I don’t know about you, but I could not be more ready for summer. As we move our hibernating, vitamin D-depleted bodies into sunnier days, be sure to check out some of our most highly-anticipated events coming up in the next few months!
The iconic pool party scene from “Shrill.” Source: Giphy
The Northwest Folklife Festival is one of the largest community-powered festivals in the nation, bringing together over 5,000 performers, 500 volunteers, 40 food vendors, 150 local craft/import vendors, and upwards of 250,000 attendees. Since 1972, the festival has highlighted the brilliant cultural tapestry of our Pacific Northwest communities. We are proud to be for the people, by the people.
Do you love board games and enjoy teaching others how to play? Explore the board/card game hobby and meet folks happy to teach you their favorite board games! Come and play with folks who love playing games. And the best part about the GeekGirlCon (http://www.geekgirlcon.com/) game nights with our friends at Wayward (http://www.waywardcoffee.com/)? They are absolutely FREE with no cover charge!
Shop, snack, and dance your way over 150 booths along with a summer beer festival with live music!
Previously, this festival has been held at the South Lake Union Saturday Market. Join us in a larger venue over two days. Music stage will be hosted inside the summer beer festival garden, so you must be 21+ to enter.
There is a required cash donation that benefits a local non-profit with a suggested donation of $3 per person, 2 for $5.
Up-close with the movers, shakers & boundary breakers who are pushing the LGBTQ+ movement forward. Join us at W Seattle for a Queer Me Out event, followed by Q&A for our amazing panelists, and drinks and a DJ in the Living Room. This is an Official PrideFest event and complimentary to the public (but register for a guaranteed seat)!
Who is Douglas? Well, apparently, Hannah Gadsby thinks he is the only one who can help her follow up on the trail blazed by her last show: Nanette. Hannah is all set to take the mysterious Douglas for a trot around America for her first ever US tour. Tasmania’s own Hannah Gadsby has come to the world’s attention through her multi-award winning stand up show Nanette which played to sold out houses across Australia, London, Edinburgh, New York and Los Angeles before launching on Netflix in June and stopping the comedy world in its tracks.
A gif of Hannah Gadbsy performing standup comedy. The text over the image says “This is…not normal.” Source: Giphy
500 E Pike St, Capitol Hill (Seattle) 98102, 98112, 98122
A partnership between PrideFest and the Capitol Hill Art Walk, June’s show features queer artists at various venues around Capitol Hill (usually numbering 15-20 altogether). An easy, gentle June stroll through some of the best art the queer community has to offer.
Do you love board games and enjoy teaching others how to play? Explore the board/card game hobby and meet folks happy to teach you their favorite board games! Come and play with folks who love playing games. And the best part about the GeekGirlCon (http://www.geekgirlcon.com/) game nights with our friends at Wayward (http://www.waywardcoffee.com/)? They are absolutely FREE with no cover charge!
Booklover’s Burlesque is the Pacific Northwest’s sexiest literary salon which matches titillating, inspiring, and empowering book readings with burlesque performances all in one show!
Professional readers, actors, and/or local authors & writers read aloud a three to five minute piece of poetry, fiction (from any genre), memoir, non-fiction, etc, which is then followed by a burlesque performance inspired by the piece.
Volunteer Park Rd, Seattle, WA 98112, United States
The time of the annual Cosplay Picnic is upon us. Hayly and Kat are back it again with another meet up! We hosted the Christmas one back in December, and everyone was so great and had a good time so we thought it’d be fun to put something together for the summer! What could be better than a cosplay picnic? You get to dress up as your favorite character, hang with friends, and stuff your face with food! Definitely an all around good time. As per usual, we’re gonna kick it potluck style! So bring a tasty food, eating utensils, or beverage of your choice! (While you don’t HAVE to bring an item to attend, it would be much appreciated) just be sure to label your food in case of any potential allergies.
PACCAR Theater 200 Second Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109
Free!
Once again giant puppets, stilt walkers, floats, skywriters, dancers, sashayers and musicians from all over will parade on the streets of Fremont in a kaleidoscope of joyous human expression. We’re preparing right now and are inviting our friends and neighbors to make the 2019 parade and following Gasworks Park Celebration the best ever! Who can participate? Anyone! We believe in cultivating the spirit of celebration where everyone is an artist. This people-powered celebration is not only for Fremont, but for our entire Seattle community!
Once again giant puppets, stilt walkers, floats, skywriters, dancers, sashayers and musicians from all over will parade on the streets of Fremont in a kaleidoscope of joyous human expression. We’re preparing right now and are inviting our friends and neighbors to make the 2019 parade and following Gasworks Park Celebration the best ever! Who can participate? Anyone! We believe in cultivating the spirit of celebration where everyone is an artist. This people-powered celebration is not only for Fremont, but for our entire Seattle community!
A gif of a painted rainbow with pink hearts coming out of it and text below which reads “Happy Pride.” Source: Giphy
Do you love board games and enjoy teaching others how to play? Explore the board/card game hobby and meet folks happy to teach you their favorite board games! Come and play with folks who love playing games. And the best part about the GeekGirlCon (http://www.geekgirlcon.com/) game nights with our friends at Wayward (http://www.waywardcoffee.com/)? They are absolutely FREE with no cover charge!
Trans Pride Seattle 2019 is Seattle’s Celebration of Two-Spirit, Trans, Gender Diverse, and Non-Binary people in the heart of Capitol Hill produced by Gender Justice League.
Entering our 7th year – Trans Pride Seattle has become one of the countries largest celebrations of gender diverse people – focused especially on the communities in the Pacific Northwest.
Trans Pride Seattle bringing performers from around the country and Mexico to deliver ground breaking and amazing performances, musical talent, speeches, and comedy.
Trans Pride Seattle is an amazing opportunity to connect with community, make new friends, celebrate our collective strength and continue our communities resistance with riotous demands for equity and justice!
You will also find resources of more than 60 organizations local to Washington State at our tabling fair. Each year Trans Pride Seattle sees more than 15,000 people. It’s the perfect way to kick off Pride Weekend in Seattle.
The Dragon Fest event will feature cultural performances including Dragon and Lion dances, Traditional Korean drumming, martial arts demonstrations, the Chinese Girls Drill Team, and more. For Seattle’s foodies we are proud to bring back the Annual $3 Food Walk with over 40 restaurants offering a wide array of international $3 bites and a few bonus retail!
Relive the magic of your favorite wizard in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban™ in Concert. Based on the third installment of J.K. Rowling’s classic saga, the thrilling tale is accompanied by the music played live by the Seattle Symphony as Harry soars across the big screen. From the moment Harry uses the Marauder’s Map to when the Patronus Charm bursts from his wand, you’ll be transported back into the world you love.
A gif of Professor Snake from “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.” The text over the gif says “Turn to page 394.” Source: Giphy
Do you love board games and enjoy teaching others how to play? Explore the board/card game hobby and meet folks happy to teach you their favorite board games! Come and play with folks who love playing games. And the best part about the GeekGirlCon (http://www.geekgirlcon.com/) game nights with our friends at Wayward (http://www.waywardcoffee.com/)? They are absolutely FREE with no cover charge!
During the summer months Seattle Shakespeare Company presents free, outdoor productions of classical plays performed in parks throughout the Puget Sound region. Grab a picnic, bring your family and join us for some free Shakespeare in the parks!
You’ve joined us for trivia… now join us for a magical scavenger hunt! This adventure will take you around major sites in Seattle with a wizarding flair, helping you find magic where you previously saw the mundane.
Lo and behold, it has arrived! An extra special holiday extravaganza version of Geek About Town, just in time for the holidays! Whether this is the most magical time of the year for you, or you’re finding yourself down and in need of some cheery distraction, we’ve got you covered. From board games to holiday lights, comic books to Christmas carols, we’re excited to spend the holidays with you, our favorite geeky community!
