ATTN: All young writers and people who don't know what to do with their English degrees.
A bunch of cool local arts organizations (including One Reel, Seattle Public Library, Seattle Office of Film and Music, and Seattle Office of Arts and Culture) are here to help you find a job—FOR FREE. They're throwing a Literary Career Day on Saturday, February 3, at The Seattle Central Library from 11 am to 4 pm. I know the event's a month away, but you should put it on your calendar right now so you don't conveniently forget to do something good for your life for once.
The day will be organized into keynote speeches, workshops, and "breakout" sessions.
The only keynote speaker listed so far is Seattle Civic Poet Anastacia-Renée, an inspiring speechifier and an accomplished writer who has worked hard in almost every field in the game.
At one of the breakout sessions, Crosscut's Lilly Fowler, the great poet/essayist/reporter Sarah Galvin, and Seattle7Writer Donna Miscolta will give you tips on how to get your writing out into the world. In another, Seattle Urban Book Expo founder and children's author Jeffrey Cheatham II will join author Rita Wirkala (of Seattle Escribe) on a panel about how to successfully start your own DIY venture.
For those looking to work in the service of writing, Seattle Arts and Lectures executive director Ruth Dickey, Girl Friday executive director Kristen Mehus-Roe, and teen librarian Shelley Mastalerz will tell you about bookish jobs normally obscured by unhelpful phrases like "the publishing industry" and "creatives." Finally, Sasquatch Books publisher Gary Luke and a few others TBD will host a panel on raising something called "money."
When I taught writing for a living, my students always asked me what they needed to do to get into the literary scene, or what they needed to do to get a job in the field. This career day looks like it will help to answer those questions, so long as you keep your mind open and your expectations reasonable.
