Robert Lopez Reading at Auntie's

Get Lit! Programs and Eastern Washington University's Visiting Writers Series are pleased to announce author Robert Lopez will be reading at Auntie's Bookstore this Friday, January 18th, at 7:30pm. The event will be free and open to the public.

Lopez is the author of Asunder, a collection of short fiction, and of the novels Part of the World and Kamby Bolongo Mean River, which was named one of the 25 most important books of the decade by HTML Giant. Reviewer Blake Butler said of its inclusion on the list, "Robert Lopez helped close out my decade by closing out my brain with just about every single sentence and paragraph in this thing. It just did not stop. There is not another book I can think of that moves emotionally the way this one does."


Asunder Book Description:

The unforgettable stories in Robert Lopez's Asunder vary in length and style, but all of them devastate, all constantly cross the boundaries between poetry and prose. Here we have characters who are uncertain of themselves, of the people surrounding them. Here people are in trouble and need help. The compressed lyricism of these stories seems driven by the silence of what is not said, what lies beneath the lines and between them. As in his novels Part of the World and Kamby Bolongo Mean River, this elliptical tension of the language gives way to moments of grace and savage humor, leaving the reader startled, as though the world were a complete surprise.

Find more information, including reviews and an author bio, here.

The Inlander Short-Fiction Contest 2012

 Do you like The Inlander? Would you like it even better if you were in it?

The Inlander is still accepting submissions for its 2012 Short-Fiction Contest. Submissions should be stories fewer than 2,000 words and in some way related to this year's theme, "The End." Winning entries will be published in their December 20th issue.

The submission deadline is November 22nd, 11:59 pm.
Email submissions to Luke Baumgarten at luke@inlander.com

So, get writing! And if you need inspiration, here's some of what the internet as to say about "The End..."

1. NASA's take on the end of the world


2. Remember the 90s? When the end of the world would just be one giant jelly-bean boom?

3. The Simpsons' Escalator to Nowhere, anyone?

4. And of course...

Happy writing!

Frank Zafiro: A New Novel and an Appearance at INWG

Spokane's own king of crime fiction, Frank Zafiro, has just released a new novel, Lovely, Dark, and Deep. The summary from his website says:

A city councilman is dead of an apparent suicide. Ex-cop Stefan Kopriva finds himself drawn into the case, serving an unlikely client. Once involved, he discovers that things are not as they seem.

Kopriva is quickly embroiled in dirty city politics. Along the way, he encounters pimps, prostitutes, gangsters, contractors, and the police as he tries to get to the bottom of what happened, and why. That is something no one wants, so Kopriva must risk his own freedom and his very life to find the answers, no matter how deep the corruption goes.

The novel is currently available as a Kindle edition, and a paperback version is due out soon.

If you'd like to learn more about Frank Zafiro's work and his experiences with writing and publishing, he'll be a guest speaker at the Inland Northwest Writers Guild meeting at Auntie's Bookstore tomorrow, Tuesday, October 17th, at 6:30pm!

You can learn more about him at www.frankzafiro.com

Willow Springs Annual Fiction Contest!

Willow Springs is having their annual fiction contest!

The winner will receive $2,000 and publication within the magazine. All entrants will receive a one year subscription to the magazine.

Willow Springs publishes the finest in contemporary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, as well as interviews with some of the most notable authors in contemporary literature, including Marilynne Robinson, Stuart Dybek, Aimee Bender, and Robert Bly.

What: Willow Springs Fiction Contest

Where:

Submit online here

Mail @ 

The Willow Springs Fiction Prize

Willow Springs

501 N Riverpoint Blvd, Ste 425

Spokane, WA 99202 

When: Postmarked by March 15, 2012

Cost: $15 ($20 for International Submissions)

More Information:

Visit Willow Springs

Broken Mic

Do you have a fear of public speaking? Did you know the best way to overcome a fear is to attack it head-on?

