Town Hall Seattle Arts & Culture Series
The Arts & Culture series enriches our community with imagination and creativity. Whether reinventing the classics for a new audience or presenting an innovative new art form, these events are aimed at expanding horizons. From poetry to music to storytelling, this series leaves our audiences inspired, encouraged, and seeing the world with new eyes.
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273. Reagan Jackson with Quenton Baker and Bettina Judd: Exploring Seattle's Evolution
09/04/2024
273. Reagan Jackson with Quenton Baker and Bettina Judd: Exploring Seattle's Evolution
What does it mean to bear witness to a city in flux, where the echoes of inequality, gentrification, and community resistance reverberate through its streets? Author and activist Reagan Jackson’s collection of essays, Still True, poses this question and chronicles her journey into the world of journalism. Equal parts personal testament, structural interrogation, and social criticism, Jackson offers a profound reflection on the evolving landscape of Seattle. By illuminating the struggles and triumphs of marginalized communities, Jackson reinforces our collective resolve in the face of adversity. Jackson offers a glimpse into the interconnectedness of human experiences and the enduring quest for social justice. Join us for a discussion about Jackson’s book and the ever-changing landscape of our city. Reagan Jackson believes in creating communities of belonging and the efficacy of critical thinking followed by action. She is a multi-genre writer (poet, novelist, award-winning journalist, children’s book author), an artist, activist, and international educator with an abiding love of justice, spirituality, and traveling to new places. Reagan is passionate about providing young people with opportunities and support. To that end, she is the co-executive Director of Young Women Empowered and has taken over two hundred youth abroad to Japan, Guatemala, and Mexico respectively. She is the cohost and producer of the Deep End Friends Podcast. Quenton Baker is a poet, educator, and Cave Canem fellow. Their current focus is black interiority and the afterlife of slavery. Their work has appeared in The Offing, Jubilat, Prairie Schooner, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. They are a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee and the recipient of the 2018 Arts Innovator Award from Artist Trust. They were a 2019 Robert Rauschenberg Artist in Residence and a 2021 National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellow. They are the author of we pilot the blood (The 3rd Thing, 2021) and ballast (Haymarket Books, 2023). Bettina Judd is an interdisciplinary writer, artist, and performer whose research focus is on Black women’s creative production and use of visual art, literature, and music to develop feminist thought. Her book Feelin: Creative Practice, Pleasure, and Black Feminist Thought (Northwestern University Press, December 2022) argues that Black women’s creative production is feminist knowledge production produced by registers of affect she calls “feelin.” She is currently .
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272. Nicholas D. Kristof with Timothy Egan: A Journey Through Journalism
09/03/2024
272. Nicholas D. Kristof with Timothy Egan: A Journey Through Journalism
Headlines from around the world flash on our television screens and appear on our newsfeeds, but we don’t always know what life is like for journalists who often risk their lives to deliver the news. New York Times columnist, Pulitzer Prize winner, and bestselling author Nicholas D. Kristof has penned a memoir, Chasing Hope: A Reporter’s Life about his four decades in and out of the newsroom — not only as a reporter but also as a foreign correspondent, bureau chief, and columnist. Since 1984, Kristof has worked almost continuously for the New York Times and has reported from around the globe, crossing cultural and continental lines. Kristof witnessed and wrote about some of the most memorable events in this century: the Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, the Yemeni civil war, the Darfur genocide in Sudan, and the epidemic of addiction that swept through his hometown in rural Oregon and a broad swath of working-class America. Readers of Chasing Hope will learn about Kristof’s colleagues as well as laymen who impacted his life, such as the dissident whom he helped escape from China and a Catholic nun who browbeat a warlord into releasing kidnapped schoolgirls. Kristof believes that he has seen some of the worst of humanity as well as the best. The memoir details Kristof’s long and eventful career as a journalist and examines ideas of global citizenship forged over a lifetime. Nicholas D. Kristof is an op-ed columnist for The New York Times, where he was previously bureau chief in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Tokyo. He is the co-author, with his wife, Sheryl WuDunn, of five previous books: Tightrope, A Path Appears, Half the Sky, Thunder from the East, and China Wakes. He was awarded two Pulitzer Prizes, one with WuDunn in 1990 for their coverage of China, and the second in 2006 for his columns on Darfur. Timothy Egan is a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter and the author of nine other books, most recently the highly acclaimed A Pilgrimage to Eternity and The Immortal Irishman, a New York Times bestseller. His book on the Dust Bowl, The Worst Hard Time, won a National Book Award for Excellence in Nonfiction. His account of photographer Edward Curtis, Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher, won the Carnegie Medal for nonfiction.
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271. Sebastian Junger: Musings on Mortality
08/25/2024
271. Sebastian Junger: Musings on Mortality
When given the option, most people will go out of their way to avoid risking life and limb. However, the world is full of people who face untold dangers daily, by circumstance or by choice, and walk through life with a greater understanding of death than many possess. After a career as a war reporter and examiner of dangerous occupations, Sebastian Junger would’ve considered himself well-versed in the realities of dire consequences. Yet when a quiet afternoon at home resulted in a first-hand near fatality, he found himself ill-prepared to examine his experience. In his newest book, In My Time of Dying: How I Came Face to Face with the Idea of an Afterlife, Junger reaches into the darkness of near-death and the many questions waiting on the other side of survival. In this introspective memoir meets heavy-hitting medical drama, Junger sets out to grapple with the seemingly unanswerable queries and concerns that haunted him after suffering a nearly lethal ruptured aneurysm. Weighing a background that praised the empirical against the old ghosts that appeared to him at his most critical moments, atheist-identified Junger ventures even further into the unfamiliar by following a line of deeply human questions. How do we begin to process the brutal fact that any of us might perish unexpectedly on what begins as an ordinary day? And what happens to a person, emotionally and spiritually, when forced to reckon with such existential questions? In My Time of Dying explores the intersection of science, religion, and philosophy and turns the examination inward when pondering how we best continue to live once we become truly aware that no one is immune to death. Sebastian Junger is a best-selling author, award-winning journalist, and documentary filmmaker with a focus on stories of war, occupational risk, and trauma. His reporting and writing have been featured in Vanity Fair, where he serves as a contributing editor, National Geographic Adventure, Harper’s, and The New York Times Magazine. His previous publications and works include the books The Perfect Storm, War, Tribe, and Freedom as well as the Academy Award-nominated documentary film Restrepo. He is the founder and director of Vets Town Hall, an organization that provides veterans with opportunities to speak about their experiences.