Do you love board games and enjoy teaching others how to play? Explore the board/card game hobby and meet folks happy to teach you their favorite board games! Come and play with folks who love playing games. And the best part about the GeekGirlCon (http://www.geekgirlcon.com/) game nights with our friends at Wayward (http://www.waywardcoffee.com/)? They are absolutely FREE with no cover charge!
It’s ACT’s 43rd production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, adapted by Gregory A. Falls. Directed by Kurt Beattie, this celebrated adaptation follows the original Dickens tale taking audiences along on Ebenezer Scrooge’s transformational journey through time. Three ghostly visitors help Scrooge get into the holiday spirit, leading him on a trip through Christmases past, present, and future.
Let it glow, let it glow, let it glow Seattle’s wildest holiday lights festival returns with sparkling lights, faux snowball fights, up close animal encounters, hot chocolate and family delights. Experience brand new wild and wonderful light displays that will be featured throughout the zoo including a holiday light spectacular at the zoo’s south entrance which will now be open throughout the run of WildLights.
PNB’S best-selling holiday classic is a fantastical combination of Ian Falconer’s unique design, Tchaikovsky’s beloved score, and the entire Company in show-stopping roles. A memory making tradition for generations of families and friends, Nutcracker fun includes McCaw Hall gloriously decked-out for the season’s best photo ops.
Broadway Market 401 East Broadway, Seattle, Washington 98102
The Broadway Market Holiday Pop-Up Market features a variety of vendor members from Seattle Made, an initiative to grow and support the area’s urban manufacturing and producer economy. Vendors will be selling a variety of holiday gifts, wearables and hand-made merchandise, all with a focus on recycled and upcycled materials. This event is presented by Broadway Market, Blanton Turner and Seattle Made to celebrate Shop Small Saturday.
Pacific Science Center 200 2nd Ave N, Seattle, Washington 98109
Join us on Monday, November 26 as NASA makes history when its next lander arrives on Mars, the first mission dedicated to studying the deep interior of Mars. We’ll have presentations by Mars experts and space related activities throughout the day. We’ll broadcast the landing live in our PACCAR IMAX Theater from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Our educators will be on hand to answer your questions and walk you through what’s happening during the landing. This event is included with general admission and is FREE for Pacific Science Center Members.
Arcadia Seattle 943 NW 50th Street, Seattle, Washington 98107
Join us for another magical evening! The Witches’ Night Out Market returns on Friday, November 30th – bringing you an array of metaphysical merchants and artisans, community networking, readers and bodyworkers, and much more! Every event we do is a little different – this time we’ll be focusing a bit more on the market – we’re making space for a few more artists and witchy creators to expand your holiday possibilities. Also, as this season also marks a time of remembering our ancestors and those who have come before us, we will have an interactive community altar. We have more things up our sleeves that we will be announcing as we get closer to the event. You are not going to want to miss it! As always, our events are free and all ages – but we have a fabulous door raffle to benefit the Cabiri and Arcadia. Cash donations will transform into tickets for you to win delightful things!
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center 440 5th Ave N, Seattle, Washington 98109
Give gifts that give back! Find unique holiday gifts for family and friends from over 30 vendors and organizations that support great causes locally and globally. Looking to do more than just shop for holiday gifts? You can make your own gifts alongside local artists and join Sanctuary Art Center in creating one-of-a-kind gift cards. Free and open to the public.
Hale’s Ales Palladium 4301 Leary Way NW, Seattle, Washington
Drunken Science Nigh returns this December 1st to the beautiful Palladium Theater at Hale’s Ales in Fremont. Doors open at 6 and the Stage Show starts at 7 sharp. This is most fun you can have without breaking the laws of physics. Science Night is a hands on Science Experiment free-for-all, with dozens of ever changing exhibits to try. Blow things up with air! Levitate metal! Make homemade lightbulbs, cube-shaped bubbles, 3-d art, float stuff on air, and more! Ever wanted to shatter flowers with liquid nitrogen? See sound waves? Tesla Coils? Jacobs Ladder? Oh my! We have got you covered. This is not a lecture… instead its a fully interactive science fair. Come ready to have your mind blown.
Meadowbrook Community Center 10517 35th Ave NE, Seattle, Washington 98125
Friends of Meadowbrook Pond and the Meadowbrook Advisory Council are joining together to host our Annual Luminaria Walk. Please come enjoy good company and hot cocoa, while walking around the beautifully lit pathway. We are also looking for community members to help make this event happen; work parties are listed below!
Do you love board games and enjoy teaching others how to play? Explore the board/card game hobby and meet folks happy to teach you their favorite board games! Come and play with folks who love playing games. And the best part about the GeekGirlCon (http://www.geekgirlcon.com/) game nights with our friends at Wayward (http://www.waywardcoffee.com/)? They are absolutely FREE with no cover charge!
A special day of art, culture, and creativity celebrating Indigenous families. Meet local Indigenous artists and makers. Create treasures to bring home. Stick around for more festivities after 1:30 p.m. including artist talks from yəhaw̓ artists in residence and a 4 p.m. film screening of Rumble.
Shop a market and open studios for art, “hand-knit hats, ceramics, jewelry, clothing, and more” and stop by Vichayapai’s solo exhibition, which she’s been preparing all through her artist’s residency.
Green Lake, Seattle Seattle, Washington 98103, 98115
Come join us for this FREE holiday event for the whole family! Stroll the glimmering Green Lake circuit, paths, and docks which will be lit with thousands of twinkling candles. And while you wander through the magic of the sparkling lights, enjoy complimentary refreshments and live holiday music. If the weather is good we’ll have hot air balloons again from 4:30-5:30pm only. You can also visit and like the Green Lake Pathway of Lights Facebook Page for updates on the event!
The inaugural race was so much fun, we wanted to bring it back, see all the costumes, and get into the holiday spirit. In the spirit of Star Wars, this will be a FUN opportunity to get out your light saber and practice your best Darth Vader impersonation, as well as dress up in your favorite holiday race outfit! The run/walk is for FUN, no official timing, but there will be a running clock.
The Factory Luxe 3100 Airport Way S, Seattle, Washington 98134
Once upon a time there was darkness, So we made light. Once upon a time there was cold, So we kindled fire. Once upon a time there was fear, So we faced it together with song and speech and light A proof by example: We are not alone. Join us to celebrate humanity’s accomplishments, reflect on our past, and consider the future with food, light, song, and camaraderie. Your donations help us cover venue, audio/video equipment, permits, and supplies, ensuring that we can continue this tradition year after year. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/seattle-secular-solstice-2018-tickets-47498714935
Do you love board games and enjoy teaching others how to play? Explore the board/card game hobby and meet folks happy to teach you their favorite board games! Come and play with folks who love playing games. And the best part about the GeekGirlCon (http://www.geekgirlcon.com/) game nights with our friends at Wayward (http://www.waywardcoffee.com/)? They are absolutely FREE with no cover charge!
It’s officially September, and you know what that means! Fall is right around the corner, and as much as we’ll mourn the days of bright blue (or smoke-filled, ugh) skies, carefree days spent outside, and plentiful iced beverages, autumn holds its own special allure for those of us who prefer our temps a little less extreme and our pursuits a little more indoors. Without further ado, take a peek at what’s coming up this month!
Pacific Science Center 200 2nd Ave N, Seattle, Washington 98109
Start the fall off on a high note, and check out the science behind sound – For the first part of September, we’re spotlighting music – how instruments work, what happens to your brain when you hear sound, and more. Our ensemble of hands-on activities and demonstrations are a great way to get your brain tuned up and ready for fall. This event is included admission (separate tickets are required for IMAX and Laser Dome shows).
