EK On the Go: Recent Episodes

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There is no road to Salmon Beach.Follow high school filmmaker Rowan Hinds and anthropologist Andrew Gardner down the bluff, beneath leaning madronas and into a waterfront community pressed between cliff and tide. Reachable only by boat or more than 200 wooden steps, this narrow stretch of the Tacoma Narrows holds 81 cabins on stilts whose residents call themselves “Beachers.” Life here moves with the tides, the salt air and the slow turning of generations. You’ll hear of cannon feuds, chainsaw diplomacy, creaking decks and driftwood forts. Archival voices captured through film and oral histories recall landslides, fires and the rattle of rowboats racing on the Fourth of July as a homegrown marching band plays. Built by hand over time with neighborly help and lumber salvaged from Galloping Gertie and Ruston’s old yards, these cabins carry the spirit of improvisation and care. Inside, voices shaped by saltwater, king tides and shared memory echo between the pilings. When you climb back up the hill, you carry a portrait of a community carved into the rugged edge of the Pacific Northwest.“I regard almost every single person on Salmon Beach as my neighbor. I would even go as far to say as family because, as the saying, goes you can't choose your family; but you can choose your friends and you can't really choose who you live with at Salmon Beach. So, in that way, they become family.” ~Rowan Hinds

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘥𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥.

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Step into a journey that spans basalt canyons, coastal waters and city streets—where listening becomes not just a practice but a way of belonging.In this episode of Power of Place, we walk alongside Father Pat Twohy, a Jesuit priest and poet whose five decades of ministry with Native communities across the Pacific Northwest have shaped a unique place-rooted path of service.We travel with him from Spokane to Nespelem where he's welcomed through wakes, family meals and slow-built trust. We join him at Swinomish and on the Salish Sea, celebrating ancestral canoe journeys and welcoming the first salmon. In Seattle he walks with the urban Native community at Chief Seattle Club and helps establish the Indigenous Peoples Institute at Seattle University.Along the way we hear the archival voice of his teacher, Lushootseed language keeper Vi Hilbert, alongside contemporary reflections from elders and leaders including Shelly Vendiola (Swinomish), Teri Gobin (Tulalip) and Darrell Hillaire (Lummi).This is not a story of conversion but of transformation: through ceremony, companionship and the sacred act of listening. And as we listen we’re offered the same invitation—to learn from Native people, to be shaped by their wisdom and—like Father Pat—to walk away changed.“You have an ability to osmose, I think. And I sort of inhale it. It sort of becomes part of me. Soaking it in without having to say anything or not performing anything. Just taking it in; receiving as much as I can possibly receive. And they knew that about me. And eventually, they spoon-feed me, a little bit at a time.” ~Father Patrick Twohy, S.J.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘥𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥.

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𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦: 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘥𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘤 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦, 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦.Retired homicide detective Cloyd Steiger opens the blue binder he built over a 36-year law enforcement career—22 of those years with the Seattle Police Department’s Homicide Unit, followed by cold case work for the Washington State Attorney General.Each file reveals a name, a place and the moment everything changed: From the Café Racer massacre to the Jungle Strangler. From the Pike Pine Hookup Jihad murders to Chinatown’s Lady Monica. From Renton’s Lost Children to the Lady of the Lake at Lake Crescent.And then there’s Kurt Cobain. Cloyd didn’t walk the scene—but he studied it. The photos. The ballistics. The autopsy. And unlike most, he’s willing to plainly say what the evidence shows—and why that clarity still matters.

"It’s better to know what happened and to know that somebody is being held responsible. But it’s not closure. A mother’s never going to get over the murder of her child—if that child’s three, or fifty-three—she’s never going to get over it. And worse still is a child who just disappears. You never know what happened to them. You never recover a body. In murder cases, there’s no such thing as closure." ~Cloyd Steiger

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘥𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥.

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Drift through alleyways, inlets and ancestral memory with Deena Taylor—Navy veteran, podcast host and lifelong Bremerton resident—as she unveils the hidden stories shaping this salt-stained corner of the Pacific Northwest.Deena, creator of Bremelore, peels back the layers of a maritime town sculpted by shipyards, superstition and the deep pull of Puget Sound. With wit and reverence, she conjures the ghosts, rumors and quiet legends that give Bremerton its soul—challenging what outsiders think they know.In this episode of Power of Place, we journey from childhood bowling alleys and Navy base neighborhoods to shadowy tunnels beneath the city—some mythical, some real. Deena shares chilling tales passed down by her Irish grandmother and introduces us to “Shrimpy,” a long-forgotten cryptid uncovered in a vintage science fiction zine. She even recounts the true story of a man who raised a lion in his backyard.We also meet iconic figures who passed through this unlikely harbor—Mother Love Bone frontman Andrew Wood, music legend Quincy Jones and even L. Ron Hubbard, whose brief stint in Bremerton left strange echoes of its own.Part hometown love letter, part ghost-lit walking tour, and part invitation to look again—this episode reveals how the most meaningful places are often the most misunderstood."I always felt slightly out of place in all of my travels. I did not feel like I belonged on that beach in San Diego. I did not feel like I belonged in the city in Washington DC. The place where I felt like I belonged was…where I get to go home and see my family. And that was truly where I felt like I belonged." ~Deena Taylor

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘥𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥.

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What if a house could shape a life—and transform a community? In this week's Power of Place, we meet Scott Dolfay, a faithful craftsman whose quiet stewardship of a Mission Revival mansion in Seattle’s Windermere neighborhood reveals a century of memory, myth and meaning.From the Aleutians to the Skagit Valley to a historic estate called Loch Kelden, Scott’s story unfolds through sacred craft, unexpected family and place-based conviction.Once the 1907 summer home of Seattle founder Roland Denny—and later the Pacific Northwest hub of the Unification Church—Loch Kelden became a space of unlikely unity: • Between descendants of 19th-century settlers and Indigenous peoples, including the Duwamish• Between faith, chosen family and neighborhood pushback• Even amid mystery, including a chilling murder next doorThough the mansion is now gone, Scott’s devotion to the space—and the people who passed through it—remains.Listen as Scott shares memories of inclusion advocate Greg Palmer, civic leader Brewster Denny and even Reverend Sun Myung Moon—and reflects on what it means to truly “hold space” in a fractured world."Every generation has to decide what they value. I take some consolation in the fact that we did hold on to the building, preserve it as long as we did, did have the centennial. A lot of people have wonderful memories there—it was like a second home." ~Scott Dolfay

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘥𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥.