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270. Miranda July with Laurie Frankel: A Novel of Alluring Adventure
08/23/2024
270. Miranda July with Laurie Frankel: A Novel of Alluring Adventure
You’re planning a road trip — you’ve got snacks, you’ve got directions from Los Angeles to New York, and you’ve got a deep sense of curiosity and longing as the home you know fades quickly into your rearview mirror. For the forty-five year old artist at the heart of Miranda July’s All Fours, the pull towards the unknown proves a little too tempting. She pulls off the highway a mere thirty minutes from home, but far enough away to dive headfirst into a journey of surprises, thrills, and the authentic absurdity of human connection. In her upcoming second novel, Miranda July spins her seasoned comedic skills with thoughtful nuance to craft an exploration of identity and desire in mid-life womanhood. What does our protagonist expect, and what is expected of her, and how much should she care about those expectations in the first place? All Fours is a quest for experiences as much as answers and July has plenty of pit stops planned for readers to stock up on discovery, sexy sparks, and personal reinvention. Miranda July is a director, filmmaker, artist, and author. Her works include the award-winning collection of short stories No One Belongs Here More Than You and New York Times bestselling novel The First Bad Man, as well as the films Me and You and Everyone We Know and Kajillionaire. Her writing has been featured in The Paris Review, Harper’s, and the New Yorker. Laurie Frankel is the New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of five novels, including her new one, Family Family, as well as One Two Three and This Is How It Always Is. Her writing has also appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Poets & Writers, Publisher’s Weekly, and other publications. She is the recipient of the Washington State Book Award and the Endeavor Award.
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269. Julian Randall with Ally Ang: Past, Present, and Prevail
08/21/2024
269. Julian Randall with Ally Ang: Past, Present, and Prevail
Many of us have sought information about our family history, trying to solve those unanswered questions about our predecessors. In the quest for truths about others through examining their lives and lineage, we may also find truths about ourselves in the process. In his latest release and nonfiction debut, The Dead Don’t Need Reminding: In Search of Fugitives, Mississippi, and Black TV Nerd Shit, New York Times bestselling author Julian Randall braids past with present as he retraces the life of his grandfather, a white-passing patriarch driven from a town in Mississippi, all the way to Randall’s own internal battles with depression and how he ultimately emerged from its depths. Randall weaves pop culture into his pages, exploring grief, family, emotional health, and the American way with a medley of media ranging from Into the Spiderverse and Jordan Peele movies to BoJack Horseman and the music of Odd Future. Seattle writer Ally Ang joins Randall in conversation for an evening of laughter, tears, and everything in-between. Julian Randall is a contributor to the #1 New York Times bestseller Black Boy Joy and his middle-grade novel, Pilar Ramirez and the Escape From Zafa, was published by Holt in 2022. He has received fellowships from Cave Canem, Tin House, and Milkweed Editions. He is the winner of the 2019 Betty Berzon Emerging Writer Award from the Publishing Triangle, the 2019 Frederick Bock Prize, and a Pushcart prize. His poetry has been published in The New York Times Magazine, Ploughshares, and POETRY. His first book, Refuse, won the Cave Canem Poetry Prize and was a finalist for an NAACP Image Award. He lives in Chicago. Ally Ang is a gaysian poet and editor based in Seattle, Washington. Their work has been published in Queer Nature: A Poetry Anthology, Nepantla: An Anthology Dedicated to Queer Poets of Color, Foglifter, Columbia Journal,and elsewhere. They are a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee, a Tin House workshop alum, and a 2022 Jack Straw Writers Program fellow. Ang holds a BA in sociology and Asian American studies from Wellesley College and an MFA in creative writing from the University of Washington. They are currently working on their first full-length poetry collection. When not writing, Ang can be found gazing longingly at bodies of water or doting on their cat, Gomez.
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268. Ruth Dickey with Rebecca Hoogs: Our Hollowness Sings — Poetry Celebrating Resilience
08/15/2024
268. Ruth Dickey with Rebecca Hoogs: Our Hollowness Sings — Poetry Celebrating Resilience
Our Hollowness Sings by Ruth Dickey explores human brokenness, navigating themes of loss, grief, and the quest for healing. Through seasons of profound absence, particularly the loss of her mother, Dickey crafts a poetic journey tethered to the earth, transforming grief into affirmations and blessings. The collection celebrates the human spirit’s resilience, offering striking insights into everyday spaces and the complexities of life. With honesty, humor, and heartbreak, Dickey’s poems embrace the full spectrum of human experience, transcending pain to reach for joy and renewal. In navigating devastation with precision and grace, she guides readers through the delicate balance of memory, sorrow, and the enduring power of connection and imagination. Ruth Dickey is the executive director of the National Book Foundation and has spent over twenty-five years working at the intersection of community building, writing, and art. She was a 2017 fellow with the National Arts Strategies Chief Executive Program and served as a judge in fiction for the 2019 National Book Awards. The recipient of a Mayor’s Arts Award from DC, Ruth’s first book, Mud Blooms (Harbor Mountain Press, 2019), was a finalist for the National Poetry Series and received a 2019 Silver Nautilus. Our Hollowness Sings is her second book. Rebecca Hoogs is the author of Self-Storage (Stephen F. Austin University Press) which was a finalist for the 2013 Washington State Book Award in Poetry, and a chapbook, Grenade (GreenTower Press). Her poems have appeared in Poetry, AGNI, FIELD, Crazyhorse, and others. She is the Executive Director of Seattle Arts & Lectures.
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267. Alua Arthur with Rebecca Crichton: A Friend At the End of the World
08/15/2024
267. Alua Arthur with Rebecca Crichton: A Friend At the End of the World
When it comes to our own mortality, one big thing that we all share is that we absolutely have to face it and most of us have no idea how to begin. Through her work as a death doula, Alua Arthur has honed the skills to aid others in navigating these uncertain seas- from the many logistics within end-of-life care to the often unpredictable cravings for human connection and understanding. These vulnerable moments can be colored by many emotions—pain, confusion, joy, regret, and release. Arthur’s passion for her work shapeshifts to meet people where they are and guide them towards where they want to be. To Arthur, grappling with the challenges that await us starts way earlier than that final chapter. It isn’t something to fear and dread and it’s an endeavor we definitely should not be doing alone. In her debut book Briefly Perfectly Human: Making an Authentic Life by Getting Real About the End, Arthur details how her life’s work around death has informed and reshaped the ways she thinks we can embrace life while we’re still living it. She touches on many encounters with death- from her background layered with the harsh realities of political refuge to mental illness to the firsthand experience of what advocacy for the dying really looks like. Equal parts intimate memoir, thoughtful exploration, and message of encouragement, Briefly Perfectly Human gives context to the author’s deep and ever growing relationship with our innate impermanence. Through her storytelling, Arthur aims to explain why we should sit at the table to learn from some of our most painful questions and complicated truths about death- and she invites readers to pull up a chair. Alua Arthur is a writer, keynote speaker, and prominent death doula working to bring visibility to the world of death positivity. She is the founder of Going with Grace, a death doula training and end-of-life planning organization. Her work has been featured in national media outlets such as Vogue, Los Angeles Times, The Cut, The New Yorker, and Refinery29. She has made appearances on CBS’s The Doctors, Disney’s Limitless docu-series, and at the 2023 TED conferences with her TED Talk Why Thinking About Death Helps You Live a Better Life. Rebecca Crichton started her “Encore Career” as Executive Director of NWCCA in 2012 after 21 years with The Boeing Company. She refashioned her skills and knowledge as a writer, curriculum designer, and leadership development coach to offer Creative Aging programs at many Seattle area venues. An active participant in the local aging community, she writes regularly for 3rd Act Magazine.
