Book Notes: Get Lit! will tip off with HooPalousa

As we inch closer to the start of Get Lit!, new details emerge.

Such as this one: The 14th annual festival will tip off April 9 with a basketball game.

Yep, a game of hoops that features players of the writerly type, including Sherman Alexie, Jess Walter and Shann Ray. These writers will team up with local basketball stars and Native legends for the second HooPalousa.

The first HooPalousa was in November in Moscow, Idaho, and raised more than $3,000 for the American Indian Graduate Fellowship in Creative Writing at the University of Idaho.

In a news release, Alexie described his team’s strategy as thus: “I think our offense is going to be Pendo (Gonzaga basketball alumni David Pendergraft) gets the board, throws a full-court pass to Shann (Ray), who scores, and the rest of us preserve our ACLs.” 

Admission is free, but donations will be accepted to support UI’s creative writing fellowship. The game will begin at 7 p.m. and will be at Whitworth University. There will be books available for sale at the event, and attendees will have a chance to get their books signed by the participating authors after the game.

For more information on this and other Get Lit! events, visit ewu.edu/getlit.

Peretti in Coeur d’Alene

Frank Peretti, the writer of Christian thrillers who has sold more than 15 million books, will sign copies of his book at the Hastings in Coeur d’Alene on Saturday.

Peretti has published more than 20 books. His newest, “Illusion,” has hit the New York Times Best Sellers list. The signing will begin at 1 p.m. at the bookstore, 101 Best Ave.