South Lake Union Discovery Center 101 Westlake Ave N, Seattle, Washington 98109
Join us for the 9th annual Cider Summit Seattle. This year’s event will feature nearly 200 ciders from over 50 producers, plus cider cocktails and apple spirits! Specially paired food from Capitol Cider & more. Your well-behaved dog is welcome and can get water & treats in our Dog Lounge! Also check out our event store with bottles-to-go and festival merchandise!
August is right at our heels, my fellow geeks! It’s sunny, it’s hot, it’s the perfect time to get out and about and explore some of the incredible events our lovely city has to offer! (Though, it’s just as good a time to stay inside a temperature-controlled house all day and fully submit to a combination of gaming/reading/TV-marathoning. Just saying.) Without further ado, here’s what’s coming up in August:
Image Description: A gif from the TV series “Golden Girls” of a person spraying themselves with a spray bottle in a kitchen. Source: Giphy.
1000 2nd Ave 1000 2nd Ave, Seattle, Washington 98104
Join us for daily weekday (M-F) VIGIL FOR HUMAN RIGHTS in front of the Seattle ICE office, 1000 2nd Ave (between Spring and Madison in downtown Seattle). We are a group of concerned human beings who gather every day in front of the Seattle offices of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Many of us are here from 8 to 10 am every workday, but we encourage people to come any time between 8am and 6 pm, or later. Bring your friends. Bring a sign if you can. Our goal is to be a constant visual reminder that we repudiate ICE’s/CBP’s activities. Our presence is peaceful and we are not engaging in civil disobedience. Every day at this address, ICE and CBP agents report to work, and immigrants arrive for hearings at the Seattle Immigration Court on the 25th floor. ICE’s lawyers are on the 29th floor; its investigators, who work in joint task forces with Seattle Police and the King County Sheriff under the name of “Homeland Security Investigations,” or HSI, are on the 23rd floor. CBP, also known as the Border Patrol, has its Seattle field office on the 22nd floor. There are also other offices in the building unrelated to immigration enforcement. The U.S. government continues to subject migrants and refugees to an organized campaign of cruelty and abuse. For years, it has broken up families, detained migrants in inhuman conditions, and frustrated the right to asylum. Under President Trump, it has seized children from parents, threatened migrant families with indefinite detention, declared victims of gang violence and domestic violence ineligible for asylum, and slashed the number of refugee admissions. These policies are accompanied by a rhetoric of hate targeting migrants and refugees. Our government’s policies, implemented by ICE and CBP, violate fundamental rights to asylum, due process, and family life. They cause anguish, terror, and lasting psychological harm. They threaten the safety and well-being of children. We will not rest until our government respects the human rights of migrants and refugees. We call on our leaders to end the systematic mistreatment of migrants and refugees. We call on public employees to refuse to implement or assist such mistreatment. We call on our fellow human beings to oppose it with all their might.
Central Cinema 1411 21st Ave, Seattle, Washington 98122
Presented in collaboration with Pacific Science Center. Join Pacific Science Center and Central Cinema as we show the Disney family favorite “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” paired with a talk by Rae Eaton, research scientist with The Bush Lab and president of Women in Chemical Sciences at the University of Washington. Making Prototypes: Out of the Garage, Into the Lab: Building a shrink ray is harder than it looks. It takes a lot more than a few home tools and wires to turn an idea into a prototype. Rae discusses the challenges home inventors can run into, and explores the benefits a lab offers versus working by oneself in their garage. Rae Eaton is a 4th year graduate student in the University of Washington’s Department of Chemistry and president of Women in Chemical Sciences at the University of Washington. Working under Prof. Matt Bush, Rae designs, constructs, and tests new scientific instruments to understand the shape of proteins and their interactions with other chemicals and proteins, all to help research the causes of and treatments for chronic diseases. Her work focuses on studying current instruments and techniques to maximize the precision and accuracy of these tests. Since a home laboratory is currently out of her price range, Rae spends her free time baking, knitting, and otherwise learning about any craft that involves making things.
The Michael Birawer Gallery – Seattle 1003 1st Ave, Seattle, Washington 98104
For the month of August we have a killer ‘Double Feature’! Two amazing, fresh, exciting urban artists. Joshua Monuteaux brings us his recycled, re-purposed, mixed media material pop art pieces. Phillipé Ducasse comes at us with emotional, colorful, incredible paintings entitled, “beautifuL sLum”! This is a pretty sweet show and we are over-the-top crazy about it! Yes, you will be too. Come hang out, grab a beverage and meet these two amazing artists. And don’t forget, we got original works by Uyen Tran-Gjerde, Brooke Borcherding, Arlon Rosenoff, Alexandra Wass, Cheryl Zahniser, Patri O’Connor, Keegan Hall, C.A. Pierce. See you all Thursday, August 2!
Jet City Improv 5510 University Way NE, Seattle, Washington 98105
Joined by Seattle improvisers Nathan Cox and Alison Luhrs, Mike is bringing the show on the road! For the first hour, they will discuss part of Deathly Hallows, and after intermission, there will be a Q&A!
Peddler Brewing Company 1514 NW Leary Way, Seattle, Washington 98107
Join Exhale Pro-Voice, NARAL Pro-Choice WA and Repro Health Happy Hour Seattle for an afternoon of empowering conversation on reproductive choice and the pro-voice story sharing philosophy. Exhale, an after abortion counseling talkline, has been engaged in listening to callers with abortion experiences for over 15 years. Our pro-voice approach provides the space to listen without judgment and to create a brave and respectful space for our callers. Under the leadership of our new Executive Director, Susan Chorley, we are sharing our pro-voice model through storytelling events and community conversations across the country. The time for open and honest sharing across difference is now. It is through open-hearted conversations and personal stories that we can create community and bridge the abortion divide, using radical empathy and authentic listening. We’re thrilled to be hosted by Peddler brewing company, a family-friendly space with delicious beer on tap and a food truck on site. Join us in the outdoor beer garden for this afternoon of abortion story sharing and conversation.
The Lab at Ada’s 425 15th Ave E, Seattle, Washington 98112
Join the writers and engineers of Botnik Studios (creators of this predictive text Harry Potter chapter and this computer-generated Coachella poster) along with their friends for a night of readings, sketches, songs and interactive experiments at The Lab. Featuring performances from: Jamie Brew – CEO of Botnik and former head writer at Clickhole Elle O’Brien – Consulting Chief Scientist at Botnik Kai Curtis – Master of Text Scraping at Botnik And special guests! Doors open at 7:00pm, show begins at 7:30pm. Full bar available, 21+ with ID.
Blanche Lavizzo Park 2100 South Jackson Street, Seattle, Washington 98144
A short time from now, in a park very close to here, Hello Earth will bring you the first segment in a galactic saga of rebellion, family, and friendship. Like Outdoor Trek the past seven years, A New Hope uses creative casting and innovative stage techniques to bring this classic film to life! Families welcome. Hot dogs for sale most days. Come join the Rebellion!
1009 E Union St, Seattle, WA 98122-3824, United States
Come out and join us for the very first Macabre Market! Celebrate the dark side of life with vendors selling jewelry, art and clothing. The bar will be open! 21+ only, non-smoking. Come be our guests! Our event takes place at The Mercury @ Machinewerks. Mercury is a private club for members and their guests. August vendors include: Half-Caff Crochet City Street Vomit Blessed Beads Jewelry Capybara Cafe Ground by the Sound Bawdy Love Kinky Bricks ScarletRabbit Psychopomp Designs The poshness monster Son of Dawn Icon Alchemy Hidden From The Light Studios Merlyn’s Realm Spirit Boards Tormented Artifacts Miniature Wytche Tarot Swamp Swag Creations Come out and see us!
