Selected Shorts Writing Contest

NPR's Selected Shorts, a celebration of the short story, is coming to Spokane for the Get Lit! Festival on Friday, April 16 at 7pm at the Bing Crosby Theater. Selected Shorts features actors reading short stories, giving the narratives a thrilling new life.

Selected Shorts just announced the 2010 Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize with guest judge Nathan Englander.

The winning submission will be read as part of the Selected Shorts performance at Symphony Space on April 7, 2010, just one short week before the Get Lit! Festival. The story will be recorded for possible later broadcast as part of the public radio series. The winner will receive $1000.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to make a strong showing for the Inland Northwest through this national contest? The winner is announced in April...just in time for the winner to be a part of the Get Lit! Festival!

Here are the story requirements:
Submit a single short story that addresses the theme, Apartments and Neighbors.
Your story must have a title.
Make sure your name and contact information appear on the first page of your story. If you are submitting online, this information needs to appear on the first page of the attached Word document. Include page numbers.
Your story must be no more than 2 double-spaced typed pages in length (Times New Roman, 12 pt font) and no more than 750 words.

Find more information here and happy writing!

Budding Poets, Get Excited!

If you are a student in the Spokane County area in grades 1 through 12 and want to see your poetry performed, then this is the contest for you! Spokane Civic Theatre and Get Lit! are joining forces to bring this incredible opportunity to life. Just submit your poetry by the deadline (January 31) and you could see your work on stage, in front of hundreds of people. The winner will also receive a free class at the Spokane Civic Theatre Academy.

To join in this fun-filled contest, first pick your three favorite poems you've written that are shorter than 21 lines. The poems can be on any family-appropriate topic, just make sure they are original--no cheating. Then send the poems, along with your name, grade, school, parent/guardian name, phone number, and e-mail address, via email to the Poetry Contest Coordinator Sandra Hosking at debutpromotions@cs.com. A panel of judges will chose the finalists, and their poetry will be dramatized and performed by local actors during the Get Lit! Festival. A winner will then be chosen, and will receive a free class from Spokane Civic Theatre Academy.

If you have any questions, you can call Sandra at (509) 953-9928.

The bare facts:

What? Up to 3 poems, no longer than 21 lines each

Who? Spokane County students in grades 1 through 12 (home school included)

Cost? FREE

Deadline? Jan. 31, 2010

Questions? Call Sandra Hosking at (509) 953-9928

To submit:

Send up to 3 poems to Poetry Contest Coordinator Sandra Hosking at debutpromotions@cs.com.

Either send the poems in the body of the e-mail or attach a Microsoft Word or PDF document.

Include your name, grade, school, parent/guardian name, phone number, and e-mail address.

Community Minded TV airs Get Lit!

Have you noticed the Get Lit! coverage on TV lately? If you haven't you should check out Community Minded TV (channel 14 on Comcast). CMTV is an awesome program that produces and aires locally made TV. Started in January of 2007 by Community Minded Enterprises, CMTV has grown into an excellent place to go if you want to learn about TV production. Their goal is "to bring a new voice to television by providing programming that builds and strengthens the Spokane community." Not only do they run a TV station, they create TV programs for local organizations, teach classes, and offer graphic design services. The programs they create cover many topics, and come in many forms: documentaries, commercials, and fundraising videos. The classes they offer include video production, Adobe products, lighting, and many more.

For the past couple of months, CMTV has been playing a few selections from the 2009 Get Lit! Festival. They have been airing the panel discussion "The Changing Media Landscape in the Inland Empire" as well as selections from the Teen Poetry Slam. Check out their listings for when Get Lit! will next be on.

Are you a Lit! Lover?

This month we've unveiled a new, easy way for our supporters, lovers of literature in our community, to help keep Get Lit! Programs going. As many of our regular large supporters (businesses, universities, grants, foundations, public funding) feel the pinch of less money and more need, we turn to you, the individuals in our community for help. Get Lit! tries to keep our events affordable or free, always adding more opportunities for our community to enjoy literary programs more easily. Please consider what these programs are worth to you and consider contributing.

To become a Lit! Lover, we ask you to donate $50-$100 by visiting our secure website. Then here's the important thing: tell two friends who may match your donation. Spread the word. Just like how we have someone we've just got to tell about the great book/article/story/poem we just read, consider telling them about what Get Lit! means to you and encourage them to contribute too.

Since 1998, Get Lit! Programs has offered an annual literary festival to the Inland Northwest. Past festival authors have included Salman Rushdie, Kurt Vonnegut, Rita Dove, David Sedaris, Sherman Alexie, Jane Smiley, David Suzuki, Garrison Keilor, Sarah Vowell, and Dave Barry. In 2003, Get Lit! Programs expanded to host Authors Tour, a program which brings published authors into K-12 schools for day-long presentations in the classroom. Writers in Residence, which sponsors writers in K-12 schools for an extended period up to a whole academic year began in 2004. In 2006, Get Lit! became the regional sponsor for Poetry Out Loud, a national poetry recitation contest for high school students. Get Lit! Programs continues to develop community partnerships aimed at engaging community member of all ages with literature.

