Journalist and biologist Eric Wagner discusses 40 years of ecological recovery on Mount St. Helens. Mount St. Helens has been surprising ecologists ever since and in After the Blast Eric Wagner takes readers on a fascinating journey through the blast area and beyond. From fireweed to elk, the plants and animals Franklin saw would not just change how ecologists approached the eruption and its landscape, but also prompt them to think in new ways about how life responds in the face of seemingly total devastation. Online access to Words, Writers and Southwest Stories: After the Blast - The Ecological Recovery of Mount St. Helens: https://www.loghousemuseum.org/blog/september-10-words-writers-and-southwest-stories-after-the-blast-the-ecological-recovery-of-mount-st-helens/ ‘Words, Writers & Southwest Stories,’ a historically-based speaker series of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, is offered in partnership with The Southwest Seattle Historical Society and The Seattle Public Library.

Join us to celebrate the release of local luminary Ron Chew’s new memoir. Registration is required. Click here to register. This event is presented by The Seattle Public Library Foundation. ABOUT THE BOOK: Third-generation Seattleite, historian, journalist, and museum visionary Ron Chew spent more than five decades fighting for Asian American and social justice causes in Seattle. In this deeply personal memoir, he documents the tight-knit community he remembers, describing small family shops, chop suey restaurants, and sewing factories now vanished. He untangles the mystery of his extended family’s journey to America during the era of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Intimate profiles of his parents—a waiter and garment worker—and leaders like Bob Santos, Ruth Woo, Al Sugiyama, Roberto Maestas, and Kip Tokuda are set against the familiar backdrop of local landmarks such as Sick’s Stadium, Kokusai Theatre, Shorey’s Bookstore, Higo Variety Store, Hong Kong Restaurant, and Chubby & Tubby. He highlights Seattle’s unsung champions in the fight for racial inclusion, political empowerment, American ethnic studies, Asian American arts, Japanese American redress, and revitalization of the Chinatown-International District. Chew himself led a successful campaign to transform a historic hotel into the Wing Luke Museum’s permanent home. ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Ron Chew served as editor of the International Examiner and as executive director of the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience. His books include Reflections of Seattle’s Chinese Americans: The First 100 Years and Remembering Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes: The Legacy of Filipino American Labor Activism. View in Catalog: My Unforgotten Seattle by Ron Chew We can provide accommodations for people with disabilities at Library events. Please contact leap@spl.org at least seven days before the event to request accommodations.

Join us to hear Dr. Daudi Abe and Jazmyn Scott discuss the history of hip-hop in Seattle. Registration is required. Click here to register. The link to access the event will be sent to you by email once you register. The event is presented in partnership with LANGSTON, Wa Na Wari, and Elliott Bay Book Company. This event is supported by The Seattle Public Library Foundation, author series sponsors the Gary and Connie Kunis Foundation, and Seattle City of Literature. Thanks to media sponsor The Seattle Times. ABOUT THE BOOK: From the first rap battles in Seattle's Central District to the Grammy stage, hip hop has shaped urban life and the music scene of the Pacific Northwest for more than four decades. In the early 1980s, Seattle's hip-hop artists developed a community-based culture of stylistic experimentation and multiethnic collaboration. Emerging at a distance from the hip-hop centers of New York City and Los Angeles, Seattle's most famous hip-hop figures, Sir Mix-A-Lot and Macklemore, found mainstream success twenty years apart by going directly against the grain of their respective eras. In addition, Seattle has produced a two-time world-champion breaking crew, globally renowned urban clothing designers, an international hip-hop magazine, and influential record producers. In Emerald Street, Daudi Abe chronicles the development of Seattle hip hop from its earliest days, drawing on interviews with artists and journalists to trace how the elements of hip hop--rapping, DJing, breaking, and graffiti--flourished in the Seattle scene. He shows how Seattle hip-hop culture goes beyond art and music, influencing politics, the relationships between communities of color and law enforcement, the changing media scene, and youth outreach and educational programs. The result is a rich narrative of a dynamic and influential force in Seattle music history and beyond. Emerald Street was made possible in part by a grant from 4Culture's Heritage Program. ABOUT THE SPEAKERS: Dr. Daudi Abe is professor of humanities at Seattle Central College and author of 6 'N the Morning: West Coast Hip-Hop Music 1987-1992 and The Transformation of Mainstream Culture. Jazmyn Scott is the current and first Program Manager of L ANGSTON; Seattle’s hub for Black arts and culture. In 2009 Jazmyn founded The Town Entertainment, a company that presented, produced & promoted live music and unique events in Seattle, as well as the marketing & development of up and coming artists; primarily in the R&B/Soul and Hip-Hop genres. In 2012, Jazmyn co-founded […]

