Post navigation

Prev: (10/19/15) | Next: (10/20/15)

'80 Pacific Northwest readers and artists' to hit First Hill and Capitol Hill for Lit Crawl Seattle 2015

San Fransisco can keep its quakes, as far as CHS is concerned. But we’re happy to have Litquake make its annual visit with this week’s fourth annual Lit Crawl Seattle:

Think of Lit Crawl Seattle as a free cool reading at your favorite bar, times about 30. The extra-large burrito of readings. For one beautiful and awesomely weird night, over 80 Pacific Northwest readers and artists will fill Capitol and First Hill bars with stories about oyster foraging and the Jesus movement, photography of Seattle outcasts and innocents, and odes to football and salt.

Last year we hosted everyone from former National Book Award finalist Jess Walter to Lindy West. For this year’s Lit Crawl on October 22, 2015, we will be hosting readings by VIDA, Tin House, critically-acclaimed memoirists Sarah Hepola and Melissa Febos, and much more at over 30 venues—including Town Hall, Hugo House, Vermillion, Capitol Cider, the Frye Art Museum, Capitol Hill Library, and Elliott Bay Book Company.

The San Francisco’s literary festival organization brought the first Lit Crawl to First Hill and Capitol Hill in 2012. 2014’s edition ballooned to “as many authors as we can logically put on the physical map.” As you can see below, the itinerary is designed for a bit of chaos and impossible scheduling. You can grab the 2015 Lit Crawl Seattle map and guide (PDF) here.

cropped-LC15-banner-seattle (1)Lit Crawl Seattle 2015
Thursday, October 22nd


6–6:45pm
“How I Write”
Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave.
On display: Artist Tessa Hulls’ ink drawings of tchotchkes, talismans, and other unique quirks that help this year’s Lit Crawl readers craft their prose, poems, and art.

Sobriety & Recovery: Sarah Hepola & Melissa Febos
Town Hall, 1119 8th Ave. (Entrance on Seneca St.)
A reading by critically-acclaimed memoirists Sarah Hepola (Blackout) and Melissa Febos (Whip Smart).

The James Franco Review
Capitol Hill Branch Library (Seattle Public Library), 425 Harvard Ave. E.
Highlighting underrepresented writers—i.e., pretty much everyone but Mr. Franco—JFR welcomes contributors Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, EJ Koh, Isaiah Swango, and Youth Poet Laureate Leija Farr. Founding editor Corinne Manning and Aaron Counts host.

Native Writers from Seattle & Beyond
Frye Art Museum, 704 Terry Ave.
Poetry and prose from Laura Da’ (Eastern Shawnee), Sasha LaPointe (Nooksack), Casandra Lopez (Chicana, Cahuilla, Luiseño, Tongva), and Sara Marie Ortiz (Pueblo of Acoma). Elissa Washuta (Cowlitz) hosts.

A Salty Reading
Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave.
An APRIL reading by well-seasoned writers Sonya Vatomsky, Richard Chiem, and Princess Charming, discussing all things salty and salt-related. Free salt & vinegar chips!

Consider the Oyster: A Puget Sound Love Story
The Cloud Room, 1424 11th Ave. (4th fl. of Chophouse Row)
An ode to Seattle’s favorite bivalve, with essays by food writers Langdon Cook and Sara Dickerman, and Q&A with Walrus & the Carpenter owner Renee Erickson. Hosted by Corina Zappia.

It’s a Bitch to Remember
The Project Room, 1315 E Pine St.
Stories by Steve Barker, Allison Ellis, and Jason Schmidt on the subject of remembrance, The Project Room’s current theme. Tessa Hulls hosts.

Quick & Dirty: A Reading by Shotgun Wedding
Vermillion Art Gallery & Bar, 1508 11th Ave.
No tales of wedding horror here—just short fiction and poetry from local chapbook publisher Shotgun Wedding. With Stephen Danos, Anca Szilagyi, Sarah Gallien, Graham Isaac, and host and founding editor Amber Nelson.

