Northwest Arts Review

Writers in the Community (WITC) is a not-for-profit internship project that sends MFA students from Eastern Washington University to volunteer as creative writing teachers in placements as varied as hospitals, correctional facilities, halfway houses, community non-profits, as well as public, private, or alternative schools, and other locations throughout the Spokane area.

Nicholas Decaro is an artist, student at Whitworth University, and founder of Apostrophe Spokane Art Collective which exhibits LGBTQ+ students, students of color, and women artists from six local universities. Apostrophe Spokane is the recipient of a Spokane Arts Grant Award for their upcoming second annual exhibit of curated student artwork. 

Now in its twelfth year, Terrain has become a signature arts event for the Inland Northwest. This year’s annual showcase will feature close to 300 artists, musicians, and performers on display at the Jensen Byrd Building in Spokane’s University District.

Fall is a busy season for art in the Inland Northwest. This weekend, a unique arts festival will invite the public into working artists’ studios.

The Little Spokane River Valley is home to popular parks, golf courses, small farms, and suburban developments. Driving through, you might not notice the many artist studios, but this Saturday, September 28, five studios in this neighborhood will open their doors to the public, showcasing forty artists from around the Northwest.

Jeff Alessandrelli and Hajara Quinn are two Portland-based poets who came through Spokane on their way to the Montana Book Festival earlier this month. They stopped in to the SPR studio to talk with Chris Maccini about their new books and their Montana Book Festival panel titled "Is This Surreal or For Real?"

Rebekah Crane is the author of several critically acclaimed young adult novels, including The Infinite Pieces of Us, The Upside of Falling Down, and The Odds of Loving Grover Cleveland. She is a former high school English teacher who found a passion for writing young adult fiction while studying secondary English education at Ohio University. She is a yoga instructor and the mother of two girls. After living and teaching in six different cities, Rebekah finally settled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains to write novels and work on screenplays.

Now in it's sixth year, Porchfest West Central is a free local music festival and community event in the West Central Neighborhood of Spokane. Homeowners will host local musicians and performers on their porches from 3 - 7 p.m. on Saturday, September, 21st. Details and more information are at porchfestwestcentral.com.

Ellen Picken and Rajah Bose started Factory Town to combine their interests in visual art and storytelling. With SAGA support, Factory Town will be creating six kinetic sculptures which transform the familiar handheld “Jacob’s Ladder” toy into an over-sized interactive experience on impermanence. The goals are to offer an interesting perspective on the state of affairs in our world today and remind people that change is inevitable and within our control. 

Hannah Pomante, Katie Smith, and Melissa Jones, all 2019 graduates from Whitworth arts programs,  are collaborating to create "Bird Nest Installation: A Moveable and Interactive Public Arts Project." The project recently was awarded a SAGA Grant from Spokane Arts.

Charlie Pepiton is the Producing Artistic Director of Square Top Theatre and Assistant Professor of Theatre and Dance at Gonzaga University. Square Top Theatre is the recipient of a Spokane Arts Grant Award (SAGA) for their upcoming production, Scent of a Thousand Rains. 

There will be three shows in the Spokane area, two at Mt. Spokane's Vista House on September 13 and 14 and a third at the Downtown Spokane Public Library on October 3.