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266. Hanif Abdurraqib: Reflections on Basketball, Life, and Home
08/13/2024
266. Hanif Abdurraqib: Reflections on Basketball, Life, and Home
Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, in the 1990s, Hanif Abdurraqib witnessed a golden era of basketball, one in which legends like LeBron James were forged and countless others weren’t. In his new book, There’s Always This Year, Abdurraqib tells his story of a lifelong love of the game with a lyrical, historical, and emotionally rich exploration of who we think deserves success, the tension between excellence and expectation, and the very notion of role models, woven together with intimate, personal storytelling. “Here is where I would like to tell you about the form on my father’s jump shot,” Abdurraqib writes. “The truth, though, is that I saw my father shoot a basketball only one time.” No matter the subject — whether it’s basketball, music, or performance — Hanif Abdurraqib sends out a clarion call to radically reimagine how we think about our culture, our country, and ourselves. Hanif Abdurraqib is a poet, essayist, and cultural critic from Columbus, Ohio, and the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “Genius” grant. His most recent book, A Little Devil in America, was the winner of the Carnegie Medal and the Gordon Burns Prize and a finalist for the National Book Award. His first collection of essays, They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us, was named one of the books of the year by NPR, Esquire, BuzzFeed, O: The Oprah Magazine, Pitchfork, and Chicago Tribune, among others. Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest was a New York Times bestseller and a National Book Critics Circle Award and Kirkus Prize finalist and was longlisted for the National Book Award. He is a graduate of Beechcroft High School.
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265. Cory Richards with Marcus Harrison Green: A Climber's Quest for Heights and Healing
08/11/2024
265. Cory Richards with Marcus Harrison Green: A Climber's Quest for Heights and Healing
Growing up in the mountains of Utah, Cory Richards was constantly surrounded by the outdoors and was taught how to ski, climb, mountaineer, and survive in the wild. Despite a seemingly idyllic childhood, the Richards home was fraught with violence, grief, and mental illness. After being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and dropping out of high school, Richards subsumed himself in the worlds of photography and climbing, seeking out the farthest reaches of the world to escape the darkness. Then, in the midst of a wildly successful career in adventure photography, a catastrophic avalanche changed everything, forcing Richards to confront the trauma of his past, evaluate his own mental health, and learn to rewrite his story. In his new book, The Color of Everything, Richards recounts his adventures of climbing and the thrill of chasing summits, as well as his tumultuous life off the mountains. Accompanied by photos from his career, Richards’ memoir captures the musings of an unquiet mind grappling with success, the cost of fame and addiction, and what it takes to excavate the roots of trauma and climb out. Cory Richards is an internationally renowned photographer, filmmaker, and author of the memoir The Color of Everything. He is the first and only American to climb one of the world’s 8000m peaks in winter. His documentation of the climb and aftermath of the experience was made into the award-winning documentary COLD and appeared on the cover of the 125th anniversary issue of National Geographic. Richards is a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, Photographer Fellow, and a two-time recipient of an Explorers Grant. He has photographed twelve feature assignments for the magazine. He has an active speaking career, in which he speaks about conservation, mental health, leadership, and vulnerability. Marcus Harrison Green is a columnist for The Seattle Times. A long-time Seattle resident, he is the founder of the South Seattle Emerald, which focuses on telling the stories of South Seattle and its residents.
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264. Carissa Stanton with Rachael DeVaux: Seriously, So Good — A Culinary Adventure
08/11/2024
264. Carissa Stanton with Rachael DeVaux: Seriously, So Good — A Culinary Adventure
Get ready to tantalize your taste buds and elevate your cooking game. Embark on a culinary journey with Seriously, So Good, featuring recipes crafted with love by Carissa Stanton, the creative force behind the food blog . Originating from her passion for food and community, Carissa’s philosophy centers on enjoying meals without restrictions, embracing balance, and savoring every bite. With a focus on feeling good about what you eat, Stanton invites readers to explore a stress-free approach to cooking, empowering readers to create mouth-watering dishes that nourish both body and soul. Join us for an experience that celebrates the joy of cooking and the pleasure of sharing meals with loved ones, all while embracing a positive and balanced outlook on food and life. Carissa Stanton of the popular blog and social media accounts, Brocc Your Body, believes that all food has a place in a healthy diet, and that balance is the key to everything in life. Her passion for movement and well-being led her to a degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in fitness, health, and nutrition from San Diego State University. Stanton has always been in love with food—she learned how to cook from anyone who would let her follow them around in the kitchen—parents, aunts and uncles, neighbors, and friends. Her recipes are approachable, nourishing, and always fun. Stanton’s goal is not just to share delicious recipes, but to show you just how exciting and easy cooking can be. Rachael DeVaux is the author of the New York Times bestselling cookbook Rachael’s Good Eats. Rachael is a registered dietitian and personal trainer with a loyal community on Instagram. She grew up in Washington and graduated from Oregon State University, where she started the Rachael’s Good Eats Instagram account as a college student. She now shares recipes, intuitive eating strategies, and effective workouts with more than 725,000 followers. Rachael launched her fitness-focused brand in 2021, supplying activewear, fitness accessories, workout guides, and she further encourages her community to move their bodies. DeVaux lives in Seattle with her husband, Bridger.
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263. Patric Gagne with Katy Sewall: Sociopath
07/27/2024
263. Patric Gagne with Katy Sewall: Sociopath
What is it like to grow up as a sociopath? Is it possible to lead a normal, successful life after such an earth-shattering diagnosis? In her memoir, Sociopath, Patric Gagne sheds light on the often misunderstood disorder. From a young age, Gagne grappled with feeling different from her peers, unable to experience emotions like fear, guilt, or empathy. This disconnect led her down a tumultuous path of theft, deception, and violence in search of something to replace the emptiness she felt. Despite being diagnosed as a sociopath in college, Patric faced a bleak prognosis with no hope for treatment or a normal life. Surrounded by societal perceptions of sociopaths as monstrous figures, her future appeared grim until a reconnection with an old flame sparked a glimmer of hope. With newfound determination and support, she embarked on a journey to challenge stereotypes and prove that those with sociopathy can lead fulfilling lives filled with love and hope. Patric Gagne is a writer, former therapist, and advocate for people suffering from sociopathic, psychopathic, and anti-social personality disorders. She earned a PhD in clinical psychology with a dissertation that examined the relationship between sociopathy and anxiety. This research became the groundwork for her continued studies on sociopathic disorder, as well as the foundation for her memoir. She did her undergraduate work at UCLA and earned her masters and doctorate at the California Graduate Institute of The Chicago School. Katy Sewall is the host and creator of “The Bittersweet Life” podcast. She’s a writer, podcast consultant, and a Public Radio professional frequently heard on 94.9 KUOW. She’s also the former Program Director at Town Hall.
