New Cohort of Emerging Intersectional Filmmakers Ready to Tell Fresh Stories
Back in March, I had the pleasure of interviewing Emergence Films’ cofounder Rachel Noll James and discussed the forthcoming Emerging Filmmakers Program. Open to anyone who identifies as a woman, this program’s mission is to elevate marginalized voices in the filmmaking world while giving filmmakers of all experience levels the opportunity to create a feature length movie. A few months later, this year’s cohort of emerging filmmakers has been selected! There are three groups: Team Pocket Topic (Melissa Tumas and Sonia M. Kandathil), Team Mother Tongue (Jo Woods and Sarah Mona), and Team Cosmic Coyote (Mia McGlinn, Ila Dreesen, and Sydney Renee).
Sound Cinema: The Capitol Theater
Though you may appreciate the updated and modern conveniences built into the space by the Olympia Film Society, the bones and the spirit of the structure make the Capitol Theater a way to go back in time and see a film like those who experienced the new medium for the first time. It is a bit of magic in the heart of Olympia.
Kink Subculture Can Provide Liberation, Decolonization Through Consent + Expression
It’s very different from my experiences growing up moderately religious in the South. It took away the shame and self-blame. In heteronormative, vanilla sex, there are too many unspoken expectations, too many assumptions about what’s going to happen, that some people just begin following the script without any sort of communication. This, I believe, leads to situations like what 17-year-old me experienced, where I left thinking I had led someone on and realized years later that I was actually assaulted. I don’t know if he knows this though.
Alice in Arabialand: An Attempt Was Made
While the play had a lot of workshopping to do, its commentary was important. It gave a wide representation of LGBTQ+ lives and showed the isolation felt beneath the weight of conservative cultures throughout the world. It also showed the resilience of Queer communities in the face of oppression and brought the conflicts in the Middle East centerstage, demanding viewers to remember them.
Parker’s Pages: Vampires of El Norte
Have you noticed that Vampires are making a comeback? With two new iconic vampire movies to swoon over, Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu remake (2024) and—a new personal favorite—Ryan Coogler’s Sinners (2025), there’s a growing trend towards blood sucking fiends in media (again!). And these aren’t the tame, glittery vampires from Twilight—these are the gritty, murderous creatures from our nightmares, and I love it! After watching Sinners during its box office run, I have been on a major vampire kick. So, naturally, I had to deliver a vampire novel for Parker’s Pages this month, and I found the perfect speculative fiction story for you all.
Northwest Press Serves the LGBTQ+ Stories You Haven’t Yet Seen
It is refreshing to have a press dedicated to queer stories. It is even better that these stories are so accessible. Many of Northwest Press' offerings are available digitally for download as well as in traditional paper and hardback. The price of each is much more affordable than the latest from the big publishers as well as in a beautiful package. There is something for everyone at Northwest Press, and as it says on much of their wonderful merch: Comics are for everyone.
Fetish Ball Relishes in Sexual Liberation Celebration
When asked to attend the 2nd annual Seattle Fetish Ball and write about it, I only had one question at first: What do you even wear to fetish balls? I’m the type of person that needs to look at menus, check parking, and figure out how long a walk from place to place is. I like being informed, but mostly I have a fear of being or looking out of place. Luckily, they had guidelines. Fetish wear required, it was clearly intended to be a safe space for the fetish/kink/alternative communities.
Whole Washington Gala Amasses Huge Support for Universal Healthcare
Whole Washington hosted their first philanthropy event to raise money and support toward universal health care. Many health professionals and volunteers joined recognizable political and nonprofit community leaders at The Historic Mt. Baker Community Center on May 17.
![The Divided Line: Leonna [Part 2]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65456cf1d440cc19dd37c744/1748733691462-S8Y1C7MA64WXYMEKSFML/Red%252BSunset.jpg)
The Divided Line: Leonna [Part 2]
Firelight flickered on the walls, and the crackling grew into a roar. In the amber glow, a face watched her pass, little eyes staring out from an old photograph of her daughter.
Ivy was twelve when Leonna last saw her. The girl was Leonna’s greatest pride. The one creation of hers whose heart seemed truly pure. She hoped Ivy had remained that way, indelible and defiant against the cruelties of the world, never letting them break her.
