Our Mission
To spark the imagination through programs that connect people and ideas.

In addition to presenting the formost fiction and nonfiction writers, Seattle Arts & Lectures' events and courses illuminate arts, culture, and a world of ideas. Our programs include:

Literary\Arts Series
Special Events
Poetry Series
Wednesday University
Writers in the Schools (WITS)

Our Vision
A future in which imaginative acts such as reading, writing, and creative thinking are indispensable to a curious, engaged, and democratic society.

Our History
Seattle Arts & Lectures was founded in 1987 and launched its first season in 1988 with John Updike, Calvit Trillin, Donald Barthelme, Louise Erdrich and Michael Dorris, Isabel Allende, And Rosamond Bernier. In 1994, SAL brought the nationally recognized Writers in the Schools to Seattle — an educational program that places local professional writers in public school classrooms to develop skills and spark student interest in reading and writing. The Poetry Series, featuring such notables as Philip Levine and Ann Carson, debuted in 2000, as did Wednesday University, an adult continuing education program in the arts and culture, co-sponsored by the University of Washington's Simpson Center for the Humanities and taught by distinguished U.W. professors.

As Seattle has grown in size and sophistication, SAL has kept pace and helped propel that achievement. The 2,500-seat S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium at Benaroya Hall is the home of the Literary\Arts Series and Special Events. The Poetry Series is held in Benaroya's 540-seat Nordstrom Recital Hall. Wednesday University courses take place on the University of Washington campus. The Writers in the Schools program serves nearly 5,000 students annually in school districts throughout the Puget Sound area.

Ticket sales account for less than 30% of Seattle Arts & Lectures' annual budget. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on annual support through the Friends Program and individual donors to our education programs (Writers in the Schools). Joining our Friends Program makes it possible for us to deliver innovative literary arts programs and gives you valuable benefits.

Your employer may offer matching funds that multiply your tax-deductible gift. You may also support Seattle Arts & Lectures through workplace giving, including the Combined Federal Campaign of King County and the Washington State Combined Fund Drive. Please check with your employer.

Mail contributions to:

Director of Development
Seattle Arts & Lectures
105 S. Main Street, Suite 201
Seattle, WA 98104

Please contact the Director of Development at (206) 621-2230, x12 or email fgonzalez@lectures.org if you have questions or would like more information.

Seattle Arts & Lectures is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, Federal Tax ID number 91-1384964. Contributions are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.