WSBA Author Events

2026 Events
text reads: online author talk. nov 4, 7 pm, Leyna Krow, Sinkhole, and Other Inexplicable Voids in conversation with Sharma Shields. Presented in partnership with The Spokane Public Library. Registration is required. logos for the WA State Book Awards and WA Center for the Book are included. There is a photo of the author smiling and an image of the book with the winner seal on the cover.Leyna Krow in conversation with Sharma Shields, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. online.


Past Events (2025 WSBA Winners):
text reads: Zine Reading & Workshop. Feb. 19, 6 pm at CAM. Tessa Hulls, Feeding Ghosts. Presented in partnership with Washington Authors Against Book Bans, CAM, and Short Run. *The Zine Reading portion of this event will be available online via Zoom. There is an image of Tessa Hulls, her book Feeding Ghosts and logos for the WA State Book Awards and WA Center for the Book.Tessa Hulls Zine Reading in partnership with Washington Authors Against Book Bans, CAM, and Short Run, Feb. 19 at Common Objects.

text reads: Online Author Talk. Jan. 14, 6 p.m. Katrina Carrasco Rough Trade in conversation with WSBA Judge Marcus Harrison Green. Presented in partnership with Tacoma Public Library's Northwest Room and Charlie's Queer Books. Registration is required. Logos for the WA state book awards and WA center for the book are included. there is a photo of the author and image of the book with the winner's seal on the cover.


Katrina Carrasco in conversation with Marcus Harrison Green, Jan. 14, 6 p.m. Presented in partnership with Tacoma Public Library’s Northwest Room and Charlie’s Queer Books. 

text reads: author talk. jan. 9, 6 p.m. Scott Kurtz Table Titans Club in conversation with Sara White. A photo of Scott and his book with the WSBA winner seal on it are included. logos for the wa center for the book and wa state book awards are included. Recording of Scott Kurtz in conversation with WSL Youth Services Consultant Sara White at the Northshore Middle School Library in Bothell.


text reads: Storytime with Belen Medina! Nov. 9, 2 p.m. FVRL's Vancouver Community Library and online! There are images of Belen Medina and her picture book Daughter of the Light-Footed People. Logos for the WA State Book Awards and WA Center for the Book are included.
Storytime with Belen Medina, Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. in person at FVRL’s Vancouver Community Library and online.


text reads: online author talk dec. 16, 12:25 p.m. K.A. Cobell Looking for Smoke in conversation with WSBA Judge Jen Haas. Registration is required. a photo of the author and an image of the book cover with the winners seal are included with the logos for the WA State Book Awards and WA Center for the Book.K.A. Cobell in conversation with WSBA Judge Jen Haas. 

Past Events (2024 WSBA Winners):

Text reads: Celebrate DUEL with Jessixa and Aaron Bagley! April 19, 10:30 a.m. SPL's Lake City Branch. images of Jessixa and Aaron smiling, Duel's book cover, and the logos for the washington center for the book and washington state book awards are incuded.
Special video made by Jessixa and Aaron Bagley!    

text reads: Celebrate Painted Deveils with Margaret Owen. A photo of the author appears next to the book cover and a logo for the Washington State Book Awards and for the Washington Center for the Book.
Recording of Margaret Owen’s introductory words at the Ballard High School Library on April 25, 2025.

text reads: Author Talk, Jan. 16, 7 p.m. Sonora Jha. The Laughter. in conversation with WSBA judge Jennie Diaz. In person at the Hugo House and online via Zoom. logos for the Washington State Book Awards and the WA Center for the Book are included. There is an author photo of Jha and an image of The Laughter with the WSBA winner seal on the cover.

Sonora Jha in conversation with WSBA Judge Jennie Diaz, Jan. 16, 7 p.m. in person at the Hugo House and online via Zoom. 

text reads: draw along in the studio with andy & ben jan. 14, 11 a.m. Ben Clanton & Andy Chou Musser. logos for the WA state book awards and the wa center for the book are included as well as the cover of ploof with the wsba gold seal. smiling images of ben and andy are included.

Draw Along in the Studio with Andy & Ben!

text reads: Online Writing Workshop Nov. 14, 6-7:30 pm Jane Wong. Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City. Registration is required. Presented in partnership with The Seattle Public Library and Whatcom County Library System. A photo of Jane Wong and her book cover with the WSBA winner seal on it are included. The WA Center for the Book logo is included.
Online Writing Workshop with Jane Wong, Nov. 14, 6-7:30 p.m. Presented in partnership with The Seattle Public Library and Whatcom County Library System.

Promotional graphic for an online author talk featuring Washington State Book Award winner Timothy Egan discussing 'A Fever in the Heartland' on November 19 at 6 p.m. with WSBA Judge Marcus Harrison Green. Presented by the Washington Center for the Book in partnership with The Seattle Public Library. Registration is required.

Timothy Egan in conversation with Hannah Murphy Winter, Nov. 19, 6-7 p.m. online via Zoom. Presented in partnership with The Seattle Public Library. 