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262. Geraldine DeRuiter with Scott Heimendinger: Feminism and Food
07/18/2024
262. Geraldine DeRuiter with Scott Heimendinger: Feminism and Food
Do you ever think of what you eat as being political? Back in 2017, celebrity chef Mario Batali sent out an for the sexual misconduct allegations made against him and infamously included a recipe—for pizza dough cinnamon rolls. Shortly after Batali’s recipe, went viral, Popular blogger Geraldine DeRuiter decided to make the recipe and then . Her subsequent essay, which documented each step of her cinnamon roll preparation but also tackled topics like misogyny in the food world, was read millions of times, lauded by industry luminaries such as Martha Stewart, and landed DeRuiter in the middle of an unanticipated media firestorm. Who knew dessert could be so controversial? If You Can’t Take the Heat: Tales of Food, Feminism, and Fury is DeRuiter’s new essay collection. The James Beard Award–winning blogger behind The Everywhereist addresses an array of topics, from being “hangry” to receiving death threats to meal-planning for the apocalypse. If You Can’t Take the Heat aims to connect the broader culture to the culinary. This event may interest those curious about how patriarchy, pop culture, and plated dishes intersect, or who are just seeking some levity. Geraldine DeRuiter is the James Beard Award-winning blogger behind The Everywhereist and the author of All Over the Place: Adventures in Travel, True Love, and Petty Theft. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The New Yorker’s Daily Shouts, Marie Claire, and Refinery 29. She lives in Seattle with her husband, Rand, and the two of them are developing a culinary-themed video game. Scott Heimendinger is an inventor, culinary technologist, and the founder of Seattle Ultrasonics, as well as a former JBFA judge and a member of the Sous Vide Hall of Fame.
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261. Becky Selengut with Bethany Jean Clement: Misunderstood Vegetables
06/13/2024
261. Becky Selengut with Bethany Jean Clement: Misunderstood Vegetables
Go from “what the heck is this” to “how does it taste so good” in a celebration of misfit vegetables. Maybe you just discovered celery root (a lumpy, softball-sized bulb), at the grocery store. Or perhaps you received watermelon radishes in a CSA package. Did a parsnip catch your eye at the farmers’ market? Even vegetables you think you know, like cabbage or brussels sprouts, will reveal next-level flavor with the right recipe. Becky Selengut has made it her mission to take less popular — or even outright scorned vegetables like beets and okra — and cook them into irresistible dishes. It’s all about knowing how to cook or serve them and what herbs and spices to incorporate. In Misunderstood Vegetables, Selengut highlights 25 vegetables, with recipes alongside history, step-by-step preparation, and storage tips. Organized by season, recipes include Feta and Citrus Salad, Charred Chard with Spicy Chile Oil, and Celery Root Gratin. Calling all plant-curious citizens, you won’t want to miss this opportunity to explore the world of unusual and underused produce like never before. Becky Selengut is an author, instructor, podcaster, and chef based in Seattle. Her books include: How to Taste, Shroom, Good Fish, and Not One Shrine. Her latest book Misunderstood Vegetables is slated for publication by W.W. Norton (Countryman Press) for February 20, 2024. Selengut is the co-host of the local foods podcast Field to Fork. When Selengut is not the chef aboard the M/V Thea Foss, she forages, makes a mean Manhattan, and shares her life with her sommelier wife April Pogue and their lovably loony pointer mix Izzy. Bethany Jean Clement is a food critic for the Seattle Times. Her writing has also appeared in multiple Best Food Writing anthologies, Food & Wine, The Stranger, Edible Seattle, Gourmet, and many other publications, as well as on the windows of the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. She is the former food writer and managing editor of The Stranger, and a former staff writer and managing editor for Seattle Weekly. Misunderstood Vegetables: How to Fall in Love with Sunchokes, Rutabaga, Eggplant and More
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260. Scratch Night 2024 with Maia Brown and Brivele
06/07/2024
260. Scratch Night 2024 with Maia Brown and Brivele
Town Hall's 2024 Scratch Night featuring the work-in-progress of our Artist-in-Residence Maia Brown In collaboration with 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 , Stefanie is also a member of the Yiddish folk-punk band . 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. 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
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259. Lifecycle of Seattle Artists: A Panel Discussion with Local Artists
06/06/2024
259. Lifecycle of Seattle Artists: A Panel Discussion with Local Artists
Explore the life cycle of Seattle artists in a dynamic round table discussion hosted by Sarah Traver, director of Traver Gallery. Join the conversation on transforming artistic practice into a flourishing and creative career within the vibrant artistic landscape of Seattle. Esteemed artists Esther Ervin, Henry Jackson-Spieker, Steve Jensen, Pohlman Knowles, and Jeanne Marie Ferraro all connected with Pratt Fine Arts Center, will share their experiences in developing their practices across diverse disciplines, including glass, installation, jewelry, metal, printmaking, public art, sculpture, and wood. Gain valuable insights from these working artists as they delve into the unique challenges and successes of navigating the Seattle art scene. Whether you’re an aspiring artist or an art enthusiast, this discussion promises a deep exploration of artistic growth and the diverse pathways to establishing a fulfilling career within the rich cultural tapestry of Seattle. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with the life stories and creative journeys of these influential artists. Esther Ervin, a visual artist from Somerville, New Jersey, holds a BS in Biology from UC Irvine and an MFA in Fine Art/Illustration from CSU Long Beach. Her diverse experiences include teaching in the Peace Corps in Colombia and later focusing on art, with a particular interest in the environment, politics, and abstraction. Her jewelry has been exhibited internationally. She is an active member of various art organizations, including the Seattle Metals Guild, the Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA), and the Black Arts West Alumni Association as an honorary. Henry Jackson-Spieker is a multidisciplinary artist focusing on sculpture and site-specific installations, combining glass, bronze, steel, wood, fiber, and light. His sculptures explore tension, balance and reflection through the merging of contrasting materials. He creates public art installations at Midtown Commons in Seattle, The Seattle Center, Method Gallery, and Wa NA Wari Gallery. Jackson-Spieker has been teaching glass blowing and bronze casting at Pratt Fine Arts Center for the past seven years. Steve Jensen has been a working artist for over 45 years. Raised around family fishing boats in Seattle, his art reflects deep maritime roots. His latest “VOYAGER” collection is inspired by his Scandinavian fisherman and boat builder heritage, symbolizing journeys into the unknown. From 2015 to 2023, Jensen exhibited solo at major Washington state venues, including the Seattle Art Museum, Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, and many others. Featured on Channel 9’s Art as Voyage and Amazon Prime’s The Story of Art in America (episode 10, 2023), his compelling work has garnered widespread recognition. Sabrina Knowles and Jenny Pohlman (Pohlman Knowles) marked a quarter-century of collaboration in 2018 with the exhibition “SYNCHRONICITY: Twenty-Five Years of Collaboration” at Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. They have undertaken six international journeys, morphing their experiences into sculptural stories to share what they have learned about healing, compassion, and the power of the human spirit through assemblages of sculpted glass and fabricated steel. Their work is in the collections of Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, Henry Ford Museum, Museum of American Glass, and Tacoma Art Museum among others. Jeanne Marie Ferraro was raised in a working-class family in Cleveland, Ohio, and found her artistic passion in childhood while observing the pouring of liquid metal into steel beams with her father. A storyteller across various media Jeanne’s art has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including in Canada and Portugal, and is part of private collections. Alongside her artistic endeavors, Jeanne has dedicated forty years to teaching visual art, currently focusing on glassblowing, drawing, and painting at the Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle. Sarah Traver, President of Traver Gallery Since joining her father’s business in 2004, Sarah Traver has been the President of Traver Gallery, overseeing all aspects from strategy to installation. With degrees in art and education, she emphasizes the gallery’s mission as a space for learning and idea-sharing. Sarah, beloved by artists and the community, also serves on the boards of Artist Trust and Pratt Fine Arts Center. Presented by Town Hall Seattle and Pratt Fine Arts Center.