REBATEnsemble Theatre Group 1900 NW 89th St, Seattle, Washington 98117
Banished from her uncles shiny tech megacorp, Rosalind decides to seek herself (and her father) in the great outdoors, armed with nothing but trail mix, her loyal cousin Celia, and her wit. Disguised as a young man and his sister, the pair ventures out of the city theyve always known into a mystical place known as the Forest of Arden, where they encounter a strange cast of characters, including the lovestruck Orlando, who has escaped to the forest in order to avoid his brothers wrath. Music, poetry, and love unite in this compelling journey of community and self-discovery, set against the backdrop of the beautiful Pacific Northwest. We return to Volunteer Park (where we last played “THE TEMPEST”) for Shakespeare’s famous gender-bender love comedy. Audiences will literally follow Rosalind and Orlando into the “forest of Arden” because, well, why not? “All the world’s a stage” after all. Bring your walking shoes, picnic blankets, and arm chairs and end the summer with us and Shakespeare in the Park! Featuring a score of original songs, dancing, singing and even some Judo. CREATIVE / CAST Director – Megan Brewer Stage Manager – Rebecca Hsia Assistant Director – Hannah Hadjes Costume Design – Amelia Wade Production Manager – Rojo Davis Fight Choreographer – Tom Dang Featuring the talents of: Mara Palma Alanah Pascual Chris Wong Frank Sun Season Qiu Duncan Pound Hannah Prendergast John Han Andrew Forrest Morgan Patton Nick Eveland Buddy Todd Tickets Available at the Door SUGGESTED DONATION: $15 ***For a guaranteed seat, please consider visiting www.rebatensemble.org and registering at the suggested donation price
The Vera Project Warren and Republican, Seattle, Washington 98109
Rainbow Remix is a Family Event for all ages Celebrating LGBTQ+ children & families ?❤ Cat Valley https://catvalley.bandcamp.com/ WIGS Dj Christian Science Art by: Kaya Nieves, James Meyers, Fennec Nightingale and Lucia Santos Photos by Jordan Nicholson of Gender Family Alliance for Li’l Woody’s Benefitting: Gender Family Alliance and the Rainbow Book Fund for Seattle Public Schools The Vera Project 6-9 pm $5 *Collecting Period Supplies for One Million Tampons
Do you love board games and enjoy teaching others how to play? Explore the board/card game hobby and meet folks happy to teach you their favorite board games! Come and play with folks who love playing games. And the best part about the GeekGirlCon (http://www.geekgirlcon.com/) game nights with our friends at Wayward (http://www.waywardcoffee.com/)? They are absolutely FREE with no cover charge!
The Hillman City Collaboratory 5623 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, Washington 98118
We’re back! We’ve found an accessible safe place we can regular host letter writing nights in! Join us to write letters to prisoners of war and political prisoners. We’ll also be talking about the upcoming #August21 prisoner strike so bring your questions and enthusiasm about abolishing prisons! This is also a good time to bring any general prisoner support questions you might have. We will also be providing all the supplies. Rain City ABC and Hillman City are committed in providing safe and accessible place. There are two ADA compliant all gender bathrooms. We ask that folx come as scent free as possible and sober. We look forward to seeing you!
Museum of Pop Culture 325 5th Ave N, Seattle, Washington 98109 Seattle Mini Maker Faire is the greatest show (and tell) on earth! Part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, Maker Faire is a gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students, and commercial exhibitors. You won’t want to miss it!
Seattle Hempfest 3130 Alaska Way, Seattle, Washington 98121
Join us Friday August 17, High noon – 8 PM & Saturday/Sunday August 18 – 19, 10:00 am – 8:00 PM for three days of more freedom than you’ll find anyplace else on earth! Our 4 stages will feature hundreds of bands & speakers to entertain and feed your brain knowledge about cannabis law reform and where we are with our burgeoning legalization. Our Stage Schedules are https://www.hempfest.org/festival/schedule/ Seattle’s Hempfest features ~400 vending booths along 3 gorgeous Seattle waterfront parks. You can check out our Vendor Directory https://www.hempfest.org/festival/directory/ Have you booked your stay yet? Or having trouble to find the best deal? Well, we have you covered! HERE is an accommodation map where you can find the best deals for your stay and being close to the action. Book ASAP! Rooms are filling fast! https://www.hempfest.org/festival/accommodations/ Our new NO WAIT entrance, The West Thomas Street Pedestrian and Bicycle Overpass, is accessible at 3rd Ave W & W Harris Streets just north of Seattle Center. This new entrance has great parking potential being just 4 blocks north of Key Arena. It’ll take you across the busy Elliot & Western Avenues, and drop you right in Main Stage! Take The West Thomas Street Pedestrian and Bicycle Overpass! Do you want a safe and secure place to store your things while you attend Seattle Hempfest? Personal lockers will be available so you can free up your hands and avoid losing any personal items during the fest. They’re only $15 and need to be booked in advance before they sell out! Full info https://www.hempfest.org/festival/locker-rental/ General attendee information https://www.hempfest.org/festival/attendees/ Want to vend? Full info https://www.hempfest.org/get-involved/vending/ Seattle Hempfest is free, but free speech is not. Suggested donation is $10 per day – remember to give as the Hempfest you save is your own!
Do you love board games and enjoy teaching others how to play? Explore the board/card game hobby and meet folks happy to teach you their favorite board games! Come and play with folks who love playing games. And the best part about the GeekGirlCon (http://www.geekgirlcon.com/) game nights with our friends at Wayward (http://www.waywardcoffee.com/)? They are absolutely FREE with no cover charge!
Welcome to July! Summer is in full swing, and Seattle (and beyond) is buzzing with all things fun, geeky, and eventful! Here’s a quick peek at special occasions you’ll want to add to your calendars as quickly as you can say “Harry Potter Drag Show!”
Image Description: A gif of the cast of High School Musical saying the word “summer” as they sit at their desks. Source: Giphy
1000 2nd Ave 1000 2nd Ave, Seattle, Washington 98104
Join us for daily weekday (M-F) VIGIL FOR HUMAN RIGHTS in front of the Seattle ICE office, 1000 2nd Ave (between Spring and Madison in downtown Seattle). We are a group of concerned human beings who gather every day in front of the Seattle offices of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Many of us are here from 8 to 10 am every workday, but we encourage people to come any time between 8am and 6 pm, or later. Bring your friends. Bring a sign if you can. Our goal is to be a constant visual reminder that we repudiate ICE’s/CBP’s activities. Our presence is peaceful and we are not engaging in civil disobedience. Every day at this address, ICE and CBP agents report to work, and immigrants arrive for hearings at the Seattle Immigration Court on the 25th floor. ICE’s lawyers are on the 29th floor; its investigators, who work in joint task forces with Seattle Police and the King County Sheriff under the name of “Homeland Security Investigations,” or HSI, are on the 23rd floor. CBP, also known as the Border Patrol, has its Seattle field office on the 22nd floor. There are also other offices in the building unrelated to immigration enforcement. The U.S. government continues to subject migrants and refugees to an organized campaign of cruelty and abuse. For years, it has broken up families, detained migrants in inhuman conditions, and frustrated the right to asylum. Under President Trump, it has seized children from parents, threatened migrant families with indefinite detention, declared victims of gang violence and domestic violence ineligible for asylum, and slashed the number of refugee admissions. These policies are accompanied by a rhetoric of hate targeting migrants and refugees. Our government’s policies, implemented by ICE and CBP, violate fundamental rights to asylum, due process, and family life. They cause anguish, terror, and lasting psychological harm. They threaten the safety and well-being of children. We will not rest until our government respects the human rights of migrants and refugees. We call on our leaders to end the systematic mistreatment of migrants and refugees. We call on public employees to refuse to implement or assist such mistreatment. We call on our fellow human beings to oppose it with all their might.
