Get Lit at the Second Annual Orcas Island Literary Festival
A word party returns to Orcas Island
By Gavin Borchert March 26, 2019
This article originally appeared in the April 2019 issue of Seattle magazine.
This article appears in print in the April 2019 issue. Click here to subscribe.
Considering Orcas Island’s reputation as the artsy jewel of the San Juan islands, you may wonder why no one had launched a literary festival prior to 2018. But last year’s inaugural Orcas Island Lit Fest proved worth the wait; basking in the afterglow, participating YA author Jennifer Longo later called it “three days of book love…a celebration of books, readers, writers, librarians, teachers, bookshops and our literary Pacific Northwest home.”
The second fest includes open-mike events, writers’ workshops, panel discussions, readings, signings, parties, a book fair and a Saturday-morning kids’ fest; among the scheduled authors are Seattle novelist Nicola Griffith, NPR contributor Mat Johnson and New Yorker staff writer Judith Thurman. 4/5–4/7. Times and prices vary. Orcas Center, Eastsound, 917 Mount Baker Road; oilf.org
Follow Us
A New Year of Influence
Seattle magazine’s Most Influential list kicks off 2026 with leaders across the city.
New year, new issue! As we kick off 2026, Seattle magazine is proud to present this year’s cohort of the Most Influential list, which showcases local leaders in politics, philanthropy, arts, hospitality, and business. Determined, creative, empathetic, humble, and bold are just a few of the words you’ll see describing them—each one has achieved great…
The Queen of the Seattle World’s Fair
With a fur coat and gold Cadillac, Gracie Hansen struck a figure. Her business savvy and whip-smart humor made her a star.
In 1960, a group of well-attired men from the Seattle World’s Fair planning committee gathered in a downtown office. With the fair only two years away, people were starting to pitch their business ideas and on this day, some lady wanted to meet with them to do the same. At the scheduled time, the door…
Cookies From Home
Seattle author Kat Lieu introduces a first-of-its-kind cookbook centered on Asian cookies.
Kat Lieu has built a career out of baking, storytelling, and standing up for what she believes in. A former doctor of physical therapy turned bestselling cookbook author, she’s based in Seattle, is the founder of the online community Subtle Asian Baking and is the author of Modern Asian Baking at Home, a book that…
Photo Essay: The Relief of the Moment
Words and photography by Nick Ward.
Photography tricks my ADHD brain into doing something borderline miraculous: It allows me to focus on exactly one thing at a time. When I press the shutter and hear that lovely little ka-chunk, the inner chatter winks out. I feel oddly connected to the moment by being outside it, observing through the frame instead of…