Seattle Literary Examiner

Book-It

Fans of literature in Seattle have a place they can experience great writing in a way few people can: Book-It Reportory Theatre. What does Book-It do? Here's what they say:

Book-It’s primary goal has always been to bring classic and contemporary writing to the stage and convert literary works into theatre. By bringing books to the stage, Book-It’s performances directly address the issue of literacy by striving to make the joy of reading accessible to everyone. Performing books instead of plays allows the Book-It theatre experience to spark the audience’s interest in reading and to challenge the audience to participate by using their imaginations.

For those who haven't seen a Book-It production, this may sound like a production similar to what we'd see when a novel gets adapted into a movie. There is one major difference, though: Book-It keeps the narrative voice largely intact. Characters in their plays speak the dialogue from the stories as we'd expect, but they also sometimes speak in the narrative voice. It's a fascinating mix. And Book-It tackles texts from all over the literary spectrum, from classics like Jane Austen's Persuasion to contemporary books like Stephanie Kallos's Broken for You, and just about everything in between.

Currently, Book-It is producing Jim Lynch's The Highest Tide. But an exciting opportunity for lovers of literature presents itself this weekend. This Saturday, at 4:00, Book-It is having an Open House to celebrate their 2007-2008 season and to discuss their plans for the 2008-2009 season with Co-Artistic Directors Jane Jones and Myra Platt.

I can't recommend Book-It strongly enough, and this is a great opportunity to learn more about what they do. Check 'em out at the Center House in Seattle Center this weekend.

Topics: Book-It

SmokeLong Quarterly issue 21

Well, I finally have a bit of time to breathe. The two things taking up more of my time than anything else (except work) are done: school (and helping kids with homework and studying) is over, and the 5th anniversary issue of SmokeLong Quarterly is live.... Read More
Topics: lit mags , SmokeLong Quarterly

miscellaneous

The past few weeks have been insanely busy, and I apologize for not getting fresh content up here. I'm finally caught up on reading submissions, and there are some cool things happening, so I want to get the word out while I have a second to breathe.First... Read More
Topics: literary calendar , 826 Seattle , volunteer , miscellaneous , lit mags

Writing Exercise

Oops, I missed a day yesterday. I had an exercise I meant to post, but just didn't get to it. And it's a good one, again from a guest. Dennis Mahagin (fair warning, lots of mature content on his blog) lives over in the Tri-Cities, and is a gas.... Read More
Topics: writing exercise

Seattle Lit Calendar May 5-May 11, 2008

Here are the literary events for this week that I could glean from the calendars of Richard Hugo House, Elliott Bay Book Company, University Book Store, and Third Place Books. In cases where no ticket cost is mentioned, the event is free. I'm running... Read More
Topics: literary calendar

Tao Lin

I've never known what to make of Tao Lin. Much of his writing leaves me bemused. I'm never quite sure whether he's an intensely honest and introspective writer, or a totally pretentious stylist. Maybe a bit of both? A lot of people I respect really dig... Read More
Topics: miscellaneous

Writing Exercise

We have another guest today! Kelly Spitzer is pretty amazing. She lives down in Centralia and writes amazing prose. Check out how much she crams into 21 words at elimae, or her Pushcart Prize-nominated story in Vestal Review. If you're still hungry for... Read More
Topics: writing exercise

Whidbey Writers Workshop

Yesterday, in introducing Stefanie Freele, I mentioned that she's getting her MFA in Creative Writing from the Whidbey Writers Workshop. For those who are curious about this program, here's a little more information:The Whidbey Writers Workshop MFA Program... Read More

Writing Exercise

Today, we have a guest posting a writing exercise. Although Stefanie Freele doesn't live in the area, she has strong ties locally, currently working toward her MFA in Creative Writing at the Whidbey Writers Workshop. She is also the 2008 Fish Fellowship... Read More
Topics: writing exercise

Happy birthday, FRiGG!

Seattle and Minneapolis have traded the #1 and #2 spots in America's Most Literate Cities since the rankings began in 2004. The calendar in the previous post should make it no surprise that we rank #1 in bookstores. We're also #1 in education level and... Read More
Topics: lit mags