Seattle Arts and Lectures

  • Book Bingo NW 2024: Queer Joy

    “We struggle and fight for our joy — an unreserved and unapologetic joy that springs from our ability to live as we are. It’s a joy worth fighting for and it’s this joy that links all of our struggles together.” — Lady Phyll Readers deserve all kinds of queer stories, but stories that center queer… Continue reading

  • Book Bingo 2024: LGBTQIA+ Poetry and Essays

    “…and when we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard nor welcomed but when we are silent we are still afraid” Excerpt from “A Litany for Survival” by lesbian poet and activist Audre Lorde Fiction is a powerful method for sharing the joys and struggles of the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,… Continue reading

  • Book Bingo NW 2024: Something that scares you

    Most people think of October and its howling autumnal winds when they think of scary stories, but summer is actually the perfect time to cool off with some shivers up your spine. Whether it be reading about a summer camp slasher, books bound in human skin or a dystopian surveillance state, you are sure to… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2024 Starts Today 

    Ready, set, READ! Welcome to the tenth annual Book Bingo, Seattle’s finest reading challenge! Brought to you by Seattle Arts & Lectures and The Seattle Public Library, with support from The Seattle Public Library Foundation and Friends of The Seattle Public Library. Every year, local artists design our Book Bingo boards. This year we have… Continue reading

  • Book Lovers: Meta-textual Romances edition

    Step aside, enemies-to-lovers; editor-to-lover may be the newest romantic trope. Romances set in the world of publishing certainly seem to be having a moment, no doubt spurred on by the wild success of Emily Henry’s Beach Read in 2020 and her follow-up, Book Lovers (currently a Peak Pick!), this year. Get out your red pen… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2022: Health or Healthcare Workers

    Summer Book Bingo 2022 deadline is looming! As Sept. 6 draws near, here are some suggestions for folks trying to fill their Health or healthcare workers square – two novels that imagine the lives of nurses, plus nonfiction about building healthcare infrastructure, reflections on medical advancements, and two books for common health concerns. The Pull… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2022: A book about books

    This summer, slow-down from the modern virtual world of the internet and open up the older virtual world of the book. Contemplate this way we humans choose to share and expand those worlds of our joint imaginations, oh and complete your “Book about Books” #BookBingoNW2022 square at the same time! As the saying goes –… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2022: Hobby or skill

    It’s summertime in Seattle! Whether you plan to take your Subaru and hit the trail, set up a hammock by the ship canal, or you’d rather crank your window unit and relax inside with your fur babies, there’s an unending variety of new hobbies or skills you can try out or just read about, from… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2022: Banned or challenged book

    Reading the news lately, it feels like there has been an increase in the challenging and banning of books, particularly around discussions of Critical Race Theory and LGBTQ representation. If you’re looking to fill your “Banned or challenged book” Book Bingo square, consider one of these titles: In China, Unfree Speech:  The Threat to Global… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2022: The Romance of the Bookshop

    Anyone who spends time in bookstores knows that they are special places where all kinds of magic can happen, including romance. If you want to get your romance reading in while also checking off that ‘books about books’ category in this year’s Book Bingo, here are some charming (and a few steamy) options. In How… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2022: Unreliable narrator

    Unreliable narrators? Who knows what they’re thinking, doing, how they really feel, and if their version of events is the actual version. No matter what the genre, there’s an air of mystery about the narrator who doesn’t seem like someone whose words should be taken to heart. That’s the beauty of unreliable narrators in fiction:… Continue reading

  • Finish your #BookBingoNW2021 card with some Peak Picks

    Need to fill a couple of spots on your Book Bingo card, and looking to get a book quickly? The Peak Picks display at your Library may have just what you need to get at least one bingo line or, perhaps, an entire blackout. Although we think all Peak Picks should be on a reading list,… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2021 Sports

    Still struggling to find the right book for your Sports Book Bingo square? Never fear, your intrepid Seattle Public Library sports librarian has some suggestions for you, whether you’re a diehard sports writing fan, or have never picked up a book about sports before in your life. Confession time: despite serving as the Library’s sports… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2021 Made You Laugh

    Summer Book Bingo has officially launched, so let’s get reading! With so many great categories to work with, The Seattle Public Library staff would love to help you find your perfect match. You are in no short supply of hilarious books for the Made You Laugh category. Safe bets include the various works of David… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2020: Trans or Non-Binary Author

    For transgender and non-binary folx, 2020 has been a mixed bag politically, while the intentional killing of trans folx continues, unabated. Publishing has been a bright spot, as trans and non-binary authors are more visible than ever before; yet J.K. Rowling’s controversial position on trans rights, considered by many to be transphobic, shows more work… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2020: A SAL Author (past or upcoming)

    You may be pleasantly surprised by just how many options there are to read a Seattle Arts & Lectures (SAL) author. SAL has been bringing writers to Seattle for over thirty years (here is the complete list), so there are literally hundreds of options. Or check out this amazing list of SAL Speaker titles available… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2020: In Translation

    This year traveling around the world is put on hold, but there is another way you can do it this summer with Summer Book Bingo. The “In Translation” square let’s you travel by armchair from China to Morocco to India. Here are a few recommendations to get you started on your Book Bingo journey. Safe… Continue reading

  • #BookBingoNW2020: History or alternate history

    “Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” – Winston Churchill One of the squares for adult bingo this year is History or Alternate History.   History is just one great big story told from different perspectives.  Also, since it’s so diverse the chances are high that you will find a story… Continue reading