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.

357. Isaac Fitzgerald with Jon Mooallem: American Rambler: Walking the Trail of Johnny Appleseed 08/04/2026

357. Isaac Fitzgerald with Jon Mooallem: American Rambler: Walking the Trail of Johnny Appleseed “It’s a difficult thing, to separate legend from story from memory from fact.” Folklore and legend are critical components to any culture, passing tidbits of local history and lessons learned through generations. The idea of the folk hero in particular plays an important role in creating this legacy, rooted in the idea of benevolence and a direct connection to the people themselves. As a child, author Isaac Fitzgerald was always captivated by the tales of Johnny Appleseed, drawn in by family ties to the legend. Spurred on by his father’s larger-than-life stories and a shared restlessness to leave home and discover what lies beyond, Fitzgerald found himself compelled to go on a new adventure. In American Rambler: Walking the Trail of Johnny Appleseed, Fitzgerald sets out on a particularly ambitious hike: walk from Massachusetts to Indiana, following Appleseed’s path and turning a childhood fascination into a year-long personal journey. American Rambler recounts both the tangible and emotional trails Fitzgerald uncovered along the way, littered with explorations of loss and grief, ritual and faith. Fitzgerald invites readers to meander beside him– stopping everywhere from grimy gas-station bathrooms to scenic apple picking destinations– with reflection, humor, and humility. Blending memoir, history, and travelogue through the American heartland, American Rambler presents a welcome step away from the breakneck pace of modern life and a return to the roots of connection. Isaac Fitzgerald is the New York Times bestselling author of Dirtbag, Massachusetts. He is also the author of the bestselling children’s book How to Be a Pirate as well as the co-author of Pen & Ink: Tattoos and the Stories Behind Them and Knives & Ink: Chefs and the Stories Behind Their Tattoos (winner of an IACP Award). He appears frequently on The Today Show, and his writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Esquire, GQ, The Guardian, The Best American Nonrequired Reading, and numerous other publications. He lives with his wife on the North Fork of Long Island. Jon Mooallem is the author of three books, Wild Ones, This is Chance! and the essay collection Serious Face. He lives on Bainbridge Island. /episode/index/show/artscultureths/id/42306310

356. Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen with Jon Mooallem: The Art of the Picture Book 07/28/2026

356. Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen with Jon Mooallem: The Art of the Picture Book Renowned picture book creators, Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen, want people of all ages to understand and appreciate children’s stories and how this art form enriches our individual lives and our culture. Speaking on the process of creating their latest collaboration, a board book series called Now I See, Barnett and Klassen have insights into what makes a great children’s book using elements you can find both on and off the page. This multi-award winning, New York Times bestselling duo operates differently than a lot of children’s book creators. Typically, an author and illustrator don’t directly collaborate, and yet these two find success in close conversations with each other. Using their unique perspectives, Barnett and Klassen also write a newsletter for adults, Looking at Picture Books, which examines the picture book as a respected art form. Their Now I See board book collection applies that lens by celebrating the spare beauty and wonder of the changing seasons from the point of view of a child. A tree that has full green leaves in Now I See Summer sheds them in Now I See Fall. The snowy sky of Now I See Winter gives way to the rainy sky in Now I See Spring. And of course, the perfect hat changes with each season, too. Barnett and Klassen want to uplift the picture book as an art form, showing everyone of every age what goes into the making of great children’s literature. They’ll discuss the importance and value of picture books — and how they work. Kids are, of course, welcome, but the primary audience for these events is adults keen to learn more about picture books. Mac Barnett, the 2025-2026 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, is a New York Times-bestselling author of stories for children. His work has been translated into more than 30 languages and has sold more than 5 million copies worldwide. Some of his books include The First Cat in Space graphic novel series, illustrated by Shawn Harris, Twenty Questions, illustrated by Christian Robinson, and Santa’s First Christmas, illustrated by Sydney Smith. Jon Klassen is the New York Times-bestselling author and illustrator of numerous books, who was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2018 for his contributions to children’s literature. His recent books include the Your Places board book series and The Skull, a #1 New York Times bestseller that earned six starred reviews and a piece in the New York Times Book Review in which Ransom Riggs refers to Jon as both “the dean of deadpan” and a “national treasure.” Jon Mooallem is the author of three books, Wild Ones, This is Chance! and the essay collection Serious Face. He lives on Bainbridge Island. /episode/index/show/artscultureths/id/42247420

355. Melissa Auf der Maur with Gillian Gaar: Even the Good Girls Will Cry: A '90s Rock Memoir 07/23/2026

355. Melissa Auf der Maur with Gillian Gaar: Even the Good Girls Will Cry: A '90s Rock Memoir Even the Good Girls Will Cry: A ‘90s Rock Memoir presents an intimate look behind the scenes of an iconic era through the ever-reflective lens of musician Melissa Auf der Maur. In this debut memoir, Auf der Maur chronicles her journey through alternative music — from staffing ticket windows at local venues to navigating era-defining triumphs and turmoil under global spotlights. A bohemian upbringing in Montreal and an early connection to music led her to put down roots in the local scene, working as a cassette DJ and showing up for bands like Nirvana, Jane’s Addiction, Pavement, and Sonic Youth. A serendipitous sequence sets the stage for the next big step — a thrown beer bottle at a show, a long-shot fan letter to a PO Box, and before you know it Auf der Maur’s band Tinker is opening for The Smashing Pumpkins and Billy Corgan is passing along a personal recommendation to Courtney Love. In a whirlwind of life-changing moments, Auf der Maur joins Hole for their 1994 Live Through This world tour just after the deaths of Kurt Cobain and Hole’s previous bassist Kristen Pfaff. Auf der Maur is swiftly flung into the eye of a hurricane, becoming part of a band plowing through grief by way of art on a brutally global stage. Auf der Maur offers a backstage view to the raw reality of this tour, her relationship with Courtney Love in the wake of tragedy, and what kept Hole from spinning out of control. And the show goes on from there – messy and unwieldy, but bringing compassionate nuance to the nostalgia of the ‘90s alternative era and Auf der Maur’s personal journey to the other side of it. Part rock memoir, part travel diary, part psychedelic scrapbook – Even the Good Girls Will Cry stacks rockstar stories of the last analog decade alongside the intensely intimate musings of an artist who lived through the chaos. Melissa Auf der Maur is an artist, producer, and musician known for her time as the bassist of the bands Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins. She is the co-founder and director of Basilica Hudson, a nonprofit multidisciplinary art center known for music festivals, film screenings, artist-in-residence programs, and community involvement. Her other projects include the solo albums Auf der Maur and Out of Our Minds, as well as photography collections shown by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and featured in publications including Spin, Elle, and Nylon. Gillian G. Gaar is an award-winning journalist and author of over 20 books. She was a senior editor at the legendary Northwest music publication The Rocket for fourteen years. She served as project consultant on Nirvana’s 4 box set With the Lights Out and as editorial assistant on Krist Novoselic’s memoir Of Grunge and Government: Let’s Fix This Broken Democracy! Her books include She’s a Rebel: The History of Women in Rock & Roll, Entertain Us: The Rise of Nirvana, Return of the King: Elvis Presley’s Great Comeback, and World Domination: The Sub Pop Records Story. /episode/index/show/artscultureths/id/42196950

