The Pulse: Bloom Watch
Cherry trouble and a cosmic double bill
By Sarah Stackhouse June 20, 2025
After all those sunny days, the rain came back, and it feels good. The garden’s thriving. Everything smells fresh. It’s nice having to water less.
You can feel it elsewhere too. Something’s blooming in bookstores, in community centers, in the way people are showing up for each other. The world still feels heavy, but growth is happening anyway.
Here’s what’s happening around town…
Artist Kimisha Turner revisits her Black Lives Matter mural and reflects on what’s changed since 2020.
Susan Lieu marks World Refugee Day with a family photo and an important message. She truly is a Seattle treasure.
Washington’s cherry season is taking a hit due to deportation fears, but the fruit and the farmers are still hanging on.
William Shatner and Neil deGrasse Tyson take the stage together in Seattle this week. Talk about a cosmic dream team.
Seattle Public Library’s Summer of Learning is back — books, prizes, kid chaos.
AI is shaking up Seattle startups.
A new mural honoring the Black Panther Party was unveiled today at Northwest African American Museum. Love to see it.
Louboutins, basketball hoops, and Pinocchio — Hugh Hayden’s upcoming show at the Frye looks incredible.
Seattle Art Museum is hiring: curatorial, tech, marketing — this could be your in.
Here’s where to find lifeguarded swim spots around the city.
KUOW’s Art Walk 101 is your cheat sheet to doing any art walk right.
Woodland Park Zoo recently released 30 tiny western pond turtles into the wild. Congrats, grads — go bask on those logs like the little Pacific Northwest legends you are.
Who else is a sucker for a vintage swim photo? This 1941 Green Lake dive pic is all style and class.
Reader Comment of the Week:
On our story about the chaos of a modern workday — Slack pings, surprise video meetings, and no real time to think:
That lighting is at least half the trauma.
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