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Join us on Power of Place for a conversation with Safa Jneidi and Iyad Alati. Their stories transport us to the ancient souks of Aleppo, Syria, where Iyad’s family once traded fabric along the storied Silk Road—a place they never imagined leaving. Now, they’ve built a new life on a quiet, forested island in the Pacific Northwest, bridging cultures through resilience, community, and the flavors of home.Through vivid recollections, Safa and Iyad share a 400-year family history woven into the fabric of Aleppo’s 2,300-year-old Al-Madina Souq—a labyrinth alive with the scent of cumin and saffron, the clang of copper trays, and the steady hum of daily trade. More than a marketplace, the souk was home, an inseparable thread in the tapestry of their lives. It was also a place where tradition was preserved and passed down—not just through commerce, but through food. As with most Aleppians, cooking for Iyad and Safa was both a skill and a language of connection spoken through slow-roasted lamb, fragrant cardamom, and freshly baked flatbreads, each dish a bridge to memory and tradition.Then, in 2012, war came. Forced to leave, they fled to Turkey, where Iyad worked in restaurant kitchens to survive. Later, they resettled in the U.S., passing through Tukwila, WA, before finding an unexpected home on Vashon Island—a rural community in the Salish Sea, accessible only by ferry from Seattle and Tacoma. The bustling Al-Madina Souq, the world’s longest covered market, now lay in ruins. In its place, misty forests and quiet shorelines became the backdrop to their new life.Listen as Safa and Iyad share how, in exile, cooking became something more—a bridge between past and present. They recount the challenges of acquiring a small food cart, transforming it into Iyad’s Syrian Grill, and introducing their island neighbors to the flavors of Aleppo: smoky, spice-laden lamb skewers, fragrant hummus, and flaky, pistachio-studded baklava. Through these dishes, they stayed rooted in their heritage while building something new.Just as Aleppo’s merchants dream of restoring the bustle of commerce to their city, Safa and Iyad share the trials and triumphs of building a new livelihood—one meal at a time. Their journey proves that building a new life is about holding onto a vision, nurturing it, and carrying it forward—wherever home may be.“If you're working very hard and if you're working from your heart to improve something or to add something to this community, you will reach it.” ~Safa Jneidi

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘥𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥.

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In the second of a two-part series, Larry Reid returns to explore the Pacific Northwest’s meteoric rise as a global cultural force. Reflecting on his leadership of the Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA) in the mid-1980s, Larry recounts how the region’s unique identity was forged in a crucible of creativity, rebellion, and unorthodox collaborations. His stories uncover the underground movements, bold choices, and iconic spaces he helped shape—elements that would ultimately define the Northwest’s cultural identity.In this episode, Larry Reid shares insights from his transformative tenure at CoCA, where he curated groundbreaking events that fused the raw energy of Seattle’s punk scene with conceptual and experimental art. By uniting these forces, Larry created a dynamic exchange of ideas, elevating Seattle’s cultural profile to the global stage.A watershed moment in this evolution came when Larry envisioned and orchestrated the legendary Big Black concert at the Georgetown Steam Plant. This seminal gathering brought together live music, performance art, film, poetry, and spoken word in a singular, electrifying experience. Larry takes us inside the industrial space at that moment, recounting how his bold curation captured the unfiltered spirit of the Northwest and cemented its status as a creative epicenter.Throughout his career, Larry has bridged the worlds of independent and institutional art. From his trailblazing work at CoCA to his curatorial role at the Experience Music Project (now Museum of Pop Culture), he has consistently championed innovation. Now serving as curator and events coordinator at Fantagraphics Bookstore and Gallery, Larry continues to nurture emerging artists while staying true to the rebellious spirit that defined his roots.“In the moment, you don't realize that the things you're involved with are going to have any kind of lasting impact. I never had the time to take a breath to even think about it because one thing led to the next and you just don't have time to sort of sit back and contemplate the impact you're having. You just move on to the next thing.” ~Larry Reid

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘥𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥.

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In this first of a two-part series, Larry Reid, a pivotal figure in the Pacific Northwest’s cultural renaissance, takes us back to the transformative 1970s and ’80s to explore the roots of the region’s rise to prominence. Larry’s stories reveal how the Pacific Northwest's creative explosion in the 1990s—through movements like grunge and Riot Grrrl—was deeply rooted in earlier artistic and social currents that fused homegrown creativity with global influences, setting the stage for its cultural impact.In this episode, Larry Reid uncovers how graphic and comic art, LGBTQ+ expression, punk rock, and feminist voices converged with post-war fine art movements like pop art and post-modernism, creating fertile ground for innovation. This interplay of “high” and “low” art gave the Pacific Northwest its distinct cultural edge, imbuing it with a more conceptual framework that set it apart from other underground scenes across the country and laid the groundwork for the explosive creativity of the 1990s.From founding Rosco Louie, a groundbreaking art space in Seattle’s Pioneer Square, to leading the Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA), Larry’s visionary leadership united artists, writers, and performers who redefined the region’s identity. His vivid reflections in this episode bring the era to life, uncovering how the Pacific Northwest's underground culture became the foundation of a global artistic movement.“Back then, Seattle was still relatively small and isolated. Our counterculture scene probably consisted of 200-300 people. There were very few spectators. Almost everyone involved was a participant. It was an exciting time to be in Seattle for that formative period of what later had a huge influence globally on pop culture.” ~Larry Reid

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘥𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥.

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Swing open the garden gate as we explore the vibrant, ever-evolving world of Dick and Jane's Spot. Our guest, artist Jane Orleman, will guide us through this remarkable haven, joined by her studio assistant, Karl Schwiesow.Since 1978, Jane and her late husband, Dick Elliott, worked together to transform their colorful homestead in Ellensburg, Kittitas County—a region defined by brilliant sunlight, sweeping landscapes, and the Chinook winds that blow through the mountains. Jane shares how they turned a neglected lot into a roadside attraction—a unique intersection of art and community, filled with unexpected stories and delightful details.The Spot’s vibrant sculptures, totems, and installations embody Jane and Dick’s creative vision and enduring partnership. Contributions from over 80 artists, including Richard Beyer, Justin Martin and Debbie Palmer, have made it a cultural landmark. Recognized by the Smithsonian, this space continues to attract travelers from across the globe. Jane shares how, since Dick’s passing in 2008, she has cared for and expanded this creative legacy, a testament to the enduring power of resilience and love.Jane offers insights into the distinct approaches she and Dick brought to their art: While Dick’s reflective public sculptures, such as Yakima’s Sun Dome installation, showcased his signature materials and a grand sense of scale, Jane’s figurative paintings confront deeply personal themes, including childhood abuse. Their individual works, though markedly different in media and content, collectively enrich the unique spirit of Dick and Jane’s Spot.We’ll also hear from Karl Schwiesow, an artist from Homer, Alaska, who curates, restores, and adds to the outdoor sculptures. Karl will share how his work helps this living sanctuary thrive.Completing this story are heartfelt guestbook entries inscribed by visitors. These lovelets capture moments of awe, laughter, and connection inspired by Dick and Jane’s Spot.“One morning I woke up sobbing and he looked at me and he said we've got to get out of here...He was working so hard that he was never going to be an artist. And I thought when we said we were getting married that we were going to live the life of artists, whatever that took.” ~Jane Orleman

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘥𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥.