Can you believe that it’s already June, lovely blog readers?! The sun is shining, summer is officially in the air, and we’re on the hunt for geekiest, most awesome events the Seattle area has to offer. For my fellow queer geeks, June is an especially important time for celebrating pride all month long throughout our wonderful city and beyond! Movies, trivia, parades, meetups, and more abound in the coming month, so take a look at what’s coming up and mark your calendars!
Image Description: A gif of a group of people walking in the street during a pride parade. Source: Giphy
Upstream Music Fest + Summit is a three day music fest where attendees can discover a diverse lineup of acclaimed national and international artists performing alongside 200+ rising stars from the Northwest and beyond. Our open campus in the heart of Seattle’s historic arts and entertainment neighborhood allows for serendipitous moments for fans and musicians alike, and our variety of ticket options means you can curate your perfect weekend of music.
Comics Dungeon 319 NE 45th St, Seattle, Washington 98105
Hey Seattle area friends! Our first Friday pop swap continues! Come meet up with other fanatics and bring your Funko pops you’d like to swap*! Attend the event to get 20% off on all Funko items in the store. *Please note: It is prohibited to sell your own pops in the store, trading only please.
Enjoy an evening of unlimited tastes from some of Washington’s finest wineries while learning the science behind the vines.
Image Description: A gif of the character Olivia Pope from the TV series “Scandal” pouring herself a glass of wine while her friend looks on in disapproval. Source: Giphy
Friday Afternoon 4228 Stone Way N, Seattle, Washington 98103
We are planning a super fun, everyone-friendly Sailor Moon Cosplay Tea! The theme for this event is set, but we will be hosting a number of Cosplay Teas with varying themes in future. You’ll have lots of chances to bust out those cosplays you work so hard to perfect and sip tea with friends! This is a free event to attend and we will be sampling out exclusive teas for you to try and purchase as you like. We also plan to have a photo booth setup for you to strike a pose with your fellow scouts!
MUSEUM OF HISTORY & INDUSTRY (MOHAI) 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle WA, 98109
Celebrate Pride Month at MOHAI! On this Free First Thursday, MOHAI offers a special welcome to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) families. Make crafts and cozy up in our reading corner for storytime with LGBTQ-themed books. Enjoy screenings of local queer films with Three Dollar Bill Cinema and live performances by Youth Speaks poets, plus connect with community groups and resources. On the first Thursday of each month, general admission to MOHAI’s permanent exhibits is free all day long! Free admission includes: True Northwest: The Seattle Journey and the Bezos Center for Innovation. Seattle on the Spot: The Photographs of Al Smith exhibit price: $8 adults; $6 student/senior/military.
So, you’re a traveller, eh? Join us for The Ultimate Travel Trivia! Share your knowledge and win fun prizes while engaging and learning about how to travel more sustainably in Seattle and beyond! A great opportunity to connect and meet like-minded people!
The 2018 Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show takes place June 8th-10th at the Tacoma Convention Center in Washington State! The show features: -Over 400 pinball and arcade machines on free play! -Guest speakers from the pinball and arcade industry! -Seminars on collecting, playing and fixing games! -Kid’s Zone with games specifically geared towards younger aged children! -5 pinball tournaments, compete for national rankings, money, prizes and pride! -Play the latest pinball and arcade games on the market, we also usually debut a few new games before you’ve seen them anywhere else! -Play homebrewed pinball and arcade games, neat one of a kind games people have built and bring out for you to check out and play! -Win your own game! Along with merch and lots of daily prizes, each day of the show you can win your own full-sized pinball or arcade game! -Cosplay and costumes, arcade tournaments, beer and food onsite, and much more! This is our 11th annual show, find out why so many people consider this one of the best shows in the world. Over 100 volunteers help put on this yearly non-profit show. The profits go towards education and charity, this year we will be giving away 3 college scholarships, stay tuned for details.
Do you love board games and enjoy teaching others how to play? Explore the board/card game hobby and meet folks happy to teach you their favorite board games! Come and play with folks who love playing games. And the best part about the GeekGirlCon (http://www.geekgirlcon.com/) game nights with our friends at Wayward (http://www.waywardcoffee.com/)? They are absolutely FREE with no cover charge!
Volunteer Park 1247 15th Ave E, Seattle, Washington 98102
Join us for the annual Volunteer Park Pride Festival (formerly known as the Pride Family Picnic) on Saturday, June 9th, 2018 from 12noon-7pm! The Volunteer Park Pride Festival is a chance for family and friends to come together in one of Seattle’s iconic parks and celebrate our amazing LGBTQ community. As in years past, the event will be FREE and ALL-AGES, and there will be LIVE MUSIC, BEER GARDEN, FOOD TRUCKS, CRAFT BOOTHS, AND MORE! 2018 VOLUNTEER PARK PRIDE FEST MUSICAL LINE-UP: Desi Valentine *Special Surprise Guest* – To be announced SOON! DoNormaal Little Bandit Fruit Juice Betsy Olson DJ Toya B Now, more than ever, it’s important to have conversations about the impact of the new administration to the LGBTQ community, so we’re inviting community leaders, partners, and organizers to speak throughout the event. We’ll also have non-profit organizations from our community and Seattle Pride Sponsors who make this and the Seattle Pride Parade possible.
Seward Park Audubon Center 5902 Lake Washington Blvd S, Seattle, Washington 98118
Join us at the 19th Annual Furry 5K for the Seattle Animal Shelter. When you register please join team Giving Paws Project. We will all meet prior to the start time for Walking at 11:40a. If your not able to join us for the walk but still want to donate please visit www.furry5k.com to Day Nate online. This year there is also a donation drive of items needed for the Vet side of the Shelter. I will post an update with the Wish List and will collect any items prior to event if cannot attend. This event is always fun and it raises money for our Seattle Animal Shelter
Image Description: A gif of corgis running on grass towards the camera. Source: Giphy
Offbeat Bride author Ariel Meadow Stallings hosts a discussion with local cartoonist, author, and legend Ellen Forney – Cartoonist about her new book, Rock Steady: Brilliant Advice From My Bipolar Life, a manual of self-care tools and techniques learned from the front lines of bipolar life (Fantagraphics, May 2018). The two authors and friends will dig deep into how Ellen’s advice for maintaining emotional stability in the face of mood disorders is relevant to all of us trying to maintain stability in unstable times. Don’t be fooled: this event will be lighthearted and hilarious. About the author: Cartoonist Ellen Forney is the author of bestselling graphic memoir, Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me, and collaborated on the National Book Award-winning novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Ellen curated a traveling exhibition about comics and health for the National Library of Medicine, “Graphic Medicine: Ill-Conceived & Well-Drawn,” on display at Seattle’s Central Public Library from May 21–June 30. As a visual artist, she was selected to create two permanent large-scale murals for Seattle’s Capitol Hill light rail station. She was awarded residency fellowships from the MacDowell Colony and Civitella Ranieri, and teaches comics at Cornish College of the Arts. Guaranteed seat: $10 Guaranteed seat AND a copy of the book: $25 21+ with ID 6:00pm Doors 6:30pm to 8:00pm Program and Q&A
Five years before the amazing TV series hit the air, Joss Whedon watched his film script get staked through this heart with the big screen horror-comedy starring Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry. LUKE PERRY! Also starring Donald Sutherland, Rutger Hauer, Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee!), Hilary Swank, and David Arquette.
Image Description: A gif of the character Buffy and her fellow cheerleaders performing a cheer. The caption says “Our goose is totally loose.” Source: Giphy
Peddler Brewing Company 1514 NW Leary Way, Seattle, Washington 98107
Do you know the name of the mummy that resides in Ye Olde Curiosity Shop? How about who built the Fremont Troll? Or what nickname JP Patches was commonly known by? Learn about these facts and much more at Crosscut’s Trivia Obscura and Bingo night, a partnership between Crosscut, Atlas Obscura Society Seattle, and Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI)! Join hosts Knute Berger from Crosscut, Jared Steed from Atlas Obscura Society Seattle, and Sondra Snyder of MOHAI as they guide you through the weird and wonderful world of Washington state while you vie for fabulous prizes and the title of Trivia Obscura Champion! Come for the trivia, but stay for the bingo, featuring even more local oddities, landmarks, and prizes!