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258. Shain Shapiro with Greg Scruggs: How Music Builds Cities
05/22/2024
258. Shain Shapiro with Greg Scruggs: How Music Builds Cities
Looking back through history, it is obvious that the presence of music has had a profound impact on the daily lives of humans, our cultural rituals, and the evolution of civilization as a whole. Yet in public discourse, we still tend to separate conversations about music from those about civics or politics. We frame music as a product for entertainment when in reality the practice of music is deeply tied to the way our communities are structured and function. Shain Shapiro is the director of the global nonprofit Center for Music Ecosystems, and author of This Must Be The Place: How Music Can Make Your City Better. In his book, Shapiro examines the way music affects the building, managing, and governing of a city. Told through personal stories from cities around the world — including London, Melbourne, Nashville, Austin, and Zurich — This Must Be the Place demonstrates how integral music is to everyday life, yet how consistently music is ignored in public policy. Specifically, Shapiro references the transformative role that artists and musicians played in revitalizing elements of our post-pandemic world. In addition to spotlighting the connection between music and building cities, This Must be the Place serves as a guide and toolkit for music enthusiasts, artists, and activists who seek to utilize music as a tool for reinventing their community. Join Shain Shapiro at Town Hall, for an examination of the way music informs the building of a city, and how we can use music to strengthen our communities going forward. Shain Shapiro, Ph.D. is one of the world’s leading music and cultural policy thinkers. He is the founder and chairman of economics consultancy Sound Diplomacy, founder and director of the global nonprofit Center for Music Ecosystems and author of This Must Be The Place: How Music Can Make Your City Better. Shain has pioneered the work of music cities and music ecosystem policy, where music is written into how cities and places plan and invest in their future. Gregory Scruggs is a Seattle-based journalist. He is a correspondent for leading international cultural magazine Monocle and also works on the features desk at The Seattle Times. His reporting on how public policy impacts music scenes have been published in outlets such as The New York Times, Bloomberg CityLab, VICE, Next City, Seattle Weekly, and The Stranger. This Must Be the Place: How Music Can Make Your City Better
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257. Benjamin Wurgaft and Merry White with Peter Miller: Epicurean Odyssey
05/21/2024
257. Benjamin Wurgaft and Merry White with Peter Miller: Epicurean Odyssey
What do we learn when an anthropologist and a historian talk about food? Across endless eras, landscapes, and civilizations, humanity’s relationship with food has played the part of one of the landmark features of culture and community. We feel this on both the micro and macro scale — from learning a recipe passed down through generations of one’s own family to the excitement of exploring an unfamiliar local market in a city far from home. Culinary curiosity invites us all to the table, and through their new book, Ways of Eating, authors and storytellers Benjamin Wurgaft and Merry White are here to serve. Wurgaft and White aim to introduce readers to the interwoven worlds of global food history and food anthropology, exploring how we’re not just what we eat, but where, why, and how we came to eat it in the first place. Throughout their collaborative work, Wurgaft and White embark on a world tour of anthropological accounts and vivid storytelling, paying visits to Panamanian coffee growers, Japanese knife forgers, and the medieval age of women brewing beer. Ways of Eating explores the influence of migration and politics in shaping both group identity and global culinary practices, from the Venetian spice trade to the Columbian Exchange to the parallels between ancient Roman garum and contemporary Vietnamese nớc chấm. There are as many dynamics at play across the world of food anthropology as spices in a well-stocked pantry, and Ways of Eating seeks to understand and follow them from the plate back to the kitchen, the farm, and the field. Co-authors Benjamin A. Wurgaft and Merry I. White are a son and mother duo with backgrounds in history, philosophy, anthropology, and the social study of food. Merry White is a Professor of Anthropology at Boston University, with a specialization in Japanese social and food culture. Their previous publications include White’s Coffee Life in Japan and Wurgaft’s Meat Planet: Artificial Flesh and the Future of Food. This is their first book written together. Born in New England, Peter Miller is a graduate of Williams College and Harvard Graduate School of Education. He moved to Seattle in November 1970, a time when one could rent a home from a nearby phone booth with the instructions, “the key is under the mat, I will come meet you this week.” In 1975, Miller opened a bookshop in Wallingford, with its first lecture series featuring Tom Robbins and Alan Furst. In 1980, he opened an architecture bookshop in Pioneer Square, relocating it to the market in 1983. Thirty years later, he moved again to Belltown, in association with George Suyama Architects. The shop is now situated in Pioneer Square between First Avenue and the water. Additionally, Miller served as a member of the Seattle Design Commission from 1998 to 2001. Peter has authored three books: Lunch at the Shop, Five Ways to Cook Asparagus, and How to Wash the Dishes, with a fourth book set to be released in May, titled Shopkeeping. Ways of Eating: Exploring Food through History and Culture
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256. Tricia Romano with Dan Savage and Jane Levine: Voices of the Village
05/16/2024
256. Tricia Romano with Dan Savage and Jane Levine: Voices of the Village
The Village Voice aimed to show readers something that mainstream publications wouldn’t: live theater productions climbing through the scaffolding of off-Broadway venues; moments in music from hip-hop to jazz to punk; New York City civil issues, like corrupt landlords; and global issues, like the AIDS crisis. Through decades of independent reporting and first-hand accounts within the myriad subcultures of New York, the Village Voice built a journalistic legacy of lived experience, bold critique, and political activism. One can’t help but wonder, what it must have been like to be one of the writers, editors, or photographers who was in on the action. In her debut book, The Freaks Came Out to Write, Tricia Romano shares her journey from intern to contributor at the Village Voice, and the multi-generational significance of the weekly paper that reached far beyond the neighborhoods of New York City. Romano’s accounts include over 200 interviews that span decades and feature influential figures such as Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead, feminist writers Vivian Gornick and Susan Brownmiller, the post-punk band Blondie, and many other acclaimed individuals in the realms of art, politics, and society. Romano ties it all together in an expansive oral history that tells the story of journalism, New York City and American culture — and the most famous alt-weekly of all time. Tricia Romano is a writer, columnist, and editor whose work has been published in the New York Times, Rolling Stone, Elle, the Los Angeles Times, and of course the Village Voice, among others. Her column, Fly Life, dug into the underbelly of New York nightlife and she has penned award-winning stories on music and culture. She has served as a fellow at MacDowell, Millay, and UCross, a staff writer at the Seattle Times, and as editor-in-chief of the Stranger, Seattle’s own alternative newsweekly. Dan Savage is a sex-advice columnist, a podcaster, an author, and has appeared on numerous television shows. Formerly the editor of the Stranger, Dan’s sex-advice column “Savage Love,” is syndicated worldwide. He has published seven books and his weekly sex advice podcast Savage Lovecast. Jane Levine worked for more than 30 years at alternative weeklies. She started as an intern at Chicago Reader in 1973 and returned to serve as publisher from 1994 to 2004. In between, she held business-side positions at Los Angeles Reader, North Carolina Independent, and Seattle Weekly. The Freaks Came Out to Write: The Definitive History of the Village Voice, the Radical Paper That Changed American Culture
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255. Sasha LaPointe with Dawn Barron: Poignant Reflections on Indigenous America
05/13/2024
255. Sasha LaPointe with Dawn Barron: Poignant Reflections on Indigenous America
