Seattle Arts and Lectures

Seattle Arts & Lectures (SAL) is a nonprofit organization committed to bringing writers, scholars, filmmakers, and other artists to the Seattle community. Founded in 1987, SAL began presenting lectures with a Literary Lecture Series in 1988 and has steadily added new programs. SAL’s mission has stayed true through the years. It encourages the sharing of ideas between scholars and citizens through sponsoring lectures and classes and in the process helps create a sense of community among people in the Puget Sound area.

Today SAL provides five different programs and special events throughout its season: Literary Lecture Series, Poetry Series, Wednesday University, Writers in the Schools, and Teachers as Scholars. Each program engages a different audience to further its goal of encouraging intellectual connections in Seattle. The Literary Lecture Series and Poetry Series in particular provide a chance to hear some of the most distinguished and innovative writers and artists of our time. This year’s programs focus on cultural diversity with international presenters and globally relevant topics.

Lecture Series:
The Literary Lecture Series brings prominent writers and artists to the area to share their ideas with Seattle. This season will feature six authors with diverse backgrounds: environmentalists, a film writer/director, novelists, journalists, and short story writers. Expect to hear a wide range of topics including environmental ethics, class and race, food, and cultural barriers. Also notable is John Updike’s return to the Lecture Series almost exactly 20 years after his appearance as the series’ first presenter. He speaks Nov 12.

Wednesday University:
The Wednesday University program offers three courses per year on a range of topics in the arts and humanities. Started in 1999, the program is a joint effort with the Simpson Center for the Humanities and encourages students of all ages to pursue further education outside of school. Each of the three courses consists of five sessions and is taught by University of Washington faculty. This year’s topics include media politics, food, and art.

Poetry Series:
SAL invites distinguished poets to share readings of their work in the Poetry Series, connecting these poets with Seattle’s community of writers and the general public. Poets who present in the series have often distinguished themselves as U.S. Poet Laureates, State Poets, and Pulitzer Prize winners. This season’s five poets are no exception. SAL has added two special events this year: Pulitzer Prize and Tanning Prize winner W.S. Merwin presenting on November 7, and environmental activist and poet Gary Snyder, who was raised in the Pacific Northwest, speaking on May 27, 2009.

Writers in the Schools:
The Writers in the Schools program connects local writers with area public schools. Last year, 23 writers-in-residence served in a diverse selection of elementary, middle, and high schools. Participating schools may also receive literature and poetry book donations, tickets to SAL events, and writing workshop scholarships for their students. WITS also publishes an anthology of selected student work and will celebrate the upcoming release of last year’s anthology with a launch party on Sept 24 at Seattle City Hall.

Teachers as Scholars:
The Teachers as Scholars program provides elementary and secondary school teachers with the opportunity to take seminars presented by University of Washington professors. Seminar topics this year range from technology to human rights to the graphic novel. The first seminar begins Sept. 20, a discussion of evolution to go with the Pacific Science Center’s exhibit “Lucy’s Legacy: The Hidden Treasure of Ethiopia.”

Special Events:
Presenters for the 2008-2009 Special Events season are photographer Annie Leibovitz, NPR journalist Scott Simon, and Iranian human rights activist and Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi. Special Events Series subscribers get a discount on single ticket prices.