260. Scratch Night 2024 with Maia Brown and Brivele
Town Hall Seattle Arts & Culture Series
Release Date: 06/07/2024
388. Nathan Myhrvold with Bethany Jean Clement: Modernist Bread at Home
Town Hall Seattle Arts & Culture Series
Join Modernist Cuisine founder and author Nathan Myhrvold to explore one of the world’s most beloved (and occasionally controversial) foods: bread. In this conversation that’s sure to be like naan other, Myhrvold will discuss his new book, Modernist Bread at Home, and why now is the perfect time to rise to the occasion and start making bread in your own kitchen. Myhrvold will draw on the Modernist Cuisine team’s extensive research to share some of his favorite insights, tips, and tricks from the book, all the info you knead to make better bread at home. Nathan Myhrvold is...
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387. André Aciman with Marcie Sillman: Coming of Age in The Eternal City — A New Book by the Author of "Call Me by Your Name"
Town Hall Seattle Arts & Culture Series
The city of Rome is a legacy locale in countless areas of history and culture. For teenage refugee André Aciman, Rome was also a source of life-changing challenges, charms, and connections that would have a place in his heart for years to come. In his upcoming book Roman Year: A Memoir, Aciman recounts the ways his family adapted to the harsh realities of their transition and how he himself fell in love with the poetry and potential of a new home. Roman Year transports readers back to a tumultuous chapter of Aciman’s youth as his Jewish family fled an era of growing political...
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386. Tui T. Sutherland with Ben Clanton: Wings of Fire – The Dragonet Prophecy
Town Hall Seattle Arts & Culture Series
Join us for an exciting event with Tui T. Sutherland, the bestselling author behind the #1 New York Times and USA Today series Wings of Fire. Sutherland discusses the limited edition release of The Dragonet Prophecy, the first book in the series, offering insights into the world of dragons and the captivating characters that have enchanted readers around the globe. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from the author herself and dive into the adventure that has sparked imaginations everywhere. is the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Wings of...
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385. Louise Erdrich with Karen Russell: Dark Realities and Glimmering Hopes in the Red River Valley
Town Hall Seattle Arts & Culture Series
Can you see the shape of your soul in the everchanging clouds? Your personal salvation in the giant expanse of sky? For the ensemble cast of characters that make up the prairie community at the heart of The Mighty Red, existential questions are constantly close to the surface. In her newest novel, author Louise Erdrich immerses readers in the Red River Valley of the North and the complicated lives of its inhabitants. Argus, North Dakota is a town framed by the 2008 economic crisis, the consequences of climate change, and the dynamics of small-town drama. Thrown into motion by a chaotic...
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284. Eva Walker and Jacob Uitti with Molly Sides, Jimmy James, Evan Flory-Barnes, and Marco Collins: The Sound of Seattle
Town Hall Seattle Arts & Culture Series
What connects Seattle with Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, and Kenny G? How about the Melvins, Sleater-Kinney, and Foo Fighters? And Sir Mix-a-Lot, Macklemore, and Travis Thompson? If you don’t know, KEXP DJ and musician Eva Walker and music writer Jake Uitti can tell you. Walker and Uitti have created a timeline of Seattle’s music evolution through the lens of 101 songs spanning 80 years, the culmination of which, they say, creates a distinct “Seattle sound.” In their book, The Sound of Seattle, they highlight notable music and musicians who have ties with the Emerald city. It all...
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283. Edward Burns with Katy Sewall: A Kid from Marlboro Road
Town Hall Seattle Arts & Culture Series
Edward Burns is known for his work as an actor and filmmaker, and now he’s debuting his novel-writing skills in A Kid from Marlboro Road. Set in the 1970s, his novel follows an Irish-American family living on Long Island––elements inspired by Burns’s own childhood. This coming-of-age tale explores the impacts of family history, the growing independence in early adolescence, death and grief, and dynamic family relationships. Burns tells the story through the eyes of a 13-year-old boy, Kneeney, who opens the tale at the wake of his beloved grandfather, Pop. The wake’s overflowing...
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282. Sahaj Kohli with Ruchika T. Malhotra: When Mental Health, Family, & Culture Intersect
Town Hall Seattle Arts & Culture Series
As the daughter of immigrants, Sahaj Kaur Kohli grew up understanding what it means to straddle multiple cultures at once. She wrestled with questions like what it meant to forge one’s path, establishing personal values while embracing one’s origins; if prioritizing mental health meant a rejection of culture; how to set boundaries and engage in self-care when family and community are so important. Even after becoming a therapist herself, she saw those same gaps in the mental health world, leading her to wonder, like so many children of immigrants: what about us? Kohli’s latest...
