Catch Hunter and local artist Moses Sun in conversation at Elliott Bay Books on Wednesday, Jan. 18.
by Troy Landrum Jr.
Literature has unexpectedly built the cobbled path of my life. It has bridged the crevasse between purpose and the spiritual, the space in between that creates the creative path I hope to continue on throughout my days. As a Black man, there is a dichotomy in that. At one point in American history, to be Black and to read or write was an illegal act. These laws were set in place to control Black people, to keep them from understanding the world around them; the laws were ingrained so Black people could be totally reliant on the white faces that enslaved them. For a Black person to wield the power to read and write was more powerful than any weapon that could inflict bodily harm. Fear rested in the hearts of the enslaver: fear of riots, of coups, of power being overthrown. To possess these forbidden abilities meant white supremacy’s days were numbered.
Two writers and movement builders reflect on their new book, written as letters throughout the pandemic.
by Amanda Ong
This Wednesday, July 27, acclaimed writers, movement builders, and academics Leanne Betasamosake Simpson and Robyn Maynard will virtually visit Elliott Bay Book Company. The two are releasing a new book, Rehearsals for Living, a series of letters between the two written mostly over the pandemic. The book in itself is a dialogue between the two authors as they processed and reimagined life and liberation amid the pandemic.
It is likely that Garrett Hongo is the only Hawai‘i-born; Gardena, California-bred; Pacific Northwest-based; Pulitzer Prize-nominated; audiophile; former bad boy of Asian American theater; and poet to have graced Elliott Bay Book Company. And as a one of a kind, Hongo has graced Elliott Bay’s programming since the 1980s, as he made much of his adult career here in Seattle. Last month on Feb. 21, Hongo spoke again at his old Elliott Bay stomping grounds about his new book, The Perfect Sound,with his longtime friend Frank Abe, a filmmaker and co-author of the graphic novel We Hereby Refuse.
