Humanities Montana Now Accepting 2025 Grant Applications

Humanities Montana is now accepting applications for “mini grants” in 2025. In 2024, the organization awarded over $38,000 in mini-grants to support programs across the state.

Information about how to apply for these and other grants can be found at
humanitiesmontana.org/grants-resources.

Online tools include an online eligibility survey, recorded informational webinars, FAQs, question lists, sample forms, and additional resource links.

Humanities Montana is authorized by the National Endowment for the Humanities as a pass-through entity of federal funds to issue subawards to: Humanities Montana is authorized by the National Endowment for the Humanities as a pass-through entity of federal funds to issue subawards to: private nonprofit organizations; institutions of higher education; state, local, and federally recognized Indian tribal governments; and groups of persons that form an association to carry out a project; and individuals (as fellowships).

Past projects funded by mini-grants include author visits, workshops; and public events.

New Guide Created For Seattle Artists

Show Your Art: A 2025 Guide to Seattle Art Spots for New and Emerging Artists seeks to connect artists with local businesses and venues interested in showcasing their work. Set to launch in January 2025, this guidebook features over 100 artist-friendly spaces, including galleries, coffee shops, theaters, and other venues willing to display the work of artists

Curated by Northwest artist Sarah E. Miller, this guidebook is designed specifically for new and emerging artists looking to break into Seattle’s dynamic art scene. With detailed information on venue themes, submission processes, commission structures, and more, Miller wants to provide a helpful tool for artists to get their work out into the world.

“Inclusivity and accessibility are at the heart of this project,” Miller said. “The guide is designed to demystify the process for artists who may feel intimidated or unsure about how to start showcasing their work.”

Miller launched a crowdfunding campaign this winter on Indiegogo to create a print edition of the guide. Funds raised will go toward printing, distribution, and creating an online platform to further support artists. The initial goal is $3,000, with a stretch goal of $6,000 to fund a dedicated website to this project and additional resources. To learn more, see https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/show-your-art-100-seattle-spaces-for-artists/x/38164224#

Starting a publishing project? Have an event of interest to indie publishers and authors? Send your news to bpnwnews at aol.com.

Partners in Print Hosts December Open House

Partners in Print invites the community to tour their new home during a “pre-construction” open house on December 13. Visitors can enjoy a cup of cocoa and tour the facility which will eventually house PIP’s presses and educational activities.

Creative designs for the space by University of Washington students will be on the display. Learn more about the organization’s plans for their collection of old printing presses. There will also be opportunities to print a keepsake of the evening.

Partners in Print’s Pre-Construction Open House takes place on Friday, December 13, 6–9pm, at 402 Cedar Street in Seattle, WA. For more information, visit partnersinprint.org.

PNBA Announces NW Authors Up for Book Awards

Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association announced its Book Awards Shortlist during the Fall Tradeshow in September. Selected by an Awards Committee of independent booksellers from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska, the 12 finalists, all written by Northwest authors, were selected from a list of nearly 300 titles submitted for consideration.

PNBA plans to announce the six winners of the 2025 Pacific Northwest Book Awards in early January.

This year’s Book Awards Shortlist is:

Becoming Little Shell by Chris La Tray (Missoula, MT), published by Milkweed Editions

Coexistence by Billy-Ray Belcourt (Vancouver, BC), published by W.W. Norton & Company

Eve by Cat Bohannon (Seattle, WA), published by Alfred A. Knopf

Feeding Ghosts by Tessa Hulls (Seattle, WA), published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

It Lasts Forever and Then It’s Over by Anne de Marcken (Olympia, WA), published by New Directions Publishing

Log Life by Amy Hevron (Seattle, WA), published by Beach Lane Books

Salmon, Cedar, Rock & Rain by Tim McNulty (Sequim, WA), published by Mountaineers Books

Table Titans Club by Scott Kurtz (Bothell, WA), published by Holiday House

The Liberators by E. J. Koh (Seattle, WA), published by Tin House

Touching the Art by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore (Seattle, WA), published by Soft Skull Press

We Were the Universe by Kimberly King Parsons (Portland, OR), published by Alfred A. Knopf

Wild and Distant Seas, by Tara Karr Roberts (Moscow, ID), published by W.W. Norton & Company

For more information on the 2025 Pacific Northwest Book Awards, see pnba.org.

Partners in Print Plans For New Seattle Space

Partners in Print (PIP), a nonprofit devoted to the art of letterpress, is planning a move into a physical space in downtown Seattle, Washington.

Starting in 2020, the organization received equipment from School of Visual Concepts (SVC) when they closed their school print shop. Since then, PIP has maintained storage for the equipment. The group has organized Zoom events and pop-ups to introduce people to the joys of letterpress printing.

On October 22, PIP announced that they had signed a lease for a new physical space to house their equipment and serve as a cultural center for letterpress printing. On their Facebook page, they posted “In the coming months, we’ll be fundraising, engaging with designers, contractors, and the larger community to build on everything we’ve learned over the last four years. Together, we’ll reinvent a vibrant new cultural space for letterpress printing in Seattle at 402 Cedar!”

The Belltown location will house PIP’s equipment and give them a space for on-site classes. The organization also plans to continue its community outreach and online activities. “By furthering the 19-year legacy of the SVC Letterpress Program, Partners in Print continues to wield the power of print for the greater good,” states their website.