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In this episode of Power of Place, you’ll hear the stories of Glen Pinkham, a citizen of the Yakama Nation, respected elder, and cultural mentor. Glen delves into the connections between heritage, healing, and the land, sharing wisdom for anyone seeking growth and connection.Through Glen’s captivating storytelling, we journey to the Yakima Valley, the ancestral homelands of the Yakama Nation, where rivers teem with salmon and skies are alive with migratory birds. His reflections on time-honored healing practices, such as sweat lodges adapted to urban settings, reveal how these rituals continue to nourish both body and spirit, bridging cultural lines.Building on his work in South Central Washington, Glen supports Seattle’s urban Indigenous communities through organizations like Mother Nation, where he works alongside his wife, Yvette, as well as Chief Seattle Club. Amidst the bustle of city life, Glen’s teachings, grounded in Yakama traditions and landscapes, offer glimpses of rare and powerful medicine for the body and spirit. Tune in to this episode to experience profound healing and insight.“When we say you share your personal trauma and your pain with another person, your sadness with another person, it turns it upside down as it turns into medicine. It helps them to heal.” ~Glen Pinkham

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Let’s cross bridges—both real and metaphorical—in this episode with urbanist David Albright. An author and multimedia journalist, David has roots in Seattle’s Lake City and Capitol Hill neighborhoods and now calls Bremerton, Washington, home.David’s work has been featured in Reuters, The New York Times, The Seattle Channel, and PBS, showcasing his talent for elevating everyday voices across the Pacific Northwest. He excels at weaving powerful stories from the smallest details of a place.Joining this episode are the voices of Amy Burnett and Frances Lee, essayists whose reflections feature in David’s project Urban Bremerton. This 2020 photographic journal captures the spirit of Bremerton during the COVID-19 era, shifting the focus from the city’s past or future to instead celebrate the essence of its present moment.David also introduces A Braver Way, a podcast by Monica Guzmán, which he produces and edits. This timely series aims to heal American civil society by fostering thoughtful conversations across the partisan divide. Such bridge-building is a consistent theme throughout David’s work, inviting listeners to experience the Pacific Northwest in new and insightful ways.“It's not my story, and I have an idea of what their story probably is, or I have a larger narrative in mind that I'm hoping their story will fit into, but you must be careful about doing that because you're not always reflecting their reality. So…that's why when I think about storytelling, I try and be as open to taking the story where the subject wants to take it.” ~David Albright

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Our guest, Kerouac scholar Jim Jones, describes Kerouac’s sojourn to Seattle in the summer of 1956. There, he worked as a fire lookout at Desolation Peak atop the North Cascade Mountains. Along the way, Jones recounts personal encounters and friendships with other Beat Generation luminaries, including Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, and Gregory Corso.Adding a touch of practical insight, firefighter, EMT, and seasoned fire lookout Jim Henterly complements Jones' literary perspective. Together, they reveal Kerouac’s Cascadian adventure while exploring the feelings of anticipation, vulnerability, and disappointment that often accompany travel to unknown lands."When people tell you about a place, you form an impression in your imagination. And when you get there, it's either going to coincide or clash with your imagination of it.” ~Jim Jones

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Pack your camper as we tour America’s National Parks—from Acadia to Zion. Our guide is modern-day folk hero Douglas Leen, whose Ranger Doug Enterprises recently published “Ranger of the Lost Art: Rediscovering the WPA Poster Art of Our National Parks.”Doug describes how in 1971, while working as a seasonal park ranger at Grand Teton National Park, he unearthed an old poster tucked atop a barn rafter, saving it from oblivion. This hidden gem was among the last remaining promotional posters for 14 U.S. National Parks, printed between 1938 and 1941 by FDR’s Works Progress Administration.Doug recounts how his dusty discovery fueled a lifelong obsession to find the other 13 original silkscreened posters from that era. His hunt led to encounters with art thieves and fostered friendships with fellow connoisseurs. Leen explains how he forged partnerships with artists and commercial printers to recreate all 14 posters. His team soon began creating numerous contemporary artworks commissioned by many of the 400+ National Parks units.Leen remembers his simultaneous dentistry practice, which he launched above Seattle’s bustling Pike Place Market during its renaissance. This career carried Dr. Leen to faraway Barrow (now Utqiagvik), Alaska, and beyond.A restless spirit, Doug champions the intersecting causes of art conservation and land conservation. His solo “Ranger Doug” roadshows at National Parks have racked up nearly 50,000 miles to date on the restored Airstream trailer. Unlike the mythic Appleseed who sought to tame the wilderness, citizen Leen’s art and advocacy echo the democratic ethos of the New Deal era and a profound respect for natural wonders that inspire his life and work."Today I'm on the road all the time with this book, kind of a Johnny Appleseed or Forrest Gump somebody called me once—I think it was the New York Times. But I'm out there trying to preach the message; and it's getting out there.” ~Doug Leen

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Join us in this episode for a conversation with Sarah Eichhorn, daughter of writer Dennis P. Eichhorn, known for his adult-oriented autobiographical comic book series “Real Stuff.” With reminiscences echoing a central premise of her father’s work—that truth is stranger than fiction—Sarah recounts his birth and orphanhood at Montana State Prison. Sarah later talks of her fight to keep her infant child, which succeeded in part thanks to her father’s intervention. With healthy measures of wit and soul, the younger Eichhorn’s tales transport us to the Northwest's creative milieu of the 70's, 80's and 90's through which her iconoclastic father traveled. With a cast of colorful characters including comic book illustrators Peter Bagge, Pat Moriarity and Triangle-Slash among others, we learn of Dennis’ lauded editorial work for The Rocket in Seattle and, later, for Libertarian publisher Loomponics Unlimited, based in Port Townsend, WA. As if a testament to the fullness of her father’s capacious life, Sarah friendships encompass generations of talented artists: Anchoring this episode’s soundscape are the polyrhythmic laments of Jason Webley (originally of Everett, WA) and the pensive ballads of singer songwriter Eilen Jewell (originally from Boise, ID). We’ll also enjoy archival recordings of Dennis P. Eichhorn sharing stories. Warning: This episode’s content is more suitable for adult listeners."My life may not seem that vanilla, but it could have been a lot more wild; I’ve lived on the side of caution because of a lot of his escapades." ~Sarah Eichhorn

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What becomes possible when solutions to modern urban society’s most pressing challenges—housing the unhoused, corporate innovation, designing more beautiful places & objects—originate from the communities who have inhabited this place from time immemorial? Guiding us through this multifaceted exploration is Colleen Echohawk. Currently CEO of the Native lifestyle brand Eighth Generation, Colleen’s resume encompasses city politics including a Seattle mayoral run 2021. Earlier, as Executive Director of Chief Seattle Club for seven years, she oversaw the creation of 300 new units of affordable housing. Collen spotlights today’s rising generation of indigenous government and business leaders as well Indian Country’s most admired cultural creators. She suggests that a more enduring and just society would be place-based. In the case of Seattle, this involves incorporating Native values including those of the region's indigenous Lushootseed-speaking Coast Salish peoples. Inspired by Potlatch culture, for example, Colleen challenges corporate leaders to reimagine established notions of prestige and prosperity. Colleen’s mellifluous tales fuse with the harmonies of Black Belt Eagle Scout and the rhythms of Supaman. These young recording artists amplify the critical and ongoing dialogue between tradition and invention, a dynamic embedded in Colleen’s heartening life, work and stories."We talk in Indian Country about how we are trying to help reframe folks to say, hey; ‘we are not just in these museums, we are not just artifacts…we are actually living, thriving communities." ~Colleen Echohawk