What does it mean to be a proudly queer Indigenous woman in the United States today? Sasha LaPointe, winner of the 2023 Pacific Northwest Book Award for her memoir, Red Paint, shares a new collection of essays that navigate the complexities of indigenous identity, challenge stereotypes, and address cultural displacement and environmental concerns. Thunder Song draws inspiration from her family’s rich archive and the work of her late great-grandmother and weaves together stories that demonstrate the profound intersections of community, commitment, and conscientious honesty. Described as “unapologetically punk,” the essays in Thunder Song segue from the miraculous to the mundane, from the spiritual to the physical, as they examine the role of art — in particular, music — and community in helping a new generation of indigenous people claim the strength of their heritage while defining their own path in the contemporary world. Celebrate cultural diversity as LaPointe explores how we shape our understanding of the world, hoping to inspire a new era of conscientious living. Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe is a Coast Salish author from the Nooksack and Upper Skagit Indian tribes. She is the author of Red Paint: The Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk, winner of a Pacific Northwest Book Award, the Washington State Book Award for Creative Nonfiction/Memoir, and an NPR Best Book of the Year, and the poetry collection Rose Quartz. She received a double MFA in creative nonfiction and poetry from the Institute of American Indian Arts. She lives in Tacoma, Washington. Dawn Pichón Barron of Chowanoke/Choctaw/Mexican-Chihuahua/European heritage, is the Academic Director of the Native Pathways Program and Creative Writing Faculty at the Evergreen State College. She founded and curated the Gray Skies Reading Series 2009-2019. Her chapbook, ESCAPE GIRL BLUES, was published by Finishing Line Press in 2018. Buy the Book Thunder Song
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254. Tessa Hulls with Putsata Reang: Exploring Generational Echoes
05/08/2024
254. Tessa Hulls with Putsata Reang: Exploring Generational Echoes
If you’re a part of the Seattle arts scene, chances are you’ve come across Tessa Hulls. She has a hand in many local creative communities, including Seattle Arts & Lectures (where you might have spotted her illustrations on the 2021 Summer Book Bingo Card!), the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, and the Henry Art Museum. She’s also the lead artist in the Wing Luke Museum exhibit which explores the impacts of how the I-5 construction ran right through the Chinatown International District in the 1960s. It’s no surprise then that Hulls is passionate about mixing art and historical research, looking at how past events echo throughout daily relationships today. She explores these themes in her debut book, Feeding Ghosts, a graphic novel memoir that tells the story of three generations of women in her family: her Chinese grandmother Sun Yi; her mother, Rose; and herself. Sun Yi, who fled Communist China for Hong Kong, published a celebrated memoir about her persecution and survival, but then later succumbed to mental illness. Determined to face the history that shaped her family, Tessa exposes the wounds that haunt generations and the love that holds them together. Hulls is a self-proclaimed “compulsive genre-hopper,” mixing personal and political histories with travel writing and visual art. This might explain why she’s so well-intertwined in Seattle’s art scene, using her creativity to build community and create conversations about the impacts of our shared history. Tessa Hulls is an artist, a writer, and an adventurer. Her essays have appeared in The Washington Post, Atlas Obscura, and Adventure Journal, and her comics have been published in The Rumpus, City Arts, and SPARK. She has received grants from the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture and 4Culture, and she is a fellowship recipient from the Washington Artist Trust. Feeding Ghosts is her first book. Putsata Reang is a Cambodian-born author and a journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Politico, The Guardian, Ms., The San Jose Mercury News, and The Seattle Times, among other publications. She is an alumna of residencies at Hedgebrook, the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, and Mineral School, and she has received fellowships from the Alicia Patterson Foundation and Jack Straw Cultural Center. Buy the Companion Book Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir
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253. Sloane Crosley with Ben Gibbard: Grief Is for People
04/12/2024
253. Sloane Crosley with Ben Gibbard: Grief Is for People
Have you ever lost something or someone dear to you? Though it ranges in severity and impact, loss is a shared human experience – an inevitable, inescapable part of life. Praised for her humor and sharp wit, essayist and novelist Sloane Crosley delivers her first memoir Grief is for People, exploring how loss can take many forms. After the pain and confusion of losing her closest friend Russell to suicide – which occurred only a month after also losing prized possessions and her sense of safety following a burglary – Crosley looks for answers, even where they may be elusive. She seeks solace not only in those close to her but in art and philosophy as well, hoping for a useful framework outside the oft-cited five stages of grief. Crosley’s readership may not have seen this side of the author, but will nevertheless recognize those observations and examinations of the human condition interlaced with levity that popularized her earlier writings. Grief Is for People seeks to upend the traditional grief memoir and offer both consolation and challenge to standard conceptions of mourning. Crosley’s talk is for anyone in a current time of sorrow or who has experienced a loss and might welcome a discussion beyond platitudes. Sloane Crosley is the author of the novels Cult Classic and The Clasp and three essay collections: Look Alive Out There and the New York Times bestsellers I Was Told There’d Be Cake and How Did You Get This Number. Benjamin Gibbard is a multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of Death Cab for Cutie, formed in 1997, and one half of the electronic duo The Postal Service. Gibbard released his debut solo album “Former Lives” in 2012, and he has scored two films. Gibbard is an avid ultra-marathon runner and a longtime resident of Seattle. Buy the Companion Book Grief Is for People: A Memoir
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252. Eric Klinenberg with Margaret O’Mara: A Year Which Will Live in Infamy
04/04/2024
252. Eric Klinenberg with Margaret O’Mara: A Year Which Will Live in Infamy
You’d be hard-pressed to find a person whose life went unchanged in 2020, arguably one of the most consequential years in human history. It marked an unprecedented time, left indelible memories in our minds, and set off ripple effects we still feel even today. Disruption of normal life was nearly universal; however, the ways in which we experienced disruption were varied. Acclaimed sociologist and bestselling author Eric Klinenberg’s latest work 2020: One City, Seven People, and the Year Everything Changed offers an account of a single year in modern history told through the stories of seven New Yorkers. From an elementary school principal to a bar manager, a subway custodian to a political aide, the book sheds light on the human experience of that fateful time four years ago, illuminating both individual and collective uncertainty, fear, loss, and hope. Although the book is centered on New York City, 2020 also explores the political spheres of the nation’s capital and beyond, as well as epidemiological battles, policies, and movements worldwide. Set against the backdrop of a tense presidential election and social unrest, Klinenberg offers a window into a recent time of reckoning and an invitation to examine ourselves and our experiences. Eric Klinenberg is the Helen Gould Shepard Professor in the Social Sciences and director of the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University. He is the co-author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Modern Romance and author of Palaces for the People, Going Solo, Heat Wave, and Fighting for Air. He has contributed to The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, Wired, and This American Life. He lives in New York City. Margaret O’Mara is the Scott and Dorothy Bullitt Professor of American History at the University of Washington. Margaret is a leading historian of Silicon Valley and the author of two acclaimed books about the modern American technology industry: The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America (Penguin Press, 2019) and Cities of Knowledge: Cold War Science and the Search For The Next Silicon Valley (Princeton, 2005). She also is a historian of the American presidency and author of Pivotal Tuesdays: Four Elections that Shaped the Twentieth Century (Penn Press, 2015). She is a coauthor, with David Kennedy and Lizabeth Cohen, of the widely used United States history college textbook, The American Pageant (Cengage). Buy the Companion Book 2020: One City, Seven People, and the Year Everything Changed
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251. Robots Who Paint: What’s Next with AI and Art?