354. Lori Matsukawa with Mimi Gan: Being There: Memoir of an Asian American Journalist 07/20/2026

354. Lori Matsukawa with Mimi Gan: Being There: Memoir of an Asian American Journalist News anchor Lori Matsukawa is an award-winning journalist, author, and speaker who spent nearly 40 years at KING TV in Seattle. A trusted voice in Northwest media, she reveals how her childhood in multi-racial Hawai’i and traveling the world as Miss Teenage America led to a career she couldn’t imagine. Despite discrimination and disappointment along the way, Matsukawa became the role model she wished she’d had. She helped change what viewers saw on the newscasts that entered their homes. Matsukawa pursued her career at a time when society expected little from a person like her: a female of color from a working-class family who attended Hawai’i public schools. Yet, an astonishing series of events — highlighted by a year representing her country as Miss Teenage America during her senior year in high school — propelled her to keep breaking down stereotypes. Today, she continues to promote civic engagement and share stories to inspire the next generation of journalists. Lori Matsukawa is an award-winning broadcast journalist with more than 40 years in the industry. She retired after 36 years as an anchor and reporter at KING TV in Seattle. Matsukawa received two Northwest Regional Emmy Awards, one in 2017 for her series “Prisoners in Their Own Land” and another in 2018 for “Shane Sato: Portraits of Courage.” She is a co-founder of the Seattle Chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association and the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington. Matsukawa is also the author of Brave Mrs. Sato (2023), a contributor to Intersections: A Journalistic History of Asian Pacific America (2025), and Being There: Memoir of an Asian American Journalist, published in April 2026. Mimi Gan is a multiple Emmy Award–winning former KING 5 colleague of Lori’s and a longtime reporter and host. She is now the founder of Mi2 Media, where she produces short‑form social‑impact documentaries. Mimi was recently recognized as one of Seattle Magazine’s Most Influential People: Equity, received the Stanford University Asian American Alumni Award, and currently serves as a trustee for the Wing Luke Museum and Seattle Children’s Theatre. /episode/index/show/artscultureths/id/42158095

353. Straight Talk on Wills, Trusts, and Your Legacy: With Steven Schindler and Wendy Norman 07/16/2026

353. Straight Talk on Wills, Trusts, and Your Legacy: With Steven Schindler and Wendy Norman Join Wendy Norman, End‑of‑Life Planning Consultant, and Steven Schindler, Estate Attorney, for a grounded, practical conversation about the essentials of legacy planning — something every adult needs, no matter their age or stage of life. Together, they’ll break down what a Will actually does, when a Trust might be the better tool, and what really happens — financially and procedurally — if someone dies without either. You’ll also learn how a Durable Power of Attorney works while you’re alive, why its authority ends the moment you die (and what takes over afterward), and how the absence of planning can leave families facing court processes they never expected. Finally, Wendy and Steven will explore the part of planning that often gets overlooked: documenting and communicating your wishes. How you want your assets handled. Who do you want to receive what? Which charities or community organizations do you want to support? When you share these decisions ahead of time, you give your loved ones clarity, confidence, and one of the kindest gifts possible — peace of mind. Wendy Norman has been researching and engaging with end-of-life issues for over 15 years. Wendy’s interest was sparked by her mother’s diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s in 2006. This is when she learned how important it is to have a plan before becoming ill, especially when cognitive decline is involved. Wanting to help others understand the value of pre-planning, Wendy became an end-of-life planning consultant in 2017. In 2019, she left a 25-year career in marketing and program management to invest her time and energy toward end-of-life planning, education and awareness. In 2020, she helped create and lead a team of volunteers to launch an education and awareness program called End of Life Ready hosted by End of Life Washington. Building on that experience, Known Wishes was created to broaden and deepen end-of-life education. Steven J. Schindler is an estate attorney who helps individuals and families design comprehensive strategies to achieve their family, business, and charitable goals. His practice includes estate, will, trust, and tax planning and administration; planned charitable giving; nonjudicial dispute resolution; and the preparation of gift and estate tax returns. Known for his ability to tailor solutions to each client’s unique circumstances, Steven guides clients through everything from optimizing tax advantages to developing meaningful charitable giving plans to navigating sensitive family dynamics with clarity and care. As an active member of the community, Steven serves as treasurer of the King County Cultural Development Authority (4Culture). He has also held leadership roles as president of the Estate Planning Council of Seattle, president of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Section of the King County Bar Association, and served as a board member at End‑of‑Life Washington. Presented by Town Hall Seattle and Known Wishes. /episode/index/show/artscultureths/id/42122035

352. Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life With Alex Mayyasi, Kenny Malone, Daryl Fairweather, and Jack Corbett 07/14/2026

352. Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life With Alex Mayyasi, Kenny Malone, Daryl Fairweather, and Jack Corbett Join the team behind the popular podcast Planet Money and celebrate the publication of their new book, Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life. Book author and longtime contributor Alex Mayyasi, Planet Money host Kenny Malone, and visual host Jack Corbett will bring Planet Money’s signature brand of storytelling to the stage and discuss some highlights from the new book, including unlikely origin stories, revealing truths about human behavior, and insightful suggestions for navigating chaotic times drawn from the latest ideas in economics. Daryl Fairweather, Chief Economist at Redfin, will be the special guest this evening. Come prepared to engage with the silly and the sublime and ask some questions of your favorite Planet Money hosts and reporters. Alex Mayyasi is a longtime contributor to Planet Money. Previously he was the founding editor of Gastro Obscura, which earned two James Beard Awards, and published a bestselling travel book, and was also a writer and editor at Priceonomics. His writing on business and economics has appeared in publications such as Smithsonian, the Washington Post, and The Atlantic. Mayyasi also consults for the University of Chicago economics department. He’s the co-author of You Are Under Arrest for Masterminding the Egyptian Revolution (a Memoir). Kenny Malone is a cohost for NPR’s Planet Money podcast. Before that, he was a reporter for WNYC’s Only Human podcast. Before that, he was a reporter for Miami’s WLRN. And before that, he was a reporter for his friend T.C.’s homemade newspaper, Neighborhood News. Malone’s stories have investigated everything from to to the like National Raisin Day. Or National Golf Day. Or National Splurge Day. His work has won the National Edward R. Murrow Award for Use of Sound, the National Headliner Award, the Scripps Howard Award, and the Bronze Third Coast Festival Award. He studied mathematics at Xavier University in Cincinnati and proudly hails from Meadville, PA, where the zipper was invented. Daryl Fairweather is the chief economist of Redfin and author of Hate the Game: Economic Cheat Codes for Life, Love, and Work. Her insights have been featured on 60 Minutes, CBS Evening News, as well as in the New York Times and Washington Post. Prior to joining Redfin she was a senior economist at Amazon working on problems related to employee engagement and managing a team of analysts. Jack Corbett is the visual host of Planet Money’s TikTok account. Corbett shot NPR’s first TikTok about the stock market circuit breaker. His reporting style became a perfect fit for the pandemic and the new short-form world order it has left in its wake. Since then, Planet Money TikTok’s unique style and sensibility have garnered a devoted, loyal fanbase of young and diverse audiences. Almost four years later, the channel has amassed a large, devoted following of almost 800,000. His TikToks have received almost 15 million likes. In 2023, Corbett’s work on Planet Money’s TikTok won an Edward R. Murrow award and he’s also been recognized by the White House Press Photographers Association. Corbett studied experimental cinema at Ohio State University and started at NPR in 2019 as an intern on the Music team. In his first few weeks, Corbett pitched a documentary to Jazz Night in America, which went on to premiere as part of the Sundance Film Festival in 2021. Corbett lives, breathes and makes bread in The City of Angels, Los Angeles, California. /episode/index/show/artscultureths/id/42063765

