Seattle Culture

Seattle Podcast: Tom Mara and Beth Barrett Are SIFF’s Dynamic Duo

Seattle Podcast: Tom Mara and Beth Barrett Are SIFF’s Dynamic Duo

Tom Mara planned to retire when he left Seattle nonprofit radio station KEXP after two stints totaling 34 years. That didn’t last long. In August 2022, Mara accepted the CEO job at the Seattle International Film Festival. Here, he and longtime Artistic Director Beth Barrett discuss how SIFF became one of the largest film festivals in the world, and what’s in store as the festival celebrates 50 years. This year’s festival runs from May 9-19 at SIFF’s four venues across the city, including the venerable SIFF Cinema Downtown (formerly known as The Cinerama).

Must List: March 21-27

Must List: March 21-27

Ignite Seattle, Zakir Khan, and the Purple Crayon

Catch some wildly entertaining rapid-fire talks, watch a classic children’s book come to life, or celebrate all things French. See comedian Zakir Khan, or lose yourself in Torres’ mesmerizing rock.

Seattle’s Most Popular Sports Team is…

Seattle’s Most Popular Sports Team is…

This one may surprise you

The Mariners, of course, broke a two decade playoff drought in 2022 and finished third in the AL West last year, with an 88-74 record. The M’s kick off the 2024 season with a March 28 home game against the Boston Red Sox.

Editor's Note: Welcome to the Neighborhood

Editor’s Note: Welcome to the Neighborhood

Changes are afoot across the region

A stranger was staring at my car, an old Honda CR-V. It was shortly after 8 on a Monday morning, and I was taking my son to school. We’d celebrated his birthday the night before…

Spring Into Seattle's Art Scene

Spring Into Seattle’s Art Scene

A season of premieres, performances, and pioneering art

This spring, Seattle’s arts scene is your playground. Choose from a mix of music, dance, theater, and visual arts.

Must List: March 14-20

Must List: March 14-20

Mar 14 - Mar 20

Laughs, bites, and blossoms

Catch The Fantasticks, a fun take on young love and overbearing parents. Enjoy local seafood and wine at Taste Washington, or laugh with Trevor Noah. Celebrate blooming cherries, and don’t miss the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Lauding Black History, Sports, and Diversity 

Lauding Black History, Sports, and Diversity 

Seattle celebrates Black History Month, sports achievements, LGBTQ+ awards, and a thriving creative economy

The Seattle/King County Clinic recently offered free health care to those in need for four days at the Seattle Center. More than 3,000 volunteers contributed to the initiative, and more than 2,900 received health care services worth more than $2.6 million…

Beauty and Diversity in Art

Beauty and Diversity in Art

Seattle's art scene is embracing more voices and viewpoints than ever

Seattle has become something of a hot spot for diversity in the arts…

Washington’s Woeful Gender-Pay Gap

Washington’s Woeful Gender-Pay Gap

Women across the state earn significantly less than men

Women across the state made $18,4000 less in average wages than men in 2022. New research from the National Partnership for Women and Families found that only Utah has a larger discrepancy, at $20,649.

Party on, Seattle!

Party on, Seattle!

The city doesn’t have to fight for its right to party

Who likes to party? I do, and apparently, so do you, because Seattle is ranked among the top party cities in America.

Publisher's Note: A Sense of Place

Publisher’s Note: A Sense of Place

What makes Seattle distinctive and unique?

Growing up in Edmonds during the 1970s, many beautiful attributes of the Pacific Northwest became inseparable from my notion of what “Seattle’’ really was. I vividly remember the smell of the beach, the sound of ferry boats, and an indelible sense of community from the city’s small-town feel…

The Upside of Downtown Seattle

The Upside of Downtown Seattle

Activity is up, crime is down, people are returning

More than 106,000 residents now call downtown Seattle home. Thirty-one construction projects are underway. More than 3.5 million out-of-town visitors spent time in the city’s core last summer, a post-pandemic high.

Seattle’s Neighborhoods: Creating Purpose and Place

Seattle’s Neighborhoods: Creating Purpose and Place

The March/April issue, out now, highlights why the city is such a special place

In more than three decades as a journalist, I’ve never yelled “stop the press.” But I will say “hot off the press,” which leads me to the new issue of Seattle magazine.

Illustration by Martin Haake

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