Stop by the Neato Burrito on Wednesdays for Broken Mic and read some of your work in an open-mic setting. Poetry, spoken word, fiction, and nonfiction are all welcome. If you don't feel the need to overcome your fear, that's cool too. Come by and support those who built up the courage to do so. Enjoy a burrito or two, no one will judge. Here's an article by The Inlander about a past event: Writer's Bloc.

What: Broken Mic
Where: Neato Burrito (827 W. 1st Ave., Spokane)
When: Every Wednesday 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Cost: FREE
More Information: (509) 847-1234

Calling for Submissions! Inlander Short Fiction Contest

No doubt the burden of debt is hard to escape. Ever feel indebted to pen and paper as a means to ease the weight?

The Inlander Short Fiction Contest calls for original, unpublished fiction less than 2,000 words for the December 22nd issue.

The theme, Debt, can be figurative or literal, present or past, monologue or narrative, whatever voice suits your impression of Debt.

There is no limit on the number of submissions. E-mail submissions to luke@inlander.com with the subject line "Fiction Contest Entry." Deadline is December 1st.

Sometimes the Story Finds You

Each year we ask some of our festival authors to offer up some wisdom on writing. Suzanne Morgan Williams, author of Bull Rider, shares her thoughts on the writing process as well as the importance of people sharing their stories with each other.

Sometimes the story finds you. I’ve been giving revision workshops lately and the first thing I ask writers is “What is your book really about?” The fact is, during that first draft, I never know and I suspect that’s true for others too. So it’s an important question. Until you answer it, your work can’t sing. What starts out as a conflict, say between a cautious mom and her son who wants to be a bull rider, ends up being about loyalty and empowerment and family resiliency. Oh, and about two brothers – one, Cam, who now doesn’t want to be a bull rider and another, Ben, who was a bull rider until he was blown up by an IED in Iraq.

This was not the story I set out to write when I began Bull Rider. I didn’t want to write about war injuries. But my son-in-law was in the service and the war in Iraq was heating up and I just kept thinking about this other brother in the O’Mara family and what he might be doing if he were a Marine. Cam’s story was changing to include Ben and Ben was demanding equal space on the pages. So that’s what Bull Rider was really about: the consequences and sacrifice of war and the strength of one fictitious family. It just took me a while to realize it.

I think the best books come from the writer’s emotional experience and the questions he’s grappling with if not directly from his or her physical experience. That’s what gives a book heart. That’s when you can answer that question, “What’s your book really about?” And those books can open conversations. They allow others who’ve maybe had that physical experience to access their own emotions. Or they let those who haven’t been through the book’s conflict to practice – what would they do? How would they feel? In the case of Bull Rider, it was also my honor to learn from real stories – from the blogs of wounded soldiers to the stories of my father-in-law who landed at Anzio beach and fought through Italy and Germany during World War II. My husband said his father never talked much about the war and when he finally told me this story in 2006, I understood why. So much loss. “Did you like Italy?” I asked him. “There wasn’t much left to see.” That and the numbers from his unit – 90 percent dead, wounded or missing – pretty much summed it up.

My father-in-law was 86 when we talked. He died last week. I treasure the memories he shared and put them into Bull Rider. But how many years did he not say anything? Who could understand losing nine of every ten of your buddies? What price did he pay to not bring that pain home to his family? The story in Bull Rider found me. I’m not a veteran and I’m not from a military family, although we’ve become one since our daughter’s marriage. I am a good listener. I listened to myself. Then I listened to so many stories. It is my honor to share a little bit of what I learned. I hope it opens a conversation.

For a list of books about the military experience and military families that are good reads for kids aged 7 through high school visit her website and open Veterans, then Books.

If you are interested in hearing more, come to see Suzanne's reading during the Get Lit! Festival at Auntie's Bookstore on April 16 from 1-1:45pm. She is also leading a workshop for ages 10 and up from 9:30-11 am on Saturday at the Riverpoint Campus. Both events are free!