351. Maria Semple with Ken Jennings: An Existential Meet Cute 07/13/2026

350. Terry Tempest Williams: The Glorians: Visitations from the Holy Ordinary 07/12/2026

349. Lindy West: Adult Braces: A Memoir 07/11/2026

349. Lindy West: Adult Braces: A Memoir In her new memoir, Adult Braces, Lindy West brings readers along on an uproarious cross-country road trip as she unpacks her last few tumultuous years, rediscovers herself, and reinvents her marriage. Through Shrill—the book and then the Hulu series—Lindy West became an inspiration. To this day, she is stopped on the street and hailed as a beacon of empowerment by women who felt badly for not conforming to a narrow set of societal norms—thin, straight, compliant. But behind the scenes, Lindy never felt like she was the self-actualized woman fans made her out to be. When she found herself in the throes of a deep depression, with her marriage and sense of self-worth hanging in the balance, she knew she needed to make a change. In Adult Braces, Lindy shares the story of her rock bottom and of the journey she took to claw her way out of it. With her trademark candor and sense of humor, she examines her post-Shrill emotional implosion, her shifting feelings about traditional marriage, and her search for her long-lost self. She also tracks the highs and lows of her journey, from eye-opening natural wonders and kitschy roadside attractions to lackluster tourist traps and campground epiphanies. The result is an engaging and laugh-out-loud narrative of becoming as Lindy transforms from a passenger into the active navigator of her own life. Lindy West is the author of three books: the New York Times bestselling memoir Shrill as well as the essay collections The Witches Are Coming and Shit, Actually. Lindy is a former contributing opinion writer for the New York Times and her work has appeared in This American Life, The Guardian, Cosmopolitan, GQ, Vulture, Jezebel, and others. She is the co-host of the comedy podcast Text Me Back and the author of the e-mail newsletter Butt News. Lindy was a writer and executive producer on Shrill, the Hulu comedy adapted from her memoir, and she co-wrote and produced the independent feature film Thin Skin. She lives on the Olympic Peninsula in rural Washington state. /episode/index/show/artscultureths/id/42040115

348. V.E. Schwab and Cat Clarke with Moira Macdonald: The Ending Writes Itself: A Novel 06/26/2026

348. V.E. Schwab and Cat Clarke with Moira Macdonald: The Ending Writes Itself: A Novel Layering classic tropes of the mystery genre with a clever modern satire of the publishing industry, The Ending Writes Itself is the debut novel of “Evelyn Clarke,” a new writing collaboration between best-selling authors V.E. Schwab and Cat Clarke. Joined in conversation by local author and journalist Moira Macdonald, Schwab and Clarke explore their co-authoring venture and the twists and turns that await readers in their new take on a locked-room mystery thriller. How will the pages unfold for the six authors isolated with nothing but their own minds, a diabolical deadline, and a plot-driving incentive? Starting is often the hardest part. But getting to the end could be murder. World-renowned best-selling novelist Arthur Fletch is a reclusive genius who captivates readers with iconic protagonists and fiendish twists. So when six struggling authors of different genres receive an invitation to spend a weekend on his private island off the coast of Scotland, they pack their bags. But the twists have gone further than ever this time, and the authors are greeted with a shocking secret– Arthur Fletch is dead… and his highly-anticipated last novel remains unfinished. Desperate to publish, Fletch’s agent and editor have summoned these writers hoping one of them can pen a worthy ending. To sweeten the deal, they pitch them the opportunity of a lifetime. Ghost write the final chapter and win an irresistible prize– a mind-boggling sum of money and a partnership that could relaunch their own careers and guarantee future bestsellers. And with that to motivate them, surely 72 hours is enough time to finish Fletch’s magnus opus? All they have to do is write… V.E. Schwab is the critically acclaimed author of over 20 books spanning middle-grade, young adult, and adult fiction. Her previous publications include the Villains and Shades of Magic series, as well as standalone novels The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and most recently, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil. Her work has been featured by outlets including the New York Times, the Guardian, and Entertainment Weekly, and has been translated into more than a dozen languages. Cat Clarke is an author and screenwriter. She previously worked as an editor at Scholastic UK. Her previous writing projects include the novels Entangled, The Lost and Found, Girlhood, and We Are Young, as well as the film Something in the Water. Moira Macdonald is the longtime arts critic for The Seattle Times. Her debut novel, Storybook Ending, was published in May 2025 by Dutton/Penguin Random House, and is being released worldwide in 18 languages. /episode/index/show/artscultureths/id/41828645

347. David Pogue: The Most Iconic Brand in the World: The History of Apple 06/04/2026

346. Burl Dirkman: Power Thru It! With Special Guests J. Kenji López-Alt and Tomo Nakayama 05/28/2026

345. Lauren Groff with Amber Flame: Brawler: Short Stories 05/12/2026

345. Lauren Groff with Amber Flame: Brawler: Short Stories Whether you know her from her short stories in The New Yorker or The Atlantic or from one of her bestselling novels, Lauren Groff is arguably one of the leading literary voices in the U.S. Groff will share from her new collection of short stories, Brawler, which reflects upon humanity’s ceaseless battle between our dark and light angels. Ranging from the 1950s to the present day and moving across age, class, and region––from New England to Florida to California––the nine stories in Groff’s newest collection dive into the animal and the divine within us all. The characters paint a different picture of the same theme: a young woman suddenly responsible for her disabled sibling; a hot-tempered high school swimmer in need of an adult; a mother blinded by the loss of her family; and a banking successor with a different kind of inheritance. Motivated by love, challenged by the double edges of other people’s good intentions, they all try to do the right thing for as long as they can. It’s through these stories that Groff illuminates what it means to be human. Groff’s popularity comes from her insight into human nature. Through her various stories, Brawler offers specific turning points in people’s lives, highlighting all of our thin boundaries between love and fear, compassion and violence, reason and instinct, altruism and what it takes to survive. Lauren Groff is a three-time National Book Award finalist and the New York Times bestselling author of the novels The Monsters of Templeton, Arcadia, Fates and Furies, Matrix, and The Vaster Wilds, and the celebrated short story collections Delicate Edible Birds and Florida. She has won the Story Prize and the Joyce Carol Oates Prize, and has been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. In 2024, she was named one of the “TIME 100 most influential people.” Groff’s work regularly appears in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and elsewhere. Her work has been translated into thirty-six languages. She lives in Gainesville, Florida, where she and her husband run an independent bookstore, The Lynx. Amber Flame is an interdisciplinary artist garnering residencies with Hedgebrook, Baldwin for the Arts, Millay Arts, and more. A former church kid from the Southwest, Flame’s first collection of poetry, Ordinary Cruelty, published in 2017 through Write Bloody Press. Flame’s second book, apocrifa, a love story told in verse, launched May 2023 from Red Hen Press. Flame is Deputy Publisher at Generous Press, a new romance venture publishing inclusive love stories, and Program Director for Hedgebrook, a literary organization serving women. Amber Flame is a queer Black dandy mama who falls hard for a jumpsuit and some fresh kicks. /episode/index/show/artscultureths/id/41253365

