Raegan Ballard-Gennrich 6/27/26 Raegan Ballard-Gennrich 6/27/26

Perennial Conventions: The AI Grift

As the next generation exits schooling and begins their foray into the career space, the moment of their celebrated end to matriculation is being overshadowed by speakers shoehorning AI inevitability into their faces. The boos, turned backs, and walkouts have made it clear that a solid portion of the debuting generation are already fed up.

Gray Harrison 6/26/26 Gray Harrison 6/26/26

Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate Weaves Musical Stories at Seattle Symphony

On June 12, Octave 9 hosted an evening of music at Benaroya Hall from Chickasaw composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate. The chamber pieces were performed by a string quartet composed of Emerson Millar and Jacqueline Audas on violin, Ursula Steele on viola, and Katherine Audas on cello. One of the pieces, entitled “MoonStrike,” also featured live narration from Washington local musician, actor, and storytelling legend Swil Kanim.

Raegan Ballard-Gennrich 5/25/26 Raegan Ballard-Gennrich 5/25/26

Perennial Conventions: My Year Without a Smartphone

I had dispersed the grip my phone had on my reality and rendered it less powerful. But it wasn’t all birdsong and silence. Outside of getting lost frequently, and the amount of time it took to send a text—which was both a skill and will issue—there were other cons. Without social media or a smartphone, the lack of ease in communication left me out of the loop. That was my goal, of course, but feelings in reality are often different from expectations.

Parker Dean 5/13/26 Parker Dean 5/13/26

Waterfront Gems Worth Showing Off

Seattle is a city of hidden gems, with little mysteries and curiosities littered all over. Although my days of being a tourist are behind me, I still find myself wandering around the usual haunts—Pike Place, the Space Needle, and every stop along the Light Rail. But, today, I’ll be sharing ten of my favorite secret(ish) spots along the waterfront, in no particular order.

Gray Harrison 4/27/26 Gray Harrison 4/27/26

Cadence Video Poetry Fest Inspires Interdependence with Blended Media

It was a warm and springlike day in Capitol Hill, but not even the good weather could deter the creative community from showing up for the Cadence Video Poetry Festival, which has been running yearly in Seattle during National Poetry Month since 2018. This was Day 3 of in-person screenings, and the event, titled proof that we were here, was about to begin.

JeLisa Marshall 4/23/26 JeLisa Marshall 4/23/26

Evergreen Style: Prairie Underground

While Earth Month has been celebrated worldwide in April for more than 50 years, the fashion industry’s responsibility to the planet extends far beyond a single month. At Prairie Underground, a fashion label designed and manufactured in Seattle for over 20 years, sustainability is not a momentary focus but an everyday practice. Camilla Eckersley, one of its co-founders, is committed to creating an industry that is fair, fun, and environmentally responsible.

Raegan Ballard-Gennrich 4/17/26 Raegan Ballard-Gennrich 4/17/26

Perennial Conventions: Spring Awakening

Welcome to Spring! The season featuring wet earth, chatty birds, wardrobe uncertainty, and soon…babies, babies, babies. Both a season on its own as well as a transitionary period. Winter fitfully thawing into Summer as the frigid rot fertilizes the new growth.

Raegan Ballard-Gennrich 12/22/25 Raegan Ballard-Gennrich 12/22/25

Perennial Conventions: An Invitation

As we approach the Winter Solstice, it is an appropriate time to remember the cyclical rhythms that guide our world. These rhythms are constant and the effects they have on us are evident, but in the pursuit of capital and perfect efficiency, we humans have lost the familiarity with the world around us…and I truly believe it is destroying our ability to cope.

Kristel Chua 11/13/25 Kristel Chua 11/13/25

Protect Our Pitch 206 Encourages Neighborhoods to Discuss World Cup Impacts

As the FIFA World Cup looms on the horizon, Seattleites are proactively bracing their communities and neighborhoods for impact. Organizations such as the CID Coalition, Stop the Sweeps, the Seattle Solidarity Budget, and more launched the Protect Our Pitch 206 Campaign, a collective movement aiming to intercept the harm that accompanies mega sporting events.

Parker Dean 11/13/25 Parker Dean 11/13/25

Greening the Dark Season: P-Patches Provide Plant Power Near You

Now that we have finally left behind a dreadfully hot summer, gardeners all over the Puget Sound will be adding a layer of mulch to their soil and taking delicate plants indoors, while others, like me, will be keeping a careful eye on their indoor plants and making sure the heater is set low. Although we are about to move out of the ripening season for many of our beloved local Washington fruit (sweet Honeycrisp apple, how I will miss you!), that doesn’t mean that the Evergreen State’s farms and gardens will be empty or that there won’t be any gardening opportunities ahead for all of you green thumbs! If you’re hoping to keep your head in the gardening game, you need not look further than your own neighborhood.

Emily Pinckney 11/4/25 Emily Pinckney 11/4/25

Food Security is Food Justice (and a Climate Solution)

“People on food stamps are lazy!” A phrase I and many others have heard too often. In the summer of 2019, I was in my 2nd year at the Seattle Aquarium, managing a little over 400 community partnerships, serving on several boards and committees, and I had just become the newest member of the Washington State Environmental Justice Task Force.

