Our weekly round-up of arts and culture news in the Greater Seattle area.

Spring Arts Preview 2013: Books

Seattle Magazine, Brangien Davis

Some of the country’s best writers are reading in Seattle this season.

The invisible work of lighting design

Crosscut, Alice Kaderlan

Randall G. Chiarelli has been Pacific Northwest Ballet’s technical director and lighting designer since 1979 (except for a one-year stint with San Francisco Ballet). He has created the lighting designs for much of PNB’s repertory, including Kent Stowell’s “Swan Lake,” “Firebird,” “The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet,” “Carmina Burana,” “Cinderella” and “Carmen,” and re-created the designs for PNB’s Balanchine repertory. A Seattle native, Chiarelli received painting and sculpture degrees from the University of Washington.

$100M Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences closes on schedule

Puget Sound Business Journal, Patti Payne

A $100 million dollar Seattle-based philanthropic foundation has closed its doors. The Charles and Lisa Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences is now history, having fulfilled its plan and accomplished its original mission to give away its entire principal in 10 years

STG’s Nights at the Neptune: A People’s Theatre Joint

Seattle Theatre Group, Request for Proposals

Seattle Theatre Group (STG), the non-profit arts organization which programs and manages three historic Seattle theatres (Paramount, Moore and Neptune), will make The Neptune Theatre in Seattle’s University District available free of charge to artists and community organizations who would like to create and perform a public arts event. This program is called STG’s Nights at the Neptune: A People’s Theatre Joint. Eight projects will be selected in the spring and then presented during the summer of 2013. All events will be offered at no charge to the public.

Arts and Our Civic Fabric with Kathy Hsieh

KING FM with Marta Zekan

Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs cultural partnerships & funding manager Kathy Hsieh talks about the Race and Social Justice Initiative, smART ventures and more.

Royal Alley-Barnes and the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute

KING FM with Marta Zekan

Langston Institute executive director Royal Alley-Barnes talks about programs and events at the Langston Institute for the next several months, including the 10th anniversary of the Langston Hughes African American Film Festival.