MUSEUM OF HISTORY & INDUSTRY (MOHAI) 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle WA, 98109
Celebrate the launch of BookMarked Seattle and emerging young writers from the Seattle metro area! Join teens from around the city as we reflect on Seattle’s diverse stories. Participate in book discussions, make art, hear selected works from the BookMarked Seattle writing competition, and more. Hosted by the MOHAI Youth Advisors. Don’t forget! TeenTix members receive $5 admission.
Elliott Bay Book Company 1521 10th Ave, Seattle, Washington 98122
We are delighted to finally have novelist Zinzi Clemmons here—her debut novel, What We Lose (newly in paper, Penguin Random House), was one of 2017’s most lauded novels (forget the debut part), cited as a Best Book of the Year by Vogue, NPR, Elle, Esquire, Buzzfeed, The San Francisco Chronicle, Cosmopolitan, The Huffington Post, The A.V. Club, The Root, Harper’s Bazaar, Paste, Bustle, Kirkus Reviews, Electric Literature, LitHub, The New York Post, The Los Angeles Review of Books, and Bust. And praised by many others, as well. “The narrator of What We Lose navigates the many registers of grief, love and injustice, moving between the death of her mother and the birth of her son, as well as an America of blacks and whites and a South Africa of Coloreds. What an intricate mapping of inner and outer geographies! Clemmons’s prose is rhythmically exact and acutely moving. No experience is left unexamined or unimagined.” —Margo Jefferson. “Zinzi Clemmons’ first book heralds the work of a new writer with a true and lasting voice—one that is just right for our complicated millennium. Bright and filled with shadows, humor, and trenchant insights into what it means to have a heart divided by different cultures, What We Lose is a win, just right for the ages.” —Hilton Als. Zinzi Clemmons was also a National Book Foundation “5 Under 35” honoree.
Living Computers: Museum + Labs 2245 1st Avenue South, Seattle, Washington 98134
We’re kicking off PRIDE with a screening of the documentary Gaming in Color. This Kickstarter-funded film focuses on LGBTQ issues in video games, gaymer culture, and the rise of queer themes in gaming. NR | Included with Admission ____________________ From the Gaming in Color website: “Diverse queer themes in game storylines and characters are an anomaly in the mainstream video game industry, and LGBTQ gamers have a higher chance of being mistreated in social games. Gaming In Color explores how the community culture is shifting and the industry is diversifying, helping with queer visibility and acceptance of an LGBTQ presence. Almost every gamer will relate to the concept of seeking solace in a video game. Hope for sanctuary guides their escape into a virtual universe where they can be anything they want to be. For many, however, choosing to be true to themselves becomes an open invitation for hatred. This multiplies for those who are marginalized people, including people of color, women, and members of the LGBTQ community. Toxic cultures that breed violence and vitriol hide behind a industry that undervalues the innovation of its audience. GAMING IN COLOR crusades for anyone who believes that the pixelated world can be a better place for everyone, no matter who they are or what they love. A lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or otherwise queer gamer has a higher chance of being mistreated in a social game. The power dynamics of a male-dominated geek society tips against them. Further, diverse queer themes in game storylines and characters are an anomaly in the mainstream video game industry. However, the gaming community is far more colorful than one may expect. Gaming In Color shows that there is a full spectrum of gamers picking up their controller to play. This feature documentary explores the queer side of gaming culture and the game industry’s LGBTQ presence. The queer geek community is taking huge steps forward in being recognized on a worldwide industry scale. At the same time, more popular mainstream and indie games are featuring a greater amount of queer characters than ever before, helping with visibility and acceptance. There’s a long road ahead and tons of aspects that desperately need improvement, but the video games universe will continue to mature and diversify both in its community culture and industry only if we elevate the conversation about inclusion and respecting one another – not in spite of our gay geekiness, but because of it!”
8:00pm Central Cinema 1411 21st Ave. Seattle WA 98122 US
It’s the 2018 edition of the best damn weekday party you’ll go to all June. We celebrate Pride month with the return of a favorite Sing Along that features divas, camp classics, new tunes, hunks, foot stompers, rump shakers and every video is certified TOTALLY GAY! Plus, the Sing Along’s original host Jason is in the building to lead the fun.
Your ticket includes a copy of Not That Bad About the Book: In this valuable and revealing anthology, cultural critic and bestselling author Roxane Gay collects original and previously published pieces that address what it means to live in a world where women have to measure the harassment, violence, and aggression they face, and where they are routinely second-guessed, blown off, discredited, denigrated, besmirched, belittled, patronized, mocked, shamed, gaslit, insulted, bullied for speaking out. Contributions include essays from established and up-and-coming writers, performers, and critics, including actors Ally Sheedy and Gabrielle Union and writers Amy Jo Burns, Lyz Lenz, Claire Schwartz, and Bob Shacochis. Covering a wide range of topics and experiences, from an exploration of the rape epidemic embedded in the refugee crisis to first-person accounts of child molestation, this collection is often deeply personal and is always unflinchingly honest. Like Rebecca Solnits Men Explain Things to Me, Not That Bad will resonate with every reader, saying something in totality that we cannot say alone. Searing and heartbreakingly candid, this provocative collection both reflects the world we live in and offers a call to arms insisting that not that bad must no longer be good enough. About the Author: Roxane Gay is the author of the essay collection Bad Feminist, which was a New York Times bestseller; the novel An Untamed State, a finalist for the Dayton Peace Prize; and the short story collections Difficult Women and Ayiti. A contributing opinion writer to the New York Times, she has also written for Time, McSweeneys, the Virginia Quarterly Review, the Los Angeles Times, The Nation, The Rumpus, Bookforum, and Salon. Her fiction has also been selected for The Best American Short Stories 2012, The Best American Mystery Stories 2014, and other anthologies. She is the author of World of Wakanda for Marvel. She lives in Lafayette, Indiana, and sometimes Los Angeles.
Image Description: A gif of Roxane Gay giving a talk. The caption states “These days, I look at how women are treated the world over, and anger, in particular, seems like a perfectly reasonable response.” Source: Giphy
Please join us for the 59th Annual Northwest Great Books Weekend Event! All books are pre-read by the Board and chosen for the ability to sustain a rousing two hour discussion. Special effort is given to find pieces with: cultural diversity, different genres ie, plays, fiction, non-fiction, and pieces that have or will stand the test of time. Whether you’re a seasoned Great Books member or you are just thinking of joining-everyone is welcome. Many of our titles have included classics and prize winning authors, but (in true Great Books fashion) we do not limit our selections based solely on book sales or as defined by others as classics. We are excited to present the four readings of our next June 22-24 event: As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner 9780679732259 Passing by Nella Larsen 9780142437278 Being Mortal bu Atul Gawande 9781250076229 Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks 9780143121077 ISBN are provided for those that choose to purchase books separately. Please purchase the specified books above, makes it much easier to refer to page numbers!
Elliott Bay Book Company 1521 10th Ave, Seattle, Washington 98122
Up from Tacoma (which she has written glowingly about), where she teaches African American Studies at the University of Puget Sound is fiction writer Renee Simms, with a true gem of a debut book of stories, Meet Behind Mars (Wayne State University Press). “Renee Simms’s Meet Behind Mars is an eclectic, emotionally rich, funny, quirky, and grounded debut from a fresh voice. It is truly a pleasure to spend time among such a diverse roster of African American characters in settings ranging from Katrina-devastated New Orleans to the South China Sea. In these fictions that are, by turns, realist, fabulist, and satirical, women and men search out life’s meaning through work, sex, travel, and family in finely observed moments full of quiet urgency.” —Asali Solomon. “Renee Simms is an incredible storyteller gifted with both wit and wisdom. She’s not afraid of the hard questions, yet this work brims with hope and heart. Meet Behind Mars marks an exciting debut of a vibrant new voice in American literature.” —Tayari Jones.