04/01/2024
251. Robots Who Paint: What’s Next with AI and Art?
Three expert guests discuss the implications of AI and the fine arts in a conversation moderated by Steve Scher. Scientist and founder of the Artists and Machine Intelligence program at Google, Blaise Agüera y Arcas, will offer his “news from the front” about the latest developments in AI capabilities, and what he foresees ahead. Alex Alben, technology executive, author, and law professor, will review the implications of AI to the artist from the point of view of intellectual property: is anything on the internet up for grabs, or is compensation for image “borrowing” a possibility? Finally, painter Jason Puccinelli, who uses AI as one of his tools in image creation, will talk about what he finds exciting and useful, and what he finds problematic, about this new resource. Presented by Town Hall Seattle and Gage Academy of Art.
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250. James Miles - Gotta Stay Fresh: Transforming Learning with Hip-Hop Education
03/28/2024
250. James Miles - Gotta Stay Fresh: Transforming Learning with Hip-Hop Education
Hip-hop education is more than just music; it’s a dynamic tool for fostering student success and intellectual growth. James Miles, known as the Fresh Professor, is renowned for his engaging teaching style. By infusing lessons with content that’s inspirational, intellectually engaging, and relevant to students’ lives, Miles demonstrates how teachers can use hip-hop education to help students better retain information and think critically about concepts inside and outside the classroom. Miles will be joined by a panel of experts with backgrounds ranging from educators to artists who will talk about ways to ignite curiosity, ensure comprehension, and provide differentiation options for all kinds of learners. Weaving performance into their discussion, they will talk about the impact of hip-hop on their lives, how it shows up in current events, and the implications for education. At the program break, DJ Topspin will play music, followed by a discussion of James’s book, Gotta Stay Fresh. , aka Fresh Professor, is a New York City artist and educator with 20 years of experience, now based in Seattle. He’s an Assistant Professor at Seattle University and serves as the Creative Economy Manager at Seattle’s Office of Economic Development. James has a rich history, including leadership roles at Third Stone, MENTOR Washington, and Arts Corps. His innovative Fresh Education program, using hip-hop and theater for academic success, has influenced educators worldwide. A graduate of Morehouse College and Brandeis University, James empowers teachers globally through professional development. His mission is to reduce educational inequities using the arts. DJ Topspin aka Blendiana Jones is established as a musical pillar in the Northwest and across the world. He (seemingly) easily weaves a complex blend of hits and unearthed genre-spanning gems from both past & present eras, creating a musical tapestry all his own. Born from a Jamaican father and Panamanian mother, the pulse of the diaspora in the form of dancehall/reggae/soca/afrobeat is always present in his musical displays. He’s recently showcased them DJing in The Kingdom of Bahrain for the 2nd time in as many years, and has previously produced a weekly countdown show broadcasted throughout Tanzania (where he’s spun 3x so far) and to other African nations. Moses Sun is an afro-abstractionist working in assemblage, painting, video, animation, and public art that explores the intersection of Pan-Africanism and the world’s diasporas. Moses Sun fuses hip-hop, jazz, afro-futurism, and the black southern diaspora of his childhood into a mix of visuals that blurs the lines between digital and analog art. His interdisciplinary practice comes from the hip-hop ethos of grinding in the studio, creating multiple tracks (series of works) that he remixes into new works. His search for common ground between diasporas has led to collaborations with Seattle’s Wing Luke Museum, SAM, Frye Art Museum, Museum of Pop Culture, Seattle Hebrew Academy, and Africatown Plaza. Idris Goodwin is a multi-award-winning storyteller of stage, audio, screen, and page. Currently serving as Artistic Director of Seattle Children’s Theater, Idris writes, directs, programs, and /or produces relevant content for intergenerational audiences. Goodwin is the author of over 75 dynamic and diverse original plays. Committed to access and impact, Goodwin’s work is widely produced across the country by professional, community, and academic institutions alike. Olisa Enrico is an artist, educator and administrator who engages the unique power of art to cultivate community and culture. Olisa spent her childhood writing music and performing, traversing genres and rooted in hip hop as her primary form of expression. She branched out to theater and found passion for the power of story to reveal and heal. Olisa provides performances, professional development, curriculum development, consultations and workshops through her business,
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249. Alexis Devine with Sarah Stremming: How a Talking Dog Could Teach You How to Be Human
02/26/2024
249. Alexis Devine with Sarah Stremming: How a Talking Dog Could Teach You How to Be Human
Many of us talk to our pets daily, but what would you do if your pet could talk back? What do you think they would say? When Bunny, a fluffy, black-and-white sheepadoodle, was eight weeks old, her guardian Alexis presented her with an odd gift: a button programmed to say “outside” when pressed. Within a few weeks, Bunny was using it all the time, and Alexis, encouraged by Bunny’s progress, continued to introduce more buttons and more words. Three years later, Bunny can now communicate using over one hundred buttons, stringing together important, relatable, philosophical phrases such as “Love you Mom,” “Dad went poop,” and “Ugh why?” In I Am Bunny, Alexis chronicles not only how Bunny learned to “talk,” but also the profound impact their journey has had on her life. Caring for Bunny revealed to Alexis a path to self-acceptance if not complete self-love, and as their relationship developed their ability to communicate deepened. Through charming anecdotes about day-to-day life with Bunny, explorations into prior animal language studies, and plenty of irreverent humor, daring, and heart, Alexis tells the story of how she and Bunny have become so inspiringly close and explores the ancient and unique bond between dog and guardian that so many of us know leads to a deeper, more meaningful life. Alexis Devine is an artist and entrepreneur hailing from Seattle, Washington. She was a longtime creator of wearable art before her sheepadoodle, Bunny, known as “What About Bunny” on social media, became an internet sensation in the fall of 2020. Bunny is part of an ongoing canine cognition research study at the Comparative Cognition Lab at UCSD. Alexis is a Licensed Family Dog Mediator, Fear Free Certified Professional, and Certified Canine Enrichment Technician. Her goal is to further our understanding of the power of connection and the importance of empathy, meeting her dogs where they are and understanding them on their terms first to facilitate trust and promote an environment that supports them as the incredible creatures they are. Sarah Stremming (she/her) is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant with the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants who hosts the popular podcast Cog Dog Radio. She consults on challenging dog behavior cases, lectures other professionals worldwide, and runs a dynamic membership out of her home office in Redmond, Washington. Known for popularizing “decompression walks” she believes what is best for dogs is usually best for their human companions, too. Sarah competes in the dog sports of Agility and Obedience and can often be found deep in the woods beside her Icelandic sheepdog and three border collies. The Elliott Bay Book Company
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248. Misha Berson: Seattle Theatre Lives!
