In the past couple years, there has been a special focus on multicultural and anti-racism literature. Sundee Frazier brings us an incredible novel that you can add to your collection.

Chris Kopczynski – a mountaineer who has braved the highest peaks on all seven continents over the course of his life – said he was “scared to death” when he printed the first 50 copies of his memoir. “I thought they would sit down in the garage,” he said. They didn’t.

Family history, personal experiences and a universal coming-of-age theme paint a stunning, realistic picture of racial relations in Spokane in award-winning author Sundee Frazier’s new book “Mighty Inside.”

For five days last month, Chris Kopczynski and his wife, Michelle Mullin, hiked and boated 46 miles of Oregon’s Rogue River. “That was wild,” the 73-year-old said. And Kopczynski knows wild. As a young man, Kopczynski – known as Kop to many – was one of the world’s preeminent mountaineers.

Chris Kopczynski wanted to be an astronaut but decided to keep his feet firmly beneath him. Instead, he reached as high as he could for the stars, his head above the clouds, without ever leaving the earth. As a child, he climbed higher than any adult would deem safe.

Students in Pennsylvania scored a victory last week in a battle to allow books about diversity and racism to be used in schools. The Central York School Board last fall "froze" teachers' and students' access to books about Rosa Parks, Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai and more.

One great way to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month is to learn a bit of Spanish. Here are a few books you can read together as a family that include text in both English and in Spanish.

Picking out a fresh outfit for the first day of school, skateboarding, baking a peach cobbler – these are just some of the fun things that kids do in the 17 short stories of "Black Boy Joy." "Every story moves toward a place of joy," said Kwame Mbalia.

What better tool is thereto learn more about Hispanic American life and history than a book? Here is a list of fiction by Hispanic American authors and nonfiction on Hispanic American history to help you commemorate the contributions and experiences of Hispanic Americans through Oct. 15 and beyond.

Spokane Arts announced the recipients of its 2021 Arts Awards on Saturday during a small, private celebration for the nominees, as the full event was canceled amid increased public health issues related to the COVID-19 delta variant.

Saadia Faruqi was in college when the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks happened in 2001. Faruqi experienced the aftermath of the attacks differently than many other people in the United States. She is Muslim. The hijackers who flew airplanes also were Muslim.

Jess Walter's novel "The Cold Millions," a nuanced, immersive work of historical fiction centered on two brothers and the labor movement in Spokane in the early 20th century, has won the Washington State Book Award for Fiction.

Starting a new school year can be overwhelming. So many things are new, from friends to teachers, subjects and schedules. If your child is feeling a bit stressed or unsure about the new school year, here are a few books that might help put some of their worries at ease.

Sara Pennypacker has brought readers a sequel to her New York Times bestseller, “Pax.” Published in 2016, “Pax” is about a fox and his boy separated by war and desperate to reunite. Finally at the end of the book, they do find each other.

We hadn’t yet left the house when the first harbinger hit. It was late May and almost two years since Wife No. 5’s departure (my mother was No. 1 and would have left my father like the other four if she hadn't had a stroke first).

Sara Pennypacker often kept to herself as a child in school, the kid who opted to read quietly and kept a bright blue notebook with her so she could craft written stories. Once for a class assignment, she submitted one of those stories to her teacher.

Featuring a “welcome poem” from Poet Laureate Rena Priest, the livestream will showcase “the Humanities Washington programs that bring our state together,” and Charles Johnson, Tiffany Midge and Jess Walter will read aloud original works at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8.

After three years on the island, I stepped off the ferry, back onto the mainland and was greeted by the cruel sound of children eating ice cream. There had been no such treats on the island. No children. I would see my own son tonight at 8 o’clock, but would I recognize him?

Since these unprecedented times aren’t going anywhere fast, it’s still a great time for some escapist fiction. It may be an even better time for these stories now as the Inland Northwest has seen some cooler, breezier days offering the first hints of fall.