Wednesday 3/8

2023 AWP Conference & Bookfair

(BOOKS) If someone were to drop a bomb on Seattle this weekend (heaven forbid!!!), they'd wipe out ~85% of the writers who produce America's literary fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. (The rest of them are either too poor, too tired, or too hungover from the last conference to travel to our far-flung corner of the country.) They've all gathered here for the annual Association of Writers and Writing Programs conference, which has two modes. The morning mode features a bunch of interesting academic panels and readings at the conference center. These readings are nice to attend with a little coffee and a notebook. Then there's the evening mode, which features a bunch of readings in many of the city's bars, bookstores, music venues, art galleries, and karaoke joints. There are literally hundreds of readings happening this weekend—you won't be able to avoid them. But if you want to be intentional, then I'd go to the 10th Annual Rock and Roll Reading at Central Saloon on Wednesday, Sapphic Storytelling at the Woods on Thursday, Rendezvous at Rendezvous on Friday, the conference book fair on Saturday morning (you can buy a Saturday pass for $25 that gives you access), and Copper Canyon's 50th Anniversary reading on Saturday evening at Elliott Bay Book Company. Have fun, stay hydrated, and take home a poet—they need it the most. (Visit our calendar EverOut for our comprehensive guide to Seattle AWP) RICH SMITH


Thursday 3/9

Happy Room — Mosaic Collage

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (@seaofficeofarts)

(VISUAL ART) In the gallery above King Street Station is a delightful exhibition of mosaic works by Tokyo-born, PNW-based artist Naoko Morisawa. Happy Room — Mosaic Collage transforms the gallery space into a house of Morisawa's making. Composed of 50 objects from Morisawa's past 15 years of work, the show's split into four rooms: Kitchen/Living Room, Theater Japonism/Living Room, Shoes/Closet, and Heart Room. In each, Morisawa has taken everyday objects like chairs and pastries and turned them into one of her signature brightly colored natural and oil-dyed mosaics. Drawing from the Danish concept of Hygge, the exhibit encourages you to feel at home. Go get cozy! (King Street Station, 303 S Jackson, Wed-Sat 11 am-5 pm, through April 6, free) JAS KEIMIG


Friday 3/10

Amythyst Kiah

(MUSIC) Tennessee has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Gov. Bill Lee just signed into law two atrocious bills—one that bans public drag performances ("male and female impersonators") and another that bans gender-affirming health care for minors—but please do not lump all Tennesseeans into one big dumb lump of bigotry! While the devil makes the headlines, there are decent, passionate people fighting the good fight on the ground. Amythyst Kiah is an opening gay Black Americana musician from East Tennessee and for years she's used her mesmerizing Southern gothic-tinged songwriting—we're talking blues, soul, and goddamn rock 'n' roll—to speak some hard truths to the people who need to hear it most. And they're listening. In 2020, Kiah's song "Black Myself"—"I pick the banjo up and they sneer at me / 'Cause I'm Black myself"—was nominated for a Grammy. In 2021 she made her Opry debut, performing the song on a stage that had for years been criticized for perpetuating country music's systemic racism. Tonight, you should listen, too. (Fremont Abbey Arts Center, 4272 Fremont Ave N, 8 pm, $16-$35, all ages) MEGAN SELING


Saturday 3/11

James Baldwin Abroad

(FILM) We no longer live in the age of intellectual giants. Ours is like the age that followed the extinction of dinosaurs, but the age of mice. And if a mind is larger than usual, it is condemned to a contest, not with equals but the dumbest rocks on the planet. Think only of the war of worthless words between Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Marjorie Taylor Greene. Baldwin, whose masterpieces are found in his collection of essays rather than his novels, an opinion that close friend Lorraine Hansberry also held, spent a large part of life not in America. He first spent, after leaving the US, 13 years in Paris, then a decade in Istanbul, and finally called Southern France home. James Baldwin Abroad are three films that complement his life as an exile, the most fascinating of the three being Sedat Pakay’s James Baldwin: From Another Place (1973). One can't get enough of images of the giant in an ancient city. (The Beacon, 4405 Rainier Ave S, 7 pm, $12.50) CHARLES MUDEDE


Sunday 3/12

Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

(FILM) It's been years since I've seen Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, but its lasting cultural memory is one of extraordinary horniness. A lot of that is due to cartoon hottie, Jessica Rabbit, the film's femme fatale ("I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way," will live on as one the greatest lines in film history). But also—helloooooo—the innate sexiness of Bob Hoskins as the movie's main gumshoe trying to get to the bottom of who exactly framed Roger Rabbit. When it came out, the film was a groundbreaking blend of live-action and animation, kicking off a renewed interest in the Golden Age of animation that eventually birthed another live-action/animation great: Space Jam. And the good folks over at Northwest Film Forum are screening Who Framed Roger Rabbit? over the weekend, so go bathe in its awesomeness. Also!! The Film Forum will screen a secret tie-in movie on March 30, the title of which will be revealed only at these in-person Roger Rabbit screenings. We love a secret! (Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, various showtimes March 11, 12, and 15, $7-$14) JAS KEIMIG


Monday 3/13

Chilaquiles at Cafetal Quilombo

There are no fewer than 1,000 chips under all that mole, I swear. MS

(FOOD) I'm on a search for the best chilaquiles in Seattle. No reason, really. I like chips, I like cheese, and I especially like when both are served so slathered in sauce and toppings that they must be eaten with a fork. (Chilaquiles are not nachos. Nachos are for fingers. Chilaquiles are for forks.) My first serious Best Of contender is at Cafetal Quilombo in Beacon Hill. For $11.99 you get a massive plate of food—refried beans, rice, and a mountain of freshly fried thick-cut tortilla chips drenched in your choice of red or green salsa or mole and topped with your choice of protein or vegan-friendly vegetables—chorizo, birria, spicy pork, chicken tinga, nopales, potatoes, rajas, etc. Whatever you decide, GET THE MOLE. It is smoky, deep, and spicy, but the kind of spicy that builds slowly with each bite. This mole doesn't hit you over the head, it gives you a gentle pat. And then another. And then another until you are knocked the fuck out by flavor. (Cafetal Quilombo, 4343 15th Ave S, Mon-Fri 10 am-7 pm, Sat 10 am-3 pm) MEGAN SELING


Tuesday 3/14

A Town Hall with Congresswoman Jayapal

COURTESY OF CONGRESSWOMAN PRAMILA JAYAPAL'S OFFICE

(POLITICS) Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal meets the people tonight. She is one of the few but very visible progressives in the House. Her politics are, in a word, one with what can only be described as human decency. The purpose of this event is for Seattle's top representative in the House to bring her voters up to speed on developments in the capital of American politics. Expect some good news, but also expect lots of bad news. (Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave, 6:30 pm, free but RSVPs are encouraged) CHARLES MUDEDE