Spark ink & Publishing (SIP)
Coming Soon in Fall 2026
Spark Central believes in the power of sharing your words within a community. As an organization founded by writers and storytellers, we think that everyone should have opportunities to create in a supportive environment that fosters learning and growth and have pathways to publishing to bring their work into the world to share with family, friends, and beyond. Our hope for Spark Ink and Publishing is to create opportunities for people of all ages to share their story.
After receiving a generous grant from Hagan Foundation, Spark Central purchased a Risograph, an art printer that digitally uses the same mechanisms as screen printing. With new mediums, we hope to offer new ways to explore written and visual storytelling. Risographs have a rich history in zines and other small independent publications, something that we know will appeal to the many artists in our community who are already creating works in this realm.
Our Risograph will be available to members of SIP and integrated into regular programming like Zine Scenez and Sketch Dreams, as well as one-off workshops where artists can experiment with color, layers, and new techniques. Youth from around Spokane, enrolled in our after-school programs through STAR After-School and Inland Story Lab, will have opportunities to practice design and collaboration as they work on projects through the Risograph. Through this work, we hope to promote working together, learning the publishing process, honing editorial skills, and telling stories collectively.
For questions about SIP or our Risograph, please contact info@spark-central.org
Past publishing initiatives have included West Central Express, a student-led newspaper created by 3rd–5th grade participants in our after-school programs at Holmes, Audubon, and Garfield Elementary Schools. Supported by dedicated volunteers and community sponsors, this initiative provided a powerful, hands-on learning experience for young journalists.
West Central Express
WITH STUDENTS AT HOLMES, AUDUBON & Garfield
Another highlight includes Spark Central’s series of short-run published writing collections, created in collaboration with local writers and community participants. These collections brought together teens and adults from across Spokane through writing workshops centered on meaningful exercises, collaborative workshopping, and a culminating community reading. Each participant received a copy of the publication, with additional copies sold to support future programs—creating a cycle that continues to invest in community creativity. These projects featured a diverse cross-section of Spokane, including teens and seniors, immigrants, long-time neighborhood residents, writing novices, and established writers.