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Join us as we stroll through Seattle’s Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP) circa 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Our guest, documentary playwright Nikki Yeboah, begins this journey at 11th & Pine, the CHOP’s epicenter—and the title of her current project.Yeboah, an Assistant Professor of Playwriting in the School of Drama at the University of Washington, shares how her team gathered oral histories of over 30 protestors, stories that allow her to convey this momentous event’s impact on its participants. She also explores why nearly all traces of the occupation (including street art, soup kitchens and vegetable gardens) vanished so quickly after the protest ended.Throughout this episode, experience the good vibes of hip-hop fusionists Marshall Law Band, courtesy of its leader Marshall Hugh, who rallied his bandmates to perform throughout the occupation."CHOP was utopic. No matter how people feel it ended, it began utopically; it was a desire to create a space in which everyone was welcome, regardless of your class, or sexuality or race.” ~Nikki Yeboah

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Join us for a conversation with landscape and urban designer Andrew tenBrink of NYC-based Field Operations as he reveals Seattle’s new downtown Waterfront Park project, which he has managed since 2010.From the cobblestones of Pioneer Square to Belltown’s crowded skyline, Andrew’s block-by-block tour through the 20-acre park demonstrates how this new landscape reflects community priorities. Along the way, he spotlights contributions of local partners. These include architects and artists, tribes and Urban Natives, the City of Seattle and the Office of the Waterfront and Capitol Projects, as well as cultural consultants and garden designers.Indigenous food sovereignty advocate Valerie Segrest (Muckleshoot) drops by to share thoughts on placemaking and history. Valerie explains how the interpretive horticultural exhibit she designed for the new Overlook Walk invites visitors to gaze across the Salish Sea while learning about Native cultural ecosystems. These walkways, stairs and plazas connect the Seattle Aquarium’s new Ocean Pavilion at the shoreline with Pike Place Market. Andrew’s inspiring stories reveal how a brilliant framework can express the civic dreams of multitudes. They demonstrate how city dwellers are most grounded when connected with nature, with themselves and with one another. Listen and learn how these new public spaces reflect the varied histories and cultures that define a great city and that will shape its future. "Outdoor space has always been at its best when people use it as a part of their daily lives: You take a stroll in the park, you unwind, you de-stress, you take your kids to the playground. These are the indelible things that exist across the world across time.” ~Andrew tenBrink

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Step into the multiverse of Zack Bolotin, owner-operator of Porchlight Coffee & Records on Seattle’s Capitol Hill. Not just a cafe, Porchlight is a platform for Zack’s varied talents, including graphic design, photography, art curation, book publishing and online retailing. It’s also a record label. Listen as Zack describes how his endeavors, admittedly wide-ranging, are anchored in his family's history and an affection for old things. He shares how he incorporated his parents' memorabilia collection into Porchlight's publication "62 Souvenirs: Keepsakes from the 1962 Seattle World's Fair." Zack also recounts his discovery of mid-century architectural photography by Art Hupy published in “Pacific Architect & Builder,” a defunct trade journal produced by Zack’s grandfather Roscoe Laing. Reminiscent to Zack of Julius Shulman's contemporaneous work in Southern California, he restored and published a selection of Hupy’s photos as "Art Hupy: Architecture and Life in the Pacific Northwest" in collaboration with Docomomo US/WEWA. Accompanying Zack’s inspiring stories are songs from an assortment of Porchlight Records' labelmates, among them his collaborative project, Pretty Old, whose tracks blend ruminations on remote motels, fictions by Raymond Carver and memories of roadside attractions. A self-taught entrepreneur, Zack chose to keep his business small, sustainable and anchored in community. His maverick spirit—casual, classically Pacific Northwest—affirms that a livelihood can be both purposeful and expansive. These lighthearted stories uphold Zack’s city as a place of goodness."As much as a city is made by people; it’s made by the buildings and businesses that come and go as well; you can’t advocate for every single building to stay where it is. You have to pick and choose. There’s a balance between preservation and new buildings. That’s how it always has been.” ~ Zack Bolotin

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Click into your bindings as we launch from the highest peaks of the North Cascades with ski mountaineering historian Lowell Skoog, author of "Written in the Snows: Across Time on Skis in the Pacific Northwest," published by Mountaineers Books and 2022 winner of the National Outdoor Book Award (NOBA) for historical writing. Born to a family of Nordic ski jumpers, Lowell pioneered ski mountaineering routes across remote reaches of the Cascade and Olympic mountains. His stories abound in evocative details and introduce memorable characters like Wolf Bauer, Olga Bolstad, Hans Otto Giese and Milnor Roberts.Chronicling the birth of Pacific Northwest skiing from a little-known sport of immigrants to cultural cornerstone, Lowell conveys the wonderment of Scandinavian settlers waking to Seattle’s first big snow in 1916; the camaraderie enjoyed by founders of early Pacific Northwest ski clubs; and the chaos of the 1934 Silver Skis race. His characters range from backwoods trappers to the heroic fighters of the United States Army’s 10th Mountain Division—some of whom would later develop North America’s postwar ski industry. Amidst our current backdrop of climate change, Lowell’s snowy memoirs—portrayals of sanctuary and loss—are also a poignant record of a threatened pastime. "Being up in the mountains and having that connection with the natural world…is really healthy. It can help you forget about short term concerns; you are in a place that’s been there forever…and will be there forever.” ~Lowell Skoog

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Swing into the B & I Circus Store circa 1964 with guest Larry Johnston, who at age 13 became brother to a western lowland gorilla named Ivan—-the ape that became as emblematic of the Pacific Northwest as the legendary Sasquatch. Larry narrates the tale of how his parents came to own the B & I pet store, thanks to Orca capturer Ted Griffin. He warmly remembers the store’s ever-changing menagerie, which included gibbons, jaguars, lions, seals, an elephant, exotic fish and even Amazonian parrots. Most poignantly, he shares stories of growing up with the young Ivan.Join Larry on a journey that takes you from Hollywood movie sets to an unexpected encounter involving one of America’s most esteemed civil rights figures. Fast forward to today, where students from the Seattle Jewish Community School share questions from their reading of The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate.Adding to our list of notable voices, Jodi Carrigan, the Curator of Primates at Zoo Atlanta, reflects on her relationship with Ivan in his later years. Rounding off our tale, Earl Borgert, grandson of B & I's founder Earl Irwin, presents the I.V.A.N. Foundation, dedicated to preserving wildlife habitats.(To hear additional stories of the B & I Circus Store, tune in to Episode #40, “The Wizard of Earl,” for a conversation with Ron Irwin, who ran the store for decades following the passing of his father, store founder Earl Irwin). "He was…unique in so many ways. He loved to engage people. Ivan just relished making connection.” ~Larry Johnston