City Arts Presents: Use Yr Words
Vito’s Restaurant & Lounge, 927 9th Ave. at Madison St. [21+]
Poems meet funny prose, with contributors to the magazine’s literary section—Quenton Baker, Montreux Rotholtz, and Bill Carty—plus humor columnist Brett Hamil.

Flight of Fancy: A Literary Cider Flight
Capitol Cider, 818 E Pike St., downstairs [21+]
Purchase and taste a sampling of fine hard ciders, each paired with a complimentary reading suggestion by SPL librarians David Wright and Andrea Gough. Presented in partnership with Seattle Public Library as a part of Booktoberfest, a month long celebration of books and beer.

2015 Jack Straw Writers
Folio, the Seattle Athenaeum, 909 4th Ave. (Entrance on Marion St.)
Featuring four writers from this year’s Jack Straw Writing Program: Erin Malone, Linda Andrews, Matthew Schnirman, and Bernard Grant. Hosted by Kathleen Flenniken.

The Cabinet of Curiosities: Poetry
Sorrento Hotel, 900 Madison St.
Poetry about things that make us go “hmmm.” Hosted by Rebekah Anderson with Lucy Hitz, Jourdan Keith, and Maggie Hess.


7-7:45pm
“How I Write”
Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave.
On display: Artist Tessa Hulls’ ink drawings of tchotkes, talismans, and other unique quirks that help this year’s Lit Crawl readers craft their prose, poems, and art.

Sin Is Always In: Writings About Sex, Drugs, & Violence
Fred Wildlife Refuge, 128 Belmont Ave. E.
Our three favorite vices in one reading. Writers Sean Beaudoin, Robert Lashley, and Amber Nelson take us on the downward spiral. Brian McGuigan hosts.

Rachel Kessler’s Christian Charm Workbook
Frye Art Museum, 704 Terry Ave.
Rachel Kessler presents a slideshow performance of her multimedia memoir about growing up with the Jesus movement in 1970s Seattle.

Cheap Wine & Poetry
Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave.
The long-running poetry series with buck-a-glass vino. Featuring poets Arlene Kim, Matt Gano, and Claudia Castro Luna, with host Jeanine Walker.

Wage Slaves: Tales from the Grind
Office Nomads, 1617 Boylston Ave.
The things we will do for a buck: Real-life stories from Daemond Arrindell, Nicole Hardy, Troy Osaki, and Corina Zappia. Hosted by Michelle Goodman and Sierra Golden.

Welcome to the Instant Future
Raygun Lounge, 501 E. Pine St.
Zach Ellis, Litsa Dremousis, and Tara Atkinson read from their nonfiction eBooks that are, in classic Instant Futurestyle, “too long for a journal, too short for a printed book.” Matthew Simmons and Elissa Washuta host.

Draw It Out: Indie Comix
Ada’s Technical Books, 425 15th Ave. E.
With Natalie Dupille, Eroyn Franklin, Mita Mahato, Gina Siciliano, and host Kelly Froh.

Greetings from Hedgebrook
Sole Repair, 1001 E Pike St. (Entrance on 10th Ave.)
Writers from the Whidbey Island residency (Allison Green, Frances McCue, Felicia Gonzalez, and Anne Liu Kellor) present their work. Hosted by Katie Woodzick.

Good Sports
Vermillion Art Gallery & Bar, 1508 11th Ave.
Jay McAleer, Matt Kelsey, and Chelsea Werner-Jatzke read short stories and poems inspired by football, basketball, and other round-shaped things people move around for fun. Hosted by Jarret Middleton.

The Cabinet of Curiosities: Flashers
Sorrento Hotel, 900 Madison St.
Flash fiction about things that make us go “hmmm.” Hosted by Rebekah Anderson and Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson, with Kevin Emerson, Suzanne Morrison, and Mattilda Sycamore.

Get (Mineral) Schooled
Still Liquor, 1524 Minor Ave. [21+]
Featuring writers from Mineral School, the former-elementary-school-turned-artist-residency: Stephanie Kuehnert, Jane Wong, Susan Meyers, and Kirsten Lunstrum. Hosted by Mineral School founder Jane Hodges.

