West Seattle, Washington
11 Sunday
Got kids’ books you no longer need? Give them a new home! Just in, from Judi Yazzolino at the West Seattle Food Bank:
The West Seattle Food Bank’s Bookcase Program is in desperate need of children’s books and board books. Our Bookcase Program accepts slightly used or new donated books to encourage those children we serve start reading at an early age.
We accept donations Monday – Friday 9 am – 3 pm or Wednesday until 7 pm at our facility at 3419 SW Morgan St. on the corner of 35th & Morgan.
There’s a parking garage right off the south side of Morgan, and you can enter the Food Bank there or from the corner.
(WSB photos)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Before Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Colson Whitehead speaks tonight at Benaroya Hall downtown, he had a few other Seattle stops to make – starting at West Seattle High School.
Language-arts classes filled the WSHS Theater this morning to hear him talk about the writing life.
Teacher Sean Riley, who invited us too, said introducing Whitehead was “like a dream come true,” recalling speaking at a conference last year and getting stuck in a “real rant” of cynicism until he transitioned into a line from Whitehead’s award-winning novel “The Underground Railroad“: “Freedom was a community laboring for something lovely and real.” Riley explained that he feels that “critical thinking paired with hopeful action is a type of freedom.”
Then Whitehead took the podium, telling his own story, wryly.
He was born and raised in Manhattan, describing himself as kind of a shut-in yet not a “sickly child” as the stereotype goes – he “just didn’t like going outside.” He adored Stephen King. He said he hoped to write “the black ‘Shining‘” or “the black ‘Salem’s Lot‘.” But he grew into “more high-brow stuff,” speaking of discovering, for example, Samuel Beckett. In college he “considered myself a writer but I didn’t actually write anything” – he “wore black and smoked cigarettes” – then he tried writing, two 5-page stories, and encountered rejection.
Tonight, award-winning writer Jesmyn Ward, visiting Seattle from Mississippi, is speaking at Benaroya Hall downtown. Local students and teachers got the chance to hear from her this morning at Chief Sealth International High School. The report is courtesy of Sealth faculty member Katie Hubert, who also shared the student-made photograph above:
Jesmyn Ward, two-time National Book Award winner, fielded questions from an assembled group of about 150 students and their teachers.
Ward, a first-generation college graduate, spoke of her youthful self’s academic drive and the encouragement she received from her parents. They wanted her to study “practical subjects” as an undergrad, but, “I didn’t feel the love, you know, when I was studying other subjects. And so, even though I thought I was disappointing my parents, I decided I would study what I love. That’s why I majored in English.”
She said her intention following graduation was to take a couple of years off, then, “take the LSAT, and do something smart with my life.” But life had other plans. “Six months after I graduated from college, my brother died. He was 19 years old, and he was coming home from work, and he was hit from behind by a drunk driver.”
“It was at that moment that everything changed for me. All these concerns I had about what people expected of me because I’d gone to college, all of a sudden those things didn’t matter any more.” She realized she didn’t have “infinite time.”
“Anyhow, I asked myself, if you die tomorrow, or next week, what did you do with your life that would give it meaning, and the immediate response was, writing. I want to write stories.”
She answered questions from students ranging from her favorite authors (James Baldwin and William Faulkner), books she found influential (As I Lay Dying and Their Eyes Were Watching God), and whether her life or formal education were more influential. (Her formal education.) She described her writing process (she doesn’t use an outline), how to combat writer’s block (do an exercise such as having two characters meet at a coffee shop), and how to end a chapter (make sure there’s tension).
Ward won her first National Book Award in 2011 for her second novel “Salvage the Bones,” and her second one in 2017 for “Sing, Unburied, Sing”; she is the first woman to win two NBAs for fiction. She also received a MacArthur “Genius Grant” last year.
She just might be the most famous librarian ever – she even inspired an action figure. Tomorrow night, Nancy Pearl (above right) will be in West Seattle, appearing in the next edition of WordsWest Literary Series, 7 pm (Wednesday, January 17th) at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor). Pearl and poet Susan Landgraf are this month’s headliners. The theme, as described in WordsWest’s announcement, is “‘Broken Promises — Resolutions, Riots, and Repair,’ an unearthing of the stories that lie under promises made to loved ones and to the land, promises abandoned, and the incremental mending.” Pearl has recently added “novelist” to her resumé, with the publication of “George and Lizzie.” Landgraf’s most-recent poetry collection is “What We Bury Changes the Ground.” You can read the full announcement in our calendar listing. Susan Rich, one of WordsWest’s curators, says they’ll also be collecting donations at the event (for which admission is always free) for C & P’s down-payment crowdfund.