Free Adult Writing Workshops!

Writers in the Community, part of the Inland Northwest Center for Writers at EWU, will be offering free adult writing workshops each Saturday during the month of March. This is a great opportunity to sharpen your skills and work with other writers, plus-- let's say it again-- they're FREE!

There will be workshops in fiction, poetry and non-fiction, beginning this Saturday, March 5. All of the workshops will be held in the Phase 1 building of the EWU Riverpoint campus, and there will be signs in the main lobby to direct you to the correct classroom.

Here is the schedule:

Saturday, March 5, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.: All genres (fiction, non fiction, poetry).
Saturday, March 12, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Fiction
Saturday, March 19, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Nonfiction
Saturday, March 26, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Poetry

The theme for these workshops is "Kicking at the Dust." During this Saturday's workshop, poets will focus on nature poetry, fiction writers will examine how to use tension to drive the action in stories, and non fiction writers will be focusing on food-related memories.

Please RSVP to witc@eagles.ewu.edu so they know how many students to prepare for!

Writers in the Community (WITC) is an internship program for graduate students working toward their Master of Fine Arts degree. During the school year, participants lead classes, seminars and workshops in such varied settings as hospitals, prisons and retirement homes, as well as elementary, middle and high school classrooms. They also sponsor a number of community events related to reading and writing in our community, such as the Whitworth Writing Rally each fall; Broken Mic, a series of weekly open mic readings; and of course the youth, teen and college poetry slams during the Get Lit! Festival.

Third Coast Contest Deadline Approaching!

The Third Coast Magazine Poetry and Fiction Contests deadline is fast approaching! Make sure to submit your work by December 1, 2010. Contest winners in each genre receive $1000 & publication. All entrants receive a one year subscription to Third Coast.

The contest will be judged by Brad Watson in fiction and Natasha Trethewey in poetry.

Guidelines: Submit one previously unpublished story of up to 9,000 words or three previously unpublished poems with SASE and a $15 reading fee payable to Third Coast. Please send each entry separately to:


Third Coast 2010 Fiction or Poetry Contest
Department of English
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5331

For more information visit: http://thirdcoastmagazine.com/contests/

National Novel Writing Month...a.k.a NaNoWriMo

November's not just the month of yellow leaves and huge turkey dinners. Between November 1 and 30 annually, NaNoWriMo creates an opportunity for writers to sit down and crank out a novel from scratch (50,000 words being the goal).

Anne Lamott said, "For me and most of the other writers I know, writing is not rapturous. In fact, the only way I can get anything written at all is to write really, really shitty first drafts." And that's the philosophy behind NaNoWriMo: turn off your self-editor, don't worry about anything except quantity, and plunge forward into all the griminess of a first draft.

From their website, here's how NaNoWriMo works:

1) Sign up for the event by clicking the "Sign Up Now" link at the top of the site.

2) Check your email and read the ginormous email our noveling robots send you. It will have "Love" in the subject line, and may be hiding in your Junk folder.

3) Log into your account and use the links on the My NaNoWriMo page to set your timezone, affiliate with a region, and tell us a little bit about yourself.

4) Begin procrastinating by reading through all the great advice and funny stories in the forums. Post some stories and questions of your own. Get excited. Get nervous. Try to rope someone else into doing this with you. Eat lots of chocolate and stockpile noveling rewards.

5) On November 1, begin writing your novel. Your goal is to write a 50,000-word novel by midnight, local time, on November 30th. You write on your own computer, using whatever software you prefer.

6) This is not as scary as it sounds.

7) Starting November 1, you can update your word count in that box at the top of the site, and post excerpts of your work for others to read. Watch your word-count accumulate and story take shape. Feel a little giddy.

8) Write with other NaNoWriMo participants in your area. Write by yourself. Write. Write. Write.

