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Alexis Morley's blog

Get to Know a Local Poet: Jeremy Richards

Posted Thu, 04/15/2010 - 2:38pm by Alexis Morley

Jeremy RichardsMy first introduction to Jeremy Richards was via YouTube, where I watched a video of him rap about T.S Elliot at the 2002 National Poetry Slam. The performance and poem were incredible, but found myself a little confused. Who is this guy?

This Week in Literary History: March 29-April 4

Posted Mon, 03/29/2010 - 11:50am by Alexis Morley

Seattle’s first public library opened on April 1, 1891. Originally the library was nothing more than a small reading room on third floor of what is now the Seattle Hotel. Books were not allowed to be checked out until December of 1891, at which time the library possessed 6,541 volumes. Today, the Seattle Public Library has 26 branches throughout Seattle and has 4,765,819 books. As of 2006 the Seattle Public Library system had 699 staff members and the only librarian to have ever inspired an action figure, Nancy Pearl.

This Week in Literary History: March 22-March 28

Posted Mon, 03/22/2010 - 11:29am by Alexis Morley

On March 24, 1919, cofounder of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers and San Francisco’s poet laureate, Lawrence Ferlinghetti was born in Yonkers, New York. In 1953 Ferlinghetti, along with Peter Martin, started City Lights Bookstore the first and only all-paperbound bookshop in the country. A year later, Ferlinghetti created a publishing wing of City Lights, bringing into print mainly Beat Poets including Alan Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Gregory Corso and Philip Lamantia.

This Week in Literary History: March 15-March 21

Posted Mon, 03/15/2010 - 2:52pm by Alexis Morley

On March 16, 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne published his most famous novel, "The Scarlet Letter." The novel, originally intended only to be a novelette, was one of the first books to be mass produced and the first printing (2,500 books) sold out in 10 days. Before the mass production of books, bookbinders handmade each book, making it almost impossible to reach a wide audience and therefore become a bestseller. "The Scarlet Letter" is considered the first great American novel due in part to its wide readership and the discussions it sparked.