Eastern Washington University's Get Lit! Festival – a weeklong celebration for readers and writers of all ages – presents “In Conversation with Charles Baxter,” at 7:30 p.m., Friday, April 17, at the Bing Crosby Theater.
Baxter is best known for his fiction, including his latest novel, “The Soul Thief.” The event will include an author reading and interview, hosted by Sam Ligon, a faculty member at EWU's Inland Northwest Center for Writers. A book signing will follow the presentation.
Baxter's career has been long and varied. He started out as a poet, writing poetry for 10 years and publishing three collections, before switching over to fiction. He is the author of four collections of short stories and five novels. His breakout novel, “Feast of Love,” is an exploration of all incarnations of love, told through the interweaving lives of a community of friends in Portland, Ore.
It was recently made into a film, starring Morgan Freeman and Greg Kinnear, which will be shown at the Get Lit! Film Festival at 7 p.m., Saturday, April 1l, at the Magic Lantern Theater. Baxter is also the author of two nonfiction works, both collections of essays on fiction.
Adults aren't the only ones who will find something good at GetLit! Some of the younger crowd will enjoy KPBX's “Kid's Concert Songs and Stories from Around the World,” with Margaret Lippert and the Spokane Area Children's Chorus. This main children's event will be held at 1 p.m., Saturday, April 18, in the Bing Crosby Theater.
Later that same day, Page Ahead Children's Literacy Program – which emphasizes the importance of reading aloud to children – hosts “The Families Read Workshop and Kid's Story Time,” which runs from 3-4 p.m. at Auntie's Bookstore.
During this workshop, adults will learn tips for reading aloud to children, including how to select appropriate books and incorporate reading into daily routines. Meanwhile the kids will be entertained with stories in the next room, including a fun poetry reading by Spokane's Kenn Nesbitt, children's poet and author of “My Hippo Has the Hiccups: And Other Poems I Totally Made Up.” At 3:30 p.m., Nesbitt will also be conducting a workshop for kids on writing poetry. This workshop is open to children ages 8 and older.
EWU's Writers in the Community will host the ever-popular “Youth Poetry Slam” at 5:30 p.m., Monday, April 13, at the Kress Gallery on the third floor of the River Park Square mall. Students aged 5-12 are invited to share their poetry in this fun and energetic setting. Registration begins at 4:45 p.m. and requires $2 and a donation of canned goods.
Teen events include a headlining author for young adults: “Love and Lies,” with Ellen Wittlinger, a reading and discussion about the drama inherent in high school at 1 p.m., Sunday, April 19, at the Bing Crosby Theater.
For those interested in graphic novels or online stories, check out the discussion with the kids/young adult author Patrick Carman or the talk between Manny Trembley and Eric Anderson – our local graphic novel duo – at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. respectively, on Saturday, April 18, at the Spokane Club.
The editors of Willow Springs, Spokane's national literary journal, host a writing workshop for teens beginning at 2 p.m., Saturday, April 18, also at the Spokane Club.
Aspiring poets and writers should bring four copies of up to three poems or eight pages of prose. The event is free, and open to all aspiring high school writers and poets, but registration is recommended. For more information and to register, contact Geneva Kaiser, at Willow Springs at 359-7435 or [email protected].
EWU's Writers in the Community's Teen Poetry Slam always fills the Empyrean Coffeehouse with intense creativity. Students aged 13-18 are eligible to participate in the poetry slam at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 14. Registration begins at 5:45 p.m. and requires $2 and a donation of canned goods.
Finally, for youth who are interested in reading, but are not interested in the slams, “The Come One, Come All Community Reading” is open to people of all ages – kids to seniors –who would like to share their work. The event runs from 3-4 p.m., Sunday, April 19, at the Magic Lantern Theater. Registration starts at 2:30 p.m.
All of these events are free and open to the public.
Tickets for “In Conversation with Charles Baxter” are $10. Tickets for this and other Get Lit! 2009 events can be purchased at all TicketsWest outlets, by phoning 1-800-325-SEAT, or by visiting http://www.ticketswest.com. Tickets for the film festival are $7 for a single film or $10 for a double feature and can be purchased at the door of the Magic Lantern Theater.
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