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Mike Barnet of Brmrtn Blk Mkt Creates Hub of Black Community
I had the pleasure of attending an event called Brmrtn Blk Mkt (Bremerton Black Market). It took place in Downtown Bremerton’s Quincy Square and per the website was “an open-air market celebration in Quincy Square of Black-led businesses, food vendors, doubledutch performances and live entertainment!” This free market allowed me to engage with and support my cultural community and I left, purchase-laden, feeling invigorated and refilled.
Juneteenth: The Theft of Rest and the Radical Pursuit of Reclamation
Beyond the physical labor, those two stolen years completely robbed Black people of the vital life milestones that defined actual freedom. They were kept from the immediate, desperate search to find long-lost loved ones who had been sold down river. They were blocked from legally binding their marriages and solidifying the family units that slavery had spent centuries trying to rip apart. They were denied the right to pool resources, buy land, build equity, and found the independent schools that would educate the next generation. Every single day of delayed emancipation was a day stolen from laying the foundations of generational wealth, security, and community building.
We Are Zoorkhaneh Bridges Generations + Cultural Understanding
“What we are building is not simply an athletic program but an act of cultural continuity. Zoorkhaneh has endured centuries of political upheaval, war, migration, and diaspora. To teach it today outside of Iran and across cultures and spaces where women have historically been denied access to it feels, in many ways, like a quiet form of resistance. Each session becomes an affirmation that this tradition belongs to all those willing to carry it forward, regardless of nationality, gender, or background.”
Beyond Protests, Humanize MENA Lives with Intentional Arts + Culture
Across the street from the (in)famous Rickshaw Lounge lies the unassuming 1 Million Cafe. I’ve lived in the area for over a decade and never knew it was Yemeni and that their chai is homebrewed with love; my iced version with oat milk presented a homey, unadulterated flavor unlike any chai I’ve had in Seattle.
How many of us walk by establishments owned by Middle Eastern people and never try them? Is it fear? Racism? Flavors unknown?
Sound Cinema: SIFF Downtown (Cinerama)
Before the brilliance of IMAX or the new immersive theater gimmicks of today, there was Cinerama. The technique was to use three synchronized projectors to run a film on a staggeringly large, curved, widescreen. It was a way to mimic how the human eye sees. The format began in 1952 and quickly spread in the 1960s. Seattle obtained its own Cinerama theater in 1963. Though, soon after, the format fell out of fashion and the suburban multiplexes kept people closer to home and away from these one-screen wonders. Seattle's theater languished and was ready to close for good when Microsoft co-founder and all around pop culture philanthropist Paul Allen saved and revamped our Cinerama.
Noveltease Illustrates Our Splendidly Fluid Selves with ‘Orlando’
I was obviously intrigued when I heard that Noveltease Theatre, Seattle’s literary burlesque company who blend burlesque, dance, and theater storytelling, were putting on an adaptation of Orlando. I was curious how Noveltease would interpret this dense literary text into visual language and choreography. And yet, speaking with the production’s director, Alyza DelPan-Monley, it quickly became clear how intuitive it was to make a burlesque version of the story.
Sound Cinema: Bainbridge Cinemas
Bainbridge Cinemas caters to a wide demographic. It is meant to be a theater that offers broad audience fare so that those that live on Bainbridge Island do not have to make a trek to the mainland if they want to see the latest releases on the big screen. Like most theaters, the theatrical window can be a bit tricky to manage, but in the old sense of the theater experience, if it plays, it stays.
Noveltease Arouses, Enlightens with Intersectional Literary Burlesque
If you believe burlesque isn’t for you or you’ve never attended a show before, Noveltease offers an experience that highlights the intersection of literature, dance, music, and history in a small venue, creating an intimacy that provides multisensory entertainment. I left feeling good, emboldened, and creative. And though glamorous clothes were shed, the message of the evening—particularly within the selected poems—was that of reclamation, self-affirmation, and pleasure without shame or exploitation.
Mudlark Oddities Communes with Curious Minds and Spirits
Mudlark Oddities sits nestled on a side street in the Ravenna neighborhood. To enter, you descend an unassuming staircase, then pop into a shop with narrow, cozy aisles and a seemingly never-ending collection of beautifully macabre things to look at. I’ve never stayed less than an hour in the place. In keeping with the name, which dates back to 1800s London and refers to people who scavenge riverbeds for valuable objects, the shop holds many gems in its keep and has fostered a dedicated community around it.
