Americans tend to ignore Canadian literature. When American poet laureate W.S. Merwin chose Robert Bringhurst as one of this year's two Witter Bynner Fellowship Award winners, it was a chance to address this topic. Since then, Bringhurst has done his part as a Witter Bynner Fellow and scheduled a local public reading after his reading at the Library of Congress. more ›

Compose stanzas in unknown languages all weekend at the Henry, be a bumper booster at Shorty's for international finger flippers, and give your Saturday night over to a trip back to the roaring 20s courtesy of the Conor Byrne. more ›

This week, City Arts Fest came out of the gates with a big bang, with no fewer than 40 events and shows to choose from. We were disappointed to only get to take in six or so, but until self cloning becomes real, we're just going to have to pace ourselves. Regardless of what you've already got on tap tonight, though, you'll want to make time to get to On the Boards for an evening of mind-melting performances by some of the area's most exceptional multimedia talent. more ›

This weekend, get within arm's length of itty bitty snakes, touch the face of language, and do something nice for yourself and the environment. more ›

We're sure you've at least heard about the heavy hitters set to grace the stages of the City Arts Festival this year if not the whole shebang. It's taking place on October 20th - 22nd and you can grab your all-festival wristband for $69 (that's frickin' cheap) starting August 5th. more ›

Slam poetry veteran Patricia Smith’s words hurt us. They dig under our skin and draw out forgotten bits of pain and collective shame. And then something miraculous happens; we’re allowed, just briefly, to smile and laugh and cringe at our shortcomings. Smith explores her world with humor and humility, melody and sensuality, and we’re pulled along with her for the ride. more ›

Lucia Perillo’s poetry is all about bodies and animals; humans as meat, beasts as flesh, sex and desire. She’s also considered to be “the funniest poet writing today, which is saying a lot.” With works such as 2009’s Inseminating the Elephant, I’ve Heard the Vultures Singing: Field Notes on Poetry, Illness, and Nature (2007) and The Body Mutinies (1996), Perillo illustrates for readers those physical dimensions connecting humans to their animal counterparts. Her poems are at times embarrassing and grotesque, at others soothing and refreshing, but her explorations are always lively. And you can catch this Olympia resident reading tomorrow night at Benaroya Hall as part of the Seattle Arts and Lectures series (the event is nearly sold out). more ›

Fourth installment of poetry found on the walls of room 59 of the Alki Hotel in 1972. more ›

Third installment of poetry found on the walls of room 59 of the Alki Hotel in 1972. more ›

Second installment of poetry found on the walls of room 59 of the Alki Hotel in 1972. more ›

There were frequent suicides from the start, in 1910. In 1934 a storm toppled the south wall of the Alki Hotel, killing a man. Perhaps all of this negative energy channeled through the lonely man in Room 59. more ›

Help celebrate Bumbershoot by getting involved in a massive, multi-player poetry project. Okay, it's a puzzle. But we like to think of it as an homage to the greatest novel ever written by the citizens of Seattle. Greatest, and only. more ›

So, what else do we really need to say besides, 'Godzilla Haiku'? Exactly...nothing. Get on it. Am I violent Because you assume I am? Is this really me? I only wanted To share a rainbow with you But you treat me thus Your bulge draws my eye And now it is too awkward To look at your face more ›

Mark Doty will be reading as a part of the Seattle Arts & Lectures 2009-2010 Poetry Series at 7:30 p.m., on Friday, February 26, at Benaroya Hall. Tickets range from $10-50. As Continued from yesterday... more ›

There are many things that Doty is well-known for regarding his work in both poetry and memoir. Doty has been featured in popular literary publications such as The New Yorker and The Atlantic Monthly; was a New York Times Bestseller for his memoir, Dog Years; has was honored with the National Book Award for Poetry (Fire to Fire) among many others, and most impressively, was the first American to have won the U.K.'s T.S. Elliot Prize for My Alexandria (which also won him the National Book Critics Circle Award.) more ›

Hugo House will be hosting Visiting Hours this Friday at 7:30 p.m., featuring Northwest favorites such as Benjamin Parzybok, Elizabeth Austen, Matt Smith, and Molly Rose. Tickets range from $15-25. more ›

ARBITRARY ART: Vital 5's newest Arbitrary Art Grant happening is going down tonight. The guerrilla event is taking over part of the parking lot on the 500 block of East Pine Street (near the intersection with Summit Avenue)--the outline of an art gallery's walls will be on the ground. The trick here is to get people to show up with a work of art tied around their neck; the people stand on the lines, forming the walls of the gallery and displaying the art. One gets the $500 grant. Just don't be late. 6-7 p.m. // 500 Block, East Pine Street // free to gawk, may pay to participate! more ›

HOT NGONI NIGHT: All the way from Mali, ladies and gentlemen, Issa Bagayogo, the international dancefloor sensation! He's touring for his new album Mali Koura, which offers blues, world beat, reggae, funk...a lot of stuff. The mixture of West African music with house music dance tends to knock people over when they hear it. Stylus magazine called his previous album a contender for world music album of the year. more ›

