2018 Jack Straw Writing Program

About the programThe Jack Straw Writers Program, now in its twenty-second year, has included more than 250 Pacific Northwest writers who represent a diverse range of literary genres. The purpose of the Jack Straw Writers Program is to introduce local writers to the medium of recorded audio; to develop their presentation skills for both live and recorded readings; to encourage the creation of new literary work; to present the writers and their work in live readings, in an anthology, on the web, and on the radio; and to build community among writers. Each year an invited curator selects the participating writers from a large pool of applicants, based on artistic excellence, diversity of literary genres and experiences, and creating a cohesive group of writers. Writers receive training in vocal presentation, performance, and microphone technique to prepare them for studio recording and live readings. Their recorded readings and interviews with the curator are then used to produce features on our web site, for radio broadcast, and for podcasts, which are available for streaming or download at www.jackstraw.org.About the curator2018 Writers Program Curator Daemond Arrindell is a poet, playwright, performer, and teaching artist. He has performed in venues across the country and has been repeatedly commissioned by both Seattle and Bellevue Art Museums. As teaching artist, he is a faculty member of Freehold Theatre and TAT Lab: the Washington State Teaching Artist Training Lab; Adjunct faculty at Seattle University and Tacoma’s School of the Arts; and Writer-In-Residence through Seattle Arts and Lectures' Writers in the Schools Program and Skagit River Poetry Foundation. As a writer, he is a 2013 Jack Straw Writer, a VONA Voices Writers’ Workshop fellow, and his work has been published by City Arts, Poetry NW, Specter, and Crosscut magazines. He recently co-adapted the novel Welcome To Braggsville by T. Geronimo Johnson into a play for Book-It Repertory Theater.This event is supported by The Seattle Public Library Foundation, author series sponsor Gary Kunis, and media sponsor The Seattle Times and presented in partnership with Jack Straw Cultural Center.