Past Events (2023 WSBA Winners):Washington State Book Award Winner Kim Fu, Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century. July 25, 7 p.m. in conversation with Danya Kukafka in person at WTBBL and online. images of the book cover and a photo of the author smiling at the camera are shown.

Kim Fu in conversation with Danya Kukafka online and in person at the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library (WTBBL), July 25, 7 p.m. 

text reads: washington state book award winner will taylor - the language of seabirds - june 14 - at the ballard high school library. there is a picture of the book cover and a black and white photo of the author.Will Taylor at the Ballard High School Library, June 14.text reads: Washington State Book Award Winner Ellie Peterson. How to Hug a Pufferfish. May 11, 3 p.m. in person at the Kirkland Branch of KCLS and ONLINE. the book cover and a photo of Ellie Peterson smiling are included.

Ellie Peterson in person at the Kirkland Branch of KCLS and online, May 11, 3 p.m.

Tae Keller in conversation with librarian Erika Miller of The Seattle Public Library

text reads: Washington State Book Award Winner Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe, Red Paint: The Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk. April 29, 9:30 a.m. online and in person at Spokane Community College. The book cover and a photo of the authro in a Wipers t-shirt are included.

Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe in person at Spokane Community College (Lair Auditorium, Building 6) and online, April 29, 9:30 a.m.

J. Kenji López-Alt at the Central Branch of The Seattle Public Library on Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m. as filmed by The Seattle Channel.

Past Events (2022 WSBA Winners):
text reads: Washington State Book Award Winner, Margaret Owen Little Thieves. Dec. 12, 5:30 p.m. in person at The Seattle Public Library South Branch and online. There is an image of Margaret Owen and the book cover for Little ThievesMargaret Owen in person at the Southwest Branch of The Seattle Public Library and streaming live online. 

Kate Lebo in person at the Spokane Public Library’s Liberty Park Branch and streaming live online. Audio recording.

Sharon Hashimoto in-person at the KCLS Tukwila Branch and streaming live via Zoom, April 8, 2 p.m.

Elsa Sjunneson live in-person at the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL) and streaming live via Zoom, April 6, 7 p.m. 
Seattle Channel recording.

E. Lily Yu was in conversation with WSBA Judge and KCLS Librarian Jenna Zarzycki at SPL’s Central Branch, Feb. 25, 2:30 p.m. (no recording available)

text reads: 2022 Washington State Book Award Winner Sundee Frazier. Might Inside. There is a black and white photo of Sundee smiling and looking up with a tree behind her. There is an image of the book cover with the WSBA winner seal and the junior library guild selection seal.
Sundee Frazier spoke at Cascade Elementary School in Renton on Feb. 9.
Here is a special video we put together aftewards.


Lynda Mapes in-person at SPL’s Central Branch and live online via Zoom, Jan. 12, 7 p.m. 


Jennifer Bradbury in-person at Burlington Public Library and recorded Nov. 5, 2022
via Washington State Library YouTube Channel

Past Events (2021 WSBA Winners):

E.J. Koh in Conversation with Zola Mumford recorded live Dec. 1, 2021
via The Seattle Public Library’s YouTube Channel
via Washington State Library’s Niche Academy (free Niche Academy registration req’d)
Take a Stand: Art Against Hate, A Raven Chronicles Anthology recorded live Dec. 9, 2021
via The Seattle Public Library’s YouTube Channel
via Washington State Library’s Niche Academy (free Niche Academy registration req’d)
Jennifer Longo in Conversation with Claudia Rowe recorded live on Dec. 15, 2021
via The Seattle Public Library’s YouTube Channel
via Washington State Library’s Niche Academy (free Niche Academy registration req’d)
Jess Walter in Conversation with Sheri Boggs recorded live on Jan. 19, 2022
via The Seattle Public Library YouTube Channel
via Washington State Library’s Niche Academy (free Niche Academy registration req’d)
Clyde W. Ford recorded live on Jan. 26, 2022
via The Seattle Public Library YouTube Channel
via Washington State Library’s Niche Academy (free Niche Academy registration req’d)
Jennifer Haupt recorded live on Feb. 2, 2022
via The Seattle Public Library YouTube Channel
via Washington State Library’s Niche Academy (free Niche Academy registration req’d)
Jennifer K. Mann in Conversation with Erika Miller released on Feb. 8, 2022
via The Seattle Public Library YouTube Channel
via Washington State Library’s Niche Academy (free Niche Academy registration req’d)
Sarah Kapit in Conversation with Jenn Carter released on March 8, 2022
via The Seattle Public Library YouTube Channel
via Washington State Library’s Niche Academy (free Niche Academy registration req’d)

Past Events (2020 WSBA Winners)

Karl Marlantes: Deep River
Paisley Rekdal: Nightingale
Aaron Bobrow-Strain: The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez: A Border Story
Eric Liu: Become America: Civic Sermons on Love, Responsibility, and Democracy 
Eric Scigliano:The Big Thaw: Ancient Carbon, Modern Science, and a Race to Save the World 
Bridget Beth Collins: Flora Forager ABC
Clare Hodgson Meeker: Growing Up Gorilla
Brittney Morris: Slay

We are grateful to the Amazon Literary Partnership for their generous support of the Washington State Book Awards.