Los Angeles Review
Capitol Cider, 818 E Pike St., downstairs [21+]
Celebrating divergent literature emerging from the West Coast, the Los Angeles Review presents recent contributors Jean Burnet, Jeannine Hall Gailey, and Philip Shaw. Poetry editor Maggie Hess hosts.

Elliott Bay Books Presents Elizabeth Rosner
Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave.

Elizabeth Rosner (The Speed of Light, Gravity, Blue Nude) reads from her historical novel Electric City, named one of the best books of 2014 by NPR and now out in paperback. Hosted by Peter Mountford.

8-8:45pm
“How I Write”
Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave.
On display: Artist Tessa Hulls’ ink drawings of tchotkes, talismans, and other unique quirks that help this year’s Lit Crawl readers craft their prose, poems, and art.

VIDA Presents: Women of Color Prose Reading
Fred Wildlife Refuge, 128 Belmont Ave. E.
With Shannon Barber (Self Care Like a Boss), Jennine Capo Crucet (Make Your Home Among Strangers, How to Leave Hialeah), and Wendy C. Ortiz (Excavation: A Memoir, Hollywood Notebook).

Tin House Presents Sonya Lea & Sara Jaffe
Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave.
Sonya Lea reads from her recent memoir Wondering Who You Are, and Sara Jaffe, from her debut novel Dryland. With host Peter Mountford.

On the Spartan Side
Ada’s Technical Books, 425 15th Ave. E.
Featuring contributors from the aptly titled journal (submissions all 2,000 words or less): Ian Denning, Jenny Hayes, M.C. Easton, and Robert P. Kaye. Editor Ross McMeekin hosts.

Jacks-of-All-Trades
Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave.
Swapping roles for the night, multi-talented musician Adam Boehmer shares his poetry, poet Gary Lilley sings the blues, and prose writer Graham Isaac performs with rock band Freeway Park. Chelsea Werner-Jatzke hosts.

Lit “Level Up”
Pine Box, 1600 Melrose Ave. [21+]
Essays, poems, and stories inspired by video games, from writer/gamers Darren Davis, Rachel Springer, James Gapinski, and Frances Dinger. Corina Zappia hosts.

A Reading by Poetry Northwest
Sole Repair, 1001 E Pike St. (Entrance on 10th Ave.)
The oldest poetry mag in the Northwest presents local contributors Clare Johnson, Suzanne Bottelli, and Emily Bedard. Editor Kevin Craft hosts.

Outcasts and Innocents
Vermillion Arts Gallery & Bar, 1508 11th Ave.
A montage from Outcasts and Innocents, Alice Wheeler’s photography collection of Seattle locals, plus readings by Stacey Levine, John Osebold, John Olson, and Ellie Belew.

Book-It Repertory Theatre Performs The Brothers K
Capitol Cider, 818 E Pike St., downstairs [21+]
David James Duncan’s novel about the Chance family of Camas, WA comes to life in this preview of the Book-It play, adapted and directed by Myra Platt.

Brightly Press Presents Shake The Tree
Barca, 1510 11th Ave. [21+]
Carolyne Lee Wright, Natasha Kochicheril Moni, Deborah Woodard, and Kelle Grace Gaddis read from Shake The Tree: A Poetry Anthology, Vol. One. First 50 guests get a free copy.

Late Night at the Library: Spooky Stories in the Stacks
Capitol Hill Branch Library (Seattle Public Library), 425 Harvard Ave. E.
Ever wonder what happens when the library closes and everyone goes home for the night? Find out at this ghostly story time hosted by SPL librarian David Wright. Presented in partnership with Seattle Public Library as a part ofBooktoberfest, ​a month long celebration of books and beer.

A Kundiman Reading
Still Liquor, 1524 Minor Ave. [21+]
Featuring Amy Lam, Neil Aitken, and Rick Barot, three fellows from the annual retreat dedicated to the cultivation of Asian American literature. Michelle Peñaloza hosts.

Subscribe and support CHS Contributors -- $1/$5/$10 per month

Comments are closed.