“Let It Not Happen Again”: History’s Lessons at BIJAEM
On December 7, 1941, the attack on Pearl Harbor marked the start of the United States’ involvement in World War II. It also started a wave of fear and unrest throughout the country, leading to an overwhelming prejudice against Japanese Americans. “Most of us had no ties to Japan,” Lilly Kodama, a survivor, explained. “We had never been there. We had never even seen it.” Similar to the reactionary racism and prejudice against Arab Americans following 9/11, the discrimination against Japanese Americans had no true basis in fact, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order only created more harm and prejudice against an already vulnerable community.
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.
Beauty + Complexity in Friendships: More SIFF Highlights
This year’s SIFF has served us a remarkable collection of films. Three of my favorite films from this year all have friendship as a core theme: Ka Whawhai Tonu, The Balconettes, and She’s the He.
Final Films to Remember as SIFF Closes its 51st Festival
The saddest part about attending the Seattle International Film Festival is the moment you realize it’s almost over. I have gotten to see some unforgettable films this season, thanks to the diverse and unique sensibilities of the 26 SIFF Programmers, who began their research and selection process last August for this year's festival. SIFF 2025’s final weekend is now upon us, and there’s still time to take advantage of some of the must-see films, now showing at the five SIFF and SIFF-partner venues around the city.
![Jennifer Leigh Harrison is Trying to Tell You Something About Femicide [Part 2]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65456cf1d440cc19dd37c744/1747961666873-5FWVNV5G439GGWXEJ2OE/Image_14.JPG)
Jennifer Leigh Harrison is Trying to Tell You Something About Femicide [Part 2]
JLH: [This show] is sort of like confirmation. And I think that’s been an experience for people. I’m also a Survivor. The experience of people coming in and asking, “Does this agree with me or not?”, and me feeling concerned and sensitive about how this feels for Survivors, because, again, the framing is not around Survivor experience. It’s around the document, the lack of documentation, and the protest around our systems of power that are definitely not serving. So almost an archival protest. The programming needed to be more of a deepening of conversations around survivors and their experiences.
![Jennifer Leigh Harrison is Trying to Tell You Something About Femicide at CoCA [Part 1]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65456cf1d440cc19dd37c744/1747955426480-ETKCHGPDYHGYKEL48J28/Image_10.jpg)
Jennifer Leigh Harrison is Trying to Tell You Something About Femicide at CoCA [Part 1]
On the surface, the works in Jennifer Leigh Harrison’s show I’m Trying to Tell You Something: Breaking the Silence of Femicide Through Visual Art at Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA), belie the show’s heavy subject matter. In contrast, the work is light, largely abstract, not portraiture, with no obvious violence exhibited. In fact, the only works featuring human subjects are a performance by Harrison and two videos, where she partners with performers from Seattle Pole Dance. A closer look, however, reveals that Harrison’s work utilizes a unique data visualization, in addition to educational wall labels, to tell the stories of intimate partner violence (IPV) against women.
Experience New Documentary Storytelling with Seeds, Viktor, and Between Goodbyes
Documentaries like Between Goodbyes, Viktor, and Seeds are an invigorating style of non-fiction storytelling. These films evolve the genre beyond what we perceive as documentaries. Documentary filmmaking, like narrative filmmaking, sets out to tell a story and so it makes sense to tell the story in a way that makes sense for the subject and material. These three forge their own path and are all the better for it.
Examine Social Contracts and Morality in These Three SIFF Films
The theme of this year’s SIFF is “Escape to the Reel World,” and with passport in hand, attendees get to travel the globe seeing stories from all over the world—opening your eyes, your ears, and your soul.
Here are just a few of some of the many movies worth a look:
Unfiltered + Unflinching Scandinavian Films Worth a Watch
It has been an amazing week of films, both international and domestic, at the Seattle International Film Festival. While I have been enjoying many films from around the world, I must give an enthusiastic shout-out to three films that hail from the northern climes of Scandinavia—specifically, Denmark and Norway.
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.
![Max’s [Final] Musings: Maya Angelou](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65456cf1d440cc19dd37c744/1747695362969-T52Q2IKJ2F0VUUGKQ6CH/EE%2BAngelou%2B3.jpg)
Max’s [Final] Musings: Maya Angelou
I want to start by thanking everyone, whether you have read all of Max’s Musings or this is your first one. When presented with the opportunity to explore my love for poetry in a new way and share my thoughts and experiences, I lunged at the chance to do so. Poetry has always been an escape for me as it has taught me more about myself than I could ever fathom.
For my final Max’s Musings, I selected a poem from the powerhouse poet Maya Angelou. I couldn’t think of a more remarkable poet to ride out this long-awaited train.