344. Andrew Yang with Jonathan Sposato: Hey Yang, Where’s My Thousand Bucks? 05/07/2026

344. Andrew Yang with Jonathan Sposato: Hey Yang, Where’s My Thousand Bucks? Remember that one time in 2019 when presidential candidate Andrew Yang promised a thousand dollars a month for a whole year to ten U.S. families if they donated to his campaign? Yang would like to address this. Pulling from his latest book titled Hey Yang, Where’s My Thousand Bucks?, Yang shares stories from his remarkable life so far, including this viral moment during a live presidential debate. Beyond championing universal basic income, Yang would like to bring a little humor into the world. In his candid and playful accounts, Yang examines where the U.S. sits today through the lens of his unexpected journey from entrepreneur to presidential candidate. Part political memoir, part comedy, and part interior monologue, his stories attempt to make complex ideas accessible and entertaining. It’s this entertainment that he sees as a unifying potential. Yang believes in the power of laughter, even in — and maybe especially in — trying times. For anyone frustrated with traditional political narratives, curious about the human behind the headlines, or simply looking for a light-hearted exploration of trying to improve life in the U.S., Yang wants to enlighten, entertain, and inspire. It’s through this optimism, Yang hopes, that we can create real positive change. Andrew Yang is an entrepreneur and the cofounder of the Forward Party, a new independent political movement dedicated to restoring the promise of American democracy. He was a Democratic presidential candidate in 2020 whose campaign outlasted over a dozen mainstream political officeholders and attracted support from hundreds of thousands of everyday Americans, dubbed “the Yang Gang.” His best-selling books The War on Normal People and Forward: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy helped introduce the idea of universal basic income and ranked choice voting into the mainstream. His most recent work was the novel , co-written with Stephen Marche. Named by President Obama as a Presidential Ambassador of Global Entrepreneurship, Yang is the founder of Humanity Forward and Venture for America, and founder and CEO of Noble Mobile. He lives with his family in New York. Jonathan Ng Sposato is a serial entrepreneur, media executive, and impact investor who has helped shape the national tech and media landscape. He is the only entrepreneur to sell two startups to Google (Phatbits and Picnik) and a third, PicMonkey, to Shutterstock. He is chairman and co-founder of GeekWire, one of the country’s most trusted technology news platforms. A former senior leader at Microsoft, Jonathan played a key role in the early development of Xbox, MSN applications, and major consumer initiatives. In 2016, he made national headlines by committing to invest exclusively in female-founded companies and has since been honored by organizations including American Women in Science, Vital Voices, and the University of Washington. He is the founder of , an American-Asian focused media channel recognized by the Center for Asian American Media and GLAAD, and hosts JoySauce Late Night. He also owns and publishes Seattle Magazine and Seattle Business Magazine, restoring the legacy titles to local ownership. His civic leadership has earned him the Seattle Mayor’s Impact Award, and in 2024 he was inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame as a media trailblazer. /episode/index/show/artscultureths/id/41199125

343. Judith Enck with Bellamy Pailthorp: The Problem with Plastic 05/05/2026

343. Judith Enck with Bellamy Pailthorp: The Problem with Plastic In less than 100 years, plastic has gone from a novel invention to a ubiquitous feature across the globe. Plastic is now found in everything from household objects to industrial mechanisms to inside human bodies themselves. Once a marvel of modern science, plastic has become so inextricably woven into our lives that imagining a world without it can seem impossible. Backed by years of research and reflections taking place in real time with changing technology and environmental awareness, The Problem with Plastic critically examines the paradox of this material and how swiftly its integration has affected public health and the planet as a whole. The book explores how, despite being first celebrated for its innovations, plastic is now broadly recognized as a leading contributor to environmental pollution at every level, the climate crisis, and building waste levels that disproportionately impact marginalized communities that bear the brunt of petrochemical pollution. Author and environmental policy expert Judith Enck, in collaboration with co-author Adam Mahoney and the Beyond Plastics project, strives to draw attention to the alarming extent that microplastics have infiltrated society and the ways consumers can challenge what they think about the roles they can play. Unpacking illusions about recycling, mechanisms of environmental racism, and deceptive greenwashing strategies, the authors emphasize the urgency of calling for real, actionable measures to push against the effects of the plastics industry. The Problem with Plastic highlights powerful stories of frontline resistance in places like Louisiana, Texas, and Appalachia, and seeks to equip readers with practical tools– including a “Household Waste Audit” to track and reduce plastic consumption and model policy guides for driving legislative change. Fortified with calls for individual responsibility, citizen action, and governmental regulations, The Problem with Plastic aims to show that while plastic is a formidable problem, coordinated efforts can lead to solutions. Judith Enck is the founder and president of Beyond Plastics, whose goal is eliminating plastic pollution everywhere. She was appointed by President Obama to serve as regional administrator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2009 and served as deputy secretary for the environment in the New York Governor’s Office. She is the co-author of The Problem With Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It’s Too Late (The New Press; 2025). She is currently a professor at Bennington College and lives in upstate New York. Bellamy Pailthorp covers the KNKX environment beat with an emphasis on climate justice, human health and food sovereignty. Bellamy likes reporting stories about how we will power our future while maintaining healthy cultures and livable cities. Fluent in German, Bellamy worked in Berlin and has a masters in journalism from Columbia University. She joined KNKX (then KPLU) in 1999. From 2000-2012, she covered the business and labor beat for KNKX. Outside work, she practices yoga, enjoys tasting new foods and is frequently on the water with her rowing team. /episode/index/show/artscultureths/id/41152880

342. John Patrick Green with Ben Clanton: InvestiGators: Agents of S.U.I.T.: Sew Much Trouble 05/03/2026

342. John Patrick Green with Ben Clanton: InvestiGators: Agents of S.U.I.T.: Sew Much Trouble When something wacky is going on in the Gatorverse, the Special Undercover Investigation Teams know that it’s time to S.U.I.T. up! Join the team at S.U.I.T. headquarters with the newest book in John Patrick Green’s InvestiGators spinoff series– Agents of S.U.I.T.: Sew Much Trouble. Someone has stolen the Notorious P.I.G. food truck, and with it, Piggy Smalls’ special BBQ sauce! But before super-spy Badgers Bongo and Marsha can solve the case, they need to solve the problems they’re having with each other. To help them realize what a great team they truly are, General Inspector decides to split them up. Marsha gets placed on a super-secret pilot program with chameleon field agent, Cilantro. Meanwhile, Bongo is paired with Sven, the octopus lead designer of A.R.M.S (Apparel Manufacturing and Research Section), on a not-so-secret reality competition: “Sew You Think You Can Sew!” But here’s the rub: this season of the show includes a chef challenge, and underground sources say Piggy Smalls’ notorious sauce was stolen to help one of the contestants win! Find out what saucy secrets Bongo, Marsha, and the rest of the mystery-solving squad can spill before the whole team unravels in Agents of S.U.I.T.: Sew Much Trouble! John Patrick Green is a human with the human job of making books about animals with human jobs, notably the smash-hit graphic novel series InvestiGators. John is definitely a multiple New York Times-bestselling human author and not just a bunch of animals in a trench coat pretending to have a human job. With over four million copies of InvestiGators in print, John is a successful human being with only two hands and a normal amount of fur. He lives in a Brooklyn apartment that doesn’t allow animals other than the ones living in his head. Ben Clanton is the New York Times–bestselling author and illustrator of the Narwhal and Jelly series, whose picture books include the Ploof series (with Andy Chou Musser) and the Tater Tales series. He lives with his wife and kids in Seattle, Washington. /episode/index/show/artscultureths/id/41132830

341. Kate Quinn with Elise Hooper: Astral Library: A Novel 05/02/2026

341. Kate Quinn with Elise Hooper: Astral Library: A Novel Have you ever wished you could go inside of a book? You could travel to a new place, see new sights, potentially live a different life altogether — all from the page. From New York Times bestselling author Kate Quinn comes Astral Library, a fantastical novel where books are not merely objects, but doors to different worlds, different adventures, and different futures. After growing up in the foster care system, protagonist Alix Watson came to believe one thing: unlike people, books will never let you down. Working three dead-end jobs to make ends meet and letting her dreams of higher education fall to the wayside, Alix takes refuge in the reading room at the Boston Public Library, reading her favorite fantasy novels and dreaming of faraway lands night after night. One day, she stumbles through a hidden door and meets the Librarian: the ageless guardian of the Astral Library, where the desperate and the lost escape to new lives inside their favorite books. All seems well until a shadowy enemy emerges and threatens everyone inside. As danger draws closer, Alix and the Librarian try to escape, fleeing places like the back alleys of the Sherlock Holmes series, the Regency-era drawing rooms of Jane Austen, and the decadent parties of The Great Gatsby, to name a few. In journeying through books, Quinn may offer insight into where readers truly belong. Kate Quinn is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction. A native of Southern California, she attended Boston University, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in classical voice. A lifelong history buff, she has written four novels in the Empress of Rome Saga and two books set in the Italian Renaissance before turning to the 20th century with The Alice Network, The Huntress, The Rose Code, The Diamond Eye, and The Briar Club. The Astral Library is her first foray into magic realism. She and her husband now live in Maryland with their rescue dogs. Elise Hooper spent several years writing for television and online news outlets before getting a MA and teaching high-school literature and history. Her debut novel The Other Alcott was a nominee for the 2017 Washington Book Award. Three more novels—Learning to See, Fast Girls, and Angels of the Pacific—followed, all centered on the lives of extraordinary but overlooked historical women. Her newest book, The Library of Lost Dollhouses, was inspired by a dollhouse that’s been in her family for five generations. Elise lives in Seattle with her husband and two daughters. /episode/index/show/artscultureths/id/41127325