So if you've ever enjoyed what Get Lit! brings to our community, please consider becoming a Lit! Lover. Donate $1, $5, $50, $500, or $1 million, whatever you can. And be sure to tell at least two friends who may be able to contribute. Every little bit helps and goes directly back into the programs we produce.

November 2009 Newsletter

Are you a Lit! Lover?

Get Lit! Programs is proud to bring quality literary programs like Poetry Out Loud, Authors Tour, Writers in Residence, and of course, the Get Lit! Festival to the Inland Northwest. In order to continue this twelve-year-long tradition, we need your help. Become a Lit! Lover and join Eastern Washington University as we engage the Inland Northwest community in a celebration of the written word. To become a Lit! Lover, we are asking for a pledge between $50 and $100, plus a commitment that you will tell two friends who might match your donation to Get Lit! Programs. EWU’s College of Arts and Letters hopes for many more years of community arts engagement through programs like Get Lit! Thank you so much for considering a pledge. Any amount,large or small, is a great help.

2010 Festival Authors
Get Lit! Programs is thrilled to announce some of our headliners for the 2010 Get Lit! Festival, including Richard Russo, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Empire Falls, and fiction writer Janet Fitch, most famously known as the author of Oprah's book club novel White Oleander. Dr. Reza Aslan, internationally acclaimed scholar of religions, will be here to discuss religion’s role in contemporary global conflict. Award-winning performance poet, Patricia Smith will join local jazz musicians for an evening of jazz poetry. For our younger readers, children’s author Janet Wong will read her poetry-laced stories and Victor Lodato, acclaimed playwright and Guggenheim Fellow, will read from his first novel Mathilda Savitch for young adults. The Festival will also feature thirty other local and regional authors, panel discussion, contests and workshops for al ages and genres. Mark your calendar for April 14-21, 2010 and don’t miss out!

Bring Authors Tour to Your School

Since 2003, Get Lit! Programs has brought published authors into K-12 schools in the Inland Northwest. Carefully chosen for their quality publications, genuine passion for writing, and energetic approach to working with youth, participating authors bring engaging programs into schools where many students have never met a “real author.” During their daylong visits, authors strive to give students and teachers a concrete, joyous, oh-my-gosh experience with literature. Check our authors available this year and bring an author to your school!

Will Write for Suite

Would you write a poem for a suite at the Davenport? Vachel Lindsay (1879-1931), an American poet who combined poetry with performing arts, called the Spokane's Davenport Hotel home for five years between 1924 and 1929. While living in room 1129, Lindsey held court in the Davenport lobby, reciting his poetry and mingling with the Spokane elite. Now, his stay is commemorated on a plaque in the hotel's lobby.

Influenced greatly by jazz, Lindsay's poems focused primarily on the sound and performance possible within a poem. His most famous work "The Congo" uses jazz rhythms and onomatopoeia to create, rather than describe, the sounds of indigenous drums and dancing.

Lindsay began his career traveling the country giving performances of his poetry in exchange for food and lodging. As his fame grew, he was invited to more prestigious readings, including a performance for President Woodrow Wilson.

To celebrate this poet, the Davenport Hotel will hold its second annual celebration of Lindsay in the Marie Antoinette Ballroom on Sunday, November 8 at 7pm. “Vachel Lindsay: The Davenport Hotel’s Jazz-Age Mystic” will include performances of Lindsay’s poetry as well as local poets reading their own work. The event is free and open to the public. Learn more about this and other local literary events at Get Lit!'s Literary Event Calendar.

Write "The Great Frantic Novel" this November!

Have you ever wanted to write a novel but can never build up the nerve? Have you ever wanted to write anything but can’t get past the thought of spending months rewriting and editing?

If you’ve had these thoughts, then the NaNoWriMo is for you! NaNoWriMo is a code for National Novel Writing Month, where people from around the world come together (via the web) and write. And write. And write. The goal is have a full 175 page (or approximately 50,000 words) novel by the end of November 30^th. The catch: you can’t start until November 1^st. So you better sign up now before everyone else gets ahead of you.

Here how it works: First, you sign up. Then you start writing. Write until your fingers can’t type anymore. When you start to feel completely overwhelmed or just plain tired, chat with people on the NaNoWriMo website to get your spirits back up (also update your word count status while you’re there). Then write some more. As their website says, “it’s about quantity not quality.” Don’t be afraid of your imagination. Let it run wild. And don't dwell on the fact that what you might be writing is complete hogwash, because in reality, everyone else probably feels the same way. And if you somehow miraculously finish…no, WHEN you finish, you get not only a cool printable certificate to hang on your wall, but the knowledge that you just pumped out 50,000 words in 30 days! How cool is that?

So what are you waiting for? Sign up today!

