July/August 2023
Letter to Seattle: Bank Statement
YWCA opens door to financial career
This is a letter from Tameka Siplin, a program graduate at YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish, the region’s oldest and largest nonprofit organization focused on the needs of women; providing services and advocacy to support stable homes and economic advancement; reduce violence and improve health; and promote racial equity and social justice. Dear YWCA…
Designing for Dignity
After witnessing the last few weeks of her grandmother's life, one Seattle woman tackled a redesign of the ubiquitously disliked hospital gown
Tammera Mason remembers her grandmother, Eleanor, as a glamorous woman. Born and raised in an immigrant family in the Midwest, Eleanor used fashion as a way to fit in, and her granddaughter talks with fondness of her perfectly coiffed hair, printed scarves, and movie star sunglasses — all visual indicators of her outgoing personality. “Eleanor…
Fitness and Friendship
Couch potato finds camaraderie in running clubs
I never thought I would be the type of person to join a running club. Picture a subpar physique lacking in muscle and mental fortitude, throw in an admittedly too-long stint of smoking cigarettes, and add an aversion to hills as the cherry on top. However, when I moved to Seattle, I quickly learned it…
Clarity: Defeating Depression
Seeking help is a starting point, not the finish line
I was 20 years old and in my second year at the University of Washington when I stumbled into a rut. It was summer. I was the only one left in an apartment I’d rented with three other guys that school year. Everybody else had gone home, but I was taking classes and became something…
Fave Five: Eat, Shop, Be Creative
Explore your artistic side, a discreet view, and unexpected local flavor
1 START your writing life this summer at Seattle’s Hugo House with a one-hour drop-in writing circle, an all-day “Write-O-Rama” event or fully commit with a course spanning six weeks. Seattle nonprofit literary arts organization Hugo House has provided a central place for writers to meet and learn since 1996. Get started on your sci-fi…
An Inside Outside Plan
Five ways to camp this summer
Summer is the best time to go camping in the Pacific Northwest. The endless blue skies, sunny days, and perfect temperatures, combined with an amazing variety of places to discover, make it easy to get out the door and explore. Figuring out the ultimate setup for sleeping, cooking, storing gear, and traveling while camping can…
Blender Bender
Seattle's experience research lab tells stories through artwork, installations and architecture
Back in March 2021 — just as the drab Seattle winter started to give way to lighter days and slightly higher temperatures — a storefront niche on the always-thronged corner of Capitol Hill’s Pike and Broadway intersection underwent a transformation. Formerly an easy-to-miss entryway sandwiched between a coffee shop and Neighbours Nightclub, the small, windowed…
The Good News About Size
It's true: it really doesn't matter
Well, let’s suppose, just for a moment, that bigger is better. I say “just for a moment” because I don’t actually think there are any data to support the idea that bigger penises are more talented, satisfying or even more handsome. They are, however, culturally admired and many men, and some women, fetishize size and…
A Pandan Treat
How a Vietnamese coffee shop became one of the city's best under-the-radar waffle spots
Whether it’s a hot puff of steam pushing through a tightly packed mound of grounds, or beans whirring in a grinder perfuming the air with their bitter oils, in almost every coffee shop on the planet there’s only one scent that dominates: coffee. So, it can be a little surprising to walk inside Phin Vietnamese…
Dr. AI? Not So Fast
Health systems across the state are grappling with how to use AI
For more than a year, Kaiser Permanente has been using artificial intelligence chatbots to help patients navigate care options. Leaders at UW Medicine are working to understand how AI applies to both clinical care and medical research. Overlake Medical Center is integrating AI into many of its business practices. ChatGPT and Midjourney have garnered headlines…
Seattle Seen: Sizzling Style
Devoted followers of fashion make a summer statement
“All these portraits capture different sides of what it is to be a Seattleite, the experiences you may have, or the way you look at life.” — Seattle street photographer Valerie Franc. Seattle is a city of variation, texture, and beautiful misfits, and Valerie Franc shows the vulnerability in the seemingly invincible. She finds tenderness…