340. Thomas Mallon with Katie Campbell: Opera Talk: Fellow Travelers 04/26/2026

340. Thomas Mallon with Katie Campbell: Opera Talk: Fellow Travelers Hear from acclaimed author, essayist, and critic Thomas Mallon, whose novel Fellow Travelers (2007) inspired an opera and a SHOWTIME® miniseries. With exacting attention to historical detail, Mallon’s novel brings to life the shameful era in the early 1950s known as the Lavender Scare, during which gay and lesbian federal employees were systematically expelled from government service. More recently, Mallon also published The Very Heart of It (2025), a collection of journal entries during his literary coming-of-age during the AIDS crisis in New York City. Reporter Katie Campbell, creator and host of the KUOW Book Club, joins Mallon for a lively discussion on these works and the lessons they hold for our own time. Thomas Mallon’s eleven books of fiction include Henry and Clara, Fellow Travelers, Watergate (a Finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award), and Up With the Sun. He has also written volumes of nonfiction about plagiarism (Stolen Words), diaries (A Book of One’s Own), letters (Yours Ever,) and the Kennedy assassination (Mrs. Paine’s Garage), as well as two books of essays (Rockets and Rodeos and In Fact). A collection of his personal journals, The Very Heart of It: New York Diaries, 1983-1994, was published by Knopf in June 2025. Mallon’s work appears in The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, and other publications. He received his Ph. D. in English and American Literature from Harvard University and taught for a number of years at Vassar College. His honors include Guggenheim and Rockefeller fellowships, the National Book Critics Circle citation for reviewing, and the Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, for distinguished prose style. He has been literary editor of Gentlemen’s Quarterly and deputy chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and in 2012, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. An eight-part dramatic adaptation of his novel, Fellow Travelers, is now streaming on Showtime/Paramount+, and an opera based on the novel has had over a dozen productions throughout the United States. He is Professor Emeritus of English at The George Washington University and lives in Washington, D. C. Katie Campbell is an editor and reporter for . She has covered a variety of local topics, including Seattle politics, elections, and the arts. She also co-hosts KUOW’s weekly arts podcast, Meet Me Here, highlighting the local literary scene and visiting authors. In 2024, Katie created the KUOW Book Club, featuring stories and authors from the Pacific Northwest. Katie’s picks have included classics, like Timothy Egan’s The Good Rain, and recent hits, like Sonora Jha’s The Laughter. Katie’s interviews with the featured authors have given readers a chance to hear from some of the most talented writers in the region. All readers are invited to join the KUOW Book Club by signing up for the newsletter at . Katie is a graduate of the University of Florida College of Journalism, a P-Patch gardener and an auntie. Find her on Bluesky: @katiecampbell.bsky.social /episode/index/show/artscultureths/id/41022435

339. Chuck Klosterman:The Football Phenomenon 04/25/2026

338. Letters Aloud: Love Me or Leave Me: Letters of Loving, Longing, and Leaving 04/24/2026

338. Letters Aloud: Love Me or Leave Me: Letters of Loving, Longing, and Leaving Get ready to laugh, swoon, and maybe cringe just a little—Love Me or Leave Me from Letters Aloud unleashes the wild side of romance in a whirlwind show packed with real letters from history’s most lovelorn (and love-scorned) souls. With a cast of spirited actors, comedy crackles from every confession, break-up, and “did-they-really-write-that?” misadventure, all paired with lively music that sets hearts and funny bones tingling. It’s an unfiltered anthology of grand gestures, awkward flirtations, ridiculous rejections, and letters so sincere (or spectacularly misguided) you can’t help but cheer. Whether you arrive hopelessly romantic or deliciously cynical, you’ll end the night loving every memorable misstep on the bumpy road to happily ever after. Real letters, by real people, read by professional actors. Since 2014, we have traveled the country sharing intimate letters written by individuals who have left their mark on history. With a power to evoke both laughter and deep emotion, these letters serve as a testament to humanity’s extraordinary ability to unearth hope, purpose, and happiness amidst life’s many challenges. With live musical accompaniment and a dynamic slideshow, a Letters Aloud evening is guaranteed to inspire! (As one fan said, “It’s a modern day ‘A prairie Home Companion’ – but with letters.”) ABOUT THE PERFORMERS Paul Morgan Stetler is the creator and curator of Letters Aloud and a co-founder and former Artistic Director of Seattle’s multi-award winning New Century Theatre Company. A well-known Seattle actor, Paul has appeared on numerous local stages over the past 20 years, including ACT Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Village Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Intiman Theatre, and Empty Space Theatre, as well as numerous regional theatres across the country. He holds a BA in English Literature at Cal State Northridge and an MFA in Theatre Arts from Penn State University. Basil Harris is a Seattle actor and musician who has worked extensively on stage here in Seattle, and in film and media. As a voice actor, he’s a regular contributor to the audio dramas of Jim French’s Imagination Theater. He also plays in the alt-pop band “Awesome”, which has often appeared here at Town Hall. More at Jen Taylor is a Seattle-based stage actor and voice performer whose career bridges some of the city’s most respected theatres and one of pop culture’s most iconic AI characters. She is widely recognized worldwide as the original voice of Cortana in the Halo video game series and Microsoft’s digital assistant, a role she has carried from the first game through multiple sequels and into the live-action Halo television adaptation. Jamie Maschler is a musician, music director, educator and an ambassador of the accordion. She is co-founder of the Brazilian bands Foleada, En Canto, and the accordion duo Creosote. She has been heard with the Pueblo Symphony, Seattle Symphony and Seattle Philharmonic. Jamie has also played the role of Nelly Friedman in Paula Vogel’s award winning play Indecent twice. /episode/index/show/artscultureths/id/41010870