Do you love board games and enjoy teaching others how to play? Explore the board/card game hobby and meet folks happy to teach you their favorite board games! Come and play with folks who love playing games. And the best part about the GeekGirlCon (http://www.geekgirlcon.com/) game nights with our friends at Wayward (http://www.waywardcoffee.com/)? They are absolutely FREE with no cover charge!
ACE Comic Con is coming to Seattle, WA June 22-23-24! We are bringing 3 of your favorite #Avengers, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Tom Holland and many more for an unforgettable weekend at the WaMu Theater & CenturyLink Field Event Center. As if that wasn’t enough, we will also have 60+ of the top comic writers & artists in the industry, 100+ curated vendors & exhibitors, and 30+ hours of panel programming across multiple stages! More guests will be announced shortly, so make sure to keep following us right here for up-to-the-minute updates. General Admission tickets start at $46 (photo ops, autographs, and VIP packages are available for an additional cost). INFO AND TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE VIA www.aceuniverse.com! ***Up to 2 Kids (10 & under) get in FREE when accompanied by a paid adult*** 1-Day Friday General Admission is $46 1-Day Saturday General Admission is $56 1-Day Sunday General Admission is $56 3-Day Weekend General Admission is $96
Image Description: A gif of the character Scarlet Witch from the Avengers film series, using her magic during an action scene. Source: Giphy
Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center 305 Harrison Street, Seattle, Washington 98109
Our 2nd Annual Queer Geeks and Gamers event features board games, console games, panels, comics, cosplay contests, exhibitors, and more! FREE FOR ALL. Beer garden for 21+. Open 12-6pm Saturday 6/23 Open 12-7pm Sunday 6/24 Come one, come all to QGG 2.0! Sponsored in part by Living Computers Museum.
An event to bring new and vintage toys, comic books, video games, movies, celebrities, and anything pop culture together under one roof for a fun weekend in Pierce County. June 30 – July 1, 2018 An event that the whole family can enjoy: Vintage and Modern Toys | Collectibles | Comic Books | Photo Ops | Panels | Star Wars Characters and Vehicles | Kids Zone | Costume and Trivia Contests | LEGO | Military Vehicles | Transformers | Artists | Video Games | Table Games | Movie Props | Authors | Anime | Exhibits | Celebrities from Television and Movies
Image Description: A gif of actor Ellen Page waving a rainbow pride flag. Source: Giphy
Welcome to February, my fellow geeks! Cliché or not, this month is all about celebrating love in all its forms, whether it be for friends, family, partners, pets, books, movies, games, songs, foods, or, you know, even particularly great gifs.
Here’s looking at you, every image of Gina Rodriguez ever (Image Description: The actress Gina Rodriguez as the character Jane Villanueva from the television show “Jane the Virgin,” looking happy. Source: Giphy)
So, whoever or whatever you find yourself loving this month, consider checking out some of the amazing events coming up, and celebrate your interests, enthusiasms, and passions to their fullest!
The New Year is (almost) upon us, which means that we can finally bid goodbye to the unfortunate, terrifying mess that characterized most of 2017. The good news is that there is SO MANY incredible and exciting events coming up in January to help beckon in a better and brighter new year!
Source: Giphy. Image Description: The character Rachel Berry from “Glee” wearing a Happy New Year Crown. The image text reads “The countdown begins.”
Living Computers: Museum + Labs 2245 First Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134
$68
Kill two ravens with one stone and learn how to solder while you create your newest costume headpiece – a wicked pair of Adafruit LED Goggles – in this 2-hour entry level workshop. Space is limited for this take-home activity.
Third Place Books Seward Park 5041 Wilson Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118
Free event!
The Seattle Review of Books and Seattle Weekly aim to help you cope with the next three years thanks to Reading Through It, a “monthly book club exploring who we are as Americans, where we’re going, and how to fix it.” Weapons of Math Destruction is a former Wall Street analyst’s warning against “the mathematical models that pervade modern life—and threaten to rip apart our social fabric.”
Source: Giphy. Image Description: The characters Bones and Kirk from Star Trek: The Original Series nod at each other.
Center for Architecture & Design 1010 Western Ave, Seattle, WA 98104
Free event!
All-ages event!
We’re bored with Earth. What about Mars? Participants will learn about the very different problems architects would face if building for the surface of other planets….and moons…and asteroids? The sky is not even the limit…
Source: Giphy. Image Description: The characters Steve and Nancy from “Stranger Things” dance at a party.
Follow our Laser artists into The Upside Down with this laser show tribute to the music of Stranger Things. A synth-heavy score and dark 80s soundtrack contribute to the spooky nostalgia of this popular Netflix Original hit. Performed, as always, by our talented laser artists, don’t miss this limited run in January of Laser Stranger Things.
Elliott Bay Book Company 1521 10th Ave, Seattle, Washington 98122
Free event!
Join us for this fun hour of readings from picture and storybooks with one of Elliott Bay’s bookfolk. Go to the castle in the children’s section … and the stories begin!
What would Marsha P Johnson, Leslie Feinberg and our sick and disabled queer grandparents have to say about fighting to survive and win? Sick and disabled queer/ trans people have always resisted, from the first colonial invasions to nursing homes to freak shows to street based queer and trans activism. We are heroes, fighters and survivors and we have the medicine we need to survive Trump. In this star-studded sick and disabled QT/POC show, curated by billie rain and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, come witness Seattle based disabled queer/ of color artists performing new work reflecting on the resistance wisdom of our disabled queer ancestors.This performance is also part of a star studded ALL SICK AND DISABLED QTBIPOC ALL THE TIME DOUBLE WEEKEND! Come see us, and then check out Neve Andromeda Bianco Mazique’s one femme show, Betcha Ungodly Things! Support all of us! Come for this living altar of disabled QTBIPOC testimony, genius and love.
Society Of Illustrators 128 E 63rd St, New York, New York 10065
Non-Member and Member tickets $15, Students and Seniors $7
Join us for an evening with comics art giant Art Spiegelman and acclaimed illustrator Anita Kunz as they discuss the lasting influence of 20th century political cartoonist Art Young, with master caricaturist Steve Brodner moderating the discussion. The three will examine the historical significance of Young’s work, and its relevance in today’s artistic and political landscape. Images for discussion will be drawn from the 2017 retrospective To Laugh That We May Not Weep: The Life & Times of Art Young (Fantagraphics) by Glenn Bray and Frank M. Young. Copies will be available for purchase after the event.
Source: Giphy. Image Description: Characters from the movie “Jumanji” sit down to play the game “Jumanji” together.
Do you love board games and enjoy teaching others how to play? Explore the board/card game hobby and meet folks happy to teach you their favorite board games! Come and play with folks who love playing games. And the best part about the GeekGirlCon (http://www.geekgirlcon.com/) game nights with our friends at Wayward (http://www.waywardcoffee.com/)? They are absolutely FREE with no cover charge!
Westlake Park 401 Pine St, Seattle, Washington 98101
Free event!
We strive for #BlackLiberation – we strive for freedom to not be treated like animals and for our justice system to treat us equally or be abolished – we strive for fair and equal taxation so that people of color can not only survive but thrive – we strive for a day were we are not discriminated against for our skin color or our culture but treated equally for content of our character – we strive to not be shot and killed by police and then our image be slandered on the news. We ask you join us and say Racism and police brutality and unfair and unequal treatment of Black people has to stop and freedom has to begin because until Black people are free no one is free.