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281. Inspired Natives®: Celebrate Native Art, Culture, and Food
Town Hall Seattle Arts & Culture Series
Celebrate Native art and culture with Learn why supporting Native-designed products and art is crucial, and how your support fosters Native prosperity while combating cultural appropriation. Panelists: Founder of OXDX, Jared Yazzie (Navajo/Diné) is a self-taught graphic artist, entrepreneur, and designer known for his bold, graphic style that incorporates vibrant Diné motifs with messages of Native empowerment. Through his bold art and products, both with Eighth Generation and through his own brand OXDX, Jared works to increase awareness of Indigenous issues while...
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280. David Yeager with Tricia Raikes: The Science of Speaking to Young People
Town Hall Seattle Arts & Culture Series
Imagine a world in which Gen Xers, millennials, and boomers interact with young people in ways that leave them feeling inspired, enthusiastic, and ready to contribute—rather than disengaged, outraged, or overwhelmed. That world may be closer than you think. In his new book, 10-to-25: The Science of Motivating Young People, psychologist David Yeager explains how to stop fearing young people’s brains and how to truly connect with them. Neuroscientists have discovered that around age ten, puberty spurs the brain to crave socially rewarding experiences, such as pride, admiration, and...
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279. Khushbu Shah with J. Kenji López-Alt: Culture & Cuisine
Town Hall Seattle Arts & Culture Series
What is Indian food in America? The country’s identity as a melting pot makes for a diverse tapestry of flavors, but that doesn’t always equate to easily being able to identify one’s place in the culinary landscape. In her debut cookbook Amrikan: 125 Recipes From the Indian Diaspora, acclaimed Food & Wine writer and editor Khushbu Shah presents instructions for preparing dinners, drinks, and desserts as varied as Saag Paneer Lasagna, Pani Puri Mojitos, and Masala Chai Basque Cheesecake. But Shah goes beyond instructions and ingredients, writing about the...
info_outlineTown Hall's 2024 Scratch Night featuring the work-in-progress of our Artist-in-Residence Maia Brown
In collaboration with Brivele bandmate, Stefanie Brendler, Maia crafts an intimate evening that dives deep into the Yiddish archives of anti-fascist poetry and song, offering a glimpse into their creative process.
Maia Brown, a visual artist, Yiddish musician, and educator, brings a rich background in oral history and fine art to this exploration, alongside Stefanie Brendler, a multi-talented Seattle-based artist, composer, and member of the klezmer brass band Shpilkis. This evening comprises a stirring blend of storytelling and music, echoing the resilience and resistance found within Yiddish tradition.
About the Artists
Maia Brown (she/her) is a visual artist, Yiddish musician, writer, translator, and educator. Brown has a background in oral history and fine art, including a Watson Fellowship to study storytelling and advocacy in South Africa and the North of Ireland. She received her Master of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Arts at Goddard College. She is a dedicated student and teacher of her own tradition as well as the many ways people have reached out to each other across communities.
Stefanie Brendler is a Seattle-based multi-instrumentalist, composer, visual artist, translator, storyteller, and union stagehand. The founder of Seattle’s premier klezmer brass band Shpilkis, Stefanie is also a member of the Yiddish folk-punk band Brivele. Despite the constant toil under capitalism, heteropatriarchy, and nationalism, Stefanie’s artistry reflects the joys of life as a queer Jew.
Brivele, a Seattle-based ensemble, blends Yiddish song, anti-fascist and labor balladry, folk-punk, and contemporary protest themes into powerful vocal harmony. Meaning “little letter” in Yiddish, Brivele symbolizes the journey songs undertake, crossing borders and time, carrying tales of love, resistance, and resilience. Rooted in the Yiddish anti-fascist tradition, their repertoire merges satire, remembrance, and political commentary, echoing the voices of ancestors in today’s struggles. With an irreverent spirit, Brivele proudly embraces Diaspora heritage, singing in Yiddish as a testament to the enduring relevance of our mixed-up, impure Yidishkayt.
About Town Hall Residencies
Every year, Town Hall selects exceptional local artists and scholars for paid residencies where they engage with Town Hall programs and collaborate with our programming team to develop original events for the community. Read more about our residency program here.
WORKS CITED:
- "Music in Concentration Camps: 1933-1945" by Guido Fackler
- Passionate Pioneers: The Story of Yiddish Secular Education in North America, 1910-1960 by Fradle Pomerantz Freidenreich
- "The birth and long life of ‘Peat Bog Soldiers’ on its 90th anniversary" by Fiete Ausländer
- "Memories of a Jewish American red diaper baby" by Susan Gosman