The 2018 Literary Lions Authors
Be sure to meet these acclaimed local and regional authors at the Literary Lions Gala on March 10! Guests will have an opportunity to purchase books from their list of titles, as well as Keynote Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and have it personalized by the author.
Jessixa Bagley
Jessixa Bagley is a Seattle based picture book author/illustrator with a background in comics, fine art, painting, and printmaking. Her first picture book, Boats for Papa, won the 2016 Washington State Scandiuzzi Children’s Book Award. Jessixa’s upcoming picture book, Vincent Comes Home (2018) is collaboration with her husband, Aaron Bagley.
Dave Boling
Dave Boling's second novel, The Lost History of Stars (Algonquin), was released in June 2017. It followed his award-winning, international best-selling debut novel, Guernica. Boling was a long-time newspaper journalist in the Seattle area, now focusing on his fiction projects.
David Buerge
David M. Buerge has been a teacher, historian, and writer. He is an alum of the University of Washington and the Peace Corps. He has been researching the pre- and early history of the city of Seattle since the mid 1970s. He has published fourteen books of history and biography. Chief Seattle and The Town That Took His Name was released in 2017.
Ben Clanton
Ben Clanton is the author and illustrator of many books including It Came in the Mail, Boo Who?, and Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea!, winner of the 2017 Washington State Book Award for Young Readers. He is also an editor-at-large for the Little Bigfoot imprint of Sasquatch Books. Ben lives in Tacoma, WA.
Rene Denfeld
Rene Denfeld is the bestselling author of The Child Finder. Her novels are inspired by her work as investigator with sex trafficking victims and innocents in prison. She has received many prestigious honors and awards, including the French Prix and the ALA Medal for Excellence. She lives in Portland, Oregon, where she is the happy mother of three children from foster care.
Omar El Akkad
Omar El Akkad is an author and journalist. He has covered many of the biggest stories of the post-9/11 age, including the NATO-led invasion of Afghanistan, the detention camps in Guantanamo Bay and the Arab Spring revolutions. His debut novel, American War, has been nominated for five literary awards and has been translated into more than ten languages.
Molly Gilbert
Molly Gilbert, a graduate of Amherst College and the French Culinary Institute, is the author of cookbooks One Pan & Done and Sheet Pan Suppers. She is a food blogger (dunkandcrumble.com), former cooking instructor and private chef, and former recipe tester in the kitchen of Saveur. She lives in Seattle with her husband and son.
Bharti Kirchner
Bharti Kirchner is the author of seven critically acclaimed novels and four nonfiction works. Goddess of Fire, a historical, was shortlisted for the Nancy Pearl Award. Her latest, Season of Sacrifice: A Maya Mallick Mystery, is the first in a mystery series. Bharti has written for numerous publications, including The Seattle Times. Her many awards include a Virginia Center for the Creative Arts Fellowship.
Kate Lebo and Samuel Ligon
Kate Lebo is the author of Pie School and A Commonplace Book of Pie. Her essay "The Loudproof Room" appeared in New England Review and was chosen for Best American Essays 2015. Her poems, essays, and recipes have appeared in Best New Poets, Gastronomica, The Washington Post, Poetry Northwest, and elsewhere. She lives in Spokane, Washington.
Samuel Ligon is the author of two novels—Among the Dead and Dreaming and Safe in Heaven Dead—and two collections of stories, Wonderland, illustrated by Stephen Knezovich, and Drift and Swerve. He edits the journal Willow Springs, teaches at Eastern Washington University in Spokane, and is artistic director of the Port Townsend Writers’ Conference. Ligon lives in Spokane, Washington.
Pie & Whiskey is a literary collection of readings based on prompts that involve pie, whiskey, or both.
Kim O'Donnel
For the past two decades, chef, cookbook author and journalist Kim O'Donnel has dispensed culinary advice and reported on food policy for numerous publications including Civil Eats, The Washington Post, and USA Today. The first Meatless Monday blogger on record, O’Donnel is a known authority on the continuing trend of eating less meat for health and environmental reasons. She is the chef-in-residence at the West Seattle YMCA.
Ijeoma Oluo
Ijeoma Oluo is an author, speaker, feminist and internet yeller. Her first book, So You Want to Talk About Race, was released in January by Seal Press. An editor at large for The Establishment, her work has been featured in The Guardian, TIME, New York magazine, and many other outlets. She is one of the Root 100 2017, and has been named one of Seattle’s most influential people by Seattle Magazine.
Renee Patrick
Renee Patrick is the pseudonym for married authors Rosemarie and Vince Keenan. Rosemarie is a research administrator and a poet. Vince is a screenwriter and a journalist. Both native New Yorkers, they live in Seattle, Washington and share a love of movies, cocktails, and the New York Mets.
Nancy Pearl, Master of Ceremonies
Nancy is "America's Librarian". Nancy can be found on Public Radio stations across the country talking about books and reading. Her monthly television show, Book Lust with Nancy Pearl, on the Seattle Channel features interviews with authors, poets, and other literary figures.
Nancy is a best-selling author of the Book Lust series, offering reading recommendations for any mood, topic, or genre. George & Lizzie, her first novel, was released in 2017 to rave reviews.
Laurie Ann Thompson
A former software engineer, Laurie Ann Thompson writes for young people to help them understand the world we live in so they can make it a better place for all. She strives to write nonfiction that encourages imagination and fiction that reflects universal truths. Two Truths and a Lie is the first in a new series of crazy-but-true stories.
Willy Vlautin
Willy Vlautin is the author of The Free, Lean on Pete, Northline, The Motel Life and his newest Don't Skip Out On Me. He is the singer and songwriter of the band Richmond Fontaine and a member of the band The Delines. He lives outside Portland, Oregon.
Rachel Yang
Rachel Yang and her husband, Seif Chirchi, own and operate Joule, Revel, and Trove restaurants in Seattle, and Revelry in Portland. The duo holds four James Beard Award nominations for Best Chef. Both Rachel and Seif remain working chefs who still cook on the line most nights in one of their signature open kitchens. Their two young sons, Pike and Rye, can often be found in the family’s restaurants as well. My Rice Bowl is her first cookbook.
