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Sasquatch Books: Raising the Region’s Literary Bar for Decades

Local publisher helps shape Seattle's literary scene

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This article originally appeared in the September 2016 issue of Seattle magazine.

Seattle has long been known as a book lover’s haven, and Sasquatch Books, a venerated local publishing company, has played a major role in helping to mold and shape the city’s lit life. For three decades, Sasquatch has been introducing new and unique titles to the region’s (and lately, the nation’s) readers, while cultivating some of the Pacific Northwest’s top creative talent.

David Brewster, founding editor of Seattle Weekly and more recently the online news site Crosscut, launched Sasquatch in 1986 with his guidebook Northwest Best Places. More city guides followed, and eventually the publishing house moved into other regional subjects, including gardening, nature, photography, art, food and wine, and children’s books.

 

In honor of Sasquatch’s 30th anniversary, we’ve dug up a few things you might not know about the publishing house.

» The name was inspired by an article Brewster once wrote about the different versions of the creature.

» You won’t find fiction titles in its catalog, except in the children’s section. The company tried it once. It didn’t work.

» Sasquatch Books’ most prolific author is legendary Seattle librarian and NPR commentator Nancy Pearl.

» Its most popular categories are cookbooks and kids’ books.

» Just for kids Sasquatch launched the Little Bigfoot imprint in 2014 with the book S Is for Salmon by Hannah Viano.

» Sasquatch will celebrate with giveaways, special events and an all-out birthday bash in early 2017. For updates, go to sasquatchbooks.com, @SasquatchBooks or Facebook, “Sasquatch Books Seattle.”

SENSORIUM Takes on Our Screen Addiction

SENSORIUM Takes on Our Screen Addiction

Dance, drag, and immersive art collide in an eight-week exploration of our phone-obsessed lives, with a few surprises along the way. 

What do drag queens, smartphone addiction, art installations, and an old luggage shop have in common?  According to longtime Seattle choreographer Alana O’Farrell Rogers, a lot.  “There’s no dead time anymore,” says Rogers, explaining how the proliferation of smartphones fills the empty spaces that once served as time for rest or connection. Where we snuggled…

Salt-N-Pepa on Breaking Barriers and Staying Power

Salt-N-Pepa on Breaking Barriers and Staying Power

Ahead of their performance at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture gala, the hip-hop pioneers talk about creative ownership, connecting with new generations, and the songs that still resonate.

The Museum of Pop Culture (MOPOP) will host its annual ICONS of Pop Culture Gala in Seattle on October 22, honoring five artists and institutions whose work has helped shape entertainment and culture.  This year’s honorees are martial arts and film legend Bruce Lee, fashion designer Jeremy Scott, the video game franchise Halo, hip-hop pioneers…

Studio Sessions: Christopher Paul Jordan

Studio Sessions: Christopher Paul Jordan

Drawing on childhood memories, neighborhood history, and salvaged materials, Christopher Paul Jordan’s latest show at Cornish’s Behnke Family Gallery explores how the past stays with us.

Start in the middle. It’s good advice for telling a story, and a way into Christopher Paul Jordan’s paintings. By the time you encounter them, their materials have already been something else, and who knows what they might move on to become. The Tacoma interdisciplinary artist works with salvaged objects, including screens, picture frames, canvas,…

Rearview Mirror: Wedding Bells, A Furniture Launch, and the Symphony’s New Look 

Rearview Mirror: Wedding Bells, A Furniture Launch, and the Symphony’s New Look 

Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).

WEDDING BELLS I’ve been a bit absent from this column lately, but I think I have a pretty good excuse: I got married! It’s already been three weeks since my September 19 wedding, but I’m still reflecting on the magic of the day. My fiancé, well husband now (I can’t get used to saying it!),…