Readers enjoy a Kim Ricketts Cooks & Books event at the Palace Ballroom

Anyone who keeps a close eye on the Seattle literary scene will have heard of Kim Ricketts Book Events. Ranging from intimate evenings with bestselling novelists to food-and-wine extravaganzas with internationally renowned chefs, Kim’s events are always intriguing, and often one-of-a-kind. I caught up with Kim to ask her a few questions about her uniquely Seattle literary revolution.

Dan Coxon: Hi Kim.  Why did you start these book (and wine) events?

Kim Ricketts: I worked at a large independent bookstore in Seattle for many years, coordinating their busy event schedule. It often occurred to me that the same people go to bookstore events over and over again – they are great readers and folks, but the audience didn’t expand. And yet at the same time I knew hundreds of people who were book lovers, educated, interested, but for whatever reason they didn’t go to bookstore events. I thought there must be a way to connect them to the authors coming through town.  So I left the bookstore and started my own company, which creates and coordinates events with authors in all kinds of non-bookstore places – workplaces, dinner parties, resorts, homes, etc.

DC: What have been your most memorable events?

KR: Because our events are more experiential, informal and open, we have all kinds of things happen at them that are unexpected. A Cooks & Books dinner with Jacques Pepin ended with the great chef singing love songs to the guests – in French (he has a beautiful voice!); one Words & Wine evening with Andre Dubus III had the great literary novelist climbing down off the stage to teach our interviewer, Warren Etheredge, how to “throw a punch”; our large event with Michael Moore kicked off with Eddie Vedder singing an acoustic tribute; Stephen King spoke candidly about what truly scares him… lots of memorable experiences.

Anna Moore Lappe and Warren Etheredge entertain the crowd at a Kim Ricketts Book Event

DC: So what do you have coming up over the next few months that we should watch out for?

KR: Our fall event schedule is still being filled in, but I’m truly excited about Words & Wine with Steven Johnson on October 7th. He is one of the most interesting writers writing today: an intellectual historian, technology guru, storyteller and all around brilliant and engaging man. His new book is called Where Good Ideas Come From – he should know. It’s an evening with him at the Top of the Town at the Sorrento Hotel, with good wine, appetizers, a smart crowd – who knows what will happen? His new book is going to be huge: you can be there when it happened.  I’m also excited about an evening with NYT food writer Amanda Hesser on November 4th. This is going to be one of the parties of the fall. Much more too.

DC: And finally, what do you make of the current state of the literary scene in Seattle?

KR: Like so many areas and businesses, the publishing and bookselling world is reeling from change. It’s a bit scary for a lot of the traditional bricks-and-mortar-thinking folks. But change is also an opportunity, and if the literary community can stop the infighting we could band together and do what really matters: encourage people to read in any way we know how.  I don’t care what format people read in (and fighting that is a losing battle anyway) – I just believe we are hardwired as human beings to tell each other stories, and we will find ways to do it.   It’s the job of authors to write stories and create characters that people want to read, and I think of my job as gathering people around those stories and ideas – wherever that may be.

Further details of Kim’s future events can be found on the Kim Ricketts Book Events website, or follow us on CultureMob for more Seattle literary events.