The SAL Gala: Words Bloom

The SAL Gala: Words Bloom

Saturday, March 21, 2026 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm PST

03/21/2026 5:30 pm 03/21/2026 9:30 pm America/Los_Angeles The SAL Gala: Words Bloom https://lectures.org/event/words-bloom-2026/ Seattle Convention Center – Summit add to calendar icon

At Seattle Convention Center – Summit

Please join us for an evening of revelry and literary flourishing at Seattle Arts & Lectures’ annual fundraiser, The SAL Gala: Words Bloom. Together, we’ll raise $750,000 so we can continue cultivating transformative experiences through story and language with readers and writers of all generations!

Funds raised from The SAL Gala support SAL’s Youth Programs (Writers in the Schools, the Youth Poetry Fellowship, and Spotlight Author Visits), helps bring the most dynamic and inspiring writers of our time to local and virtual stages, and ensures accessible programming for all.

The event will feature a lively reception and delicious multi-course dinner, an engaging program featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Feeding Ghosts & official SAL Doodler Tessa Hulls and Youth Poetry Fellowship cohort member Adisa Grant; and live and silent auctions of unique literary experiences.

5:30 | Reception & check-in
Blind Date with a Book
Libre Libations
Complimentary Photo Studio

7:00 | Dinner & program
Welcome & Thanks
State of SAL with Rebecca Hoogs
Keynote with author Tessa Hulls
Youth Poetry Reading with Adisa Grant
Live Auction of 10 Items
Raise the Paddle
Dessert Dash

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REGISTRATION

Registration opens October 31, 2025.

We will be offering tickets on a tiered level. We ask that you purchase a ticket at the level in alignment with your financial capacity. The fair market value of the goods and services provided at each ticket level is $100 per ticket, which covers venue and meal costs. All additional costs are a charitable contribution to help support more accessible events and are tax deductible by law. As we work to make our organization and fundraising practices more equitable, we are experimenting with new ways to reach our community and gather support for the programs you know and love. Thank you for your support!

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SILENT AUCTION

Our 2026 SAL Gala Silent Auction will be open for bidding from Monday, March 16, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. to Monday, March 23, 2026 at 9:00 p.m.

Bid on irresistible literary delights, whether you’re attending the gala in-person or supporting SAL from wherever you are.

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SPONSOR THE 2026 SAL GALA

As a SAL Gala sponsor, your company will enjoy visibility with SAL’s 45,000 patrons—including 500+ business and philanthropic leaders at our fundraiser. Sponsorships provide the unique opportunity to connect with SAL’s community, in one of the top literary cities in the world, and to show your support of the literary arts and youth writing.

For more information about sponsorships, visit this link or contact Corporate & Foundation Relations Manager, Inez Maubane Jones, at imjones@lectures.org.

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2026 WORDS BLOOM COMMITTEE

Dana Bettinger, Co-Chair
Brooke Williams, Co-Chair

Debra D. Dahlen | Grace Doyle | Sunny Hong
Susan Long-Walsh | Anne-Phyfe Palmer | Jane Park
Heather Pogue | Naria Santa Lucia | Chris Schluep
Padmaja Vrudhula | Megan Watts

Event Details

Seattle Convention Center – Summit

900 Pine St, Seattle, WA 98101

View directions.

Transportation & Parking

This event will be held at the Seattle Convention Center’s Summit Building.

The Summit building is at 900 Pine Street, just over a block away from Arch. The main pedestrian entrance is on the corner of 9th Avenue and Pine Street, and the drop-off location is on 9th Avenue between Pine Street and Olive Way.

By Car

Click here for directions.

By Public Transit

Summit is about three blocks from the Westlake Light Rail Station. Take exit A1 and walk northeast up Pine Street, until you reach 9th Ave.

Parking

The Summit Garage is located at 1009 Olive Way and there is a flat $9 parking rate after 5:00 PM. The Arch Garage at 1400 8th Avenue is an alternative parking choice and a short walk from Summit.

Sponsors

Sestina Sponsor
Constance Wealth Advisors