Registration is still open for my October 25th class

There’s still time to register for my October 25th Creative Research for Writers class at Richard Hugo House in Seattle:

Creative research can help writers of fiction and nonfiction with inspiration, storytelling, and world-building whether they are writing about the past, present, or future, about life on earth or an imaginary world. We’ll discuss the relationship between research and writing, different types of research writers may need to do, practical tips and advice on doing research, and how and where to find useful and unusual sources of information on the Web, in books, databases, and libraries, and in unexpected places.

The class will be from 10am to 5pm on Sunday, October 25th, and the cost is $127.80 for Hugo House members or $142.00 for non-members. You can register online, by phone (206-322-7030), by fax or mail, or in person. The fall 2009 course catalog and registration information are here, and my original August post about the class is here.

More closures of the Seattle Public Library system in 2010

As I suspected, the one-week closure of the entire Seattle Public Library system earlier this month was just the beginning. This year the library was asked to cut 2% of its budget (about $1 million), and the system was shut down for a week (with all employees unpaid during that time) to save $655,000. For more on this and my objections to it, see my earlier post “Why shut down the entire Seattle Public Library system for a week?”

Yesterday Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels proposed $41 million in cuts (about 4.4%) from the city budget for 2010. The Seattle Public Library system has to make cuts to its 2010 budget of 5%, about $2.8 million. As noted in today’s post on the Friends of the Seattle Public Library blog:

This is a significantly larger impact than what Seattle experienced with the downward adjustment of the 2009 budget. What does this mean to you and your neighborhood? A one week closure of the entire system and 21 branch libraries that will close Friday and Sunday all year. In addition, according to the library’s website, the proposed 2010 capital budget is down 37 percent from the 2009 adopted budget which means delays in the maintenance and upkeep of our very busy, well used buildings…

12 million people turned to our libraries last year. Many are accessing critical services: job search resources, free computers, wi-fi efficiency, community meeting space, literacy support and so forth. Our blog stories portray these everyday uses and the impact on individuals and families. Closed libraries and abbreviated access creates hardships. In the recession of 2002 and 2003 our library system was closed for two weeks each year and library hours were cut. The Library hasn’t regained the operating hours lost almost 7 years ago.

In 1998, Seattle voters approved a $196 million bond measure (“Libraries for All”) to build the new central library and build or renovate branch libraries, and the last project was completed in 2008. The bond money could only be used for the construction of libraries. I don’t think it makes much sense to build lots of new libraries but not fully fund their day-to-day operations. They should have a dedicated funding source so that the libraries don’t have to close or reduce their hours every time Seattle tax revenues go down.

The Seattle Public Library website has details of the proposed 2010 cuts:  about the budget;  operational budget reductions;  capital budget reductions;  reductions in branch hours.  The website notes:  “While the council allocates the funds to operate the Library, it is the Library Board’s responsibility to decide how that money is spent.”

Here’s the Seattle City Council’s 2010 budget calendar. There will be public hearings on October 7, 14, and 26th.

Why shut down the entire Seattle Public Library system for a week?

The entire Seattle Public Library system will shut down from August 31st through September 7th. All branches will be closed, book drop slots will be locked, and even the website will be shut down, so there will be no access to the library catalogue or online databases.

According to information on the library website and the flyer being distributed at the branches, the closure is due to citywide budget cuts. Seattle has to close a $43 million gap in the 2009 budget, and the Seattle Public Library has to cut $1 million this year, about 2% of its budget. Shutting the library system for the week will save about $655,000 from salary reductions, as employees will not be paid during that week.

The flyer notes that by shutting the system for a week, branch hours throughout the year won’t have to be cut and library jobs will be preserved. The City Librarian, Susan Hildreth, is quoted: “While there were no good options, temporarily closing will have the least impact on public service for the long term… It preserves our regular hours of operation.”

It seems to me that there must be ways to save the same amount of money without shutting the entire system at once. The system consists of the large Central Library and 26 small neighborhood branches, so why not rotate closures among the branches throughout the year, or close half the system one week and the other half a different week. That way, if your local branch was closed, you could still go to another branch. And why shut down the website at all? A special fundraising drive could also have helped narrow the gap, as I think most library users would be willing to chip in a buck (or five) to keep their branches open.

