our philosophy

Oyez Roslyn! is a series of readings, verbal riffs, and pronouncements held in Roslyn, WA, where beer, wine, and conversation mix it up with pool, tie-die, and the occasional dog.

Poetry, music, pungent prose, stories about the land, visual art, and more mix it up. We are committed to bringing folks to Roslyn and drawing from our own community of wonder to entertain and inspire and sometimes provoke.

From the curator, Ellie Belew:

“I have listened to lots of readings, and have done my share of reading.
I wanted to create a situation where the audience didn’t have to sit quietly in rows of folding chairs. I wanted a comfortable place with good beer and a variety of locals.
I also wanted those presenting their work to stick around to hobnob with each other and those who just heard their work rather than heading off into the sunset.

In April 2010 I pulled together a prototype reading at Marko’s.

I got the idea while I was in EDGE, an invaluable professional development program for writers put on by Artist Trust.”

We had our first Oyez Roslyn! season from fall 2010 through spring 2011.
We’ve been making it happen ever since, with support from Humanities Washington, ArtsWA, and the City of Roslyn.

You can see who has been part of the show by browsing our archives.