This Friday brings 2018’s first Southwest Seattle Historical Society-presented author appearance in the “Words, Writers, West Seattle” series. But you will not find it at the longtime location (Barnes & Noble) – starting this month, the first-Friday events are moving to the library. This time, architectural historian David Hansen talks about his book “Battle Ready,” 5-7 pm Friday (January 5th) at Southwest Library (9010 35th SW). It’s a “scholarly study of the Puget Sound forts” 1894 to 1925, describing “designs, innovations, frustrations over implementation plans, and the experience of serving in the fortifications during their period of greatest importance.” (Read more in our calendar listing.) The format remains a free drop-in event; watch for updates on topics and locations for the months ahead.
Thanks to the tipster who sent that photo of a sign up at Merryweather Books (4537 California SW) in The Junction, announcing it plans to close. The sign says the store will continue with regular hours through December, and then start winding down next month. The space has been a used-book store for decades, previously known as Leisure Books. No word yet what might follow in that space, but we’ll be following up.
If you have books you don’t need any more – for kids or adults – here’s how to get them to people who will read them!
The West Seattle Food Bank Bookcase is running extremely low on a number of categories of books for this holiday season especially children’s picture books and easy readers, as well as teen books, and adult fiction and non-fiction. Donations are accepted Monday-Friday 9 am – 3 pm and Wednesday until 7pm at 3419 SW Morgan St. at the corner of 35th & Morgan. Have a wonderful holiday season.
WSFB is on the southeast corner of 35th and Morgan. We’re adding this to the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide‘s “how to help” section, too – if you have a donation drive, fundraiser, volunteer need, etc. this season, please let us know!
The Seattle Public Library says it’s going system-wide as of today with the Peak Picks program, which it’s been testing at eight locations (none in West Seattle). This is meant to increase availability of in-demand titles (bestsellers and more) – no holds, no renewals after the two-week checkout period, first-come first-served. If you don’t already know, West Seattle’s library branches are in Admiral (2306 42nd SW), Delridge (5423 Delridge Way SW), High Point (3411 SW Raymond), and Westwood (the Southwest branch at 9010 35th SW).
The report and photos are by Jenny Mandt (thank you!):
Olivia Lundstrom (left) and Ava Geary, members of Girl Scout Troop #40890, recently installed a Little Free Library geared to young readers outside Fauntleroy Church.
It was their troop’s Silver Award project – the highest award a cadette (6th-8th grade) can earn – and the design mirrored the church’s iconic sanctuary window. The troop partnered with the church to encourage the love of books in young readers and invites everyone to take or leave a book, especially titles for pre-school through middle-school readers.
SIDE NOTE: Just two and a half weeks until the Fauntleroy Fall Festival, at the church (9140 California SW) and at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse across the street – 2-5 pm Sunday, October 15th!
(WSB photo: WordsWest co-curators Susan Rich, Harold Taw, Katy Ellis)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The three West Seattle writers who co-curate WordsWest Literary Series say it’s the kind of series “we would like to be invited to.”
WordsWest opens its fourth season this Wednesday night at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor) and co-curators Harold Taw, Katy Ellis, and Susan Rich say it’s become everything they hoped it would be, and more.
While we regularly feature WordsWest in the WSB calendar and previews, we thought the start of the season would be a good time to check in with the co-founders, to re-introduce (or, if you’re new here, introduce) them and what it is they do each month. So we sat down with Susan, Katy, and Harold for that check-in over lunch at Easy Street Records one recent midday.
First – we should mention that WordsWest events usually feature two writers, in an innovative format, plus a community member reading a “favorite poem,” and a chance for interactivity with the dozens of attendees. More on the 7 pm Wednesday season-opener lineup a bit later – but first, the start of their story:
(WSB photos)
For the first time since the publication of her newest book “Mozart’s Starling,” West Seattle author Lyanda Lynn Haupt talked with a hometown crowd tonight. She was this month’s featured writer in the Southwest Seattle Historical Society-presented Words, Writers, and West Seattle author series, which usually happens at Barnes & Noble/Westwood Village on the first Friday of each month, but was pushed back a week this time because of the Labor Day holiday.
