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2013 APRIL indie lit fest begins week of bookish fun times on Capitol Hill

901947_600119676684091_576389693_o (1)To once again prove Seattle’s rampant bookishness, APRIL Festival starts today, much of it on the Hill. Authors, Publishers, and Readers of Independent Literature Fest is upon us for its second year with readings, a small press expo, competitive storytelling among other events literary.

APRIL as an organization encourages independent, risk taking work, and the week of shows under their umbrella speak to their range of interests. The goal is to inspire, and show the various shapes and colors that writing and publishing can take, and to introduce readers to writers and writers to publishers.Here’s how the week breaks down:

  • Tonight starts with a Benediction at Chop Suey. (8PM, free) Along with the band Punishment, Matthew Dickman, Rebecca Brown and Summer Robinson will be performing. There is talk of a poet sitting in a fortune teller’s booth, akin to the mechanical one in the movie Big. Also, there will be a coloring book to keep people occupied, perhaps as a way to deal with their respective fortunes/hexes.
  • Tuesday through Thursday there is a free Happy Hour Reading at 5:30PM, and then a subsequent main event, most of which have a $7 cover.
  • Tuesday the Happy Hour is at Quarter Lounge on First Hill, with Rich Smith and Rebecca Bridge reading. The main event on Tuesday is The Trees, The Trees, which features artwork by Zack Bent and Gala Bent, Adam Boehmer, Jamey Braden, Maggie Carson Romano, Eroyn Franklin and Amanda Manitach performing new work inspired by Heather Christie’s book of poetry. Christie will be reading from her book at 8PM, with the event going from 7-10PM at Vignettes Art Gallery on Yale.
  • Wednesday Amber Nelson and Calvin Pierce will be reading at The Comet for the Happy Hour, and then at 8PM at the Sorrento Hotel there will be A Poet, a Playwright, a Novelist, and a Drag Queen. Elissa Ball, Neil Ferron, Peter Mountford and Cherdonna, will be competing. -$7
  • Thursday the Happy Hour reading at Vermillion features Emily Beyer, Jennifer Burdette, Rachel Kessler and Greg Bem, writers published in Pageboy Magazine. Editor Thomas Walton will be the host. The APRIL Showcase follows at Richard Hugo House featuring readings by Matthew Rohrer, Heather Christle and Rauan Klassnik. APRIL promises party favors both wearable and edible. To find out what that means costs you $7 at the door.
  • Friday Paul Constant hosts the Stranger’s Verse/Chapter/Verse show at Neumos, with readings and performances by Sherman Alexie, and Fly Moon Royalty. Tickets are $7 presale through Stranger Tickets, or $10 at the door. If you’d like to become a Stranger Genius Award supporter, there are $22 VIP tickets available that also get your name on a list of supporters, and a special cocktail.
  • On Saturday the literary ship changes tacks a bit with the Small Press Expo at Richard Hugo House. Running from 11AM to 4PM, the free event is billed as “a book shopping extravaganza.” There will be small publishers from all over the country, as well as performances by Housefire, SPLAB, The Furnace, Bushwick Book Club, and Breadline in the theater. If you need an excuse to arrive early, the first ten shoppers get free tote bags.

You can learn more facebook.com/APRILFestival.

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[…] APRIL Festival brings a folio of lit and small-press readings to the Hill this weekend; read more about APRIL Festival here. […]