9) If you write 50,000 words of fiction by midnight, local time, November 30th, you can upload your novel for official verification, and be added to our hallowed Winner’s Page and receive a handsome winner’s certificate and web badge. We'll post step-by-step instructions on how to scramble and upload your novel starting in mid-November.

10) Win or lose, you rock for even trying.

-----

So do some finger stretches and get ready to write on November first! We'll see you again when you stumble back into daylight with triumphant shouts. Learn more and sign up at http://www.nanowrimo.org/.

Upcoming Contest Deadlines: Short Fiction and Nonfiction

Announcing two fabulous literary contests:

The Inlander's 2010 Short Fiction Contest
The Pacific Northwest Inlander is accepting unpublished fiction between 800-1,500 words with the theme of redemption (which, according to their blog, can be interpreted "any way you want"). The deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 30 at 2 p.m. E-mail (no hard-copy) submissions to michael@inlander.com with "Fiction Contest Entry" in the subject line. One, two, or three winners will be published in The Inlander's Dec. 23 issue, plus--maybe--more online.

Narrative Magazine's Fall 2010 Short Story Contest
Narrative Magazine is accepting fiction and nonfiction submissions for their Fall 2010 story contest, including "short shorts, short stories, essays, memoirs, photo essays, graphic stories, all forms of literary nonfiction, and excerpts from longer works of both fiction and nonfiction." You can submit online through their website. The material must be previously unpublished, and there is a $20 entry fee. First prize earns $3250, second prize $1500, third prize $750 and ten additional finalists get $100 each. (sweet!)

Narrative Magazine focuses on "advancing literary arts in a digital age" by trying to reach readers around the globe. They are a non-profit and the magazine is free online to all readers (for the most part-- they have a subscribers-only "VIP" section of the site with additional material. Sniff.)

Here's part of their mission statement, which is pretty cool:
"Literary readers are more than twice as likely as nonreaders to vote, to volunteer, and to be active participants of the communities in which they live. They are more likely to be healthy, to be hired, to create art, and to achieve both academic and economic success. Reading encourages and develops empathy and emotional sophistication, logical thinking, clear expression of ideas, and the ability to comprehend complex and opposing thought systems. Reading opens minds and changes lives."

March Newsletter

Check out our March Newsletter for info about how to volunteer, festival workshops, and a great way to help out Get Lit! Programs with your spring book purchases!

Only 27 days until the Twelfth Annual Get Lit! Festival!

Attention Teachers! Clock Hours Available at Festival Events

Get Lit! Programs is showing our love for teachers by offering multiple events during the festival that count for up to six continuing education credit hours. K-12 teachers, librarians and parents can participate in one or all of these events, which range from just 1-2 hours each. Not only do these sessions provide an enjoyable way to get those pesky clock hours taken care of, but also give teachers concrete tools to get their students energized about reading and writing. In our world of Facebook, texting and email, we can't just tell students that reading novels and poetry is fun, we have to prove it, and these events can help you do so.

The sessions appeal to a wide range, so whether you are a kindergarten teacher or your spouse teaches 11th grade AP English, you'll find a discussion worth your while. There will be sign-in sheets at each event and there's no need to pre-register. The cost for obtaining the clock hours from ESD 101 is just $10 for 3-5 hours and $12 for 6 hours. So essentially for $12, you can knock out six continuing education credit hours and attend a few awesome sessions on getting your students excited about reading and writing. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal.

Here's the breakdown of the different sessions:

Author Janet Wong will lead a workshop open to any K-12 teacher, focusing on the importance of reading aloud in the classroom. She'll discuss how reading aloud can encourage a child's success in literacy and she will also offer suggestions on how to incorporate poetry into the classroom on a daily basis. Friday, April 16, 4:30-6 p.m., EWU Riverpoint, Phase 1 Building, Room 115.