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Dive into the second episode of this two-part series as we continue our conversation with graphic designer, Art Chantry, whose stories sparkle as vibrantly as his colorful posters, offering original insights from Seattle’s grunge era.These tales span Art’s diverse interests and influences: The allure of archaeology; Dadaism & Surrealism; old commercial art by overlooked masters, accidental inking errors. Chantry exposes the misguided muddling of fine art with graphic design and then explains how graphic design underscores propaganda and politics. Art concludes by heralding a new book showcasing Estrus Records, home of bands like The Makers, Mono Men and The Mummies. He confesses that his posters and album covers for these bands were his most liberated. So, this publication is a faithful retrospective for a maverick homegrown genius whose impact is international."You are standing next to this pond that suddenly emerges and you throw a pebble into the water and this ripple would start. And it got bigger...and before you know, it's a tidal wave; then you hit the shoreline and it's a tsunami and it wipes out half of America; and it's like: 'Wow...I did that....' We were close enough where we could do things like that and actually watch it happen." ~ Art Chantry

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Join us in this episode (the first of a two-part series) for a conversation with graphic designer Art Chantry, a national treasure, whose posters are collected by The Smithsonian and The Louvre.Opening with childhood memories of Parkland on the fringes of Tacoma, Washington, Art describes a restless educational path that eventually brought him to Bellingham. He shares experiences of his subsequent arrival to Seattle in the 1980’s, including street observations that shaped his aesthetics. He tells of art directing the music biweekly magazine The Rocket on a shoestring budget before launching a one-man graphic design firm, churning out hundreds of posters, logos and album covers for rock bands including Soundgarden and Mudhoney associated with Sub Pop, Estrus and other home-grown record labels.Art’s stories reveal the genesis of a vital visual lexicon—subversive, populist and modern—that simultaneously reflected and transformed the Pacific Northwest: From a backwater for “losers,” to the forefront of global popular culture in the 1990’s and beyond."It’s black and white. It's scrappy. There’s not a straight line on the whole goddamn thing. It looks like it was cut and pasted together out of chunks of Xerox junk. It is just an atrocious mess. And it’s beautiful…. It’s so alive—You still look at it and it makes your heart jump!”~ Art Chantry

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Join us in this episode as we descend into the Graveyard of the Pacific with Matt McCauley, President of The Northwest Shipwreck Alliance and Sarah Haberstroh, Manager of Underwater Operations for Rockfish Inc.

Matt’s passion for deep-water marine salvage is intertwined with that of his friend Jeff Hummel. As scuba diving high schoolers on Mercer Island in the early 1980s, the two made headlines recovering World War II aircraft from the bottom of Lake Washington. In 2010 Matt returned from the East Coast to support Jeff’s lifelong quest to find the SS Pacific, a nearly 300-ft long transatlantic sidewheel steamer that sunk off Cape Flattery in 1875. At the time it was laden with gold from the Cassiar Mining District of NW British Columbia, near Alaska. The shipwreck drowned all but two of those onboard, which may have totaled as many as 500.

Sarah Haberstroh left a career in underwater warfare in the United States Navy last year to join the team searching for the SS Pacific. She maneuvers Rockfish’s remotely operated vehicles for the current recovery phase of the operation.

Matt and Sarah recount the ill-fated ship’s history. They talk of the bootstrapped technology, the gumshoe detective work and the perseverance required to locate it in its resting place 1,000 feet beneath the sea. Animating their endeavor—and today’s conversation—is a mission of recovering a complete collection of the vessel’s artifacts: Relics honoring those who died in the calamity.

"This tells a story. It is very rare that you can find a vessel from which you can extract all these artifacts and essentially have a time capsule from 1875." – Matt McCauley

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Join us in this episode (the first of a two-part series) for stories of the B & I Circus Store, founded by Earl Irwin in 1945 in Lakewood, WA. Our guest today is Earl Irwin’s son, Ron Irwin, who ran the store for decades following his father’s passing. Ron is joined by Earl Borgert, the founder’s grandson, family archivist and President of the I.V.A.N. Foundation. What began as a military surplus outlet housed in an unassuming 500 SF cinderblock storeroom became a prototype for the postwar American shopping mall, eventually expanding to over 300,000 SF. Under Irwin’s exuberant and tireless leadership, the B & I charmed multitudes, attracted by spectacles that transformed the store into a destination for extraordinary adventures. Recently discovered reel-to-reel recordings allow us to enjoy Earl Irwin’s own voice for the first time since his death in the 70’s. Woven into this audio tapestry are voices of Power of Place listeners—all of whom visited the B & I as children—recalling endless hours of reverie: Whirling on a carousel, collecting autographs from their best-loved sports and movie heroes; and discovering a revolving menagerie, including the store’s resident lowland gorilla, Ivan."The mall—with the leased departments under one roof (so they don’t have to drive to get in their car and drive to another location for clothing or another location for sporting goods)—hadn’t been invented yet. It hadn’t really been done anywhere before.” - Ron Irwin

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Join us in this episode for a radiant musical memoir by pianist Dick Coolen.Long before the city’s reputation as an international tech hub, Seattle achieved a globally relevant jazz culture. Here, bands who gathered in the basements of churches, schools and modest homes produced the likes of Ray Charles, Ernestine Anderson and Quincy Jones. Reared in this milieu, our guest’s stories celebrate a free-range childhood in Seattle’s redlined Central District as well as the big band, bebop, and early rock and roll rhythms that filled its avenues.Dick recounts jamming at Joe Brazil’s Black Academy of Music; of blowing baritone sax at Birdland on Madison. He savors memories of touring with Ike Cole and of collaborating with Dizzy Gillespie; of backing underground drag shows with show tunes; and of visits to a well-regarded violin maker at the Fischer Studio Building. Over the course of his jazz journey which eventually brought him to Port Orchard, Dick footed the family bills by working no fewer than 44 non-musical occupations—from paperboy to firefighter to brick mason.Dick Coolen’s humility and commitment—qualities he attributes to his working class and Roman Catholic upbringing—offer lessons from an inspired life grounded in community and refined through the lifegiving power of music."And that’s what life is….They throw you (♪ short musical phrase ♪). And you say, ‘What can I do with that?’ And you can make it (♪ extended musical phrase ♪)….And it comes out right." ~Dick Coolen

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Join us in this episode for the field trip of a century. Our guest, geologist-historian David B. Williams, illuminates the Pacific Northwest’s characteristic highlands and waterways as landscapes of perpetual transformation. With a wry wink, this raconteur’s stories fuse the sensitivity of a naturalist with the diligence of a research geek. Amble through Seattle with David as he reveals his city’s subterranean secrets: A mosquito fleet schooner lost somewhere below downtown’s streets; old growth forests immersed under Lake Union; an art deco office tower whose foundation stones invite us to touch “deep time”—almost unimaginably greater than the time scale of human lives and human plans we hold so dear.David’s tales animate the experiences of early Seattleites who swung picks and shot water cannons to forcefully reshape our glacially-formed landscape into a modern metropolis; a progression that continues today in response to climate change."I’m interested in connections…How are we influenced by the landscape around us? And then, it’s the connections between people and place." ~David B. Williams