Having had a peek inside, it's obvious that criticisms that the new "15th Ave Coffee & Tea," as the signage puts it, has ripped off its next-door neighbor Smith aren't going away any time soon. Woodblock print-style logo? Check. Long table of rough reclaimed wood? Check. Vaguely Western and/or rustic, farm-themed? Check. more ›

During the long Q&A session after his Seattle Arts and Lectures talk, Gary Snyder was asked about climate change and everyone in Benaroya Hall mentally leaned in to hear. "I don't worry about it," said Snyder, taking the opportunity to mention that he thought about climate change in chunks of geologic time, 200 million years or so. There used to be palm trees in Greenland, he pointed out, and while we Pleistocene refugees may be freaked out at losing our glaciers, it's fair to say the world has warmed up more than this before. more ›

STILL TRUCKIN': Sonic Youth's new album going to try the Block Party again, so this is about as good as it gets for people like us. Three Imaginary Girls co-hosts the event with Hannah Levin, Gainsbourg's co-owner. more ›

DEAD GIRL ART: Today it will be warm and sunny, which means it's a good day to break out of the office at lunch, snag a free parking spot at the Frye, and pop into their cafe for a bite before enjoying some disturbing paintings. Their exhibit Over Julia's Dead Body showcases Gabriel von Max, a Munich Secessionist "best known for his paintings of beautiful, dead women." Gabriel was into spiritualism, somnambulism, and painting with a dark palette. more ›

HOW-TO BOOK: You may have run into Reza Aslan, author of No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, while watching the Daily Show. Now you can see the professor of creative writing (at the University of California, Riverside) in person, talking about his newest book, How to Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization, and the End of the War on Terror. Sounding a bit like John Gottman, Aslan says the best cosmic war is one that isn't fought; he says need to strip conflicts of their religious connotations and address the more earth-bound grievances that generate the cosmic mindset. more ›

MONKEYSHINES: We were going to suggest you go see Chris Cornell at the Showbox SoDo, but it's sold out. So instead we'll remind you that you have until May 10 to catch the Curious George-inspired exhibit at the Children's Museum, Let's Get Curious! Is it an egregious example of product placement? Whatever, we just like it, to paraphrase Liz Lemon. Not to overshare, but Curious George was easily the most appealing character we remember coming across in our toddling era. Oh, that monkey! more ›

British poet Simon Armitage (b. 1963, Huddersfield, in West Yorkshire) was in town this week for the Seattle Arts and Lectures Poetry Series (still tickets available for Naomi Shihab Nye's second night, May 8). more ›

ELECTRONIC LOVE: Washington D.C.-based d.j. duo Thievery Corporation will be coming to the Paramount for one night only. Known for their "acid jazz" cocktail lounge sound and progressive worldly beats,they are definitely one of those groups you may think you've never heard, but once you've listened to, you'll recognize. One of their most popular songs, "Lebanese Blonde", became a hit after it appeared in a little but well-known movie, Garden State, and it is used frequently in intros on radio stations such as KEXP and NPR. We guarantee this to be great for a date night, and hopefully some movin' and shakin'. more ›

SO HUNGRY: Head to the Northwest Film Forum for Steve McQueen (not to be confused with Steve McQueen) and his first feature Hunger (not to be confused with The Hunger). Instead of sexy vampires, the film's about the true-life hunger strike undertaken by jailed members of the Irish Republican Army, who just wanted to be treated as political prisoners rather than common criminals. While the politics of the film--does it glorify terrorists?--are debatable, McQueen's skills as a director are not; he's got a fine eye and a commendable patience with the camera. There's not much talking in the film, which leaves plenty of time for surprisingly lovely images (see the lonely inmate making friends with the fly in his cell), except for one virtuoso seventeen-minute single-take conversation/debate between a prisoner and a priest, which could've used subtitles, as we don't speak Leprechaun. Hunger runs through Thursday. more ›

For those of you who didn't know, April is not only about Easter and April Fool's Day; it's also National Poetry Month! more ›

• Big Blog won points with a post about The Bachelor's ex-wife and her YouTubed guest spot as a groupie on local band Out From Underneath's Seattle-heavy music video. Onwards and upwards, Gas Works Park.
• The blog formerly known as bigasscity is quoting none other than ZZ Top while crunching the numbers about Metro's projected budget shortfall and how much money the city could have saved by rejecting the bored tunnel viaduct replacement option.
• Cliff Mass thinks it's "pretty definite": we're looking at more snow, probably on Sunday. Actually, that works well with our schedule. How kind of the gods to check with Seattlest HQ's Google Calendar before sending the cold front!

LUNCH AND POLITICAL POEMS: Nation humorist Calvin Trillin does a special midday Monday event at Elliott Bay, reading from his collection of poems about the 2008 election cycle Deciding the Next Decider: The 2008 Presidential Race in Rhyme. The event is free and open to the public, but if you want to go one step further and make a lunch of it, call up the cafe (206-682-6664) to pre-order from your choice of box lunch: roast beef sandwich, albacore tuna sandwich, or egg salad sandwich, all of which are served with chips and a cookie. more ›