337. Vivian Tu with Tori Dunlap: Well Endowed: The Secrets to Strategic Spending 04/24/2026

337. Vivian Tu with Tori Dunlap: Well Endowed: The Secrets to Strategic Spending For most people, trying to be smart with money is a hurdle that isn’t going away anytime soon. And once you have a handle on the usual demands like bills, loans, and maybe even savings – what about the future? Long-term financial choices can be daunting and confusing, and isn’t wealth management advice for the already wealthy? How do everyday people balance today’s dreams and realities with tomorrow’s security? Tailoring her years of expertise for modern generations, bestselling author and CEO Vivian Tu wants to deconstruct the traditional framework of financial literacy and show readers how to invest in a future that supports their real needs and wants. In her newest book, Well Endowed, the internet’s favorite money bestie seeks to show readers how to strategically spend, directing cash toward what matters most while positioning themselves to grow real, lasting wealth. This fun, practical roadmap aims to weigh in on all the big topics, addressing questions like: Should I rent or buy a home? What about my car – do I finance, lease, or buy? Should I get life insurance? What about pet insurance or renters’ insurance? How much should I be setting aside for retirement, and do I really need a prenup? Is generational wealth something I can actually work towards for my family? Picking up where her first book left off, Tu breaks down the biggest financial decisions of your late twenties, thirties, and beyond, striving to teach you how to align your spending with your values, goals, and the legacy you hope to leave. Pulling from lessons learned as a former Wall Street trader and blending them with the honesty of your best friend, Tu expands on the basics of personal finance to present a smart, relatable guide for creating lasting stability for yourself and your loved ones. Well Endowed aims to make your money work harder so you can live richer in every sense. Vivian Tu is an educator and award-winning media personality driven towards creating approachable lessons in financial literacy and money management. She is the founder and CEO of the digital media brand Your Rich BFF, host of the Networth and Chill podcast, and author of the New York Times bestselling book Rich AF. She is the Chief of Financial Empowerment with SoFi Technologies and has been named one of Forbes 30 Under 30. Tori Dunlap has helped over 5 million women build their net-worth and self-worth through her New York Times bestselling book and the world’s biggest financial podcast for women, both called Financial Feminist. After saving $100,000 at age 25, Tori quit her corporate job in marketing and founded to fight financial inequality by giving women actionable resources to better their money. A multi-million dollar business owner, Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and co-creator of Treasury, an investing education platform, Tori’s work has generated a global movement for financial advocacy and women’s rights. /episode/index/show/artscultureths/id/40998820

336. Jackson Cooper with Dr. Laura Marie Rivera: A Kids Book About Kindness 04/20/2026

334. David Guterson with Karen Maeda Allman: Evelyn in Transit 04/09/2026

334. David Guterson with Karen Maeda Allman: Evelyn in Transit Whether you know him from his award-winning and bestselling novel set in Puget Sound, Snow Falling on Cedars, or his columns in Pacific Northwest publications, Bainbridge writer David Guterson may be one of our region’s most well-known writers. He’s written a new novel, Evelyn in Transit, which explores what it means to live a righteous life, maybe even in spite of our imperfections. Guterson’s novel introduces Evelyn Bednarz, who is radically open-minded, formidably strong, and unusually clear-eyed about herself and others. Yet Evelyn has always been a misfit in society. She’s easily bored, unsuited to life at school, asks odd questions about faith and time, and sees through conventions others take for granted. Seeking to be true to herself, she hitchhikes across the American West, taking odd jobs. Meanwhile, in distant Tibet, another life unfolds: the life of a boy named Tsering, raised as a Buddhist monk in the mountains of Tibet, who eventually becomes a high lama. And yet, Evelyn and Tsering are linked, which Evelyn discovers when a trio of Buddhist lamas show up at her door to announce that her five-year-old son, Cliff, is the seventh reincarnation of the illustrious Norbu Rinpoche, recently deceased. The lamas’ visit sets off a family crisis and a media firestorm over Cliff’s future. As he’s done in his other writing, Guterson links the Pacific Northwest with universal human truths. Evelyn in Transit asks us what it might mean to “live the right way,” and to closely examine humanity’s strivings for transcendence. David Guterson is the author of several novels: the national best seller Snow Falling on Cedars; East of the Mountains; Our Lady of the Forest, a New York Times Notable Book and a Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year; The Other; and Ed King. He is also the author of two story collections, two books of poetry, a memoir, and the work of nonfiction Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, he lives in Washington state. Karen Maeda Allman is a bookseller alum, having worked for over 30 years at Independent Bookstores (including as author events co-coordinator for the Elliott Bay Book Company). She has served on many jury and awards panels, including for the National Book Award for Translated Literature, the DSC Prize and the Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction. She’s currently at Wales Literary Agency and also serves on the Board of Seattle Arts and Lectures. Elliott Bay Book Company /episode/index/show/artscultureths/id/40779000

335. Jenn Lueke with Cailee Fischer: Don't Think About Dinner 04/09/2026

335. Jenn Lueke with Cailee Fischer: Don't Think About Dinner Ever feel unenthused staring into the fridge night after night? Overwhelmed and over budget at the grocery store, yet somehow you still came home without what you need for the week? Been meaning to reorganize your pantry for months and don’t even know where to start? Avid cook and recipe developer Jenn Lueke has been there herself, and she wants to help pull home cooks out of the fog of decision fatigue and into achievable, delicious choices worth savoring. In her debut cookbook, Don’t Think About Dinner, Lueke has combined a practiced hand at meal planning, financial acuity, and years of building recipes into a start-to-finish primer for success. After struggling as a college student with health problems and quick-fix “healthy” recipes that she often found impractical and costly, Lueke was motivated to build a plan around what was really important to her. A list of plants and proteins she wanted to eat, simple recipes to make the most of them, and a system to keep with it over time. This foundation brought her to a new relationship with food in her life, a growing business and digital platform shared with millions, and now to a fresh, flavorful collection of kitchen know-how with Don’t Think About Dinner. This goal-oriented guidebook aims to help home cooks get what they really want out of the kitchen – from building new skills to cutting down on spending and food waste to reducing mental load without giving up satisfaction. Don’t Think About Dinner highlights everything home cooks may need to confidently approach every meal of the day—from shopping and stocking the pantry to storing and reheating leftovers, and everything in between. Lueke’s engaging and comprehensive approach and vivid photography present weekly meal plan menus, resources, and over 125 recipes designed to fit your lifestyle needs. Readers will find convenient prep-ahead breakfasts like Goat Cheese and Kale High-Protein Egg Muffins and takeout-alternative lunch faves like Barbecue Chicken Chopped Salad. Get dinner on the table in 30 minutes with Street Corn-Inspired Shrimp Skillet or take advantage of adaptable ingredient lists and plant-based options like Sheet Pan Butternut Squash Mac and “Cheese.” With a fully stocked kitchen and plan in place, Don’t Think About Dinner wants to show how much easier it can be to cook nourishing, budget-conscious, standout meals. Jenn Lueke is an author, recipe developer, and digital creator focused on making nutritious food more accessible and leading people to more joyful, nourishing practices around cooking. She is known for her smart shopping tips, viral meal plans, and approachable strategies for kitchen confidence on her social platform, @jenneatsgoood. Her tips and recipes have been featured on Buzzfeed, Good Morning America, ABC News, and through her Substack, the eat goood newsletter. Cailee Fischer is a food content creator and the voice behind Cailee Eats, where she shares easy, balanced meals and realistic kitchen moments. She’s all about making cooking feel fun, doable, and delicious, like having your bestie right there in the kitchen with you. What started as posting simple dinner recipe videos during her PCOS journey has grown into a community of 1.6M+ on TikTok and Instagram and a full-time career centered on helping people feel confident in the kitchen. /episode/index/show/artscultureths/id/40792975

333. Karl Ove Knausgård with Elizabeth DeNoma: The School of Night 03/31/2026

333. Karl Ove Knausgård with Elizabeth DeNoma: The School of Night How far would you go to achieve your deepest dreams? That’s the question author Karl Ove Knausgård explores in his latest novel, The School of Night. Internationally acclaimed and award-winning Norwegian author Knausgård is known for blending everyday characters with transcendent perceptions of reality, and this new installment of The Morning Star series continues this thread while examining the power of human ambition. Set in 1985 London, a city rife with possibility and desire, Knausgård’s story follows Kristian Hadeland, a young photographer who believes his art is destined for greatness. His family, however, never understood him, and his fellow photography students bore him. When he meets Hans, an eccentric Dutch artist, the future he yearns for is possible—as long as he is willing to sacrifice everything and stop at nothing. Twenty-four years later, Kristian sees his dreams come true. A major retrospective of his work is held in New York City. Yet his past catches up to him, and Kristian’s world begins to crumble. Success comes at a price, but is he prepared to pay it? In a twist on Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, Karl Ove Knausgård questions what we will do to achieve success—and how far we are willing to fall. The fourth novel in The Morning Star series that collides the ordinary with the extraordinary, The School of Night is a tale about dark temptations and moral depravity, and what we forget when we bargain with the devil. Karl Ove Knausgård’s first novel, Out of the World, was the first ever debut novel to win the Norwegian Critics’ Prize, and his second, A Time for Everything, was longlisted for the 2010 International Dublin Literary Award. The My Struggle cycle of novels has been heralded as a masterpiece wherever it has appeared. His work is published in thirty-five languages. Knausgaard’s newest novel, The School of Night, will be published by Penguin Press in January 2026. Elizabeth DeNoma wears a number of hats within the publishing world. She’s a translator from Scandinavia languages (whose most recent work is SNOW: A History by Sverker Sörlin), a ghostwriter and developmental editor, as well as a literary agent at the boutique international agency of Sebes, Bisseling, and Kleuver. /episode/index/show/artscultureths/id/40684790

