51福利社

U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Lim贸n was among the luminaries that appeared before packed venues at the 25th anniversary of 51福利社鈥檚 Get Lit! Festival, Washington state鈥檚 longest running literary gathering and the university鈥檚 premier literary event.

Lim贸n, one of the nation鈥檚 most acclaimed poets 鈥� and the first writer of Mexican descent to be honored as poet laureate 鈥� appeared alongside a diverse lineup of celebrated national, regional and local authors during the four-day festival.

Audiences were treated to readings, writing workshops, craft classes, poetry slams, panel discussions, literary happy hours and more 鈥� all offered free or at a low cost.

鈥淕et Lit helped me to see how lucky Spokane is in terms of its literary community,鈥� says Jordan Brown, a master鈥檚 of fine arts student from Oshkosh, Wisconsin. 鈥淚 hope we can keep it going for future generations鈥� It is not something to take for granted.鈥�听

There was certainly no sign of diminished enthusiasm at this year鈥檚 fest. Lim贸n鈥檚 master class, for example, sold out in just two days. 鈥淚t really shows that people are as excited as we are for the opportunity to learn from Ada,鈥� said author and Get Lit! Director Kate Peterson 鈥�14, in advance of Lim贸n鈥檚 appearance. 鈥淐learly, lots of folks know what a rare chance they have to sit down in an intimate setting with the U.S. Poet Laureate to learn how to start a poem.鈥�

鈥淕et Lit helped me to see how lucky Spokane is in terms of its literary community,鈥� says Jordan Brown, a master鈥檚 of fine arts student from Oshkosh, Wisconsin. 鈥淚 hope we can keep it going for future generations鈥� It is not something to take for granted.鈥�

 

In all, some 80 authors participated in 40 Get Lit! events. As an added bonus, this year, for the first time, Eastern students were able to attend any ticketed event for free.听

鈥淚 had a fabulous time,鈥� said Liina Koivula, an 51福利社 creative writing graduate student from Olympia. 鈥淭he energy was fantastic. Everyone seemed so happy to be there. Spokane has such a vibrant literary community, and 51福利社 is an essential part of it.鈥