‘Words, Writers & SouthWest Stories,’ a historically-based speaker series of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, is delighted to host local historian Fred Poyner IV for a live Zoom presentation on Thursday, January 14 at 6:00 PM. Poyner will deliver a presentation entitled, “Herbert Munter – Aviator of the Pacific Northwest.” Registration is required. Please register HERE. One of Seattle’s earliest aviators, Munter began his aviation exploits with the construction of his first home-built “flying machine,” which he successfully flew from the tidal flats of the Duwamish Peninsula in 1912. Over the next two decades, Munter went on to become a hero of the skies, setting several altitude records and serving as the first test pilot for the new Boeing Company in 1916. We hope you will join us to learn more about the life of this local aviator. Poyner will also offer a short preview of his new forthcoming book Portland Public Sculptors: Monuments, Memorials and Statuary, 1900-2003, which is part of the "America Through Time" series. Fred Poyner IV is a historian and author with over 27 years of experience in researching and writing about the art and history of the Pacific Northwest. His first book, The First Sculptor of Seattle: The Life and Art of James A. Wehn, was funded through the 4Culture’s Heritage Projects grant award in 2014, and has received both the Association of King County Historical Organization’s (AKCHO) Virginia Marie Folkins Award for Outstanding Historical Publication and the Washington Museum Association’s Award of Excellence in 2015. Poyner is a regular contributor to the Filson Company, as well as historical articles and essays for other organizations and publications, including: HistoryLink.org, the Washington State Historical Society, National Nordic Museum, Museum of the Mountain Man, and Society of American Archivists. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from Western Washington University, and a Master of Arts degree in Museology and Art from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poyner currently lives in Issaquah, Washington, with his family. This series is open to hosting any author or speaker addressing historical issues relating to the Puget Sound/Duwamish Peninsula and/or the general public. Additional information on future presentations can be obtained by contacting Dora-Faye Hendricks, Chair, 'Words, Writers & SouthWest Stories' by phone at 206-290-8315 or by e-mail at Dora-Faye@comcast.net. ‘Words, Writers & Southwest Stories,’ a historically-based speaker series of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, is offered in partnership with […]

‘Words, Writers & SouthWest Stories,’ a historically-based speaker series of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, is delighted to host local historian Brad Holden for a live Zoom presentation on Thursday, February 11 at 6:00 PM. Holden will deliver a presentation about his book, “Seattle Prohibition: Bootleggers, Rumrunners and Graft in the Queen City.” Registration is required. Please register HERE. Prohibition consumed Seattle, igniting a war that lasted nearly twenty years and played out in the streets, waterways and even town hall. Roy Olmstead, formerly a Seattle police officer, became the King of the Seattle Bootleggers, and Johnny Schnarr, running liquor down from Canada, revolutionized the speedboat industry. Frank Gatt, a south Seattle restaurateur, started the state’s biggest moonshining operation. Skirting around the law, the Coast Guard and the zealous assistant director of the Seattle Prohibition Bureau, William Whitney, was no simple feat, but many rose to the challenge. Join us to hear Brad Holden tell the spectacular story of Seattle in the time of Prohibition. Brad Holden is a local author, historian and “finder of old things.” When not out searching for local historical artifacts, he enjoys writing about Seattle’s past. His work has appeared in Pacific Northwest Magazine, and he is a contributing writer for HistoryLink.org. Brad is also the author of “Seattle Prohibition: Bootleggers, Rumrunners & Graft in the Queen City,” and his next book—a biography about mysterious Seattle inventor and psychedelic pioneer, Al Hubbard—is due to be published later this year. This series is open to hosting any author or speaker addressing historical issues relating to the Puget Sound/Duwamish Peninsula and/or the general public. Additional information on future presentations can be obtained by contacting Dora-Faye Hendricks, Chair, 'Words, Writers & SouthWest Stories' by phone at 206-290-8315 or by e-mail at Dora-Faye@comcast.net. ‘Words, Writers & Southwest Stories,’ a historically-based speaker series of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, is offered in partnership with The Southwest Seattle Historical Society and The Seattle Public Library.