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Join us in this episode and step inside the Ray Gibson Caballeros Club with Tim Person (President & CEO) and Ms. Ellen Smith (Manager).In the 1950’s, two trailblazing African American men grew weary of exclusion from downtown Tacoma’s restaurants, concert halls and bars. They envisioned a member-owned, private club for the city’s Black community. A founders group next acquired real estate for this purpose in the form of an inconspicuous house on a dead-end street in Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood on acreage heralding sweeping views of Mount Rainier. About twenty benefactors soon mortgaged their private residences to fund expansion of that building into the Caballeros Club as we know it today; with splendid spaces supporting diversified membership that includes women.If the “Cab’s” walls could speak, they would voice this episode’s heartwarming stories: Tales of dedicated civic leaders rubbing elbows at the downstairs bar for decades, of friends swaying to live music, of earnest charitable projects, of hearty food served with piquant cocktails…within a private Pacific Northwest haven abounding in joy and camaraderie."One of the things that makes us proud…is that it is our club—we are not renting the property. We’ve purchased it. So, it has the feeling of ownership; you are not going to take this away from us. This is ours.” ~Ms. Ellen Smith

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Join us in this episode as we explore the rural culture of Orcas Island with Craig Gibson, fourth-generation owner of North Beach Inn (NBI), located on the outskirts of the remote village of Eastsound.

Craig’s forebears acquired the 100-acre waterfront fruit farm in 1911. In 1932 they constructed a handful of the 16-rustic cottages now dotting NBI’s 8-mile stretch of sandy beach, where panoramic sunsets brighten Canada’s Gulf Islands.

Craig explores the sources of NBI’s longevity, its reliance on word-of-mouth marketing, and the exceptional loyalty of its customers. Born out of his family’s Scottish heritage, the business has been shaped by an evolving ethos prioritizing good relationships with family, guests, workers, neighbors, and community.

Listen to an extraordinary saga of an Island family, as they steward and share the homestead into it’s second century. The episode concludes with an invitation for you to come and experience NBI yourself.

“The strangest thing that happened is we survived to the fourth generation. And they’ve done studies that say that… there’s a fifty percent chance of making it to the second generation. There’s six to ten percent chance of making it to the third generation…So that we’ve made it to the third, going on the fourth, going on the fifth…It’s quite remarkable. It is almost miraculous.” ~Craig Gibson

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Join us in this episode for a conversation with a wise friend about the deepest matters of the heart. Our guest is theologian, novelist, and mystic Mary Lane Potter.

Mary’s quest for a closer relationship with the divine stretches from her childhood in an immigrant community steeped in the traditions of Christian Reform evangelism; to her Ph.D. at the University of Chicago Divinity School, then a life of service as a lay preacher and tenured academic; followed by a conversion to Judaism and a literary career.

Mary has authored the novels Strangers and Sojourners: Stories from the Lowcountry and A Woman of Salt, as well as a spiritual autobiography Seeking God and Losing the Way: A Story of Love and Conversions. Her upcoming novel is based on the biblical character Miriam. An avid essayist, her work is published to diverse audiences, including Tablet, an online magazine of Jewish news and culture.

Mary’s stories will whisk you off to Sri Lanka to step over moonstones, into the Sinai Peninsula on camelback, before returning to the oceanic Pacific Northwest just in time for the Jewish festival of Sukkot. We conclude with an open invitation for you to participate in building what Mary calls “a pop-up sacred space.”

Mary’s storytelling—intimate yet prophetic—will illuminate the liminal spaces between the sacred and the profane in your daily life.

"What I knew as a child...and I’ve been spending my whole life trying to understand and articulate, is that we can experience the divine or the sacred; and we can experience something that is more-than; that something that is greater-than; something that is beyond us, and not know it."

~Mary Lane Potter

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In this episode, we catch up with Anthony & Marlie Love, travel vloggers and creators of the YouTube show Traveling While Black in Seattle and TWBSeattle on TikTok.

A local married couple, they travel together to various Pacific Northwest destinations and share their comfort level as Black people visiting there for the first time. After three years, Anthony & Marlie have garnered 5,000 YouTube subscribers and 50,000 followers on TikTok. They’ve also established brand partnership that include the Pike Place Market and the Space Needle.

Anthony & Marlie highlight key moments from their first 100 episodes: They explain how the Covid-19 pandemic (February 2020, first reported in Kirkland, WA) as well as the murder of George Floyd (May 2020) and the Black Lives Matter protests that ensued, have shaped their work. They also share how they’ve used TikTok to increase their reach. Anthony & Marlie conclude with an announcement of a new expansion to their mission.

After listening to this episode, you may never experience travel in the Pacific Northwest the same way again.

“Whether you are travelling while Black, White, Asian, whatever…at the end of the day you just want to be welcomed and treated like a human being. That’s all we’re all looking for: Why we do our show is because that’s not the case for a lot of folks who don’t look a certain way.”

~Anthony Love

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Join us in this episode for a conversation with Stephanie Lile, director of Gig Harbor’s Harbor History Museum, together with the Museum’s shipwright Riley Hall.

They chronicle their community’s historic working waterfront for more than a century by sharing stories embedded in the museum’s collection of over 20,000 objects, images & ephemera. These objects include the Shenandoah, a 65-foot-long purse skeiner whose restoration is a work in progress overseen by Riley. The museum also houses relics of the ill-fated Narrow’s Bridge, together with the first production model of the Thunderbird, a sailboat-cruiser by Seattle-based yacht designer Ben Seaborn and a classic of mid-century PNW design. It was created at Gig Harbor’s historic Eddon Boatyard in 1957 after the Douglas Fir Plywood Association challenged boatbuilders and designers to create vessel entirely of plywood.

Tune in to hear these and other stories of Gig Harbor’s boatbuilding cultures—indigenous and immigrant—from those whose mission it is to preserve and share them.

“Many people come to the museum to try to find out ‘well, what’s the story of this place.’ But there are some unique characteristics about Gig Harbor that many people are not aware of: They see them; they intrinsically feel them; but until you begin to dig into those stories, you don’t really know the significance of that site.” ~Stephanie Lile

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Join us in this episode for a conversation with Lisa Fruichantie, citizen of Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and Executive Director of ALMA, an expansive campus carved out of an old union hall anchored within Tacoma’s historic Hilltop neighborhood.

This multifaceted business and venue are devoted to creating community by incubating and presenting a diverse range art, food, culture and music. ALMA includes state-of-the-art recording studios as well as a 500-person performance venue. This place describes itself as a welcoming and inclusive gathering spot that channels, celebrates, and seeks to nourish the soul of this land, the people on it, the people from it, and those just passing through.