Our Seattle libraries have always been busy, but since the downturn in the economy they are continuously packed. So many people are using the libraries for job hunting that the computers are always in use and it’s hard to find a seat. In 2008, over 2 million people visited the Central Library, nearly 5 million people visited the neighborhood branches, there were over 6 million “virtual visits” to the website, and over 11 million items were circulated. I’m sure the numbers for 2009 will be much higher.

I suspect that the decision to shut the whole system at once was made not only to get the pain over with quickly and preserve service the rest of the year, but also to make a statement and remind everyone how important the library system is by forcing us to live without it for a week. It’s actually not a bad strategy, but there must have been other options that would not have deprived this book-crazy city (and the unemployed and those without home computers) of its libraries and their vital services for a week.

My October 25th “Creative Research for Writers” class

On Sunday, October 25th, I’ll be teaching an all-day “Creative Research for Writers” class at Richard Hugo House in Seattle. Here’s the description:

Creative research can help writers of fiction and nonfiction with inspiration, storytelling, and world-building whether they are writing about the past, present, or future, about life on earth or an imaginary world. We’ll discuss the relationship between research and writing, different types of research writers may need to do, practical tips and advice on doing research, and how and where to find useful and unusual sources of information on the Web, in books, databases, and libraries, and in unexpected places.

Matt Ruff will be my special guest and share his experiences with using research in fiction.

The class will be from 10am to 5pm (six hours of class and a lunch break). My May 9th “Research for Writers” class was four hours, but my students and I felt that wasn’t enough time, so I arranged for my next class be longer.

The cost is $127.80 for Hugo House members or $142.00 for non-members, and enrollment is limited to 15.

Registration begins August 18th for Hugo House members and August 25th for non-members. During the first week of member registration, you can register by telephone (206-322-7030) or in person. Once general registration begins on August 25th, you can also register online or by mail or fax. Here’s the link to the registration information.

Here’s the link to the Fall 2009 Hugo House class catalog. Of particular note:  John Crowley will be teaching a one-day class called “The Further In You Go The Bigger It Gets: Using the Deep Structures of Fantasy” and Nancy Kress will be teaching a six-week class called “Writing Fiction: A Critique Class.”

Please email me if you have any questions about my class or if you would like information about customized private classes/workshops for groups or individual coaching.

Seattle’s snow leopard kittens will make their debut on August 15th

The two snow leopard kittens born on Memorial Day at Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo will make their public debut August 15th on International Snow Leopard Day. For those who can’t be there, here’s the cover of the zoo’s magazine, which came in the mail a couple of days ago:

The zoo occasionally posts photos of them on its blog and videos on its YouTube channel. The most recent video was of their medical exam at six weeks:

It looks like there’s been a snow leopard baby boom this summer– the ZooBorns site has photos of the twins born at the Toronto Zoo and the single cubs born at Utah’s Hogle Zoo and Tierpark Berlin.

UPDATE: On August 20th the zoo blog posted a new video of the snow leopards exploring their exhibit:

Snow leopard kittens born in Seattle

Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo has posted photos on their blog of the two snow leopards that were born on Memorial Day:

The snow leopard kittens aren’t yet on public display, but you can visit the zoo’s other beautiful cats, including the ocelot kittens that were born in October:

Ocelot kittens at 5 weeks

Ocelot kittens at almost 5 months

For more photos of cute baby zoo animals from around the world, check out the ZooBorns website.

Update 1: The zoo blog has posted the first video of the snow leopard kittens.

Update 2: See my follow-up blog post on the snow leopards for news and more videos (at about six weeks and ten weeks old).

You can still register for my Research for Writers class

Registration is still open for my May 9th Research for Writers class at Richard Hugo House in Seattle.

Here’s the class description:

Research is an important part of the creative process for writers of fiction and nonfiction. Research can help with inspiration, storytelling and world building whether you are writing about the past, present or future, about life on earth or an imaginary world. The instructor will share advice about research, discuss the kinds of research writers may need to do and help students find useful sources of information in print, on the Web, in libraries and in unexpected places.

The class will be from 1pm to 5pm on Saturday, May 9th, and the cost is $95 ($85.50 for Hugo House members).  You can register online or by phone, mail, or fax.  Here are links to the spring 2009 course catalog and registration information.

Update (4/28): Thanks to Cory Doctorow’s BoingBoing post, my May 9th class is almost full. I checked with Hugo House this afternoon and there is one spot left. (Due to a glitch, their website lists the class as full, so you’ll have to call them at 206-322-7030 to register.)

