Graphic USA, released in January (Cicada Books), is as much a coffee table keepsake as an insider's jaunt through urban Americana. The concept: a friendly guidebook to twenty-five U.S. cities, written and illustrated by designers who call those places home (a follow-up project to Graphic Europe). Here, contributors give cities like Philadelphia, Memphis, Miami, Austin, Denver and New Orleans ten-page treatments, peppering personal recommendations with original artwork to showcase civic pride. more ›

In her review yesterday of Camilla Gibb’s latest novel, "The Beauty of Humanity Movement", Heather Logue (our newest lit writer) states, "part history lesson, and part social commentary on Vietnam’s past to future, [the book's] flawlessly constructed characters satisfy like a warm bowl of pho after a wicked-bad hangover...Gibb’s thoughtful and intricate writing weaves an unforgettable portrait of the past and present". more ›

When David Sedaris comes to town, it's a big deal, cause it only happens about once a year. Tickets for the single-evening event at Benaroya Hall, presented by NWAA and The Stranger, went on sale last month, and it would behoove you to get a move on and grab some (before everyone else does). more ›

Uh, so why did it take so long for Seattle to re-establish a local book festival after the Northwest Book Festival fizzled out in 2003? Regardless, there seems to have been some sort of suppressed need for such a thing, as the good folks who decided to resurrect a literary festival have received an utter deluge of community support and participation for the project. The inaugural Seattle Bookfest--taking place this weekend at the Columbia City Event Center--is so stuffed with authors and speakers, exhibitors and neat events that it boggles the mind to know that the whole thing evolved from a few Columbia City residents getting together this spring and saying, "Hey, why don’t we try to put together some kind of book festival?" more ›