‘Words, Writers & SouthWest Stories,’ a historically-based speaker series of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, is excited to announce that it is hosting Ron Marshall for a live Zoom presentation on Thursday, April 8 at 6:00 PM. Marshall will deliver a presentation entitled, “Hunger Immortal: The First Thirty Years of the West Seattle Food Bank.” Registration is required. Please register HERE. The history of the West Seattle Food Bank is no ordinary story. It’s filled with intrigue and sadness, great dedication and mounds of lucky breaks. Ron will explore the story of the bank from its beginnings in 1983 and its ongoing efforts to meet the needs of a changing, growing community. Ron will also provide a glimpse into both the history of the food bank and profiles of the individuals, including board members, volunteers, donors, and property owners, who worked to guarantee that the food bank had a permanent home. Ron Marshall has served on the West Seattle Food Bank board since 1996. He’s past president of the West Seattle Ministerial Association and has served on the board of Music Northwest for over twenty-five years. Ron has been the pastor of First Lutheran Church of West Seattle since 1979. He was raised in Tacoma and graduated from Stadium High School in 1967, and graduated from Washington State University in 1971. Ron is the author of two books on the religious thought of Martin Luther and Søren Kierkegaard. He’s also well known for his unique, on-going class on the Koran, which he has been teaching four times a year since 2003. This series is open to hosting any author or speaker addressing historical issues relating to the Puget Sound/Duwamish Peninsula and/or the general public. Additional information on future presentations can be obtained by contacting Dora-Faye Hendricks, Chair, 'Words, Writers & SouthWest Stories' by phone at 206-290-8315 or by e-mail at Dora-Faye@comcast.net. ‘Words, Writers & Southwest Stories,’ a historically-based speaker series of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, is offered in partnership with The Southwest Seattle Historical Society and The Seattle Public Library.

‘Words, Writers & SouthWest Stories,’ a historically-based speaker series of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, is excited to announce that it is hosting David Williams for a live Zoom presentation on Thursday, May 13 at 6:00 PM. Williams will be interviewed by series chair Dora-Faye Hendricks about his book, “Homewaters: A Human and Natural History of Puget Sound.” Registration is required. Please register HERE. Focusing on the area south of Port Townsend and between the Cascade and Olympic mountains, Williams uncovers human and natural histories in, on, and around the Sound. In conversations with archaeologists, biologists, and tribal authorities, Williams traces how generations of humans have interacted with such species as geoducks, salmon, orcas, rockfish, and herring. He sheds light on how warfare shaped development and how people have moved across this maritime highway, in canoes, the mosquito fleet, and today’s ferry system. The book also takes an unflinching look at how the Sound’s ecosystems have suffered from human behavior, including pollution, habitat destruction, and the effects of climate change. David B. Williams is a naturalist, author, and educator. His many books include the award-winning Too High and Too Steep: Reshaping Seattle’s Topography and Seattle Walks: Discovering History and Nature in the City. This series is open to hosting any author or speaker addressing historical issues relating to the Puget Sound/Duwamish Peninsula and/or the general public. Additional information on future presentations can be obtained by contacting Dora-Faye Hendricks, Chair, 'Words, Writers & SouthWest Stories' by phone at 206-290-8315 or by e-mail at Dora-Faye@comcast.net. ‘Words, Writers & Southwest Stories,’ a historically-based speaker series of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, is offered in partnership with The Southwest Seattle Historical Society and The Seattle Public Library.