Since 2010 marks the 100th anniversary of Mark Twain's death, one session will focus on celebrating Twain's writing and his influence on American literature. Whether for teachers who have previously taught Twain's works or those who see it looming in the curriculum, this could be a great way to discover a new approach to a novel like Huckleberry Finn. The discussion could spark your own interest in Twain's life or works, give you insight into how your students might relate to the book or perhaps a fellow educator will share how they've successfully engaged their students in Twain's works. Saturday, April 17, 12 p.m.-1pm, Hotel Lusso

For parents and teachers exhausted by trying to keep track of which books should be must-reads for their kids' age, Marilyn Carpenter, a professor of education at EWU, has you covered. She'll be offering a list of the "100+ Best Kids and Young Adult Books," helping teachers, librarians and parents get an idea of which books will engage and excite their students. Saturday, April 17, 12 p.m.-1:00 p.m., Hotel Lusso

In the Classroom Publishing Workshop, teachers can learn how to inspire their students to write, and also how to encourage students to publish their work, whether through a blog, wiki or actual book. Ooligan Press, out of Portland State University, has an upcoming book on classroom publishing, and they'll discuss their philosophy that students who participate in all aspects of the writing and publishing process become more engaged with their own writing. Saturday, April 17, 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., Hotel Lusso

Last but definitely not least, there will be a Performance Poetry workshop. Geared toward demystifying poetry and getting students energized about poetry, language and writing, the workshop invites both students and teachers to participate. Teachers who'd like their classrooms to join the workshop can even do so via live video-feed rather than transport their students by bus. If you'd like your classroom to participate, just email dringwald@ewu.edu to RSVP, and ESD 101 will help you set up the technical equipment.

For more information on the sessions that qualify for continuing education clock hours, click here.

UPDATE:

Another opportunity for K-12 teachers is coming up March 10 & 11 at Spokane Community College. The Northwest Inland Writing Project is hosting their spring conference, "'Spring Planting: Growing Student Writers." The keynote speaker will be Barry Lane, author of ten books on writing and currently a professor at the University of New Hampshire. He'll be giving a keynote address on the morning of March 10 and March 11, followed by sessions on literacy topics like "Writing in the Digital Age" and "Publishing with Purpose." Lane's address will focus on practical suggestions for teaching writing to students of all ages. For more information, visit: http://www.niwp.org/

Festival Workshops

One of the most exciting aspects of the Get Lit! Festival is the amount of opportunities for members of our community to expand their personal or professional horizons. There is truly something for everyone, from the high school junior panicking about college admissions essays to the small non-profit struggling to write grants. In that vein, there will be workshops throughout the festival addressing aspects of both practical and creative writing. Business writing, poetry, essays, grant writing, screenwriting-- they'll all be discussed in a workshop setting. In addition, various workshops will break down specific aspects of writing, such as how to write believable dialogue in fiction, weaving your personal narrative in non-fiction and revising and editing your work.

You might be asking yourself, "What exactly is a workshop?" Well, if you're wondering whether you'll be quietly listening to a lecture for a couple of hours, the answer is no. Workshops are all about lively discussion, practicing your skills and getting feedback on them. Many of the workshops will include writing exercises that you'll do right then and there, while others will send you home with suggestions for how to practice a particular writing style. Other workshops, such as the "Rewriting and Editing Your Writing" session, ask you to bring a few pages of your work so you can figure out, based on the discussion, what works in your piece and how to improve what doesn't.

Most of the workshops are two hours long, after which you'll probably be inspired to go home and spend another couple of hours working on your piece. The workshops are led by some very impressive professionals in their fields, including authors of various award-winning novels, memoirs, poetry and short-story collections, as well as professors, grant writers and screenwriters. The cost differs depending on the workshop; some are free, while others are $20 with a student ID and $30 for the public. Each workshop has a different date, time and location, so check the schedule at here.

