2013 Festival
In 2013, APRIL funded the festival by selling 100 t-shirts for $35. Furthermore, the Neighborhood and Community Arts Programs gave a grant to the festival through the Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs (OACA).
The 2013 festival included:
A Poet, a Playwright, a Novelist and a Drag Queen: A competitive storytelling event featuring:
Elissa Ball, the poet, activist, and an ordained minister.
Neil Ferron, a member of the Satori Group, a local theatre group.
Peter Mountford, the winner of the 2012 Washington Book Award for his novel.
Cherdonna, the “Cherdonna and Lou Show.”
Elissa Ball is a poet, an activist and an ordained minister.
Verse Chapter Verse: a music and prose event.
Readings from Matthew Rohrer, Matthew Dickman, and more.
Matthew Dickman wrote the All American Poem book and co-authored 50 American Plays with his twin brother, Michael Dickman. He edits poetry for the Tin House Magazine and co-founded Poetry Serving Youth City by City. In 2009, the New Yorker published a profile of him and his brother.
Rebecca Brown, a prolific writer who published on City Lights Books more than any other author does. She wrote a boatload of books such as American Romances and Excerpts from a Family Medical Dictionary.
Furthermore, it was the third annual Small Press Book Expo, it was held at Richard Hugo House.
Local authors Rich Smith, Amber Nelson, and Rebecca Bridge delivered three Happy Hour Readings.
Rich Smith is the poet who authored the chapbook The Great Poem of Desire. His work appeared in Tin House, Guernica, and other places.
Amber Nelson is the editor of Alice Blue Review, a Seattle-based publisher that publish online journals and print books.
Rebecca Bridge, a poet and musician. She wrote for the Boston Review, Ink Node, and other magazines.
And more.
P is for Publishers
Tons of publishers appear in the APRIL fest everywhere. In 2013, the following publishers were present at the festival:
A through F
Alice Blue Review & Books
Beach Weirdo
Big Fiction Magazine
Black Ocean
Calypso Editions
Dark Coast
Factory Hollow Press – Flying Object
Featherproof Books
Future Tense Books
Hobart & Short Flight/Long Drive
Jaded Ibis
Knock
Lazy Facist Press
Luuk Honey
Magic Helicopter Press
NeoPoiesis
Northwest Press
PageBoy Magazine
Poor Claudia
Poetry Northwest
The Raven Chronicles
SPLAB
The Furnace
YesYes Books
Wave Books
What is APRIL Festival Really Like
Expect everything except boring poetry, lifeless writers, and lackluster publishers.
APRIL fest is the FIGHT CLUB of the indie literature world in Seattle. And that’s the mild description.
In conclusion, whether you are an up and coming writer looking to promote your work, a bookworm who want to meet and read amazing works or a publisher looking for lucrative deals and exposure, APRIL fest is where you should be.
Still skeptical? We understand. Seeing is believing. Go out and check it out for yourself.