Halloween at Lariat Bar—cutie in a Kamala hat

We chatted in line for the bathroom—I complimented you on your Harris/Walz hat, then got shy. Wanna commiserate about the election together?

Guardian Angel on the Ave

Had a health emergency & fainted suddenly on the ave. U held me securely in your arms while the ambulance approached, more care than the hospital. TY

As we tumble into a future of who even knows what, you might be searching for an outlet to guide you through grief, spark some joy, and perhaps distract you with a little magic. Thankfully, Seattle has a puppet scene that’s doing exactly that. Before you even ask, no, puppets are not just for kids. You are welcomed into this puppet community, which is full of puppets in every shape, size, and form, with open arms! Cass Bray and Zane Exactly, co-producers of Fussy Cloud Puppet Slam, are two brilliant leaders in the art form and will be bringing Volume 26: What’s the Worst That Could Happen to the Theater Off Jackson this weekend, November 15 and 16. 

The tag-team of puppet empowerment not only produces the slam, but they also make their own stunning shadow puppets as co-artistic directors of Shadow Girls Cult. They work year-round creating platforms for emerging puppeteers across the Pacific Northwest and build community through the expanse of what puppetry can be. “We're all just a bunch of puppet nerds who are excited when somebody else wants to nerd out about the same thing we do, you know?” says Zane. “The more people we have to talk about puppetry, the more exciting it is. Like, if I literally could do nothing else but just do puppet things and talk about puppetry all day, I would be so happy.” 

Nearly three years since the first Starbucks store voted to unionize, approximately 12,000 workers across more than 500 stores have now joined the Starbucks Workers Union. Despite a brutal fight thus far, both sides say a new contract now seems within reach. But Starbucks’ recent actions behind the scenes say something different.

Starbucks spent two years fighting the newly formed union, displaying a shocking level of viciousness for a company that markets itself as progressive and refers to its workers as “partners.” They committed scores of labor violations, shut down organizing stores in Seattle over dubious “security concerns,” and refused to negotiate with Starbucks Workers United. A judge for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled the company engaged in “egregious and widespread misconduct demonstrating a general disregard for the employees’ fundamental rights.”

Our cheap and easy guide is here to save your weekend from mediocrity with event suggestions from Babe Fest 2 to Gobble Up Seattle and from Trans Day of Remembrance to a Public School Community Teach-In and Forum. For more ideas, check out our guide to the top events of the week.

FRIDAY

PERFORMANCE

Legendary Children
Peep drag royalty of all genders and groove along to DJ sets at this buzzy celebration of the "artistry of queer and trans Black, Indigenous, people of color and their communities," planned in partnership with the Seattle Public Library and Shunpike. Stay for the slay on a public runway and get an education from glamazons Ariyah Jané, Da Qween, Flourish Maxzeal, Londyn Bradshaw, and Rafael/a Luna-Pizano, plus up-and-coming artists from various local houses. (Remember: Reading is fundamental.) LINDSAY COSTELLO
(Olympic Sculpture Park, Belltown, free)

Create your own user feedback survey

Boeing lays off more than 400 union members: As part of the the aerospace company's 10% reduction in staffing, Boeing has cut 438 positions held by Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace members, the professional aerospace labor union (distinct from the machinists union that was on strike this fall). Boeing expects to cut around 17,000 jobs to reduce labor costs. 

TERFs at the library: An anti-trans group has rented the Central Library auditorium for an event this Sunday, and some employees plan to protest at the library’s plaza. Women’s Declaration International USA (WDI USA) is the non-catchy name for the American chapter of a trans exclusionary radical feminist (TERF) group founded in the United Kingdom. Like all TERF groups, WDI works under an outdated feminist framework to limit the civil rights of trans people and portray transgender identity as ideology. The Southern Poverty Law Center considers WDI to be part of a anti-queer pseudoscience network, whose “Declaration on Women’s Sex-Based Rights” has become a model for anti-trans legislation. The WDI panel is the third anti-queer event at the library in three years, and the second hosted by a TERF group. SPL wrote on its blog that it supports the rights of transgender women, but it rents its meeting room to anyone, even those they disagree with. If you feel like disagreeing, loudly, and supporting trans people at a time of rising hatred, you can join Seattle Public Library workers for a protest outside the Central Library Plaza on Sunday at 6 pm and/or speak at the SPL Board of Trustees meeting next Thursday, November 21st.

After reading many of the I, Anonymous posts on Instagram, I have one thing I REALLY want to say to all the negative commenters: Shut the fuck up, already.

