Daily Dose

Author and baker Kate Lebo is one of the ringleaders of Pie & Whiskey, this year taking place at the Washington Cracker Co. Building.

SLAM FOR THE YOUTH

Hosted by EWU's Writers in the Community (WITC), the high school and college poetry slam at Get Lit! highlights the younger poets throughout the Spokane community. With free registration a half-hour prior, the competition will be split between 15-to-18-year-olds and college students of any age. Slammers will be judged on content, originality and performance. Participants are asked to bring canned food for the WITC food drive. The three-minute rounds are a great opportunity for young creatives to see the power of poetry both written and performed. (TC)

STORIES OF TEACHERS

We all remember that teacher who spent the extra time to motivate us to dig deeper and try harder; perhaps a singular instance of lecture or a parting comment that readjusted our perspective on ourselves and our possibilities. Bruce and Holly Holbert will be joined by Michael Copperman in a discussion on teaching and education's vital transformative nature for many students. The Holberts will read from their anthology Thank You, Teacher, which highlights the personal experiences of how teachers have shaped students' lives. Copperman will join and discuss his memoir Teacher, which examines the realities that impede the idealism many teachers begin with. (TC)

JOIN THE RESISTANCE

Join the Love & Outrage collective in a night of celebrating resistance. The collective, launching their spring 2017 issue, will host a night of poetry, prose and music. The zine is an attempt to build a bridge between Spokane's art community and the call for citywide activism. Topics range from politics to criminal justice, from the environment to the patriarchy. The event is free, with the latest zine available for $7 and back issues for $5. The collective exists "to promote a counterculture of courage in an age of uncertainty and fear." (TC)

ALWAYS ROOM FOR PIE

A spot of firewater and a slice of sweet pie might not seem a natural combo, but it totally is when you add some always riveting, often ribald prose and poetry to the proceedings. That's Pie & Whiskey, one of Get Lit's annual must-go sessions, this year moving to the Washington Cracker Co. Building, which should more easily accommodate the madding crowds who descended on the Women's Club in years past. Sam Ligon and Kate Lebo are your ringmasters (and bakers) for the evening that will feature a dozen writers delivering original works you can take home via one of the limited-edition chapbooks, available for when you're indulging in pie and imbibing whiskey at home. (DN)

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Poet Jamaal May is part of the Poetry Salon on Friday, April 21, at Brooklyn Deli.

COME IN AND RELAX

Taking inspiration from 18th century Parisian salons, when people would gather for discussions about literature, art and philosophy, the Get Lit! Poetry Salon offers a way to interact with some of this year's headlining poets in a more casual environment than a lecture hall or concert stage. Spokane's own poet laureate Laura Read will moderate the festivities at Brooklyn Deli, where Get Lit! visitors Shin Yu Pai, Robert Lashley, Meghan McClure, Michael Schmeltzer, John Rybicki and Jamaal May will read some of their work, answer questions from the audience (and each other) and talk about their craft as you sip on a beverage and lounge, salon-style. (DN)

THAT CAPE WOULD LOOK BETTER ON MY BEDROOM FLOOR

Last year, Get Lit! introduced a night of erotic fan fiction to its festivities, with visiting and local authors regaling a bar of buzzed literature fans with saucy tales of sexy Sasquatches and other creatures who know where the wild things really are. This adults-only session tickles the creativity of the participating authors, who this year will take characters from classic cartoons and stir up some hot lines perfect for an oral presentation. I'm really hoping that Underdog gets in on the action when Shawn Vestal, Sheri Boggs, Kris Dinnison, Travis Naught and Rachel Mindell hit the stage at nYne. Aileen Keown Vaux will emcee. (DN)

ROOMS WITH A VIEW

In between readings and parties, you'll want to swing by the Ridpath Hotel. No, really! That's where this year's Window Dressing/Get Lit! installations are found. Artist Mallory Ware is creating one exhibit inspired by author Alexandra Teague's The Principles Behind Flotation, while artist Zach Grassi is doing likewise for a space inspired by author Jason Rekulak's The Impossible Fortress. Both installations will be on display at the Ridpath throughout the month of April, but you might want to check them out after both authors read at Auntie's Bookstore on Saturday, April 22 at 3 pm. (DN)

CONFESSIONAL WRITING

Meghan Daum and Justin Torres will hold a discussion focused on the two acclaimed writers' use of personal and confessional writing styles that search for realism. Daum is known for her nonfiction essays, written with a precision of cutting truths on what it means to live in today's society and cultural environment. Torres is known for writing novels, creating characters that feel tangible, in accordance to the life he had growing up. Both Daum and Torres are prize-winning writers, with Daum earning a Guggenheim fellowship in 2015 and a National Endowment of the Arts fellowship in 2016 and Torres receiving the Rolón United States Artist Fellowship and currently holding a Wallace Stegner fellowship at Stanford. (TC)