Karli IngersollI spend a lot of time thinking about what factors contribute to a thriving arts community. Creativity, talent, venues, infrastructure, funding, community support, media outlets. There’s a lot of obvious things, things I work hard to encourage and even create myself with this blog and at The Bartlett. But mainly as a musician and a designer I recently have realized that I have spent some time looking for inspiration in the wrong places. Especially in the music community, Spokane creatives spend a lot of time looking to our big brother cities, Portland and Seattle to see where we are lacking. And we are always lacking. I think it’s time we turn our focus and gain inspiration from ourselves.
Did you know Spokane is home to an author of a #1 New York Times Best Seller? Did you know we have a Poet Laureate? Little old Spokane even hosted the WORLD Poetry Slam Competition! And even with all the colleges and universities in the area, the only easily accessible MFA program is in Creative Writing at Eastern.
Our literary scene boasts a stronger infrastructure than any other scene with a large staple bookstore in downtown Spokane, many academic opportunities, literary journals, open mics, public readings, yearly festivals and even celebrity authors. It really is a scene that I have realized should inspire the other arts communities, like music and visual art in their pursuits.
Aside from the infrastructure and major surface level success, you will find something extra special and unique among the literary scene. The story of community and mentorship. A wide range of ages, background and disciplines all supporting each other in a very tight knit way. I discovered this after asking a few local authors what their thoughts were on the state of the literary scene.
“I’d say the biggest thing for me has been the amazing sense of community across genres and academic status and ages. I have been mentored and supported by some amazing writers, people who’ve been incredibly welcoming to me as a fairly new writer. And that generosity gets payed forward again and again. It’s this giant web of support and there seems to be room for everyone.
Also, I love that Spokane is this place where people who’ve been nominated for huge awards or published amazing books will sit down with a beginning writer and say “How can I help?” Maybe that happens other places, but I’m so grateful it happens here.” – Kris Dinnison, author of You and Me and Him coming out in 2015 on HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT. Kris also owns Boo Radley’s and Atticus with her husband, Andy.
“I’ve been hearing a lot of people saying, “Wow, there are so many writers living here now!” but I’m personally of the opinion that we have approximately the same amount of writers per capita that we’ve always had, and that other mid-sized towns have, and that what’s happening here is something even better: literary community.” – Sharma Shields, author of Favorite Monster and The Sasquatch Hunter’s Almanac coming out in 2015
I chose to use these two fine authors as an example because of the simple fact that I see them out. It’s one thing to do your own work, it’s another to physically support others by showing up. I see Kris and Sharma not only at Literary events but at music and art events as well. I hope those of us from different mediums can look up to these people. Spokane has a chance to be a very unique culture and my dream is that we continue to take this sense of community on as our identity. That no matter what stage we are in with our own art-making, that we never cease to support those around us. This generosity and encouragement can become our motivation.
Now, we can’t leave here without some opportunities to support the already good things happening. Because that’s what Collect is all about. So, get ready. Here’s a TON of awesome stuff to check out in the literary scene…
1. Lilac City Fairy Tales
Sharma Sheilds had an awesome idea of bringing together some of Spokane’s finest female authors and musicians together for a night of story, discussion and music. The event is tomorrow night and boasts an incredible lineup and even a book documenting the stories that have been compiled just for this event. Our favs Mama Doll are even performing. Proceeds benefit Ink Artspace! Check out more info here.
2. Verbatim
Poet Laureate, Thom Caraway is busy doing amazing things in town for the arts. He teaches at Whitworth University, he writes of course, and he’s a driving force behind the Sage Hill Press which will be publishing a poetry anthology featuring 90 local contributors called, Railtown Almanac. Keep an eye out for that, but in the mean time check out an event Thom put together that is a mash up of art and writing called, Verbatim. The event will include a gallery showing at Ink Artspace and a live performance at The Bartlett. I’m involved and it’s definitely new territory for a lot of us participating. I think the result will be intriguing and worth checking out. More info here.
3. Summer Stories
I’m such a ridiculously huge fan of artistically curated things and Summer Stories really hits the spot for me. The Spokesman Review put together a collection of short stories from local authors this summer including Jess Walter, Shann Ray, Nance Van Winckel and many more. Paired with the raddest illustrations from staff artist Molly Quinn, and you have the most stunning showcase of art and literature. Cheers to Carolyn Lamberson who put this project together.
4. Broken Mic and Spokane Poetry Slam
I think a lot of people are still unaware of what Poetry Slam even is, so the fact that Spokane has one of the most unwavering groups of slam poets often gets overlooked. One of what I would call “founders of the scene” Mark Andersen runs an open mic on Wednesday nights at Neato Burrito. And Isaac Grambo runs the official monthly poetry slam competition which feeds into the regional and national competition yearly. These guys are relentless. Their love for the art and continual pursuit of giving people a platform to share their voice is more than commendable. They keep the scene not just alive, but thriving. Both Broken Mic and the monthly Poetry Slam Competition are vibrant and growing. More info on SPS or catch Broken Mic any Wednesday night at Neato Burrito downtown.
5. Riverlit
Local literary publication, Riverlit is going strong with their 16th issue! It’s hard work maintaining a print publication especially in this technology driven age. Spokane is lucky to have a journal like this providing opportunities to artists and giving readers something interesting to pick up. Check them out and keep supporting!
6. A Tiny Sense Of Accomplishment
Jess Walter and Sherman Alexie have teamed up on a new podcast and it’s delightful. Catch them talking about Spokane, sharing unreleased works, chatting with guests and being their hilarious selves. Check it out here as a part of the Infinite Guest Network.
Lastly, I’m first to acknowledge that here on Collect we don’t cover the lit scene too well. Mostly because we don’t have enough hands on deck. I’m always looking for new people who might be distinctly passionate about covering a specific corner of the arts. Are you interested? Email us at collectspokane@gmail.com