In need of some music therapy? Million dollar baby Tommy Richman supports his debut album on tour next year. Emo rock progenitors My Chemical Romance will perform their third album, The Black Parade, in its entirety on their next tour. Plus, Papa Roach & Rise Against are teaming up for a co-headlining arena tour. Read on for details on those and other newly announced events, plus some news you can use.

ON SALE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15

MUSIC

Alexandra Kay
Showbox SoDo (Mar 19, 2025)

Anberlin – 20th Anniversary of NTFP
The Crocodile (Mar 18, 2025)

Armor For Sleep
The Crocodile (Mar 22, 2025)

The Bachelor franchise tells us a story about love, one that almost never delivers on its promise. But that’s never stopped Jesse Palmer from grinning in his ill-fitting suit and promising that this really is the most dramatic season ever at the outset of every season’s first and final episodes. 

Good for him that he restrained himself this time, though, because the finale of The Golden Bachelorette is among the most airless, predictable 90-minute conclusions I’ve ever seen in the history of this franchise. I love mess! There is none here.

Los Angeles/206 director Zia Mohajerjasbi's debut feature Know Your Place (released in 2022) is a film that everyone in Seattle (and all other major cities) must watch. It is dense, so unpacking it all is nothing but impossible within the obvious attentional limits imposed on a review. But, I will begin by saying this: The star of this film is, above all, Seattle. And not just Seattle, but the 206 in the months between summer and winter. This star has, during all months of the year, two important and different parts. One: The city that is becoming, class-wise, homogenous. This kind of city has less and less space for those whose lifestyle is maintained by the exchange of labor for wages. Two: The city that's losing its color. Black Americans were the first to go, and all that's left of what was once the Blackest neighborhood in the Pacific Northwest is the melancholy Remembrance Plaza, a public art project on 23rd and Yesler that the Catholic Community Services commissioned to ostensibly remember Black Americans who once called this area home. 

You may have heard that the American mall is dying, and depending on how fun your teenage years were, you’re either feeling grief or triumph over it.

At its best, though, the mall is a watering hole for everyone. As an Asian man going on 31 years strong, the stores themselves don’t always show it (I personally don’t feel seen by Claire’s). But there is always representation in the food court.

Between the Sbarros and Auntie Anne's, there’s always the omnipotent three: 1.) Panda Express. 2.) Some dupe version of Panda Express. And always, unwaveringly, 3.) A teriyaki spot unlike anything you can get outside the confines of a Westfield or Simon Malls production.

Weather: If you weren’t already wearing boots and a trench everyday, today’s a good day to start. The morning will start out cloudy with temperatures in the low 50s. At around noon, expect the showers to start and become more intense until we hit peak raininess at around 3pm. Showers will stick around for a bit, eventually rolling out by about 7pm. Not your speed? Lucky for you, the wet, gloomy weather will turn around tomorrow! I’ll need to catch up on my steps then!

You can say that again: A new 154-page Human Rights Watch (HRW) report accused Israel of a forcible, deliberate, and systematic mass displacement campaign of Palestinians in Gaza that amounts to a war crime and a crime against humanity. Over the last 13 months of Israel’s genocide, they have displaced 1.9 million Palestinians—about 90% of Gaza’s population. Israel has also destroyed the majority of civilian infrastructue in Gaza, violating their obligation to ensure civilians can return to their homes. 

DINE-IN

Cafe Flora
The plant-filled vegetarian haven Cafe Flora is celebrating its 32nd annual Thanksgiving with a four-course dine-in menu that includes choices like apple parsnip soup, harvest nut roast with spiced heirloom carrot sauce, and heirloom apple cheesecake, as well as a $35 optional menu and a kid's menu. Indoor and outdoor heated patio seating are available. 
Madison Valley

WEDNESDAY 11/13  

Secret SIFF Staff Benefit Screening!

(FILM/FUNDRAISER) Days after getting our souls ripped out and stomped on by more than 75 million Americans on November 5, SIFF had to break even more bad news: SIFF Cinema Egyptian will be closed for the foreseeable future due to a “significant pipe leak.” It happened Tuesday evening. I blame Trump for this, somehow. This sucks for moviegoers, of course, but it’s an even bigger blow to the workers whose future employment has been put into upheaval. Tonight, SIFF supporters have organized a super secret screening and fundraiser at Northwest Film Forum to raise funds for the staffers impacted by the closure. What movie? It’s a surprise! They promise it is “VERY good.” It’s free, but hopefully, you can kick at least a few bucks into the SIFF Cinema Workers Union Fundraiser on GoFundMe. And if you show your proof of donation at the concession stand, you get a free small popcorn! (Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, 7 pm, free) MEGAN SELING