WEDNESDAY 5/22
Kathleen Hanna—Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk
(MUSIC/BOOKS) As a longtime student of Riot Grrrl, I've annihilated every piece of literature about the movement that I can get my paws on. Some favorites through my studies have included Sara Marcus's Girls to the Front, Carrie Brownstein's Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl, and Marisa Meltzer's Girl Power: The Nineties Revolution in Music. Most of these music memoirs and anthologies include the story of the precocious Evergreen State College student Kathleen Hanna, who propelled the movement with the creation of feminist art space Reko Muse, and later, with the trailblazing feminist punk band Bikini Kill. Now, Hanna is telling her story in her own memoir, Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk. The book chronicles her life of activism, music, friendships, illness, love, and limitless amounts of determination. Hanna will be joined in conversation by writer (and former Stranger writer) Lindy West. (Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave, 7:30 pm, $68-$104, all ages) AUDREY VANN
THURSDAY 5/23
(BOOKS) If you're familiar with Melissa Broder's pitch-black humor in Milk Fed and The Pisces, you're probably reacting to the news of her new novel's release with trepidatious, nervous laughter. After all, this is an author who has no qualms writing about erotic merman fantasies, obsessive food rituals, and going no-contact with your mom. In Death Valley, Broder heads to a Best Western in California's high desert, where a woman has fled to escape a cloud of grief. On a nearby hike, she finds a towering cactus with a mystical gash-portal. (Envision a sweaty, sand-covered, and weirdly sexy version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Thanks, Melissa!) (Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave, 7 pm, free) LINDSAY COSTELLO
FRIDAY 5/24
Northwest Folklife Festival 2024
(COMMUNITY) Folklife started in the ’70s and you can still tell, in large part because it has somehow escaped the jaws of capitalism to remain a free community festival that’s open and welcoming to all. It's also full of buskers, drum circles, impromptu jam seshes, barefoot dancing, and faded tie-dye. You can explore dozens of stalls selling foods and crafts from around the world, check out workshops and lectures, or just hang out and soak up the vibes. It's very PNW granola, and I love it. (Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St, May 24-27, free, all ages) SHANNON LUBETICH
SATURDAY 5/25
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(FOOD/SPORTS) As far as motivation to cycle around the city goes, doughnuts are a pretty good one. Hop on your wheels for a self-guided tour with stops at Mighty-O Donuts' locations in Ballard, Greenlake, Capitol Hill, and Denny Triangle, with mini doughnuts available at each outpost. Your tickets get you a complimentary doughnut and drip coffee at the location of your choice, as well as a Tour de Donut T-shirt to flaunt your bragging rights. (Mighty-O Donuts, 1555 NW Market St, 9:30 am, $45, all ages, see the full route here) JULIANNE BELL
SUNDAY 5/26
(FILM) I first saw Akira Kurosawa's Dreams in a freshman film survey class—it was projected onto a giant screen, where I watched alongside hundreds of other students in the same lecture hall. At the risk of sounding corny, it was a moment in which I realized what film could really do, and it cut through the noise of aughts-era schlock and twee. The 1990 film unfolds in eight vignettes woven together with nods to Japanese folktales; there are fox weddings, warrior ghosts, radioactive landscapes, and even a Martin Scorsese cameo (he plays Vincent van Gogh). It's also one of Kurosawa's last, and most naturalistic, films. (Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, various showtimes through June 2, $7-$14) LINDSAY COSTELLO
MONDAY 5/27
Honoring Our Black Wall Streets 2024
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(COMMUNITY) Use the day off on Monday (if you have it) to spend your money where it matters at Africatown Community Land Trust's annual Honoring Our Black Wall Streets event. Head down to 23rd and Jackson for a street fair featuring more than 100 Black-owned businesses, live music, guest speakers, food vendors, and more in recognition of the vibrant history of Black commercial centers across the country. Lillian Rambus will be selling Southern bites with her family-run restaurant Simply Soulful, and I'm looking forward to shopping vintage clothing and handmade jewelry. This is the first event in the Summer of Soul series, check out their website and make plans to celebrate all season long. (23rd Ave S and S Jackson St, 1-7 pm, free, all ages) SHANNON LUBETICH
TUESDAY 5/28
(MUSIC) The last time that Pearl Jam played a proper show in Seattle was in 2018. The hometown heroes kicked off their national tour by turning Safeco Field into their playground, and by all accounts, the shows were fire with a 36-song setlist and the band firing on all cylinders. Now, the grunge icons are back to support their critically acclaimed new album, Dark Matter. In a press release, the band writes that the new album "channels the shared spirit of a group of lifelong creative confidants and brothers in one room playing as if their very lives depended on it." Don't miss an opening set from local indie rock band Deep Sea Diver. (Climate Pledge Arena, 305 Harrison St, May 28 and May 30, 7:30 pm, face value resale tickets were available starting at $182 at press time, all ages) AUDREY VANN
Prizefight!
Win tickets to rad upcoming events!*
Avril Lavigne with All Time Low
Saturday, May 25 at White River Amphitheatre
Contest ends May 23 at 3 pm
Jacob Collier with special guest Kimbra
Sunday, May 26 at the Paramount Theatre
Contest ends May 23 at 3 pm
*Entering PRIZE FIGHT contests by submitting your email address signs you up to receive the Stranger Suggests newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time.
