hall Seattle, the remarkable feminist writer Roxane Gay shared from her first collection of short stories, Difficult Women, and spoke on “the grace beyond this disgrace” in post-election America for SAL’s 2016/17 WYNK Series. SAL Executive Director Ruth Dickey introduced Roxane, and Ijeoma Oluo moderated the Q&A session. By Ruth […]
By Michael Overa, WITS Writer-in-Residence Americans love the art of the spectacle. And if you’re talking business, there’s nothing like a giant American flag and patriotic music to sell whatever it is you want to sell. It becomes a dangerous cocktail, this concoction of flag-waving jingoism, capitalism, and pageantry. Billy Lynn’s Long Half Time Walk […]
By Gabrielle Bates I feel like a different type of tenderness might be emerging.—Ross Gay When Ross Gay read for the SAL Poetry Series last week, it was exactly what I needed. I dare say it was exactly what we all needed. All of us streaming into that auditorium from the cold—carrying our bodies quickly, […]
By Greg Stump, WITS Writer-in-Residence Most people who know William Steig’s work think of him as the creator of classic children’s books like Shrek and Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. But in the mid-20th century, Steig created numerous picture books for adults: Persistent Faces, The Lonely Ones, The Rejected Lovers, and many others. Most of […]
By Greg Stump, WITS Writer-in-Residence This amazing comic was created by WITS Writer-in-Residence Greg Stump after he attended SAL’s Literary Arts Series lecture by memoirist, nature writer, and falconer Helen Macdonald on February 1, 2017. Thank you, Greg!
Untitled Tags Rest in Peace to Mike Brown 17-year-old graduate shot down In the middle of the street For a swisher sweet Complete chaos no peace When will we reach that day That day we don’t see color That day where we can all call each other sisters and brothers All across the globe we […]
Forget Tinder—from friendships to loveships, SAL’s been bringing folks together for almost thirty years now through good books and good conversation. That why, this Valentine’s Day, we’re featuring one couple – Dana Bettinger and John Jacobs – who have been long-time friends of SAL. We asked them to share their SAL love story, including what role reading […]
Holy the first breath you take and the last exhale of your life, Holy the song stuck in your head, Holy from a hug to a kiss to love, Holy the new jeans you bought, Holy when you looked better in the picture, Holy from the speed talker to the stutterers, Holy the anger passing […]