Lisa, a 20-year mainstay of Tacoma’s art scene, describes her distinct approach to leading her organization, which includes aligning ALMA with indigenous values.

“Make them feel welcome. Say “Hello.” Start a conversation. Share space with them. Break bread. I think a meal with someone is one of the most powerful things you can ever do.”                                                                                      ~Lisa Fruichantie

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Join us in this episode for a conversation with publisher Eric Reynolds, Vice-President of Seattle-based publisher Fantagraphics.

Headquartered in Seattle’s Maple Leaf community—with their Bookstore & Gallery in the industrial Georgetown neighborhood—Fantagraphics has quietly produced a stunning body of work over the last 40+ years. Their genres span alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines and graphic novels. The imprint’s stable of contemporary comics creators includes Jessica Abel, Peter Bagge, Ivan Brunetti, Charles Burns, Daniel Clowes, Mary Fleener, Roberta Gregory, Mega Kelso, Manny Murphy, Joe Sacco, and Chris Ware. They also include the enigmatic artistry of Jim Woodring as well as the magical realism of the Hernandez Brothers.

Eric’s passion for comics brought him to Seattle in the early 1990’s at age 20 to intern at Fantagraphics, whose owners soon promoted him to publicist. In this podcast, Eric explores synergies between the fledgling alternative comics movement and Sub Pop Records, as well as independent media (including The Rocket & The Stranger) during this watershed period. These and other stories reveal Eric’s purposeful stewardship of a vulnerable yet resolute enterprise through untold business obstacles, elevating comics into a mature art form along the way. For Eric, Fantagraphics remains a labor of love.

“Sometimes it’s a matter of be careful what you ask for; But it really is incredible to see comics taken seriously as art in a way that we could only dream about, years ago.” ~ Eric Reynolds

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Join us in this episode for a conversation with Instagram phenom Susanna Ryan, author of Seattle Walk Report, an Illustrated Walking Tour Through 23 Seattle Neighborhoods (2019) and of Secret Seattle, An Illustrated Guide to the City’s Offbeat and Overlooked History (2021).

Susanna's distinctive comic style and eagle eye illustrate the charming and quirky people, places, and things that define Seattle’s neighborhoods. Her wide-ranging observations infuse pedestrian experiences with the possibility of discovery and wonder—and an expanded connection to the world as we pass through it. In this episode Susanah will also field questions from local children—all avid readers of Seattle Walk Report.

“Through Seattle Walk Report and through being just more open and present with what is, it’s changed how I see the world completely; and how I see my own life—and my own Journey. It’s all Journey; never destination. This comic has changed how I see everything.” ~Susanna Ryan

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Pull up a bar stool and join us in this episode for a conversation with Timothy Dooley—regular, bartender and now owner of the historic Seattle tavern, the "Blue Moon."

Founded in 1934 just after Prohibition to serve mostly college students, the Blue Moon has since been serving up a heady mix of politics, poetry, visual art, and live music, while building community spanning generations. Come learn the lore of Seattle’s landmark watering hole.

"I've talked to people from all over the world and people have said there's not really any place like this: People from New York; people from London; people from other parts of Europe…say this place is special. We have had visitors come in from all over the world and they say just that." ~Timothy Dooley

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Join us in this episode for a conversation with Michael Hoover. Michael was recently granted clemency­—from a life prison sentence without chance of parole—by the Governor of the State of Washington.   Michael's is a cautionary tale...on remaining anchored to place; and to people. An upbringing of affluence in Woodway, Washington failed to protect Michael from childhood abuse; devolving into addiction, homelessness, and crime, for which he paid through two decades behind bars.    Michael will also share details about Stone Bridge Re-entry Services, which he founded in Asotin, WA with his wife Stephanie, so that they might guide others from incarceration to emancipation.  

"I went from one second of being buried under the prison to now I have this paper in my hand that says I'm going to be free someday."                                                                  ~Michael Hoover

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Welcome to our first podcast episode of 2022. Beginning with this episode, EK on the Go is now Power of Place, Stories of the Pacific Northwest, with a new appearance and soundscape

In this episode we will hear from one of the Pacific Northwest’s most acclaimed living novelists, Jim Lynch. Jim's approach to storytelling reflects both meticulous research as well as years living and working in four distinct locales: The wild mudflats of Eld Inlet near Washington State's capitol in Olympia; the Canada-U.S. Border near Blaine, WA; Downtown Seattle at the time of the Century21 Exposition; as well as the docks of Victoria, B.C. and the sea-based boating culture connecting all of these lands. Jim will also provide us with a glimpse into his upcoming novel.

"I had never really read a novel that tried to put readers right on mudflats, right down into Puget Sound, as opposed to it being a backdrop." ~James Lynch

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Join us in our final episode of 2021 with guest Richard Hartlage, Founder & CEO of Land Morphology. His firm has designed gardens for the Chihuly Garden and Glass at Seattle Center, the upcoming 20-acre Seattle Waterfront Park, and the private gardens of celebrities and CEO's nationwide.

Richard will explain how thoughtful and intelligent garden design has engendered joy and happiness by activating all of our senses, across millennia and across cultures. We will learn how important this form of happiness can be in harried urban centers such as Seattle.

"I garden. And gardening is about a craft. I don’t say that we practice an art form. I think art asks questions and design answers questions." ~Richard Hartlage

And to celebrate new beginnings, starting in 2022, EK On The Go podcast is changing its name. Look for details in the New Year.

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Join us for a conversation with Tom Heuser, President of the Capitol Hill Historic Society and visual artist, Lana Blinderman in an exploration of Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood through it's easily overlooked architecture, apartment buildings from the 1950's-1970's.

For decades, these apartments and condominiums had provided architectural ambience, offered relatively affordable housing, and become places where residents gathered to develop and shape the city's culture and community.

At the start of the pandemic, Tom & Lana surveyed their neighborhood's mid-century multifamily buildings, thanks to a grant from King County's arts and heritage organization 4Culture. Today we will hear what they discovered.

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If you live in the Pacific Northwest, chances are you appreciate the region's unspoiled natural beauty especially forests, farms, shorelines, parks and other natural areas.

Join us today for a conversation with Nick Bratton, Senior Director of Policy for Forterra. Since 1989, Forterra has secured over 275,000 acres of land through over 450 land transactions. From the farmlands and river canyons of Yakima to the estuaries and forests of Washington’s coastline, Nick's organization safeguards a healthy environment while fostering community resilience through land acquisition.

In this episode Nick will explains how Forterra has helped smaller cities (including Issaquah, Tukwila, Everett, and Kirkland) transition from suburbs into small urban areas while embracing land stewardship. Finally, he provides a primer on Forterra's innovative transfer of development rights (or TDRs) from the rural areas and wilderness to cities like Seattle, for the benefit of both.

