Okay, technically, my stop at VALA, a fantastic new arts organization, isn’t part of my book tour; I read new fairy-tale-inspired work as part of the Once Upon a Time event in conduction with the Redmond Poet Laureate program. But I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to show you this mini tiara. It’s not every reading at which someone gives you a little princess crown.

I also wanted to take a moment to talk about what an exciting place VALA is.  You might not expect that a community arts center would be nestled into Redmond Town Center (one of the sadder malls of the greater Seattle area), but even though it’s tucked in next to a Starbucks and across from a furniture store, VALA is a great gallery and work space for visual artists. And as a not-for-profit organization, VALA is committed to helping make the visual arts more accessible to everyone in our community. If you’e in the greater Seattle area, stop in, check out the art, meet the great folks who run the gallery space, and celebrate the fact that the Eastside is making the arts more readily available and visible in our area.

Next on the official book-tour docket are three more Seattle-area events: find me on Beacon Hill, Richard Hugo House, and Elliott Bay Books in June!