sign of the times

Banned Books Week (September 27 – October 3, 2020) begins today and, along with lists of challenged books and downloadable infographics, the American Library Association (ALA) is offering a variety of items for purchase, including face masks for kids and adults.

reading autumn

It’s the first day of fall and many of us are likely to keep spending more time at home over the coming months, so here are some additional suggestions for stocking the book larder:

• 49th Shelf – Most Anticipated: Our 2020 Fall Poetry Preview
• Book Marks – 11 of the Most Anticipated Poetry Collections of Fall/Winter
• Book Riot – 5 Books To Get Your Buddhism Through Poetry
• Book Riot – 5 Poetry Collections As History Lessons
• Library Journal – Provocations: 10 More Poetry Collections for Fall
• The Millions – Must-Read Poetry: September 2020
• Poetry Book Society – Autumn 2020

If you’d care to recommend a recently published book of poetry, leave a comment!

another festival

The Portland Book Festival is back and this year it’s online, November 5-21, 2020. The full schedule will be published in October, but there’s already an impressive lineup of presenters.

For updates, go to Literary Arts and sign up.

Word Vancouver

The first “Word On The Street Vancouver” festival was held in 1995. Rebranded as Word Vancouver in 2013, the festival celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. With that history, and the recent experience of scores of online readings, panel discussions, workshops, and other gatherings, Word Vancouver is ready for the 2020 all-virtual festival, Saturday, September 19, through Sunday, September 27. Word Vancouver is free, with donations gratefully accepted. See the Word Vancouver schedule here.

festival season, continued

With more annual festivals going virtual, the possibilities for armchair travel continue. The Utah Humanities Book Festival, now in its 23rd year, will be entirely virtual and feature scores of authors, events, and virtual conversations. The program starts today, Saturday, September 12, 2020, and continues through Thursday, October 22. The schedule is impressive and includes plenty of familiar names, such as Dayna Patterson. The events are free on Zoom with advance registration.

Montana Book Festival

The Montana Book Festival goes virtual for 2020 and it starts tomorrow, Thursday, September 10. There’s a whole slate of events scheduled all day Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, both recorded and live, plus a handful of workshops and consultations. Jory Mickelson, Susannah Nevison, and Molly McCully Brown will offer a Friday afternoon workshop, Dear Friend: Writing Letters, Writing Poems. To see a list of books by presenters, visit the Featured Titles page.

Seismic

Seattle was designated as a UNESCO City of Literature in 2017. But long before that title became official, local writers had begun reflecting on what it would mean to the citizens and the character of the city. They have continued to do so, and now Kristen Millares Young has collected and edited an anthology of essays by local writers, Seismic: Seattle, City of Literature, to be published this month.

Read an article by Trevor Lenzmeier in The Seattle Times and an excerpt by Claudia Castro Luna in Crosscut.

The Seattle Public Library will host a virtual release party for Seismic on Tuesday, September 15, 2020, at 7:00pm. The event is free, but registration is required.

this Saturday, online

Independent Bookstore Day will look a little different this year. Instead of the usual lineup of readings and signings and authors working the cash register, IBD will happen largely online. Beginning with a kickoff event on Friday, August 28, 2020, the classes, readings, discussions, and kids’ events continue through the day on Saturday, August 29. Visit indiebookstoreday for a list of events and Zoom links. While you’re at it, support your local indie bookstore by ordering a book or stopping by during open hours.

finalists

The Washington Center for the Book has selected 39 finalists in eight categories for the 2020 Washington State Book Awards (WSBA) for outstanding books published by Washington authors in 2019. The finalists in poetry are:

• Bright Stain by Francesca Bell, formerly of Spokane now lives in Novato, CA (Red Hen Press)
• Turn Around Time: A Walking Poem for the Pacific Northwest by David Guterson, of Bainbridge Island, illustrated by Justin Gibbens, of Thorp (Mountaineers Books)
• All Its Charms by Keetje Kuipers, of Bainbridge Island (BOA Editions)
• Hail and Farewell by Abby E. Murray, of Puyallup (Perugia Press)
• Nightingale by Paisley Rekdal, formerly of Seattle now lives in Salt Lake City, UT (Copper Canyon Press)

Winners will be announced on Friday, September 25, 2020. See the complete list of finalists in all categories here.

Congratulations, all!

more books

Here are a few more recommendations for your burgeoning list:

• The Guardian – The best recent poetry – review roundup
• Library Journal – Longing and Speech: Nine Major Poetry Collections from Writers Veteran and New (note: site opens with an intrusive pop-up, but it’s easily closed)
• The Millions – Must-Read Poetry: August 2020
• The New York Times – New & Noteworthy Poetry, From a Hungry God to a Fake Shepherd

Want more recommendations? See earlier posts here.