‘A lot of authors from Tacoma.’ New exhibit highlights city’s impact on writing
A new interactive exhibit from the Tacoma Historical Society that highlights the city’s impact on the literary world opens Friday.
The City of Stories: Tacoma’s Literary Legacy will showcase the national and emerging authors that have come from the city, independent publishing houses and the local zine scene. The exhibit is sponsored by Tacoma Creates, according to the Tacoma Historical Society website.
“The thing we found really interesting and relevant about the topic was mostly just that turns out there’s a lot of authors from Tacoma,” Elizabeth Korsmo, curator for the Tacoma Historical Society, told The News Tribune.
Korsmo said authors such as Frank Herbert, who wrote “Dune,” and Marissa Meyer, a New York Times bestselling writer, hail from Tacoma. Michael Hart, the inventor of the first e-book, was born in Tacoma, she said.
“And there’s lots of other people that are up and coming,” Korsmo said, “... that are also excellent writers, maybe not as quite as well-known, but they definitely are doing good work.”
People who come to the exhibit will experience hands-on activities such as making your own zine, a story-writing area and making your own book pitch.
“The idea is to encourage people to not just read but also try their hand at writing,” Korsmo said.
One of Korsmo’s favorite parts of the exhibit is a reading nook put together so people can pick up a book and look through it. She said they are also trying to invite local authors to do programs with the museum throughout the year.
The opening event Friday will run from 6-8 p.m., Korsmo said. There will be a keynote speaker, and it will be the first time people can experience the exhibit.
“What we strive to do here is not only to preserve history, but to make sure that we have a safe space for everybody’s stories to be heard,” Jessica Smith, director of the Tacoma Historical Society, told The News Tribune.
She added, “Because Tacoma’s history itself is so diverse, it’s important that we really try to make sure that all of that is shown to the best of our abilities, so that once again, when you come in here ... you can relate and see yourself reflected in what we do.”
Friday’s opening will have a book exchange. Visitors can bring a book or two and swamp them with one another.
Admission to the exhibit is free, and donations are appreciated, Korsmo said.
The exhibit is anticipated to run until late-June 2026. The Tacoma Historical Society’s museum is open to the public from Wednesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m, according to their website.
This story was originally published August 29, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
