Louise Erdrich

Paul Emmel

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SAL Presents

Louise Erdrich

Past Event: Monday, October 15, 2012

At Meany Hall — Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater

Ms. Erdrich traces the connections between her characters…with sympathy, humor, and the unsentimental ardor of a writer who sees that tragedy and comedy in her people’s lives are ineluctably commingled.

— New York Times

Louise Erdrich’s talk is entitled “Story First: Writing a Political Novel” in which she’ll discuss the process of writing a novel that includes a difficult contemporary subject.

Louise Erdrich was born in Little Falls, Minnesota, and grew up in North Dakota. Both her parents—her father was German-born and her mother Chippewa—taught at a school run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Erdrich often visited her maternal grandparents on the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Reservation, the setting for her first novel, Love Medicine (1984). In an award-winning series of novels and short stories, Erdrich has visited and revisited these lands and has traced love, loss, and violence in beautiful, masterful writing. “One can only marvel…at Erdrich’s amazing ability to do what so few of us can—shape words into phrases and sentences of incomparable beauty that, then, pour forth a mesmerizing story” (USA Today).

Erdrich has published three critically acclaimed poetry collections; one short story collection, The Red Convertible (2009); six books for children, including The Leap (1990) and The Porcupine Year (2008); and 13 novels, including Love Medicine (1984), winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award; The Beet Queen (1986); The Plague of Doves (2010), a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; and Shadow Tag (2011).

Erdrich is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa, Pembina Band and the owner of Birchbark Books, a small independent bookstore in Minneapolis.

Q&A with Louise Erdrich

Event Details

Meany Hall — Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater

Transportation & Parking

Meany Hall is located on the west edge of the University of Washington campus, just minutes from the NE 45th Street exit off I-5.

It’s easy to get to the University of Washington by bus or train. More than 60 bus routes serve the University District, including many that drive onto the campus itself.

Plan your route:

From I-5:

Exit at NE 45th Street heading east and proceed to 15th Avenue NE. Turn right at 15th Avenue NE and proceed to NE 41st Street. Turn left into the UW Central Plaza Parking Garage. Once inside the parking garage, look for white and purple signs directing you to Meany Theater. Take the elevator to the main lobby of the theater. Please note that a special event parking fee may be charged for evening events.

From 520:

Exit north onto Montlake Boulevard NE. Turn left onto NE Pacific Street. Turn right at 15th Avenue NE and proceed to NE 41st St. Turn right into the UW Central Plaza Parking Garage. Once inside the parking garage, look for white and purple signs directing you to Meany Theater. Take the elevator to the main lobby of the theater.

Parking:

Limited, underground parking is available in the Central Plaza Garage located underneath Meany Hall. Other UW paid parking is available around campus. Above-ground parking is also available. Enter campus at the north entrance (NE 45th Street and 17th Avenue NE). Stop at the gatehouse and ask the attendant for additional information. Please note that a special event parking fee may be charged for evening events.

Accessibility

Open Captioning is an option for people who have hearing losses, where a captioning screen displaying the words that are spoken or sung is placed on stage. To make a request for open captioning, please contact us at boxoffice@lectures.org or 206.621.2230 x10.

Closed Captioning is an option for people who have hearing loss, where captioning displays the words that are spoken or sung at the bottom of the video for online events. Captioning is available for all online events; click the “CC” button to view captions during the event.

Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) are devices that people with hearing loss use in conjunction with their hearing device (hearing aids or cochlear implants). Infrared assistive listening systems are installed in the Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater and headsets may be used at any seat. Headsets with induction neckloops are available for patrons who use hearing aids and cochlear implants with a “T” switch. Headsets may be obtained from an Audiences Services staff member. Photo ID deposit is required.

Sign Language Interpretation is available upon request for Deaf, DeafBlind, and hard of hearing individuals. To make a request for interpretation, please contact us at boxoffice@lectures.org or 206.621.2230 x10, or select “Sign Language Interpretation” from the Access Requirements section during your ticket checkout process and we will contact you to confirm details. Please note: we appreciate a two-week advance notice to allow us time to secure interpretation.

Wheelchair Accessible Seating and Accessible Restrooms are available. The wheelchair accessible restrooms are located in the Lower Lobby level with an elevator nearby. There are no restrooms on the Main level and no accessible restrooms on the Balcony level. To reserve seating for a specific mobility concern, please contact us at boxoffice@lectures.org or 206.621.2230 x10, or select “Wheelchair accessible seat” during ticket checkout, and we will contact you to confirm details.

For more details on accessibility features at Meany Hall, click here.

Service animals, such as guide dogs, are permitted to assist Meany visitors. The nearest green space for the animal is on the west side of Meany.

We are pleased to offer these accessibility services at our venues, and they are provided at no additional cost to ticket holders. Please contact us with any questions and feedback about how we can be more accessible and inclusive. Our Patron Services Manager is available at boxoffice@lectures.org, or Monday-Thursday from 12:00pm – 5:00pm and Friday from 11:00am – 1:00pm at 206.621.2230 x10.

For more accessibility information, please head to lectures.org/accessibility. If you would like to make accessibility arrangements you do not see listed here, please contact our box office or select “Other accessibility accommodations” from the Access Requirements section during your ticket checkout process, and we will contact you to confirm details.

Seating Chart