02/18/2024
248. Misha Berson: Seattle Theatre Lives!
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Seattle’s theatre community demonstrated resilience and adaptability, navigating through challenging times to envision a new era for the performing arts. Arts journalist and educator Misha Berson will moderate an open discussion about Seattle’s current theatrical landscape with the respected artistic directors of three of the city’s most popular stage companies: John Langs, head of the long-running ACT Theatre; Karen Lund, producing artistic director of Taproot Theatre in Greenwood; and Dámaso Rodríguez, the new artistic director of the Tony Award-honored Seattle Repertory Theatre. Misha Berson was the chief theatre critic for The Seattle Times for 25 years. Now a freelance writer and teacher, her work appears in The Seattle Times, American Theatre, and other publications, and she is the author of four books, most recently Something’s Coming, Something Good: West Side Story and the American Imagination. Presented by Town Hall Seattle and Northwest Center for Creative Aging.
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247. 2022 Town Hall Seattle Writer-in-Residence Sarah Salcedo and Washington State Poet Laureate Arianne True: Neurodivergence and Art
02/02/2024
247. 2022 Town Hall Seattle Writer-in-Residence Sarah Salcedo and Washington State Poet Laureate Arianne True: Neurodivergence and Art
Join us for a conversation between former Town Hall Seattle Writer-in-Residence Sarah Salcedo and Washington State Poet Laureate Arianne True. Together, they will discuss how they negotiate the intersections of neurodivergence, art, and artistic careers. After a discussion, there will be a reading of Arianne’s poems and a section from the in-progress novel that Sarah began during her Town Hall residency in 2022, which has also been funded by 4Culture. Arianne True (Choctaw, Chickasaw) is a queer poet and teaching artist from Seattle, and has spent most of her work time working with youth. She’s received fellowships and residencies from Jack Straw, the Hugo House, Artist Trust, and the Seattle Repertory Theater, and is a proud alum of Hedgebrook and of the MFA program at the Institute of American Indian Arts. She lives near the Salish Sea with her cat. Arianne is the 2023-2025 Washington State Poet Laureate. Sarah Salcedo is an award-winning filmmaker, illustrator, and author. She was the for Town Hall Seattle and attended both the 2022 Tin House Winter and Summer Workshop for fiction. Her first film, Promised Land, debuted in festivals in 2016. She is currently at work on her next two documentaries with her partner and collaborator, Vasant Salcedo. She has received multiple grants from 4Culture and Artist Trust for her fiction and film work. To learn more about our speakers, or read their work prior to the event, please visit their websites and social media below: Arianne True: | Sarah Salcedo: |
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246. Behind the WHEEL: The Power of Homeless Women
01/18/2024
246. Behind the WHEEL: The Power of Homeless Women
You’re invited to celebrate thirty years of homeless women organizing, writing, and creating change! In 1993, homeless and formerly homeless women in Seattle came together to create (Women’s Housing, Equality, and Enhancement League) to organize for increased safety and shelter and advocate for changes to end homelessness. Now, in 2023, it’s time to commemorate the 30th anniversary of WHEEL and 20th anniversary of WHEEL’s Homeless Remembrance Project, an initiative that has endowed the city with enduring memorials for homeless individuals. As if this weren’t enough, it is also the 15th anniversary of the publication of Beloved Community: The Sisterhood of Homeless Women in Poetry, a moving anthology published by Whit Press, which continues to resonate with community members. Discover new, powerful voices from current WHEEL members as they share their stories and insights. Following the presentation, engage in a Q&A session to delve deeper into the issues at hand.
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245. Stephanie Land with Sara K. Runnels: Motherhood, Hunger, and Higher Education
01/13/2024
245. Stephanie Land with Sara K. Runnels: Motherhood, Hunger, and Higher Education
When Stephanie Land set out to write her memoir, Maid, she never could have imagined what was to come. Handpicked by President Barack Obama as one of the best books of 2019 and later adapted into the hit Netflix series Maid, Stephanie’s escape out of poverty and abuse in search of a better life inspired millions. Maid was a story about a house cleaner, but it was also a story about a woman with a dream. In her new book, Class, Land takes us with her as she finishes college and pursues her writing career. Facing barriers at every turn including a byzantine loan system, not having enough money for food, navigating the judgments of professors and fellow students who didn’t understand the demands of attending college while under the poverty line — Land finds a way to survive once again, finally graduating in her mid-thirties. Class paints an intimate portrait of motherhood as it converges and often conflicts with personal desire and professional ambition. Who has the right to create art? Who has the right to go to college? And what kind of work is valued in our culture? Class grapples with these questions, offering a searing indictment of America’s educational system and an inspiring testimony of a mother’s triumph against all odds. Stephanie Land is the author of the New York Times bestseller Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive, called “a testimony…worth listening to,” by The New York Times and inspiration for the Netflix series Maid. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Atlantic, and many other outlets. Her writing focuses on social and economic justice and parenting under the poverty line. She is a frequent speaker at colleges and national advocacy organizations. Find out more at . Sara K. Runnels is a seasoned humor writer, copywriter and writer-writer living in Seattle, WA. She is a regular contributor to The New Yorker, and her satire has been featured in McSweeney’s, Betches and Overheard, among other publications that respect scintillating wordplay. Sara has also spent more than 15 years pushing corporate boundaries by writing extremely fun and edgy copy for a variety of popular brands (including airlines, TV networks and dating apps—all of life’s necessities). Her witticisms, viral one-liners and sharp social commentary can be found, quite literally, all over the internet (@omgskr). She specializes in clever dating and relationship content, and always has something to say about politics, pop culture and the Pacific Northwest. She is currently working on a funny novel in between episodes of terrible reality TV. The Elliott Bay Book Company
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244. Alva Noë: Art is All Around Us
12/23/2023
244. Alva Noë: Art is All Around Us
What exactly is art and why does it matter to us? Philosopher of the mind Alva Noë explores the answers to these questions, arguing that we need art and philosophy to fully understand human nature. After all, our modern way of life is permeated with the aesthetic––the arts are an integral part of every human culture on the planet. Our lives supply art with its raw materials, but art, Noë argues, remakes life by giving us resources to live differently. Because of this, Noë believes that art is the truest way of understanding ourselves. He suggests that neither biology, cognitive science, nor artificial intelligence can tell a complete story of us. In making these claims, Noë explores examples from his latest book, The Entanglement—in artworks and seeing, writing and speech, and choreography and dancing—and looks at a range of scientific efforts to explain what it means to be human. Through his work, Noë believes that natural science has its limits in fully understanding the human experience. He lays out the argument that art and philosophy play essential roles in trying to know ourselves. Challenging the idea that art is simply a cultural curiosity and that philosophy has been replaced with science, Noë suggests a new way of thinking about human nature. Alva Noë is a professor of philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley, where he is a member of the Center for New Media, the Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, and the Program in Critical Theory. His many books include Strange Tools: Art and Human Nature and Learning to Look: Dispatches from the Art World. Third Place Books
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