This year’s Get Lit! Festival takes place from April 10th to April 13th and features as its headliners Debra Magpie Earling, Jonathan Johnson, Li-Young Lee, Danez Smith, and Maggie Smith. You can view the entire schedule online here. There are a host of workshops being offered for poets and fiction and nonfiction writers, some of them paid and some of them free and open to the public. Spokane Public Library is partnering on a few of these workshops, which are happening at the Central Library on Friday, April 11th. Even the free-and-open workshops listed here do have a cap on them, so be sure to arrive early to get your seat.
Here’s the line-up of the free-and-open events happening on Friday:
Friday April 11th, Spokane Central Library Podcasting Studio (3rd Floor):11:00am – 12:00pm
Have you ever dreamed of being on the radio? Do you crave an audience for your poetry, or do you have a favorite poem that you wish the whole world had read? Look no further, because we are thrilled to announce our partnership with Spokane Public Radio’s Poetry Moment! You may have heard SPR’s Poetry Moment on KPBX, which airs every weekday at 9am and provides an outlet for the creatives of Spokane, and a daily dose of poetry for all listeners. We’re offering all festivalgoers a chance to record their own Poetry Moment in the Central Library’s podcasting studio! Poetry Moment readers will be welcome to share a poem by their favorite poet or read their own work. Readers will be chosen on a first-come-first-served basis, so we encourage you to show up early to form a line. Please make sure to read the guidelines here before you arrive. Don’t miss the chance to share a Poetry Moment on the airwaves!
Friday April 11th,, Spokane Central Library, Conference Room B (3rd Floor) 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Are you a mystery author? Do you have questions about how to write compelling crime fiction? Do detective stories keep you turning pages long after dark? After romance, mystery/crime is the second most popular genre in the book industry. Local authors Elena Hartwell Taylor and Chris Bieker are here to discuss the art and craft of writing mysteries, sustaining a series, and helping you write your best book! Having attended conferences and festivals around the US, including ThrillerFest, Bouchercon, PNWA, and the Decatur Book Festival, these authors are excited to share their knowledge with Spokane readers and writers of crime fiction. Purchase the author’s books via Auntie’s Bookstore! This event is free and open to the public. Space is limited, please arrive early to secure your spot!
Friday April 11th, Spokane Central Library, Conference Room B (3rd Floor) 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Young Adult fiction is a relatively new genre but in the past two decades has exploded in popularity. Whether fantasy, sci-fi, or contemporary, the genre is ripe for reflection for adolescent readers as they explore their identities in the context of contemporary issues like authenticity, privilege, and intersectionality. Join YA authors Rie Lee and Jennifer Yu in a conversation about writing themes of identity in books intended for teen readers. Rie Lee’s recent debut, Vessel, is a dystopian novel centered around a girl wrestling with her forbidden sexuality as the poster child for her religious cult, and Jennifer Yu’s latest novel Grief in the Fourth Dimension explores how identity, family, and community affect the ways our lives (and deaths) are remembered. The authors will discuss how speculative worlds can be used to balance accessibility, storytelling, and realistic characterization while exploring ever-shifting and nuanced senses of identity. This conversation will be moderated by festival intern and EWU MFA fiction candidate Emily Ladd. Purchase the author’s books via Auntie’s Bookstore! This event is free and open to the public. Space is limited, please arrive early to secure a spot!
Friday April 11th, Spokane Central Library, Inland Northwest Special Collections (3rd Floor): 3:00pm – 4:00pm
Join us for an intimate reading and conversation held in the Central Library’s Inland Northwest Special Collections Room featuring two writers whose work is rooted in the history and landscape of the West. CMarie Fuhrman and Betsy Gaines Quammen will both read their work and engage in conversation with Sharma Shields and festival attendees about how research and history have impacted their writing over many books and projects spanning both poetry and prose. Library staff will help pull special artifacts like photographs, maps, and other materials that scrutinize and complicate our region and may connect directly to CMarie and Betsy’s work. Hear about the fascinating process of incorporating research into your creative work and learn how the library can help! Purchase the author’s books via Auntie’s Bookstore! This event is free and open to the public. Please note that capacity is limited, and attendees are encouraged to arrive early to secure a seat. Also, no food or drink is allowed in the Special Collections Room for the purpose of preserving artifacts.
And here is a booklist highlighting some of the titles of various 2025 Get Lit! Festival authors:
The Undressing: Poems by Li-Young Lee
Blues In Stereo: The Early Works of Langston Hughes, 1921-1927 by Langston Hughes, curated by Danez Smith
Homie: Poems by Danez Smith
You Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir by Maggie Smith
The Lost Journals of Sacajewea: A Novel by Debra Magpie Earling
True West: Myth and Mending on the Far Side of America by Betsy Gaines Quammen
Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry edited by Elizabeth Bradfield, CMarie Fuhrman, and Derek Sheffield
Murder at Manito by Chris Bieker
A Cold Cold World by Elena Taylor
Four Weeks, Five People by Jennifer Yu
The Desk on the Sea: A Memoir by Jonathan Johnson
