Introducing our new (and old?) writer, Nathalie Graham! Nathalie used to be on staff at The Stranger from 2018 to 2021. In the years since, she’s freelanced around town and started up a Stranger column on Seattle subcultures, Play Date. Maybe you’ve read it? Now, she’s come crawling back to our hallowed halls to pour all of her blood, sweat, tears, and whatever other bodily fluids are needed into The Stranger.

Let’s talk with Nathalie.

First of all, where the hell have you been for the last four years??

Mostly in Seattle. I also hit my head pretty badly in Mexico at one point. That’s a different story, though. In the years since I’ve held the coveted title of “Stranger Staff Writer,” I’ve been writing for publications around the city. One of the features I wrote for The Seattle Times even won an award! Other than that, I got a cat, I got engaged, I moved like three times but always within the same two-mile radius, and I joined an improv team. All major life events covered.

In your Play Date column, you've played underwater hockey, flown on a trapeze, pole-danced, performed improv... is there anything you won't do in the name of journalism?

I’ll do pretty much anything. There have been some moments, though, where I’ll have a great idea and then I’ll be like… well, maybe. When I started out here, I was 22 and down to write about whatever, to share my personal life like it was currency. Now, I feel a little quieter about all that. But, there are moments when I’m looking for a column and I stumble across this bustling community of sex parties and I think… maybe.

You’ve put so much of yourself out there in Play Date. But what’s something Stranger readers don’t know about you yet?

I have a fear of dentists. This stems from childhood, but it was intensified when I broke my front teeth on Halloween in 2019. I was dressed as Ty Pennington from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. I sprinted 20 blocks home along 35th Avenue Northeast from a party in tears. I actually have a personal essay half-written about it, maybe I’ll subject you all to it this fall.

Have you stuck with any of the hobbies you’ve tried for Play Date?

Yes! Play Date has changed my life. I still weight lift with the skills I learned from Le Carr at Rain City Fit. I still do improv. I started swimming laps after writing about swimming laps. I’m hosting a rehearsal dinner for my wedding at the Jefferson Park Lawn Bowling Club after I hung out there and fell in love with the space—one day I will also do lawn bowling. The real problem with Play Date is I wish I could keep up with every hobby I try; I long for the trapeze, for the bottom of the underwater hockey pool, for the feeling of being in a marching band. There isn’t enough time to be all the people I could be, so I’ll just have to keep sampling out all the potential paths in Play Date and see what sticks.

You covered City Hall from 2019 through 2021 for The Stranger. Who was your favorite city council member to cover?

Man, we really didn’t know how good we had it with the council back then, did we? I had a real soft spot for Lorena Gonzalez. I used to do “City Council Bingo” during those long COVID-era virtual meetings, and she, as council president, started participating once. Teresea Mosqueda was great, too. Her husband will sometimes DM me Play Date ideas based in West Seattle. I haven’t written about any of those yet (Sorry, Manuel!). Oh, and Andrew Lewis invited me to his 35th birthday party this year (I didn’t go), but I assume that means we had good rapport.

Quick: What’s your Seattle Hot Take?

Based on no evidence, I think Lord Byron was murdered. Also, pickleball rocks. The rain is good. The Mexican food is not bad here (I’m from LA, so I can say this). University of Washington cherry blossoms are overrated (I’m a Husky, so I can say this). The Sonics shouldn’t come back.

Fuck, marry, kill: Cosmic Crisp, Honeycrisp, Rockit

Fuck Cosmic Crisp, marry Honeycrisp, kill (only because I haven’t had it SORRY) Rockit.

We’re so stoked you’re back. Are you? What’s the first thing you’re excited to do in the newsroom?

I am! I’ve missed working with a bunch of creative weirdos and tossing insane ideas back and forth. I’ve also missed good health insurance. But, really, I can’t wait for the pitch meetings. I want to throw some truly inane things at the wall.