I was also on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits. Food stamps.

JeLisa Marshall 10/18/25 JeLisa Marshall 10/18/25

Evergreen Style: The FXRY

Nowadays, people are buying twice as many clothes as twenty years ago and disposing of them just as much. This phenomenon exacerbates the presence of worldwide. It is often attributed to fast fashion, which promotes excessive buying.

The FXRY (pronounced “fix-ery”) is offering a sustainable alternative.

Parker Dean 9/15/25 Parker Dean 9/15/25

Fossil & Stone Spotlights Natural Worlds in the Heart of Downtown

Just a quick walk from the Westlake Lightrail Station, and a few blocks inland from the bustling Pike Place Market, Fossil & Stone Fine Art Gallery stands still and quiet amongst the normal chaos of downtown Seattle. It is a gallery that one might walk past day in and day out, never quite noticing the inspiring and beautiful art within.

Parker Dean 9/4/25 Parker Dean 9/4/25

Parker’s Pages: A Philosophy of Walking

While Frédéric Gros is not native to the Puget Sound, and his book, A Philosophy of Walking, is not rooted in the Pacific Northwest, it has completely revolutionized how I navigate and experience the city of Seattle and the University District where I live. In a part of the world so close to nature with comfortable temperatures most of the year, and a large hiking, biking, and travel culture, A Philosophy of Walking feels like a necessary read.

JeLisa Marshall 7/29/25 JeLisa Marshall 7/29/25

Evergreen Style: PNW Climate Week

From July 16 to 25, PNW Climate Week hosted various community-led events across the region to inspire climate action. Cheryl Scheiderhan is a member of the small but mighty team who worked hard to make this year the most impactful one yet.
As a fashion professional, Cheryl is focused on the complex relationships between climate, clothes, and consumption. Being in a city like Seattle, which thrives on technical solutions, it’s proving difficult to convey the relevance of fashion.

Nicole Bearden 5/28/25 Nicole Bearden 5/28/25

Iconic Convos: Afterglow Vista

A day trip out of Seattle up to San Juan Island, near the Canadian border, will take you to one of my favorite Washington icons. At Roche Harbor, a short walk through a wooded cemetery more than a century old will lead to a clearing, in the center of which rests a large stone rotunda. Afterglow Vista (previously known as McMillin Memorial Mausoleum) seems otherworldly—a classical, open-air rotunda containing Masonic symbols, including a round stone table and chairs (in which the ashes of the McMillin family, along with those of John S. McMillin’s secretary Adah Beeny are interred) in the center of a Pacific Northwest island forest.

JeLisa Marshall 5/20/25 JeLisa Marshall 5/20/25

Evergreen Style: Timothy Parent

Being intentional is something that Timothy Parent—also known as T—promotes through the educational platform, Reforme U. His emphasis on dressing with authenticity helps people transform their relationship with fashion from mindless to mindful. Our conversation explores his perspective on sustainable fashion and highlights his upcoming projects in the community, which—full disclosure—includes a collaboration with me.

Parker Dean 5/10/25 Parker Dean 5/10/25

Beginner’s Guide to Local Birdwatching [Part 2]

Let me start by saying that 2025 is STILL the year of the bird! And with a world rife with bad news, it’s a great time to stretch your limbs, put down the phone, and get outside. There’s so much to learn about the world and about our bird friends!

I’ll start you off with some basic bird facts that you can whip out at your next Birdwatching hang out.

Michael Baldovino 5/8/25 Michael Baldovino 5/8/25

Upcycled and AAPI Fashion Converge with Acuña’s Orchid Motif

Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month, Heidi Grace Acuña presented their debut fashion show with Living Waling Waling, held early May 2025. Acuña partnered with Seattle Center and was selected to represent and uplift emerging and established local AAPI artists. Acuña is a multidisciplinary artist who has appeared on TV, galleries across the West Coast, and was a finalist at Fruit Bowl. Born in Washington and raised in Hawai’i, Acuña moved from sculpture to fashion and brought a colorful bouquet of upcycled and sustainable clothing through their designs.

Maxwell Meier 5/5/25 Maxwell Meier 5/5/25

Max’s Musings: Mary Oliver

With summer only a couple of months away, I found Oliver’s poem “While I Am Writing a Poem to Celebrate Summer, the Meadowlark Begins to Sing” ideal for discussion this week. From her book Owls and Other Fantasies, published in 2003, Oliver’s collection takes a deep dive into the world of birds and their hidden messages for humankind. The poem is a prime reminder of Oliver’s remarkable skills as a wordsmith and eye for conjuring a secluded snapshot of a nature landscape.

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I was also on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits. Food stamps.

Nowadays, people are buying twice as many clothes as twenty years ago and disposing of them just as much. This phenomenon exacerbates the presence of worldwide. It is often attributed to fast fashion, which promotes excessive buying.

The FXRY (pronounced “fix-ery”) is offering a sustainable alternative.

Let me start by saying that 2025 is STILL the year of the bird! And with a world rife with bad news, it’s a great time to stretch your limbs, put down the phone, and get outside. There’s so much to learn about the world and about our bird friends!

I’ll start you off with some basic bird facts that you can whip out at your next Birdwatching hang out.