Beginning in the early 2000s before re-launching in 2019, Spread circulated for free at only a handful of locations throughout the city and features many of Seattle’s literary luminaries together with obscure authors known only to the most devoted followers of the written word. In a city beset by digital displacement and inelegant discourse, the diverse works in "Spread" serve as a reminder of a place where poetry was once valued; where blue collar bohemia comfortably coexisted with the complexities of contemporary urban life.

Local literary legend Stacey Levine will be celebrating the Ecco re-issue of her 2025 Pulitzer Prize fiction finalist, Mice 1961. A frequent contributor to Spread and prolific novelist, Stacey has collaborated with cartoonists and "Spread" alums David Lasky and Chuk Baldock.