October Newsletter

Online Literary Events Calendar!
Ever heard about a local reading a day too late? Did you miss out on David Sedaris at Auntie’s or Robert Hass at Gonzaga? Want to find something educational and FUN to take the kids to? Get Lit! Programs is here to help. In addition to information about our own events and programs, the Get Lit! website features the literary events calendar with events and programs in our region. We post book signing, poetry slams, lectures, story times, and more. Most of it is FREE. So go ahead and bookmark our calendar. We update it all the time! And if you organize events in the area and would like us to include them, email information to us at getlit@ewu.edu.

Poetry Out Loud!
Get Lit! Programs is the regional coordinator of Poetry Out Loud, a national recitation contest for high school students. Students memorize and perform classic and contemporary poems, bringing the written word to life. After classroom and school competitions, contestants can move on to the regional, state, and national competitions. With cash prizes and book stipends for schools, Poetry Out Loud is an exciting way to introduce students to poetry. Schools can register for free online until November 18th. If you have any questions, email Daniel Harrington at poetryoutloud509@gmail.com.

Calling All Book Clubs!
The 2010 Get Lit! Festival will be coming around before we know it (April 14th-21st) and we want to give book clubbers an inside peak at our author lineup. Remember, Auntie’s Bookstore will give your club a 15% discount if your club is registered with them. So send us an email at getlit@ewu.edu telling us who you are and what your focus is and we’ll let you know what authors you can expect to see in April so you can read ahead.


Watch for 2010 updates on our website: www.ewu.edu/getlit


Sneak Peak for Next Month:
• Bring Authors Tour to Your School!
• Some of the 2010 Get Lit! Festival Authors Announced!
• Are you a Lit! Lover?

Coffee Splash, Poems Crash, Prose and Music Catch on Fire

The Inland Northwest can and should be proud of its writers. Whether homegrown or imported, we have a community of writers rich with experience and energy. All the time, new zines show up on the shelves at Auntie’s, a new local writer comes out with a startling novel, a teenager discovers a voice through slam poetry. And we can be thankful that in our Internet age, this community can grow virtually, we can connect across long distances, time zones, and languages. Sometimes, however, we’ve got to show up. Sometimes we need to be present for words to blast off the page and into our ears to startle our consciousness, to remind us that literature is alive and breathing, that we are the breath. And if we’re going to show up, we need a place to do it.

One of Spokane’s most beloved venues for music, visual art, and literature is in danger. The Empyrean, 154 S. Madison, may close down before the end of the year because of a new fire code requiring sprinklers that the café can’t afford to install. This wouldn’t just be a blow to one more Spokane business in hard economic times, this would be a blow to the growth of the arts in Spokane.

Get Lit! uses The Empyrean for many events during our annual festival, but during the rest of the year, the late-night coffee spot also hosts Spokane Poetry Slam, Broken Mic Night, Voice Over, and other readings. These events showcase new and established writers alike, strengthening our community and bringing the written word to life.

Tomorrow, October 22 at 7pm, local writers are coming together to support the Empyrean and put their art on the line for our community. The show is $5, and all proceeds will go directly to the sprinkler fund. Come hear some astonishing work, drink a coffee or beer, and throw some extra bucks in the firefighter boot. Support the arts by supporting those who support the arts.

Sometimes we’ve got to show up.

Learn more about the sprinkler issue from this Inlander article.

National Book Awards Nominees Announced

The National Book Awards announced the nominees for the 2009 awards this past week and the talent displayed is excellent and vast. The awards are staying true to their mission of putting both established and emerging authors in the spotlight, while creating more awareness of the literary world, just as GetLit! is doing.

The four categories (fiction, non fiction, poetry and youth literature) each have five nominees touching on a different aspects of the world through their writing. The fiction category includes stories ranging from a man alone in the Siberian desert to a collection of short stories about growing up in rural Michigan. The nonfiction topics range from evolution to a guy who really didn’t like the Romans. The poetry category shows off an excellent array of well spoken poets. And the youth literature category places stories and events in a light that captures the minds of young people. You can find more information about the different nominees at the National Book Awards website, or check out the listing below.

Fiction: Bonnie Jo Campbell, American Salvage; Colum McCann, Let the Great World Spin; Daniyal Mueenuddin, In Other Rooms, Other Wonders; Jayne Anne Phillips, Lark and Termite; Marcel Theroux, Far North

Nonfiction: David M. Carroll, Following the Water: A Hydromancer's Notebook; Sean B. Carroll, Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origins of Species; Greg Grandin, Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City; Adrienne Mayor, The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome's Deadliest Enemy; T. J. Stiles, The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt

Poetry: Rae Armantrout, Versed; Ann Lauterbach, Or to Begin Again; Carl Phillips, Speak Low; Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, Open Interval; Keith Waldrop, Transcendental Studies: A Trilogy

Youth Lit: Deborah Heiligman, Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith; Phillip Hoose, Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice; David Small, Stitches; Laini Taylor, Lips Touch: Three Times; Rita Williams-Garcia, Jumped

The winners of the National Book Awards will be announced at the 60th National Book Awards Benefit Dinner and Ceremony on Wednesday, November 18. It's like the Oscars...for books!

Take this opportunity to tell us who you think the winners should be in each category. Let the games begin!