The Mighty Pen--Who would have thought that a weekend-long festival devoted to writers, reading and publishing would take off -- and take over -- downtown Spokane. But with crowds packed into venues like Mootsy's and the Lorinda Knight Gallery this past weekend, and jam-packed workshops, it seems that Get Lit! has established itself as an ongoing cultural force in the region. We were happy to see writers like Kim Addonizio and Peter Rock come to share their words and wisdom; and the standing-room-only crowd on hand to hear EWU Creative Writing Faculty read from their works was a testament to that school's role in the area's cultural life. But what's really got us buzzing was the announcement that bestselling essayist and acidic cynic David Sedaris has been booked to headline next year's festival (as first mentioned in last week's Inlander). So kudos to EWU Press, and especially Scott Poole and Joelean Copeland for making it all happen; here's to many more years!
Fries for Life--It sounds like the newest walk-for-charity event -- doesn't it? -- kind of like the Avon Three-Day Walk for Breast Cancer, or the MS Walk for Life? When we saw this on the subject line in our e-mail, we pictured a herd of French fries, all running along in matching T-shirts with sweat on their tiny, crispy brows. It turns out, however, that "Fries for Life" refers to something far better: McDonald's French Fries for the rest of one's natural life!
But before you speed over to your closest McDonald's to try your chances at this culinary lottery, you should know that the campaign is already over and that a lucky winner has been announced. Kelci Mattfeld of Spokane wrote the winning essay, which likened McDonald's golden, deep fat-fried potato product to "a slice of heaven, found in any city, state or country."
Let us know when the "Breakfast Burritos for Life" campaign starts.
Proving Their Metal--A few weeks ago, we told you all about the Davenport District Arts Board's Metal to Magic project, which entails local artists salvaging historic metal parts from the Steam Plant and turning them into sculpture, which will be auctioned off at a gala event in September. Well, last Friday was the official metal pickup day at the Steam Plant and we're delighted to report that nearly 60 artists showed up to claim their raw materials. For a city often criticized for its apathy and lack of involvement in the arts, we think this shows that things are changing -- and changing fast. Congratulations to Amy Carson, Kim Pearman-Gillman and Annette Long, who helped organize last Friday's pickup.
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