• December 14
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• Steilacoom

The Pine and the Cherry: Japanese Americans in Washington

In the lead-up to World War II, Japantown in Seattle featured grocery stores, cafes, and native-language services, as well as labor and music clubs. Trading companies imported Japanese goods, and restaurants served the familiar sukiyaki, tofu, and miso soup. In Eastern Washington, Japanese farmers prospered. Then came Executive Order 9066. Those born in Japan, as […]

• December 12
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• Sedro-Woolley

Not Just for Kids: How Children’s Literature Inspires Bold Conversations

Children’s books such as Curious George and Goodnight Moon are often beloved by children, sparking their imaginations and providing warmth and comfort. But books like these can also inspire adults— helping us to imagine ourselves in a new way and think about society from a new perspective. In this talk, University of Washington lecturer Anu […]

• December 12
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• Olympia

The Ancient Fruitcake: What Really, Really Old Food Tells Us about History, Culture, Love, and Memory

This talk is not about the old leftovers in the fridge. It is about food that is so old, so unusual, or so meaningful, that no one dares throw it away. Discover the foods archeologists have found buried with mummies, the petrified banana so appealing it sparked a Banana Museum, the 350-year-old fruitcake handed down […]

• December 11
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• Quincy

The Truth and I: Reading Betty MacDonald in the Age of Memoir

Betty MacDonald burst onto the American literary scene in 1945 with her memoir, The Egg and I, a tartly witty tale about operating a chicken ranch on Washington’s dauntingly wild Olympic Peninsula. Betty’s vivacity, offbeat humor, and sparklingly irreverent take on life captured a public ready to laugh again after the grim, hard years of […]

• December 10
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• Wenatchee

The Truth and I: Reading Betty MacDonald in the Age of Memoir

Betty MacDonald burst onto the American literary scene in 1945 with her memoir, The Egg and I, a tartly witty tale about operating a chicken ranch on Washington’s dauntingly wild Olympic Peninsula. Betty’s vivacity, offbeat humor, and sparklingly irreverent take on life captured a public ready to laugh again after the grim, hard years of […]

• December 10
• |
• Wenatchee

The Truth and I: Reading Betty MacDonald in the Age of Memoir

Betty MacDonald burst onto the American literary scene in 1945 with her memoir, The Egg and I, a tartly witty tale about operating a chicken ranch on Washington’s dauntingly wild Olympic Peninsula. Betty’s vivacity, offbeat humor, and sparklingly irreverent take on life captured a public ready to laugh again after the grim, hard years of […]

• December 8
• |
• Auburn

Sasquatch: Man-Ape or Myth?

Throughout the Northwest, people have been reporting encounters with the Sasquatch—a hairy, eight- to ten-foot-tall hominid—for hundreds of years. Yet aside from a collection of large footprint casts and a sizable assemblage of eyewitness accounts, some attributable to the earliest humans in the Northwest, no scientifically accepted evidence has been offered to establish this being’s […]

• December 7
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• Gig Harbor

Hollywood and the Homefront: Tinsel Town’s Contribution to WWII

During World War II, the War Department realized the importance of not only keeping up the morale of America’s fighting forces abroad, but the morale of those at home. The result was an unprecedented push by Hollywood to contribute morale-building war dramas, troop entertainment, and training films to the war effort. Special radio programs, documentary […]

• December 6
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• Leavenworth

The Ancient Fruitcake: What Really, Really Old Food Tells Us about History, Culture, Love, and Memory

This talk is not about the old leftovers in the fridge. It is about food that is so old, so unusual, or so meaningful, that no one dares throw it away. Discover the foods archeologists have found buried with mummies, the petrified banana so appealing it sparked a Banana Museum, the 350-year-old fruitcake handed down […]

• December 6
• |
• Cashmere

The Good Game: On the Moral Value of Sports

Sports are far more than a game—they have a tremendous impact on our culture, and lay claim to playing an important role in developing moral values like courage, teamwork, and sacrifice. Join philosopher Mike VanQuickenborne for a deeper exploration of our obsession with sports. What makes something a sport? Is competition more helpful or harmful? […]