Seattle, it’s been awhile since we’ve gathered together in celebration of books, authors, and all things wordy. That’s why Town Hall is thrilled to invite you to the first chapter of something big: an annual Writers Festival that pays tribute to everything we love about the written word.

Welcome to Volume I: Humble Beginnings. September 16 and 17, gather at Town Hall’s historic building for an extraordinary roster of fiction and non-fiction authors. Come and go as you please for book signings and tasty food, snag $10 featured titles from our friends at Third Place Books (Saturday only, while supplies last!), and surround yourself with the good company of curious readers just like yourself, here in our marvelous City of Literature.

September 16-17, 2022 Town Hall Seattle 1119 8th Avenue
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Friday, September 16, 2022, 6:30PM
Volume Writers Festival Day 1: Humble Beginnings
Opening Keynote with Siddhartha Mukherjee, Moderated by Ross Reynolds
Saturday, September 17, 2022, 9:00AM
Volume Writers Festival Day 2: Humble Beginnings
Eight Authors, One Extraordinary Day
Saturday, September 17, 2022, 8:00PM
Sloane Crosley with Maria Semple
2022 Writers Festival Nightcap

Ticketing Information

We’re offering several ticketing options for Volume I. Choose the day(s) you’ll attend and the format (in-person or virtual). Or, let your literary love loose with a VIP Pass that brings you the very best of all that Volume I has to offer. As always, Town Hall Members receive special member pricing. All passes include a festival tote bag and bookmark.

Ticket Types

2-Day Pass | Flash Sale! $10 In-Person or Virtual
Includes a copy of Siddhartha Mukherjee’s book, The Song of the Cell,* admission to Saturday’s Nightcap with Sloane Crosley at 8:00pm, $10 featured titles from Third Place Books on Saturday, a festival tote bag, and a bookmark.
VIP Pass | Flash Sale! $100 In-Person Only
Includes admission to Friday’s and Saturday’s events, signed copies of all books*, a deluxe commemorative tote, admission into the Friday VIP Reception, and access to the Saturday VIP Lounge
Youth 22 & Under
A limited number of free youth 22 & under tickets, both virtual and in-person, are also available

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Stay for your favorite authors, or the whole festival – attendees may come and go as they please! Food will be available for purchase from several on-site vendors. Get the whole festival schedule and food vendor info here.

*Siddhartha Mukherjee’s book, The Song of the Cell, will be shipped upon publication, slated for late October.


Jourdan Imani Keith
Opening Invocation with Seattle’s 2019- 2022 Civic Poet

Friday, 9/16 at 6:20pm

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Siddhartha Mukherjee

The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human

The past, present, and future of life’s basic building blocks: cells

Friday, 9/16 at 6:30PM

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Lan Samantha Chang

The Family Chao

A witty portrait of three Chinese American brothers in small-town America

Saturday, 9/17 at 9AM

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A.M. Homes

The Unfolding

A darkly comic alternative history of the United States

Saturday, 9/17 at 10:30AM

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David Quammen

Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus

How scientists deciphered the COVID-19 code

Saturday, 9/17 at 12PM

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Oscar Hokeah

Calling for a Blanket Dance

One Indigenous family’s struggle to live honorably and love unconditionally

Saturday, 9/17 at 1:30PM

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Leila Mottley

Nightcrawling

A Black girl’s story of poverty, corruption, and survival

Saturday, 9/17 at 3PM

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Joyce Carol Oates

Babysitter

A story of love and deceit, lust and redemption

Saturday, 9/17 at 4:30PM

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Ted Chiang

“Magic and Imaginary Science in Fiction”

A discussion on the craft of Science Fiction

Saturday, 9/17 at 6:00pm

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Writers Festival Nightcap: Sloane Crosley

Cult Classic

A suspenseful, hilarious take on what it means to be in love.

Saturday, 9/17 at 8:00pm

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Speaker lineup is subject to change.

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