Deaf Spotlight ｜ Deaf Lit Fest 2026

This is a festival that aims to spotlight Deaf authors of various backgrounds, provide some workshops related to writing and the literary world, and give opportunities for people to meet other like-minded people.

SCHEDULE

Questions? Check out our FAQ! 

AUTHOR LINEUP

• Brittany Castle, Author & Illustrator, Visual Stories in Sign Language

• Rachel Kolb, Author, Articulate

• Sydney Langford, Author, Someone to Dream About

• Youmee Lee, Author & Illustrator, The Chang Family Series

• Raymond Luczak, Author, Poet & Publisher, I’ll Tell You Later

• Carlisle Robinson, Author & Illustrator, The Journey: Deaf Ontarians’ Stories of Resilence

EXPERIENCE OPTIONS

• Friday Ticket (Oct 9th from 7 pm to 9 pm) featuring a Fireside Chat & Book Signing with Rachel Kolb
  • General Admission | $20 + fees
  • Youth | $10 + fees
• Saturday Day Pass (Oct 10th from 9 am to 5 pm) featuring ASL Storytime, Illustrators Panel, Vendors, and Poetry Readings (Workshops are not included).
  • Inclusive Sat Pass | $30 + fees
  • Supporter Sat Pass | $40 + fees
  • Patron Sat Pass | $50 + fees
  • Youth Sat Pass (age 11-18) | $20 + fees
  • Youth Sat Pass (age 0-10) | free 
• Sunday Day Pass (Oct 11th from 9 am to 5 pm) featuring Publishers Panel, Writing Group Panel and Fireside Chat & Book Signing with Brittany Castle
  • Inclusive Sun Pass | $30 + fees
  • Supporter Sun Pass | $40 + fees
  • Patron Sun Pass | $50 + fees
  • Youth Sun Pass (age 11-18) | $20 + fees
  • Youth Sun Pass (age 0-10) | free 
• Weekend Pass for 3 days (Friday-Sunday) includes a DLF swag bag with surprises and a book of your choice: Articulate by Rachel Kolb, Visual Stories in Sign Language by Brittany Castle, or True Biz by Sara Nović. 
  • Inclusive | $120 + fees
  • Supporter | $140 + fees
  • Patron | $160 + fees

ADD ON OPTIONS:

• Saturday Workshop (Oct 10th from 10 am to 11:30 am) ASL Literacy for Children-Parents |  $20 + fees (This is not a part of Saturday Day Pass)
• Saturday Workshop (Oct 10th from 10 am to 11:30 am) Youth Writing |  $20 + fees This is not a part of Saturday Day Pass)
• Book: Articulate by Rachel Kolb | $20 + fees
• Book: Visual Stories in Sign Language by Brittany Castle | $20 + fees
• Book: True Biz by Sara Nović | $20 + fees
• DLF swag bag (I Heart Deaf Lit) | $20 + fees
• DLF swag bag (Deaf Lit Fest) | $20 + fees

CEUs available! More details here.

RADICAL HOSPITALITY

Inspired by Sound Theatre Company and other organizations, we are using the Radical Hospitality Ticket Program to make our event more inclusive and welcoming for all. 

What does that mean for our tickets? We’re excited to offer different experiences at different price levels to make Deaf Lit Fest accessible to everyone. No matter which ticket you choose, you’ll get the same great experience. Please choose the price that works for you. 

There are no assigned seatings at the Deaf Lit Fest. We will prioritize seating for disabled community members. 

 

HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE FESTIVAL? 

• The Deaf Lit Fest will be at the Hugo House, Capitol Hill. 
• If you have purchased your pass or ticket in advance, please go to the WILL CALL booth in the lobby area to check in on the day of.
• We will sell in-person passes and tickets at the door.
• Please show up a bit earlier due to parking. 
• No filming/photography during interview sessions.
• No late admissions.
• All tickets / passes are nonrefundable.

Deaf Spotlight inspires and showcases Deaf Culture and Sign Languages through the arts. 

Deaf Spotlight is a nationally recognized leader in Deaf arts. We emerged from the first Seattle Deaf Film Festival in 2012. Our programming has since expanded to include theater productions / festivals, curated visual art exhibitions, and workshops for Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled and Hard of Hearing artists. 

Many thanks to our festival sponsors: 4Culture, ArtsFund, ArtsWA, City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, Elliot Bay Book Company, Seattle People Fund, Silver Cloud Hotel and Stoup Brewing. 

Poster ID: Deaf Lit Fest Poster 2026.