332. David Spafford with Paul Atkins: Binging Shogun: Can Historical Fiction Be Good for History? 03/16/2026

332. David Spafford with Paul Atkins: Binging Shogun: Can Historical Fiction Be Good for History? When Shogun was released last year on Hulu, it featured a great cast, spectacular visuals, and a gripping story. It was a commercial and critical success on release, and again when awards season came around. So of course, academic historians fretted. Were they concerned that it painted sixteenth-century Japan as another Game of Thrones (with more ninjas and fewer dragons)? Maybe a little. But most scholars were anxious because they understood how important the show would be, how profound an impact it would have, for years to come, on the public’s perception of Japanese culture and history — all the more so because the story captures a moment of extraordinary significance, in such vivid detail, on such a vast canvas. In this talk, David Spafford, Associate Professor of Premodern Japanese History at the University of Pennsylvania, takes a closer look at the complexities of the period and unpacks why this particular moment in history matters so much — and how the hit Shogun series does (or doesn’t) help us understand it. David Spafford was born and raised in Rome and first moved to the States to earn his PhD. He is currently Associate Professor of Premodern Japanese History in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches courses on samurai and the invention of the Way of the Warrior, on early modern urbanization, and on premodern law and violence. He is the author of A Sense of Place: The Political Landscape in Late Medieval Japan (2013), which explores the resilience of medieval regional identities and cultural geographies during the early Warring States period. In recent years, he has written about the role and boundaries of kinship in warrior society between 1450 and 1650. He is currently completing a short monograph on the writings of a sixteenth-century widow, known to us only as Jukeini, the only woman to rule a warrior domain. Paul Atkins is professor of Japanese in the Department of Asian Languages and Literature at the University of Washington, Seattle, where he teaches and writes about the literature, drama, and culture of medieval Japan. He holds a Ph.D. in Japanese from Stanford University. Professor Atkins was awarded the William F. Sibley Memorial Translation Prize by the University of Chicago in 2011 and the Kyoko Selden Memorial Translation Prize by Cornell University in 2021 for his translations of classical Japanese texts into English. Publications include the monographs Teika: The Life and Works of a Medieval Japanese Poet (University of Hawai’i Press, 2017) and Revealed Identity: The Noh Plays of Komparu Zenchiku (Center of Japanese Studies, University of Michigan, 2006) as well as a number of articles. Presented by Town Hall Seattle and Washin Kai. This event is sponsored by the UW and the UW . Nominal support provided by . /episode/index/show/artscultureths/id/40502275

331. Jeff Chang with Shannon Lee, Doug Palmer, and Sue Ann Kay: Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America 03/03/2026

331. Jeff Chang with Shannon Lee, Doug Palmer, and Sue Ann Kay: Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America In the decades since his untimely passing at the age of thirty-two, Bruce Lee’s body of work has grown to an undeniably lasting legacy. He went on to become globally recognized after his death, his influence acting as a cultural bridge between the East and West – popularizing martial arts and providing inspiration and momentum for a new arena of Western martial arts films. While the impact of his work can be seen across genres and generations, cultural historian and journalist Jeff Chang is hoping to highlight the barrier-breaking importance of Bruce Lee’s life to the development of Asian American identity over the last fifty years. In his new biography, Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America, Chang highlights areas of Bruce Lee’s story that have been overshadowed by acclaim. Chang unpacks the stark reality of Bruce Lee as a baby born in segregated San Francisco and a youth living in war-ravaged, fight-crazy Hong Kong. As he found his way back to America as a teenager, Bruce Lee embraced West Coast counterculture and meshed it with the Asian worldviews and philosophies that reared him. Water Mirror Echo – a title inspired by Bruce Lee’s own way of moving, being, and responding to the world – explores how these transitions and unique vantage points created a figure whose very presence helped shape the idea of what being an Asian in America is, at a critical time in the early development of the culture. Chang presents this new work in conversation with a panel of figures directly affected by Lee’s life– activist and former student Sue Ann Kay, long-time friend Doug Palmer, and daughter Shannon Lee. Water Mirror Echo layers an expertly collected archive of Lee’s life with a thoughtfully nuanced analysis of the way Lee defied stereotypes and expectations. The complex biography draws from in-depth interviews, thousands of newly available personal documents, and features dozens of photographs from the family’s archive, brought together by Chang’s pursuit of heartfelt authenticity. Water Mirror Echo explores the man behind the iconography and shows Lee’s growing fame ushering in something even more enduring: the creation of Asian America. Jeff Chang is an award-winning writer, host, and cultural organizer. His previous books include the critically acclaimed Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation, Who We Be: A Cultural History of Race in Post Civil Rights America, and We Gon’ Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation. Chang has been a Lucas Artist Fellow and has received the American Book Award, the Asian American Literary Award, and the USA Ford Fellowship in Literature. He is the host of the podcasts Edge of Reason and Notes from the Edge. His bylines have appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, The Guardian, and more. Shannon Lee is an author, producer, speaker, and acts as the steward of her father’s legacy. She is the founder and president of the Bruce Lee Foundation and the host of the Bruce Lee Podcast as well as the short-form podcast A Little Leeway. Her published books include the philosophical guide Be Water, My Friend, and the YA fantasy novel Breath of the Dragon. Doug Palmer is a retired lawyer and the author of the memoir Bruce Lee: Sifu, Friend, and Big Brother published by Seattle-based Chin Music Press. He grew up in Seattle, where he met and learned gung fu from Bruce Lee. While attending Yale University, he spent a summer with Bruce and his family in Hong Kong. After graduating with a major in Chinese Studies and obtaining a law degree from Harvard Law School, he worked in Tokyo for 4-1/2 years. Sue Ann Kay is a third-generation Chinese American with family roots to early Seattle Chinatown (late 1800s) and the current Chinatown International District (CID). She was Bruce Lee’s first female student, relishing lessons that included Chinese philosophy and martial arts. Kay is currently involved with grassroots groups like the CID Coalition (aka “Humbows not Hotels”) and Eggrolls. She is also a singer with the Seattle Raging Grannies. Presented by Town Hall Seattle and Wing Luke Museum. /episode/index/show/artscultureths/id/40289490

