A Message to the City from Richard Chiem

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, August 5, and for today’s message we turn to the fabulously talented fiction writer Richard Chiem, who will also be the *special guest* at tonight’s reading party.

What has he been doing during quarantine? “I’ve been asking myself questions almost daily, to kind of keep myself in check, and I would like to share those questions with you today—and also a short story,” Richard says.

“So, some of those questions: What fight have you been fighting? What have you been training for your whole life? … How are you using your creativity to save others? How are you saving yourself? … If your life was a movie, and you took a moment to watch, would you be happy? How are you helping Black lives today?”

And then he reads a short story called “Knife Boy David.”

Richard is the author of You Private Person (Sorry House Classics), a book of stories that was named one of Publishers Weekly‘s “10 Essential Books of the American West.”

He is also the author of the novel King of Joy (Soft Skull Press, 2019), which the author Chelsea Martin describes as “a perfect rendering of that feeling of dark and hopeful closeness with loss I’ve always known but could never put to words.” It also has an amazing cover. LOOK AT IT!

As mentioned: Richard will be the special guest at the Silent Reading Party tonight!

It starts at 6 pm. You’re invited.

Thank you so much for your message and for your reading, Richard.

See you in a few hours!

* *
Previously in this series:

Orlando Morales’s message to the city on August 4.

Ebo Barton’s message to the city on August 3.

Northwest Center and Best Buddies’s message to the city on July 31.

Maged Zaher’s message to the city on July 30.

Priya Frank and Jaimée Marsh’s message to the city on July 28.

Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore’s message to the city on July 27.

Ezra Dickinson’s message to the city on July 24.

Rana San’s message to the city on July 23.

Mary Hall-Williams’s message to the city on July 21.

Liz Dunn is one of the few developers in the city who doesn’t suck.

Reagan Jackson’s message to the city on July 17.

Ms. Pak-Man’s message to the city on July 16.

Laura Griffith Langs’s message to the city (with baby) on July 14.

Natasha Marin’s message to the city on July 13. Courtesy of Natasha Marin

Aaron Bagley’s message to the city on July 10.

Kathy Hsieh’s message to the city on July 9.

Crispin Spaeth’s message to the city on July 8.

Tom and Virginia Dziekonski’s message to the city on July 7.

Pol Rosenthal’s message to the city on July 6.

Betsey Brock’s message to the city on July 2.

Shaina Shepherd’s message to the city on July 1.

Rodger Burnett and Joyce Ramee’s message to the city on June 30.

Charles Leggett’s message to the city June 29.

Rachel Guyer-Mafune’s message to the city on June 26.

Liz Hayes’s message to the city on June 24.

Nicholas Bernard’s message to the city on June 22.

Tariqa Waters’s message to the city on June 19.

Bruce Clayton Tom’s message to the city on June 18.

Isaac Gutierrez’s message to the city on June 17.

Markeith Wiley’s message to the city on June 16.

Aleksa Manila’s message to the city on June 15.

Derrick Ryan Claude Mitchell’s message to the city on June 12.

Bret Fetzer’s message to the city on June 11.

Kyle O’Quin’s message to the city on June 10.

Elisheba Johnson’s message to the city on June 9.

Michael Jinsoo Lim’s message to the city on June 8.

Brandon Ivie’s message to the city on June 5.

Kimya Dawson’s message to the city on June 4.

Jennifer Nelson’s message to the city on June 3.

Erin Jorgensen’s message to the city on June 2.

Brangien Davis and Daniel Spils’s message to the city on June 1.

Timothy De Clue’s message to the city on May 29.

Elizabeth Aquino’s message to the city on May 28.

Christopher Frizzelle’s message to the city on May 27.

Elby Brosch’s message to the city on May 26.

Mila Skyy’s message to the city on May 22.

Michael Lee’s message to the city on May 21.

SassyBlack’s message to the city on May 20.

Seattle Symphony horn section’s message to the city on May 19.

Lori Goldston’s message to the city on May 18.

Ibidunni Ojikutu’s message to the city on May 15.

RL Heyer’s message to the city on May 14.

Garth Stein’s message to the city on May 13.

Okanomodé’s message to the city on May 12.

Zoe Scofield’s message to the city on May 11.

Aham Oluo’s message to the city on May 8.

Pete Rush’s message to the city on May 7.

Trent Moorman’s message to the city on May 6.

Renée Valencia’s message to the city on May 5.

Justin Huertas’s message to the city on May 4.

Charles Mudede’s message to the city on May 1.

Kathryn Rathke’s message to the city on April 30.

Anthony White’s message to the city on April 30.

Miss Texas 1988’s message to the city.

Matt Bishop’s message on April 27.

Cherdonna’s message to the city on April 26.

Shenandoah Davis’s message to the city on April 25.

Lorena González’s message to the city on April 24.

Clyde Petersen’s message to the city on April 23.

David Ritt’s message to the city on April 22.

Sara Porkalob’s message to the city on April 21.

Julia Sweeney’s message to the city on April 20.

Linda Derschang’s message to the city on April 19.

Molly Sides’s message to the city on April 18.

Nick Garrison’s message to the city on April 17.

Tomo Nakayama’s message to the city on April 16.

Rebecca M. Davis’s message to the city April 15.

Heather McHugh’s message to the city on April 14.

Brandon O’Neill’s message to the city on April 13.

Kate Wallich’s message to the city on April 12.

Rebecca Brown’s message to the city on April 11.

Lucien Postlewaite’s message to the city on April 10.

Betty Wetter’s message to the city on April 9.

Amanda Morgan’s message to the city on April 8.

Nancy Guppy’s message to the city on April 7.

Jonathan Biss’s message to the city on April 6.

Chris Jeffries’s message to the city on April 5.

Lesley Hazleton’s message to the city on April 4.

John Roderick’s message to the city on April 3.

Bill Carty’s message to the city on April 2.

Price Suddarth’s message to the city on April 1.

Kary Wayson’s message to the city on March 31.

Ellen Forney’s message to the city on March 30.

Major Scales’s message to the city on March 29.

E. J. Koh’s message to the city on March 28.

Ken Jennings’s message to the city on March 27.

Demarre McGill’s message to the city on March 26.

Lynn Shelton’s Message to the City on March 25th.

Timothy White Eagle’s message to the city on March 24.

Cookie Couture’s message to the city on March 23.

Sarah Rudinoff’s message to the city on March 22.

John Osebold’s message to the city on March 21.

Ben Gibbard’s message to the city on March 20.

Nathan Chan’s message to the city on March 19.