Take This Poetry Starter Pack to Your Library
The Seattle Central Library was the first haven I found. My friend helped me get my library card and showed me all its inner secrets and quirks. I immediately found sanctuary in the poetry section on the ninth floor. This is where I would read, write, and immerse myself into the world of poetry. My manuscripts felt right at home. One does not go to the library just for books—they go for the experience.
‘Sinners’ in the LGBTQIA+ Lens, Part 3: Agency
Sinners continuously highlights the power and danger in refusal. This is an underrated technique that women, marginalized races, the Queer and Trans community, and anyone else that the world actively rejects have to learn if they expect to survive—when all options have been systemically stripped from you.
When your voice is not only ignored, but silenced… There is power in saying “No.”
‘Sinners’ in the LGBTQIA+ Lens, Part 2: Protection of Youth
With Sammie, one of the most notable themes in Sinners—the protection of youth—is carried through the film.
‘Sinners’ in the LGBTQIA+ Lens, Part 1: The Grift
Grifting, originally used to describe someone who swindles others, is now colloquially used to describe someone whose political, spiritual, or cultural views have shifted outwardly to appease those in power, even if they do not truly believe in those views. Often, these people are left-leaning to start, and ‘grift’ to right-wing political views as a way to gain favor with the current right-wing politicians in power. A grifter is usually someone who has positioned themselves as a strong voice in their community, as an activist, a social media icon, or some other persuasive voice.
‘Sinners’ in the LGBTQIA+ Lens: Introduction
Setting a record with 16 Oscar nominations, Sinners proves that there’s a reason why everyone is still talking about the film. In the current sociopolitical climate, only a year later, many deeply entrenched systemic inequities highlighted in the film are being exposed as foundational U.S. beliefs merely receded, biding their time in the shadows until they felt welcome again. But despite what conservative influencers and pundits would have you believe, the hate that they justify is neither superior, nor even the majority-held value system in this country.
Sound Cinema: Historic Admiral Theater
I happened to be in Pier 4, but even amid the modern seating, state-of-the-art sound, and digital projection, there was still a piece of the old theater in the partial mural on the auditorium wall. It was a bit haunting, like looking at something that was not supposed to exist anymore. It kept catching my eye as I sank into the comfy seat with ample leg room.
Parker’s Pages: A Future of Her Own
A Future of Her Own by Samantha Quamma is a delightful book that combines historical fiction, activism, and a kick-ass heroine to make something positively brilliant.
Emerald City Comic Con Returns with Sparks of its Former Glory
Finish up your cosplay and grab your favorite comic books—Emerald City Comic Con is back! ECCC is a time-honored (and super nerdy) Seattle tradition, held at the Seattle Convention Center on March 5-8 this year. Attendees will be preparing for four days of panels, screenings, fan meetups, cosplay contests, after-dark partying, and perusing the wares of Artist Alley, where local artists come together to hang out, create, and sell fun products.
A Meditation of Self-Love this Black History Month
Black history month comes every February, but before, during, and after my brown skin shelters me. The first line of defense between the softness within and the harsh exterior. My mind has been cultivated to love everything about myself.
Sound Cinema: Firehouse Theater
The theater is unassuming, tucked off to the right of SR 104 in the town of Kingston. Those waiting for or heading to the ferry to Edmonds likely drive right by it. Yet, Smith's original mission of creating a movie theater where locals can come and see something on the big screen is alive and thriving—especially on $9 Wednesdays when the afternoon crowd buzzes. The theater functions as a community hub and a place where people can see a blockbuster or the independent, art house, international, and repertory films the big chains disregard.
Teatro ZinZanni Lowers Final Curtain in Seattle
A spiegeltent crafted of wood, canvas, and velvet, adorned with stained glass, vast mirrors, and regal chandeliers overtook an empty lot on Mercer Street. An arching sign marked the threshold of the new world of Teatro ZinZanni, welcoming guests to their first show, Love Chaos and Dinner, which featured a unique cast of acrobats, clowns, and various other talents. What was meant to be an 11-week run sprouted roots and secured ZinZanni as Seattle’s staple circus destination for nearly three decades.