330. Elyse Myers: That's a Great Question, I'd Love to Tell You 02/27/2026

330. Elyse Myers: That's a Great Question, I'd Love to Tell You Elyse Myers is known to her 12 million followers as “The Internet’s Best Friend,” sharing relatable stories and comedic sketches while serving as an advocate for topics such as neurodiversity, impostor syndrome, body image, and more. Whether she’s making people laugh with tales of disastrous dates or giving a voice to that awkward internal monologue many of us have, she has three simple goals behind everything she makes: To make people feel known, loved, and like they belong. In That’s a Great Question, I’d Love to Tell You, Elyse delivers a debut collection of deeply personal stories and hand-drawn illustrations, offering even more intimate reflections beyond what fans have seen on her social media, including: Spending 7 Minutes in Heaven and accidentally friend-zoning her crush How Lucy, the Magic 8 Ball keychain, changed her life by accident The “meat cute” when she met her smoke show of a husband at a butcher’s counter in Australia Plus, stories of bad dates and almost-dates; the irresistible but hopeless urge to reinvent yourself; panic attacks and the escape routes they inspire; favorite pens and the systems for using them—all while navigating the art of loving and being loved, ideally at the same time. Elyse Myers is a writer, comedian, and content creator who’s known to her twelve million followers as “The Internet’s Best Friend,” sharing relatable stories and comedic sketches and serving as an advocate for topics such as neurodivergence, impostor syndrome, body image, and more. Whether she’s making people laugh with stories of disastrous dates or giving a voice to that awkward internal monologue many of us have, she has three simple goals behind everything she makes: To make people feel known, loved, and like they belong. She hopes that by sharing her authentic and unfiltered self with the world, others will feel comfortable doing the same. Elyse lives in the Midwest with her husband, two sons, and her pillow pet named Wallace. /episode/index/show/artscultureths/id/40246570

329. Michael W. Twitty with Kristi Brown: Recipes From the American South 02/26/2026

329. Michael W. Twitty with Kristi Brown: Recipes From the American South “Our cuisine, with its grits and black-eyed peas, crab cakes, red rice, and endless variations on the staple foods of the region, casts a spell that, if you’re lucky, gets passed down with snapping string beans at the table and chewing cane on the back porch.” – Michael W. Twitty Cooking is more than just ingredients and instructions, and a big pot on the stove can act as a vessel for connection and culture just as much as it does for rice and beans. Exploring the contextual roots and legacies passed down through food culture has been a lifelong endeavor for culinary historian Michael W. Twitty, and his upcoming cookbook Recipes From the American South aims to unpack a bounty of knowledge and flavor for the home cook. In the introduction to this thoughtfully rendered recipe collection, Twitty declares, “No one state or area can give you the breadth of the Southern story or fully set the Southern table.” Recipes from the American South sets out on a journey to cover as much ground as possible through one of America’s most foundational culinary landscapes — showcasing more than 260 beloved regional dishes rooted from the Louisiana Bayou to the Chesapeake Bay. Layered with diverse origin stories and detailed annotations, Twitty brings readers an expansive collection of both iconic fare and lesser-known specialties. Chicken and Dumplings, She-crab Soup, Red Eye Gravy, Benne Seed Wafers, Hummingbird Cake, and Mint Juleps appear alongside Shrimp Pilau, Chorizo Dirty Rice, Sumac Lemonade, and Cajun Pig’s Ears Pastry. Vibrant photography and Twitty’s lyrical essays accompany the menu at every course, from biscuits and breads to mains and sides to sauces and sweets. Through this cookbook, Twitty aims to showcase how the region’s “multicultural gumbo” of influences have transformed staple ingredients into a lasting impact on American food culture as a whole. Expansive, authoritative, and beautifully designed — Recipes from the American South invites readers to take a seat at the kitchen table and learn how to cook, understand, and connect with every plate. Michael W. Twitty is an acclaimed culinary historian, speaker, educator, and independent scholar with a focus on historic African American food and folk culture. He is the author of the two-time James Beard Award-winning book The Cooking Gene, as well as Rice and Koshersoul. His work has been featured in publications including the Guardian, The New York Times, The Washington Post, PBS, and NPR’s The Splendid Table, as well as Afroculinaria, his culinary history blog devoted to the preservation of historic African American foods and foodways. Chef Kristi Brown has spent over three decades in the culinary industry, starting at a café in downtown Seattle. After graduating from Seattle Culinary Academy, she founded That Brown Girl Cooks Catering in the mid-1990s. Her mantra, “Everybody Gotta Eat,” led her to co-found a community kitchen, earning widespread recognition. In the same era, Chef Kristi and her son Damon Bomar opened Communion R&B in Seattle’s Central District. With praise from Conde Nast Traveler and The New York Times, the restaurant has become a beacon of unity and community. /episode/index/show/artscultureths/id/40236175

328. Ruchika T. Malhotra with Ijeoma Oluo, Ekin Yasin, and La’Kita Williams: Uncompete: Rejecting Competition to Unlock Success 02/22/2026

328. Ruchika T. Malhotra with Ijeoma Oluo, Ekin Yasin, and La’Kita Williams: Uncompete: Rejecting Competition to Unlock Success Have you ever heard the phrase “healthy competition?” Competing is often viewed as a positive: we are told that it motivates us, drives innovation, and helps us excel. But what if this approach were mistaken, and competition actually causes more harm than good? In this panel discussion, author Ruchika T. Malhotra will be joined by Ijeoma Oluo, Ekin Yasin, and La’Kita Williams to explore the central ideas of her new book, Uncompete: Rejecting Competition to Unlock Success. Author Ruchika Malhotra offers a different framework for success than what we are used to. Uncompete argues that competition leads to exhaustion, anxiety, burnout, and an isolating lack of community. It encourages a scarcity mindset and keeps us from reaching our true potential. Instead, Malhotra argues, we should be investigating this cultural norm and even rewriting it into ways that are likely unfamiliar, such as by tapping into benign envy or finding joy in other people’s victories. Drawing on interviews as well as Malhotra’s own experiences working with corporations as an inclusion strategist, Uncompete promotes a culture of collaboration and mutuality. The book offers that this approach leads not only to a happier workplace, but one more likely to succeed. Likewise, it can also lead to happier and healthier lives even outside of work. Malhotra subverts the dominant, dog-eat-dog paradigm and makes a radical argument: there is room for everyone at the table and everyone can succeed. Ruchika T. Malhotra is the founder of Candour, a global inclusion strategy firm that has worked with some of the world’s biggest organizations. She is a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review and was a founding editor of The Establishment, a women-funded-and-led media website, has written for The New York Times, , TIME, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, Quartz, The Seattle Times, and more. She was an adjunct faculty in Communications at University of Washington and Seattle University and is the author of INCLUSION ON PURPOSE: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work, MIT Press’ top selling book of 2022. Ijeoma Oluo is a Seattle-based writer, speaker, and internet yeller. She is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling first book, So You Want To Talk About Race, Mediocre, and Be a Revolution. Her work on race and gender has been published in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and NBC News; and she has been featured on The Daily Show and NPR’s All Things Considered. Named on the TIME 100 Next list and The Root 100, she’s been awarded the Harvard Humanist of the Year Award, the American Humanist Association’s Feminist Humanist Award, Gender Justice League’s Media Justice Award, and the Equal Opportunity Institute’s Aubrey Davis Visionary Leadership Award. Dr. Ekin Yasin is a professor, researcher, and program leader with expertise in communication, emerging technologies, and leadership development. As Director of the Communication Leadership graduate program at the University of Washington, her work explores how technology transforms identity, storytelling, influence, and global communication. She collaborates with universities around the world on program development, AI-integrated curriculum design, and responsive education models that meet the needs of a shifting global landscape. La’Kita Williams is the Founder and Principal Strategist of CoCreate Work, a future-focused coaching and consulting company specializing in executive coaching and organizational development. She holds a Master’s in Social Work and is a Certified Professional Coach (CPC). La’Kita developed the 5 Components of Inclusive Culture, a step-by-step framework to help organizations, small businesses, and emerging companies build responsive workplaces that put humans first. La’Kita teaches graduate courses in the Department of Communication Leadership at the University of Washington, including Resilient and Inclusive Leadership for The Future of Work. She has been quoted in the New York Times, written for Harvard Business Review and MSNBC Know your Value, and has appeared on numerous podcasts to discuss leadership and the future of work. /episode/index/show/artscultureths/id/40192040

Town Hall Seattle Arts & Culture Series

TOPICS