Haupt is known for writing about wildlife – particularly the winged variety, as you know if you read her book “Crow Planet” – and this book features the often-disparaged yet fascinating starling. Just stopping in for a few minutes, we learned a few fun facts including that baby starlings need to be fed every 20 minutes and prefer temperatures around 85 degrees – which is what it gets to in a nest full of little ones. If you missed her tonight, watch for video on the SWSHS website soon, and/or check out her upcoming appearances elsewhere in the region.
As previewed in our West Seattle Sunday list, local author Linnea Westerlind is signing copies of her new guidebook “Discovering Seattle Parks” right now at Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) in The Junction. She’s there until 3 pm, and it’s the first of four West Seattle events for her this month. This Wednesday (August 16th) at 11 am, she’s leading a free “kid-friendly park walk” at Jack Block Park – “stroller-friendly and about one mile round trip.” Details, including where to meet, are in our calendar listing. Also on Wednesday, at 6 pm, she’s presenting a talk and slideshow at Kenyon Hall – free admission – and selling her book. Then on Saturday, August 26th, starting at the north parking lot in Lincoln Park, she’ll lead a free guided walk through several local parks, about 4 miles round trip, lasting up to two hours.
(WSB photo: Linnea Westerlind at Lowman Beach Park)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Eight years ago, West Seattle writer Linnea Westerlind “decided all of a sudden to try to visit all the parks in the city in a year.”
The quest to visit those 400+ parks led to a four-year adventure, the website yearofseattleparks.com, and now, 
a book, “Discovering Seattle Parks: A Local’s Guide.”
Not that she wasn’t already having enough of an adventure, as the parent of a son who was six months old at the time she started her exploration – and then, “in the middle of that, I had twins.”
So with three little park-going companions, she continued the park visits. “I loved parks and was just in love with the park system and decided to turn it into something more tangible.
“Discovering Seattle Parks,” just published by Harbor Island-headquartered Mountaineers Books, is the result. It’s also, Westerlind says, the first guidebook to Seattle parks in more than 40 years, spotlighting more than 100 of them.
After hearing about it, we requested an interview, and sat down at one of her favorite West Seattle parks – Lowman Beach – this past Monday.
The monthly WordsWest Literary Series has something extra-special tomorrow (Wednesday) night – “A Kids’ Night of Invention and Adventure” with Sundee T. Frazier and Kazu Kibuishi, whose books should be instantly recognizable to many young readers and their families:
In case you hadn’t already seen it in our calendar, the official announcement:
“A Kids’ Night of Invention and Adventure” with Sundee T. Frazier and Kazu Kibuishi
Favorite Poem and Summer Reading Table by Jenny Cole, Co-Owner of Page 2 Books
Special time: 6 pm
At C & P Coffee Company, 5612 California SW
Yummy treats will be served!
Sundee T. Frazier is an ALA Coretta Scott King Award winner for Brendan Buckley’s Universe and Everything in It. Her heartfelt, entertaining stories address subjects close to her heart: ethnic identity, growing up in interracial families, and multi-generational dynamics. Her books have been nominated for twelve state children’s choice awards and been recognized by the Children’s Book Council, Oprah’s Book Club, and Kirkus Reviews (Best Children’s Books of the Year). Her latest is Cleo Edison Oliver in Persuasion Power about an irresistible 10-year-old entrepreneur. Cleo is one of ten books in Seattle Public Library’s 2017 Global Reading Challenge. Sundee lives in Renton.
Kazu Kibuishi is the writer and artist of the New York Times-bestselling AMULET graphic novel series, published by Scholastic. He is also the editor/art director/cover artist of the EXPLORER and FLIGHT Comic Anthologies, and is the cover illustrator of the Harry Potter 15th Anniversary Edition paperbacks from Scholastic. His debut graphic novel, Daisy Kutter: The Last Train, won a YALSA Best Books for Young Adults Award. Born in Tokyo, Kazu moved to the U.S. with his mother and brother when he was a child. He graduated from Film Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2000, and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. He currently works as a full-time graphic novelist. Kazu lives near Seattle with his wife and two children.
Every third Wednesday at C & P Coffee Company, WordsWest hosts literary events that range from readings by published local and national authors, to guided writing explorations. Each month we also host a community member to share his or her favorite poem as part of the Favorite Poem Project. WordsWest is curated by West Seattle writers Katy E. Ellis, Susan Rich, and Harold Taw.