To learn more about PIP and their plans, visit their website at https://partnersinprint.org/.

Top: New home for PIP in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle (photo top left and top right from PIP Facebook page). Former SVC workshop and letterpress from PIP. For more information see: https://partnersinprint.org/.

Portland Book Festival Turns Ten

Literary Arts is celebrating a decade of producing a successful book festival in Portland, OR. This year’s Portland Book Festival, presented by Wells Fargo, returns Saturday, November 2 to ten stages at six partner venues in downtown Portland’s south Park Blocks. More than 100 authors and interviewers, drop-in writing workshops, pop-up readings, a book fair, and local food trucks return for this 10th annual celebration of books and stories.

Tickets range from $5 to $18 for a general pass. Some author readings require additional tickets. Veterans and youth passes are available for free. Some passes also include a $5 voucher for purchase of books.

Full details on guests and events can be found at https://pdxbookfest.org/.

SPECIAL READERS NIGHT

Literary Arts offers readers an exclusive peek of the Portland Book Fair on the evening of November 1 including complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Supporters get early access to the many book sellers and vendors. The Readers Night is an all ages welcome event. The event takes place from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at the Portland Art Museum’s Mark Building. Tickets are $75.

More information available at: https://literary-arts.org/event/readers-night-2024/

Bainbridge Island Book Festival Launched

The owner of Eagle Harbor Bookstore, several Bainbridge Island authors, and enthusiastic readers have launched the Bainbridge Book Festival. The inaugural event takes place this October.

Nicola Yoon, the New York Times bestselling author of One of Our Kind, will be the keynote speaker at the Launch Party, October 4, at the Stan Pocock Legacy Rowing Center. Tickets, which support the nonprofit festival, will be $125 and include a copy of One of Our Kind. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.bainbridgebookfestival.org/.

The remainder of the Bainbridge Book Festival will take place October 5, 10am to 4pm.

Festival Saturday author events are free and open to all. These talks will take place at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (auditorium), the Bainbridge Island Senior/Community Center, and the Stan Pocock Legacy Rowing Center. The full list of participating authors can be seen here: https://www.bainbridgebookfestival.org/2024-festival/festival-saturday/.

Further information about the festival can be found at https://www.bainbridgebookfestival.org/. Bainbridge Island is located in the Puget Sound and can be reached from the mainland by bridge on the Kitsap County side and by ferry from Seattle, WA.

Thank you to Eagle Harbor Bookstore for the information on the festival. Screenshot from festival website. Have an event of interest to independent publishers and indie authors? Send it to bpnwnewnews at aol.com.

New Group Takes Writing Outside

Editor/writer Lynn Post of PostScripts Editing encourages writers to unplug and write outside.

Drawing on the idea of plein-air painting, where artists set up outside to capture the moment, Post offers writers the same opportunity to escape stuffy rooms and glowing computer screens in Seattle’s parks.The Plein-Air Prose Posse met in various different natural areas during the month of August for “write-outs.” September brings more formal workshops as well as other writing hikes and walks.

This series of workshops, walks, and community building events take place outdoors in the Seattle area. Writers are encouraged to bring a pen or pencil and paper for creating their prose.

To join the group, check the website for the current calendar of events: www.postscriptsediting.com/events.html.

Thanks to Lynn Post and Beth Chapple for photos of August en plein events. Have an event of interest to indie writers and publishers? Send details to bpnwnews at aol.com or follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bookpublishersnorthwest.

Busy Book Season Planned For Portland

Oregon’s readers, writers, and independent publishers will have plenty to do this fall.

The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) Fall Show returns to the Holiday Inn on the Columbia River, September 29 to October 1. The Fall Show is for the trade and features exhibition space for publishers, educational programming for booksellers and librarians, as well as plenty of opportunities for networking with authors, publisher reps, and buyers for bookstores and libraries. Full details available at pnba.org.

The Portland-based Literary Arts is planning for their 40th anniversary, including the opening of a new headquarters and bookstore at 716 SE Grand Avenue later this year. The organization’s Portland Book Festival returns November 2. They are currently taking proposals for Exhibitor Booths and Cover to Cover events at literary-arts.org/about/programs/portland-book-festival/.

For complete listing of all Literary Arts fall events, see their website at literary-arts.org.

Meet Readers Who Love Books

Romance readers are known to be passionate about their favorite genre. Now authors and publishers of romance books can connect with fans at Emerald City Romance Author & Reader Event. The all day event takes place at the South Seattle College, 11am to 5pm, on August 17.

Readers can choose from “early access” VIP tickets to be let into the venue at 11am. General admission starts at noon. VIP admission is $30 (limited to less than 100) and general admission will be $10 (expected to cap at 250). Wrist bands will be provided to those who register, and admission includes cost of parking.

Vendors tables range in size and price from $80 to $125. Authors and other vendors reserving a table will receive a box lunch and parking too. Set up for the day begins at 9am on August 17.

For more information, check Emerald City Romance Writers website: https://www.emeraldcityromancewriters.org/2024-author-reader-event

Emerald City Romance Writers, previously known as the Greater Seattle Romance Writers of America, promotes excellence in romantic fiction by helping writers become published in the romance genre and providing a place where writers — both published and unpublished — can come for growth, support, inspiration, and education.