Each of the workshops provide a pretty unique opportunity. When else are you going to have two hours to sit down with a published author, expert grant writer or award-winning screenwriter and pick their brains about what you can do to improve your writing? Parents who want to encourage their child to write a stellar admissions essay or apply for scholarships can listen to Rachel Toor, EWU Professor, explain to students what pitfalls to avoid and how to make their essay stand out among hundreds of others. Aspiring screenwriters can learn how to pitch their story like a pro from Don Caron, who co-wrote Different Drummers, winner of the 2007 Grand Remington Prize at the Houston International Festival. Poets and travel writers can learn from Susan Rich, poet and activist, how to explore other cultures and people in your writing while treating them with respect.

For registration information, go to here.

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!

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!

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!

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.

"My inner life is writing. That I can hold on to."

On Thursday, Herta Mueller, novelist, poet, and essayist, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Born in Romania in 1953 and emigrating to Germany in 1987, Ms Mueller’s experiences of persecution and censorship in her native country fuel her work with stories of dictatorship and brutality. In the Swedish Academy’s announcement of her award, they described her as a writer “who, with the concentration of poetry and frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed.”

Get Lit! Programs believes in literature and writing as a vehicle of freedom for all. The more we read, listen, and create works of art, the more our hearts and minds are transformed. I recall hearing a story that the wife of Russian poet, Osip Mandelstam, would memorize his poetry because there were times he was not permitted a pen. The idea of an "inner life" that Mueller speaks of is an idea I think many writers can identify with. Creativity and imagination can never be taken from us, and writing, teaching, creating, and reading are how we share this inner life with the rest of the world.

To celebrate with Herta Mueller, let’s call upon ourselves and others to create, honor, and remember the value of literature in our world, our community, and ourselves. You can even check out Get Lit!’s Literary Events Calendar to find ways to get started.

Excerpt from The Land of Green Plum by Herta Mueller, translated by Michael Hoffman,
Northwestern University Press (1998):

When we don’t speak, said Edgar, we become unbearable, and when we do, we make fools of ourselves.
We had been sitting and staring at the pictures on the floor for too long. My legs had fallen asleep from sitting.
The words in our mouths do as much damage as our feet on the grass. But so do our silences.
Edgar was silent.
To this day, I can’t really picture a grave. Only a belt, a window, a nut, and a rope. To me, each death is like a sack.
Anyone who hears that, said Edgar, is bound to think you’ve lost your mind.
And I then I have the feeling that whenever someone dies he leaves behind a sack of words. And barbers, and nail-clippers—I always think of them, too, since the dead no longer need them. And they don’t ever lose buttons either.

Enjoyed Get Lit!? Then Make Lit!

Fired up after all the amazing literary events of the 2009 Get Lit! festival? Ready to put your own prose on the page?

Then this is the opportunity you can't miss!

Finding Your Voice: Creative Writing Your Way

EWU’s Writers in the Community (WITC) program is pleased to offer a series of post-GetLit! writing forums for adult writers (18 and over). The forums will focus on the use of voice in literary fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Across genres, controlling the voice in a given piece of writing is at the core of crafting it effectively. A writer may also use voice to carve out a unique style.

Graduate student instructors will use voice as a springboard into a discussion on the craft of writing. We’ll also look at examples of effective voice in literature, engage in interactive writing exercises, and offer each other guidance and support. Most importantly, we’ll actually apply the techniques we discuss, so bring ideas for a poem, short story, or essay you’d like to begin.

FREE OF CHARGE

When:
May 2nd from 2-4pm All Comers (Fiction, Nonfiction, & Poetry)
May 9th from 2-4pm Poetry
May 16th from 2-4pm Fiction
May 23rd from 2-4pm Nonfiction

Where:
Forums will be held at EWU’s INLAND NORTHWEST CENTER FOR WRITERS located at 501 N. Riverpoint Boulevard, suite 425. For directions and sign-up information, please contact WITC Director Ross Carper at witc@ewu.edu or (509) 359-7437.

RSVP SOON for the sessions you'd like to attend!