Still some time to get over to Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) in The Junction to meet West Seattle-residing, nationally acclaimed cookbook author and food educator Kim O’Donnel. Her newest book “PNW Veg” has just been published; she calls it her “edible love letter to the Pacific Northwest,” where she has lived for nine years. If you know that this is O’Donnel’s third book of vegetarian recipes – after “Meat Lover’s Meatless Celebrations” (2012) and “Meat Lover’s Meatless Cookbook” (2010) – you might guess she’s vegetarian. But you’d be wrong; she’s just living a “less meat” lifestyle. Until 9 pm, she’s at Click! (4540 California SW) signing books and offering tastes of highlights from “PNW Veg,” including desserts and potato/onion/stinging-nettle frittata as well as black bean and beet burgers.
“It’s hard to think of an accolade that he doesn’t have.” That’s what Susan Rich, one of the curators of the monthly WordsWest Literary Series presentations, says about National Book Award-winning poet Terrance Hayes, who will be featured at WW this Wednesday night. Hayes and Jane Wong, a former student of his who also is an award-winning poet, headline “A National Poetry Month Celebration” at C & P Coffee Company (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), 7 pm Wednesday (April 19th). The WW announcement (see it in full here) says they will “read their work as a ‘living anthology’ — a distinctive WordsWest reading format that weaves the ideas and images of each poet’s work into a never-to-be-duplicated collaboration of echoes and connections. No admission charge (you can support the volunteer-run series here) – so get there early enough to ensure yourself a seat!
Thanks to Lisa @ CAPERS in The Junction for the photo and report:
West Seattleite Cynthia Nims is signing her newest release “Crab” today until 3. Recipes from the book will be served all afternoon. CAPERS is celebrating their annual Holiday Open House until 6 pm.
CAPERS is at 4525 California SW.
This Sunday, you’re invited to a book-signing party that will benefit two local nonprofits:
There will be a signing party for Pastor Ron Marshall’s new book, Kierkegaard in the Pulpit: Sermons Inspired by His Writings (Yakima: Cave Moon Press), 450 pp., on Sunday, November 13, 2016, at 12 Noon, First Lutheran Church of West Seattle (4105 California Ave SW). Books will be on sale at a special 35% discount for $23.00 each. The publisher, Doug Johnson, will also be in attendance. All proceeds will go to support the West Seattle Food Bank and the West Seattle Helpline. Pastor Marshall’s new book is a sequel to his acclaimed Kierkegaard for the Church (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock, 2013). Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855) was a Danish philosopher and theologian with close ties to the Lutheran Church.
On Wednesday night, instead of watching the third and final presidential debate – or, after watching the first half-hour or so – you are invited to explore “Literary Citizenship” at this month’s WordsWest Literary Series event. It’s at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7 pm Wednesday (October 19th):
In this season of electoral madness, what does it mean to be a citizen? What is ‘citizenship’– in all its perturbing and powerful dimensions– what does it means to be a literary citizen? On Wednesday, October 19th, WordsWest Literary Series presents award-winning poet Quenton Baker and cross-genre writer Lori A. May as they demonstrate the interconnections between citizenship, community, and writing. After the writers share their work, the audience will be invited to engage in a literary citizenship activity and learn a few tools from the writing toolbox — in both poetry and prose. This evening is partially funded by Poets & Writers, Inc.
*Quenton Baker is a poet and educator from Seattle. His current focus is the fact of blackness in American society. He is a 2015-16 Made at Hugo House fellow and a 2014 Pushcart Prize nominee. He is the author of This Glittering Republic, forthcoming from Willow Books in 2017.
*Lori A. May is the author of six books, including Square Feet and The Write Crowd: Literary Citizenship & The Writing Life. She writes across the genres and her work may be found in The Atlantic, Brevity, and other literary journals. Lori roadtrips an average of 30,000 miles each year and, on one of her infamous roadtrips years ago, she visited Seattle and said, “Well, wouldn’t this be a great place to live.” She now lives near Alki Beach and happily calls the Pacific Northwest home.
Every third Wednesday, 7 pm, at C & P Coffee Company, WordsWest hosts literary events that range from readings by published local and national authors, to guided writing explorations. Each month we host a community member to share his or her favorite poem as part of the Favorite Poem Project. On October 19, 2016, we welcome the West Seattle representative of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.
