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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

From Oprah author to standout poet, Get Lit! offers plenty of star power

Pulitzer winner Richard Russo may be the biggest draw for this year’s festival, but don’t overlook the rest of the slate, says Danielle Ringwald, Eastern Washington University’s Get Lit! coordinator.

Get Lit! is also hosting a “Daily Show” denizen, a public radio staple, an Oprah author and a poetry slam star.

Here’s a rundown of the other ticketed events:

“How to Win a Cosmic War, with Dr. Reza Aslan,” Thursday, 7 p.m., Doubletree Hotel, 322 N. Spokane Falls Court, $20. Aslan is an Iranian-American writer, a contributing editor of The Daily Beast and a frequent guest on shows such as “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “The Colbert Report.” His latest book is “How to Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization, and the End of the War on Terror.”

PRI’s “Selected Shorts” with Isaiah Sh effer, Friday, 7 p.m., Bing Crosby Theater, 901 W. Sprague Ave., $25. This popular public radio show features actors reading classic and contemporary fiction. The Spokane event will include Tony-winner James Naughton and actress Susanna Thompson reading short stories by John Updike, Maxine Swann and Roald Dahl. The theme: fatherhood, in recognition of the founding of Father’s Day in Spokane in 1910.

Insight with author Sallie Tisdale, next Sunday, 11:30 a.m., the Davenport Hotel, 10 S. Post St., $10. This well-known author has been a columnist for Salon.com and her books include “Women of the Way: Discovering 2,500 Years of Buddhist Wisdom,” “The Best Thing I Ever Tasted: The Secret of Food” and “Talk Dirty to Me: An Intimate Philosophy of Sex.” She has been labeled a feminist writer, but she calls herself a generalist, and we can expect her talk to cover a wide range of topics.

In Conversation with Janet Fitch, next Sunday, 7 p.m., Bing Crosby Theater, $20. She’s best-known for “White Oleander,” a 1999 coming of age novel about a foster child, which was an Oprah Book Club pick. It also became a movie starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Renee Zellweger. Her most recent novel is “Paint It Black,” set in the L.A. punk rock scene.

Jazz Poetry with Patricia Smith, April 21, 7 p.m., Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox, 1001 W. Sprague Ave., $20 She’s a four-time Poetry Slam champion, a 2008 National Book Award poetry finalist and one of America’s top poets and performers. This event will be performance-poetry-and-jazz collaboration featuring jazz musicians from the EWU faculty.

Tickets for all of the above events are available through TicketsWest outlets (800-325-SEAT, www.ticketswest.com).

Get Lit! also encompasses many other free author readings, workshops and panels. For a complete schedule, go to www.ewu.edu/getlit.

By the way, Ringwald said she would like to dispel the rumors that this will be Get Lit’s last hurrah.

Plans and funding are already in place for the 2011 festival – although it will probably be seeking new sponsorship after that.