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Capitol Hill Community Post | Fifth annual literary festival promises bigger events, first contest winner, new variety show and more

APRIL-2016-Teal-Full-Smart-OBJ2From APRIL Festival

With 5 years and more than 100 events under their belts, the producers of the APRIL Festival are returning for an anniversary year bursting with writers, new multimedia events and a bigger, fiercer storytelling competition.

For the 3rd year in a row, APRIL (Authors, Publishers and Readers of Independent Literature) welcomes a Writer-in-Residence to Seattle. This year, the festival will feature award-winning poet and Rookie Magazine contributor, Jenny Zhang. Her work ranges from dynamic personal essays, formally innovative poems and compassionate writing for teens. Zhang will perform and be featured in the visual arts show, in partnership with Vignettes, where visual artists will create new work inspired by her poetry.

The week will feature more than a dozen readers in 7 events including returning favorites “A Poet, a Playwright, a Novelist and a Drag Queen” and the annual Book Expo. This year also welcomes new additions including a multimedia variety show about writers as portrayed in popular film and a fireside chat co-presented with the Bagley Wright Lecture Series on Poetry.

Since 2011, APRIL has celebrated independent and small presses and their authors with the mission to connect new audiences to these vibrant works.

Tickets will be available beginning March 1.

The complete 2016 lineup is as follows:

Day 1: Tuesday, 3/15

Opening Party, doors at 7:30pm, event at 8pm

Pine Box, 1600 Melrose Ave, Seattle, WA 98122

21+

Performances from Alejandro de Acosta, Sara Jaffe, Jenny Zhang, Kelly Froh

Day 2: Wednesday, 3/16

Fireside Chat, doors at 7:30pm, event at 8pm

Sorrento Hotel, 900 Madison St, Seattle, WA 98104

Lecture from Cedar Sigo with Q&A to follow. This event is co-presented with the Bagley Wright Lecture Series on Poetry.

Day 3: Thursday, 3/17

A Poet, a Playwright, a Novelist, and a Drag Queen: APRIL’s Annual Competitive Storytelling Event, doors at 7:30pm, event at 8pm

$10 in advance / $15 at the door

Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122

Hosted by Paul Constant with performances from poet EJ Koh, playwright Sara Porkalob, novelist Brian McGuigan and drag queen Mal DeFleur. This event is co-presented with Washington Ensemble Theatre.

Day 4: Friday, 3/18

APRIL’s 5th Anniversary Party, doors at 8pm

$5 general admission, $50 VIP admission

Fred Wildlife Refuge

21+

Performances will feature a mix of five past “classics” and five new readers, each reading 500 words or less. Performers include alumni Ed Skoog, Elissa Ball, Maged Zaher, Robert Lashley, Sarah Galvin and new features Leena Joshi, Anastacia Tolbert, Hannah Sanghee Park, Bernard Grant, Jessica Mooney (APRIL’s first contest winner selected by Seattle Review of Books).

Day 5: Saturday, 3/19

The Filmy Quill: Writers and Writing on Celluloid, 1pm

Frye Art Museum, 704 Terry Ave

David Schmader hosts a live video essay about writers on film, featuring videos edited by Travis Vogt.

Dear Jenny, We Are All Find: APRIL + Vignettes

Indian Summer, 534 Summit Ave E, reading at 8:30pm

Performance from Jenny Zhang with visual art inspired by her poetry collection, Dear Jenny, We Are All Find (Octopus Books).

Day 6: Sunday, 3/20

APRIL Book Expo, 11am to 5pm

Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave

Meet publishers and browse books from over 50 independent presses. Lectures and readings will also be held throughout the day in Hugo House classrooms. First 20 entrants get a free piece of APRIL swag!

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