WordsWest Literary is curated by West Seattle writers Katy E. Ellis, Susan Rich, and Harold Taw.
On Thursday night, part of Fairmount Park Elementary School was transformed into a “camp” to celebrate literacy. Students and their families enjoyed stories and poems in a variety of ways, including listening to Native American storyteller Itsa Sash:
He was telling the story of how birds got their beaks. Other activities included, according to FPE teacher Kevin Peterson, “Poetry Hill” – about 150 poems by second- and third-graders from five classrooms – as well as “Read Around the Campfire,” “Word Chopping,” and “Writing S’Mores.” A fundraising bookfair was part of the evening too:
The bookfair continues 8 am-10 am in the library this morning (Friday) with a percentage of sales going toward buying more library books for Fairmount Park.
Get ready for summer reading season this Wednesday night with a special early start for the monthly WordsWest Literary Series event – this time around, it’s Kids’ Night! Here’s the official announcement, if you haven’t already seen it in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
On May 18, 2016, WordsWest will have a special, early 6 pm start and feature Kelly Jones, author of “Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer,” and Dana Simpson, author of the “Phoebe and Her Unicorn” comic series and collections, winner of the Washington State Book Award and the PNBA Award. Not only that, Jenny Cole of Burien’s Page 2 Books will share a Favorite Poem and host a Summer Reading Table. Yummy treats will be served! This evening is partially funded by Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.
Kelly Jones is a former librarian and bookseller who has worked with writers of all ages. She keeps much-loved, but fair…ly ordinary chickens at her home in Shoreline, Washington. Her debut novel “Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer,” about 12-year-old Sophie and her magical chickens, was illustrated by Katie Kath and published by Knopf Books for Young Readers. Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer was named an ALSC Children’s Notable Book for 2016, a 2016 Mathical Honor Book, a 2016-2017 Texas Bluebonnet Master List nominee, and a 2016-2017 Georgia Children’s Book Award Finalist; Kelly was named a 2016 Children’s Choice Debut Author finalist by the Children’s Choice Book Awards.
Dana Claire Simpson grew up in Gig Harbor, drawing the entire time. She eventually graduated from the Evergreen State College, despite having spent all her time drawing, and not always for credit. Attempts at doing real work along the way are hardly worth mentioning; the relevant fact is that, from 1998 to 2008, she drew the internet comic strip “Ozy and Millie.” After winning the Comic Strip Superstar contest in 2009, she developed the comic strip “Phoebe and Her Unicorn” (originally known online as “Heavenly Nostrils”), currently syndicated in nearly 200 newspapers. There have been three “Phoebe and Her Unicorn” book collections, to date. The first, Phoebe and Her Unicorn, won a 2015 Washington State Book Award. The second, Unicorn on a Roll, won a 2016 Pacific Northwest Book Award. A third book, Unicorn vs. Goblins, was released in February 2016.
Every third Wednesday at C & P Coffee Company, WordsWest hosts literary events that range from readings by published local and national authors, to guided writing explorations. Each month we also host a community member to share his or her favorite poem as part of the Favorite Poem Project. WordsWest is curated by West Seattle writers Katy E. Ellis, Susan Rich, and Harold Taw.
C & P (a WSB sponsor) is at 5612 California SW.
Carmilia’s in The Junction is home to a Little Free Library once more! Proprietor Linda Sabee sent the news, and the photo above, a month and a half after she reported the first one outside her boutique at 45xx California SW had been vandalized and then stolen. This one, like her first one, was built by family members including her dad Dale Hutchinson, who’s in the photo above. Linda notes, “The building of these libraries is a true family affair. My dad, my mom’s memory, my son AND my ex-husband!” Her mom, who’s been gone since 2007, was a teacher, Linda told us in March, “a lover of education, and a huge supporter of reading, books, and literacy.”
Thanks to Elise Olson for sharing the photo collage from Global Reading Challenge competition at Arbor Heights Elementary, one of a dozen West Seattle schools on the list of this year’s participants. The Exploding Platypi won the AH in-school challenge with a perfect score of 120 and move on to the semifinals downtown on March 8th. GRC is described by the Seattle Public Library as a “battle of the books” competition for 4th and 5th graders; here are the books they’re reading this year. The teams that emerge from the semi-finals citywide will compete in the finals at the downtown library on March 22nd.
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