March/April 2022
Seattle’s Inclusionary Future
What if everyone is important?
Editor’s note: Brenda Cooper is a Kirkland-based short-story writer, poet and futurist who has written 10 novels. Her most recent books are “Edge of Dark” and its sequel, “Spear of Light.” The former won the 2016 Endeavor Award for science fiction or fantasy by a Northwest author. In this column, Cooper discusses the importance of…
Editor’s Note: A Reinvention
A new city, a new magazine
As celebrated author Ray Bradbury once said, the future is simply more of the same if all you ever do is look around. “To hell with more,” Bradbury said. “I want better.” Don’t we all, in Seattle and, well, everywhere. As the pandemic seemingly eases and mask requirements fade, it’s time for bold risks and…
Seattle Artifacts: Crime, Politics and Pinball
Competing factions resorted to bombs during Seattle’s pinball war
Back in the 1950s, Seattle was rocked by a series of late-night bombings that were connected to regional crime syndicates battling for control over the city’s lucrative pinball market. In this article — my first for “Seattle” magazine — I take a look at how a small trove of brass amusement licenses discovered during a…
Publisher’s Note: A Different Seattle Nice
Launching a new era of kindness and respect
Hey! Who Killed Nice? And for that matter, has anyone seen Civility, Kindness and Manners? I jest, of course, but I think you get my point. Giving in to our unending impulse to be right, or righteous, our society is in a constant quest to correct, criticize, reprimand and yes, cancel those who don’t agree with…
Letter to Seattle: A Lasting Influence
‘I would like to pay homage to you all who have set such an extraordinary example’
Letter to Seattle is a new feature highlighting the good deeds and positive experiences in our region. This is a letter from a client at Pioneer Human Services, a Seattle nonprofit that provides treatment, housing, job skills training and employment to those recently incarcerated. Submissions welcomed at rob@seattlemag.com. Dear Pioneer Human Services, I want to…
Mayor Bruce Harrell: Can He Save Our City?
New Mayor Bruce Harrell has an almost singular focus on uniting deep divisions within Seattle
“If there’s one thing I believe in, it is that there’s ‘one’ Seattle. in ‘one’ Seattle, we put in the work and we lead with humility, urgency and compassion.” New Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell wasted little time in tackling one of the city’s thorniest issues. Just 40 days after his swearing-in, Harrell signed an executive…
Seattle’s Mushroom Queen
First, it was a cupcake empire and cannabis edibles.
Now, Jody Hall is focused on liquid mushrooms.
If there’s a trendy new culinary craze in Seattle, chances are Jody Hall is behind it. Hall, of course, founded Seattle’s iconic Cupcake Royale back in 2003. At the time, it was one of the first cupcake cafés west of New York City. She then became what “Money” magazine called “The Weed Queen of Washington”…
Books: ‘Seattle’s Streetcar Era’
Riding a streetcar in the 1930s was nothing like today
Seattle has a mixed history with transportation solutions. A new book, “Seattle’s Streetcar Era, An Illustrated History, 1884-1941,” details almost six decades of Seattle’s streetcars, from the 13 private companies that once ran streetcar lines to one of the nation’s first publicly-owned transportation systems. The author, Mike Bergman, is well-versed in both transportation and history….
One Couple’s Kitchen Quest
Living in the backyard. Climbing through windows. Here’s how one family made it work.
The idea to remodel their 1929 kitchen floated on the fringes of the imaginations of Nick O’Connell and Lisa Sowder for years, thoughts that bobbed to the surface only to be tossed aside by the sheer impracticality of it all. How could they, two busy professionals with three children and a dog, undertake a full-scale…
AIA Home of Distinction: Harmony with History
A creative remodel of an historic capitol hill condo results in a peaceful and intimate setting where old-world luxury meets a book lover’s retreat
Imagine owning enough books to fill Portland’s famous Powell’s Books and having to boil down your collection to a single 12-foot shelf. That was just one of many personal and technical challenges facing Carol Grossmeyer in her long quest to find a forever home. Grossmeyer and her husband grew Milwaukee-based Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops, founded…
Julie Stein and the Burke Museum. A Natural History Evolution.
Julie Stein calls it a career after launching the new Burke
In a distinguished career as a professor of geoarchaeology at the University of Washington and a three-decade stint at Seattle’s nationally renowned Burke Museum, Julie Stein is quick to identify one standout moment. “It has to be cutting the ribbon for the new Burke,” says Stein, who retired in March after 16 years as executive…