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Join us in this episode with Doreen Alhadeff, Co-Founder of the Seattle Sephardic Network and the first Jewish American to receive Spanish citizenship under a 2015 law permitting descendants of Jews expelled in the 15th Century to apply for it.

Doreen's family history and life choices connect her to both the 21st Century in Seattle and the 15th Century in Spain, with many far-flung stopping points including Istanbul and New York City in between.

If you would like to learn more about Doreen and The Sephardic Studies Digital Collection please visit: https://www.seattlesephardicnetwork.org/doreen-alhadeff

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Just in time for baseball season!

Join us in this episode with Mark Holtzen, author of A Ticket to the Penant, a children's book that explores the Seattle's Rainier Valley, circa 1955, through the eyes of a young baseball fan.

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Join us in this episode with Marga Rose Hancock & Rosalie Daggett, board members of the Queen Anne Historical Society. In this episode we will focus on urban spaces, specifically the nooks and crannies throughout one of Seattle’s oldest neighborhood’s Queen Anne Hill.

Queen Anne is a vibrant collage of stately Old Seattle mansions, Charming Hilltop Parks, Strolling Boulevards beneath Tree Canopies, and polished Urban Conveniences including some of the city’s best restaurants.

Tune in till the end for a special guest who will share a few of his Queen Anne Hill ghost stories.

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Just in time for summer! If you live in the Pacific Northwest, chances are you enjoy outdoor recreation. In this episode, Christine Mahler, executive director of the Washington Wildlife & Recreation Coalition, will share how our region’s most beloved outdoor spaces—from urban wildlife areas and family farms to tiny pocket parks—are created and preserved through an unusually broad coalition involving hunters, tribal governments, environmentalists, labor unions, corporations, Democrats and Republicans.

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Join us in this episode with Christopher Patano, AIA, Studio Director for Patano Studio.

Chris has executed projects that include civic spaces and places such as parks, aviation facilities, schools, higher education buildings, and other learning environments, factories, corporate headquarters, transportation facilities, & private residences.

In this episode we will learn how Chris is able to see opportunities for a better way to live, by exploring his belief that cites are humanity’s greatest creation and that each city is an organism that grows and changes.

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Join us in this episode with architectural historian, Adam Alsobrook, AIA where we will explore how a love of history connects us to the places we love.

You may be surprised to learn the original names of some of Seattle's neighborhoods and how they have changed over time. Adam's appreciation for old buildings, vintage neon signs, industrial history, archaic electrical systems, postcard collecting, masonic architecture, and the history of demolition is infectious and entertaining.

Adam will also show how racial and class bias has limited the type of places valued by historians and he points out ways we might correct this in order to gain a complete understanding of our city.

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Join us in this episode where we will speak with another leader in this industry, broker Bob Bennion of Compass Real Estate, on Making a Difference in the Pacific Northwest. With 30 years of experience handling high-end real estate, Bob shares insights that come from working closely with some of the region's titans of industry, as well as leaders in the arts, science and medicine.

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Join us in this episode where we will learn from another local master in the world of built environments, an “appraiser’s appraiser,” Alan Pope, who since the mid-1970’s has developed a reputation as the Pacific Northwest’s most authoritative real estate appraiser.

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Join us in this episode where we will explore the relationship of nature & Seattle’s ever-changing built environment, by exploring the work of Seattle-based architects Ray & Mary Johnston of Johnston Architects which has been around since 1990. With offices tucked into the hillside along the Burke Gilman Trail north of Lake Union, their practice has quietly turned out a gorgeous body of work including projects across many Seattle neighborhoods; The Maple Valley Library, South Park Library, Casa Latina Headquarters, The Seattle Humane Society Building, and the Seattle Public Utilities Ship Canal Water Quality Project in Ballard, to name a few.

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Join us in this episode featuring Paula Johnson of Willamette Cultural Resources Associates. Paula has over 27 years of archaeological experience across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and California and has contributed to permitting and construction of many of the largest infrastructure projects in the Puget Sound, including transportation, wastewater, and utility projects. In this episode we will discuss how and why creating brand new urban infrastructures require the makers to study who occupied these spaces historically—as well as to take steps to preserve historical artifacts discovered in the process.

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Join us in this episode featuring Paul Suzman, founder of OfficeLease. In this episode we will deepen our appreciation of place—focusing on the business skyline comprised of Seattle’s office buildings for a fascinating glimpse of the people and companies that fill these office towers. Paul started his company in 1981 and at the time it was the West Coast’s first commercial tenant/buyer representative.

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Join us in this episode featuring Stacy Segal, someone who has devoted years helping people in Seattle learn and appreciate their built environment. Stacy, the Executive Director of Seattle Architecture Foundation, discusses why connecting people to the architecture, design, and history of Seattle matters.

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Join us in this episode and peek inside the world of real estate branding and placemaking to learn how builders and developers use placemaking to create more attractive and meaningful places. Red Propeller’s Jim Goldberg and Allison Jeffries will provide insight on how new apartment buildings, condos, and neighborhoods benefit from storytelling and naming.

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Join us in this episode featuring Roger Valdez where we will explore perhaps the most talked-about topic in Seattle today: Housing Affordability. As founder of Seattle For Growth, Roger argues that best way to solve our affordability crisis is to make it easier for builders and developers to do their work.

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Join us for a discussion with Scott Shapiro, a Seattle developer who employs a hands-on approach and funding from local investor-friends to develop iconic and memorable places in the Seattle area including Melrose Market, The (new) Harvard Exit Lodges on Vashon, Lynnwood Bowl & Skate.

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In this episode, developers Bill & Andy Parks, a father and son duo, share their personal & creative passion for designing & building while shaping the skylines of Seattle.

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In this episode, our guide is Susan Robb, a Seattle-based interdisciplinary artist and thought leader. Susan shows us how we can transform contemporary concerns into opportunities to re-envision and re-connect.

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In this episode, Bradley Khouri, principal of b9 Architects, takes the driver's seat to talk about land use code, housing initiatives, advocacy and the responsibility of architects.

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We are joined by Atlas Obscura Society Seattle Field Agents Christopher Blado and Weston Brinkley who will transport us to Seattle’s recent past, to explore the Seattle Commons project, the city’s historic opportunity to design what was touted as Seattle’s equivalent of New York's Central Park on the southern shores of Lake Union.

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In this episode we welcome guest Norm Rice, Seattle’s 49th mayor. Come stroll with us down mayoral-memory-lane through Seattle’s first tech boom of the 1990’s.

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EK On the Go welcome Heidi Schor & Paul Damen, aka House Healers, who breathe life into neglected and forgotten Seattle residences.

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Edward welcomes Michael Klebeck, co-founder of many significantly adventurous businesses and places, that have been intelligently shaping Seattle through flavors, aromas and design.

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In today’s episode we are joined by Kevin Eckert, founding partner of BUILD LLC. Today Kevin shares his influences, which range from engineering in Kansas and Danish modernism. He also explains his firm’s approach to design and construction, suggesting modes of creating that will produce buildings for Seattle’s future that are more economical, durable, and beautiful than many being built today.