Seattle Arts and Lectures

Kelly Cheeseman, who is originally from Eugene, Oregon, works as the Director of Communications at Amazon, leading a global team across 18 countries, but you might also find her spending time on Whidbey Island, walking her two dogs and reading. As a child, her favorite book was Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary because “I related to the main character and the emotions he was feeling as a child in the book—a good example of why representation matters in books showing families and people of all types and scenarios.” A memorable SAL event for Kelly was an event a few years ago with first-time novelists. She says, “I was just hooked listening to these novelists discuss the passion it took to create and write their first books.” On her desk, you might find an iPhone, a laptop and a stack of books, including Oggi in Italia—a workbook for learning and practicing Italian language skills—Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend series, two graphic novels celebrating Wes Anderson movies, and Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing.