Wier Harman, Town Halls executive director.
Wier Harman, Town Hall's executive director. Courtesy of Town Hall

Last spring, Wier Harman announced that he was stepping away from day-to-day functions as executive director of Town Hall Seattle, the cultural hub that programs 450 events per year in music, literature, and science. "I recently discovered that I am dealing with a complex cancer diagnosis," he explained at the time.

Today comes a very welcome piece of good news.

In a letter to Town Hall members this afternoon, Harman wrote that the response to that announcement from the community has been "humbling. And I promise you it has had the power to heal."

Throw in a brand new targeted therapy/wonder drug, and I’m happy to share that my progress has been remarkable. I’m back at my desk and life has returned to a version of normalcy—only everything feels heightened. Bigger. Brighter. I am so lucky to live in this city, within this community, and to have Town Hall as a place for my energy.

I’m approaching my 13th year here, and we’ve been planning our major renovation and Inside/Out season for six of those years—it’s all starting right now, and I’m not going to miss a moment of it.

Inside/Out is a reference to this season of Town Hall's programming. Events are taking place out in the community rather inside Town Hall's historic space, which is undergoing a massive renovation.

My doctors have concurred that work can be an important part of my healing, so I’ve resumed all (OK, most) of my usual duties. I’ll make as many events as I can, offstage and on, and you’ll see me on the occasional hard hat construction tour...

This is a once-ever moment in the life of Town Hall and in our community. And I have never felt luckier, or been more grateful, to share this work with you.

In a world of non-stop bad news, I can't tell you how happy it makes me to read these words.