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 1863-2009

Seattle’s oldest newspaper, the 146-year-old Seattle Post-Intelligencer, printed its last issue today. There’s a nice special commemorative section, and here is political cartoonist David Horsey’s tribute to the paper and its iconic globe:

The new Internet-only P-I will be a news aggregation site “featuring content from various Hearst-owned magazines, and… links to stories on competing Web sites.” The site will rely heavily on free content provided by 150 “reader bloggers” and guest columns by prominent local citizens. They promise to continue to do some local reporting and commentary, but the staff of 165 has been reduced to 20 (plus freelancers), and “the operation won’t have specific reporters, editors or producers — all staff are expected to write, edit, take photos, shoot video and produce multimedia.”

It’s possible that Seattle could become a no-newspaper town, as our last daily paper, the more conservative Seattle Times, is also in serious financial trouble.

Here are links to the P-I website, the New York Times article about the P-I’s transition to web-only, and an interesting series of posts from The Stranger’s Slog. (For those who aren’t from Seattle, The Stranger is the more snarky and entertaining of our free weeklies.)

Online registration is now open for my research class

Today is the start of online registration for my May 9th Research for Writers class at Richard Hugo House in Seattle. (You can also register by phone, fax, or mail.) Enrollment is limited to 15 people.

See my earlier blog post for a description of the class, or go to the Hugo House website for more information.

My Research for Writers class

I will be teaching a one-day Research for Writers class on Saturday, May 9th from1 pm to 5 pm at Richard Hugo House in Seattle.

Here’s the description from their spring 2009 course catalog:

Research for Writers

Research is an important part of the creative process for writers of fiction and nonfiction. Research can help with inspiration, storytelling and world building, whether you are writing about the past, present or future, about life on earth or an imaginary world. The instructor will share advice about research, discuss the kinds of research writers may need to do and help students find useful sources of information in print, on the Web, in libraries and in unexpected places.

Enrollment is limited to 15 people, and the cost is $95 ($85.50 for Hugo House members). Registration begins on February 24th for members and on March 3rd for nonmembers. During the first week of member registration you can only register by phone (206-322-7030) or in person. Beginning March 3rd you can register online or by mail (download and print the registration form). This page has links to the course catalog and detailed registration information.

Richard Hugo House needs an Executive Director

Richard Hugo House, a nonprofit center for the literary arts in Seattle, is searching for a full-time Executive Director.

About Hugo House:

Richard Hugo House is a home for writers and readers. Our mission is to provide writers of all ages and backgrounds with the resources they need, connect audiences with the world of writing, foster the creation of new work and promote the literary arts as a vital part of our culture.

Richard Hugo House offers classes, residencies and events. Through our classes, including our flagship program, Hugo Writing Classes, we provide opportunities for writers from age eight to eighty to practice and build their writing skills in supportive, creative and stimulating classrooms. Our residencies offer established writers stipends and/or space to support their work; in exchange, these writers hold office hours and consult free of charge with anyone in the city and region who seek their expertise. Events include our annual Hugo Literary Series, which invites established and up-and-coming writers to create new work and debut it here; the Hugo Writers Fund, a granting program that provides new and emerging writers with space and/or honoraria to produce their own events and premiere new work; and the Hugo Zine Archive and Publishing Project, which maintains a library of over 11,000 handmade and independent publications.

They are looking for someone with the following qualifications:

• A demonstrated passion for the arts and a love of literature;
• A proven ability to lead and mentor staff with integrity, enthusiasm and a commitment to results;
• A minimum of four years of progressively responsible management and supervisory experience;
• Strong communication, listening and relationship-building skills;
• A demonstrated ability to raise funds from a range of sources, most notably individual donors and foundations;
• A solid grasp of human resources and financial management practices and concepts;
• An understanding of marketing, outreach and communications concepts;
• An appreciation for collaborative decision-making processes coupled with the ability to be decisive when required;
• Knowledge of nonprofit board structures and principles of governance;
• The ability to work a flexible schedule to accommodate the organization’s schedule of events; and
• An appreciation for community-based organizations and the organization’s relationship with the greater Seattle community.

Follow this link for the full job description.

Hugo House commissioned a story from my husband, Matt Ruff, for the October 2008 Hugo Literary Series event on the theme “Road Trip.”

I will be teaching a “Research for Writers” class on May 9th for Hugo House’s spring quarter. I’ll post the details and registration information soon.