Naked City Brewery & Taphouse 8564 Greenwood Avenue North, Seattle, Washington 98103
$8 in advance, $10 at the door
Cine-City is Seattle’s only consistent film night with bi-monthly (every other month) screenings of local short films. We will fill up a block of films 45 minutes to an 1 hour, at the end of the night the films will be voted on and the most voted film will be announced the next day and will move on to the Best Of in November. All proceeds help the Film Non Profit Ardor Creative Media. http://ardorcreativemedia.com/cine_city/
Garfield High School 400 23rd Avenue, Seattle, Washington 98122
Free event!
Educate yourself at workshops from 9:30-10:50am, then at 11:00am, join the pre-march rally in the Garfield Gym to become inspired and informed with speakers, performers, and more. View the full schedule at www.mlkseattle.org/index.php Following the rally (12:00-12:20), the march line-up starts in the Garfield parking lot (across the street from Ezell’s chicken). The march will begin at 12:30, heading to the Federal Building at 2nd & Madison. The Downtown Program is estimated to start at 1:30 p.m. Marchers are welcome to return to Garfield for a late lunch or to join employers and more at the Opportunity & Information Fair at Garfield (1:30-4:00pm).
Benaroya Hall 200 University St, Seattle, Washington 98101
Tickets between $10 and $80
Jesmyn Ward has been called “fearless and toughly lyrical” by the Library Journal. Her novel Salvage the Bones, the story of four motherless children trying to protect their home in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, won the 2011 National Book Award for Fiction. Her unflinching portrayals of young black men and women struggling to thrive in a South ravaged by poverty and natural disaster have been praised for their “graphic clarity” by the Boston Globe, and for their “hugeness of heart” by O, The Oprah Magazine. Ward’s follow-up to Salvage was Men We Reaped, a memoir that confronts the five years of Ward’s life in which she lost five young men—to drugs, accidents, suicide, and the bad luck that follows people who live in poverty, particularly black men. Lauded by Kirkus as a “modern rejoinder to Black Like Me [and] Beloved,” Men We Reaped is a homage to Ward’s past, her ghosts, and the haunted yet hopeful place she still calls home. A finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Autobiography, it was named one of the Best Books of 2013 by Publishers Weekly, the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, NPR, Kirkus, New York Magazine, and TIME magazine. Ward is also the editor of the critically acclaimed anthology The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks about Race, which NPR listed as one of the Best Books of 2016. Taking James Baldwin’s 1963 pivotal examination of race in America, The Fire Next Time, is a jumping-off point. The groundbreaking collection features essays and poems about race from the most important voices of Ward’s generation and our time—from Edwidge Danticat, Natasha Trethewey, and Isabel Wilkerson, to Mitchell S. Jackson, Kiese Laymon, and Claudia Rankine. In the forthcoming Sing, Unburied, Sing, Ward will return to Mississippi and the themes of her earlier work. Confronting the realities of life in the rural South, Ward gives us a road map through Mississippi’s past and present that explores the bonds of family as tested by racism and poverty. Her work is all set on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi where Ward grew up, and each new publication makes her a fitting heir to the rich literary tradition of the American South.
Source: Giphy. Image Description: Beyoncé and Lady Gaga dance together in a music video.
Four of music’s finest divas join you for what’s sure to be one of the best nights of your life. The Queen of R&B, The Queen of Pop, the Princess of Pop, the , and the Mother of Monsters team up to get you singing, dancing, and so much more. Telephone on the big screen is worth the price of admission alone.
Bring out those pantsuits ladies (& gents, kids, dogs ok too). Fun run/walk around Greenlake. The primary purpose of the event is for the unification of the Pantsuit community and to continue to strive for change. Last year we had over 700 attend, let’s make this event bigger & better. Event is not timed. It is a fun run/walk. No refunds or transfers. Rain or shine. This is a no frills run/walk. 30% of the proceeds go to Planned Parenthood!
Northwest Film Forum 1515 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
$12 tickets
This event will be a forum for men who work in the tech industry in Seattle to discuss ways that we can show up for women, trans folks, and other non-cis-male-identified folks who often experience harassment and discrimination in our industry. More details will be posted at this URL as we get closer to the event.
$12 General Admission, $9 Students, Seniors, and Children
Over the past 13 years, Children’s Film Festival Seattle has become the largest and most respected film festival on the West Coast dedicated to children and their families. Each year, Northwest Film Forum selects more than 170 children’s films from 50+ countries, reaching more than 10,000 people during festival screenings in Seattle and a subsequent festival tour of 15-20 U.S. cities. What we stand for: Racial equity and diversity, inclusivity, social justice, global awareness, and the best in age-appropriate, visual storytelling for young people. Produced by Northwest Film Forum, Children’s Film Festival Seattle includes live performances, features, shorts and hands-on workshops, all crafted with care for the next generation of movie lovers.
Moore Theatre 1932 2nd Ave, Seattle, Washington 98101
Ticket prices vary, starting at $47
STG Presents & AEG welcomes Lovett or Leave It to The Moore Theatre on Friday, January 26, 2018. The Lovett or Leave It podcast, as part of Pod Tours America, has announced additional tour dates and will be live on stage January 26, 2018 at 8:00 pm at The Moore Theatre. Former speechwriter for Hillary Clinton and the Obama White House and co-host of the wildly popular podcast Pod Save America, Jon Lovett brings his Lovett or Leave It podcast live to Seattle. Get ready for a night of lively and humorous discussion of politics and top news stories with special guests along with other popular Lovett or Leave It segments.
Do you love board games and enjoy teaching others how to play? Explore the board/card game hobby and meet folks happy to teach you their favorite board games! Come and play with folks who love playing games. And the best part about the GeekGirlCon (http://www.geekgirlcon.com/) game nights with our friends at Wayward (http://www.waywardcoffee.com/)? They are absolutely FREE with no cover charge!
Source: Giphy. Image Description: Ryan Gosling works on on an exercise bike while wearing a onesie on the Ellen DeGeneres Show.
A game played at GeekGirlCon’s board game night at Wayward Cafe, held the second and fourth Friday of every month.
Looking to expand your Dungeons and Dragons nights? Moved to Seattle and trying to find a gathering? New to tabletops and looking for direction?
For any reason, finding a tabletop role-playing group is exciting, but it can also be daunting. So, the GeekGirlCon gaming team has narrowed down some safe spaces that you can roll into and try out in the Seattle area.
Feminist Camp is a weekend camp for college-age students that goes beyond classroom or campus activism for networking and learning more about feminism. While Feminist Camp was originally based in New York, it has since expanded to the Seattle area. I had the opportunity to speak to the campers last November, and also got to interview the camp organizers!
What are your official roles at Feminist Camp?
KATIE GALLAGHER: I’m one of the Feminist Camp Seattle directors, along with Jody.
JODY JOLDERSMA: I’m the other Seattle director, along with Katie.
CARLY ROMEO: I’m the Feminist Camp Director, I run all the sites!
What is Feminist Camp?
KATIE: Feminist Camp is a transformative experience. I attended the NYC program when I was a senior in college and emerged as an entirely different person by the end of it. Being immersed in a constant exchange of big ideas (from both experts and campers!) shaped who I am as a thinker and an activist. I left camp with a stronger feminist network, a new perspective, and the kind of renewed energy that can only come from spending a week with passionate, driven people.
JODY: I attended the Feminist Intensive program in NYC, which visited many of the same organizations as the week long program but is targeted at professional mid-career women. I was introduced to A.I.R. Gallery (the first women run cooperative art gallery in the United States) during my session. As a professional artist this was a great opportunity to expand my network and was pivotal in my career.
CARLY: Feminist Camp is an intimate week-long conference for folks who want to further explore what feminism looks like beyond theories/campus activism. It’s one part inspirational retreat, one part professional development, and one part launchpad.
