Pepper Pepper on Pink’s Power: Queerness, Movement, and Magic
Walking into Pepper Pepper a.k.a. Kaj-Anne Pepper’s show Pink Moment: Collections at Seattle Central’s M. Rosetta Hunter Gallery feels transcendent. Predominantly a new media show with video, sound, and some photography, Pink Moment is an exploration of “pink as queer energy, movement, and magic.” Viewing the work, the color pink takes on an ethereal effect as the motion of Pepper Pepper—acting as both subject and performer—reveals a dynamic, prismatic quality that is dreamlike and hypnotizing.
Commingling at HUMP: Festival Newbies and Veterans Savor Sexuality on Screen
Upon arrival, we mingled, got in line for the bar, and sat in the lobby chatting about the excellent playlist, the overall vibe, and any preconceived notions (of which there were few). Once the doors to the theater opened, we meandered in, a perk of arriving early and secured seats that would allow for the optimal middle-of-the-theater view. We tried to answer the trivia questions as they popped up on the screen, the preshow displaying information about the sponsors as well as information for submitting a film to HUMP! for next year.
HUMP! Redefines Community with Humans’ Most Basic Instinct
On The Boards hosted the “pervs” of Seattle for part two of its 20th anniversary year. Submissions from all over the world to our backyards were carefully curated down to a selection of erotic short films that have a little bit of everything for everybody. And at least one thing that expands your mind to possibilities previously unthought of.
HUMP! Returns to Seattle for 20th Anniversary Tour
HUMP! Film Festival will return to the Puget Sound this fall with the second half of its 20th anniversary programming. The indie adult short film festival created by Dan Savage has been a staple in Seattle since its debut. This new collection of 22 shorts, selected from hundreds of submissions, will run 17 screenings in Seattle from September 18-27 and October 10-11 at three venues across the city: On the Boards in Queen Anne, Quality Flea Center in Capitol Hill, and The LumberYard Bar in White Center.
Trans* Talk: Bathroom Bills
I began following a case titled Doe v. State of South Carolina, in which an anonymous transgender teenager (referred to only as John Doe) is challenging South Carolina’s state law which prohibits students of the opposite sex to enter changing rooms, restrooms, and other private facilities of one sex. This law, South Carolina’s Proviso 1.120, affects all students in public Pre-K through high schools, denying Trans* students the right to use the bathroom that corresponds to their identity. John Doe, who is entering 9th grade this year, has rallied the support of his family and the Alliance for Full Acceptance (AFFA), a local LGBTQ+ advocacy group.
Fossil & Stone Spotlights Natural Worlds in the Heart of Downtown
Just a quick walk from the Westlake Lightrail Station, and a few blocks inland from the bustling Pike Place Market, Fossil & Stone Fine Art Gallery stands still and quiet amongst the normal chaos of downtown Seattle. It is a gallery that one might walk past day in and day out, never quite noticing the inspiring and beautiful art within.
For Colored Boyz Beautifully Presents Black Men in Their Own Words and Worlds
On September 5, I attended the West Coast premiere of For Colored Boyz (On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown/When Freedom Ain’t Enuff), written by Bryan-Keyth Wilson with direction by Lynette Winters and Ry Armstrong and choreography by Jimmy Shields. Brought to us by The Underground Theater, the play was described as a choreopoem, utilizing poetry, movement, and music to detail the unique intersectionality of being a queer Black man in America.
Masterful Morgue Anne Spills Rendezvous Tea, Urges Support for Displaced Performers
Over the past decade, Morgue Anne has forged a creative home at The Rendezvous, a historic venue in the heart of Belltown, where, until a few weeks ago, you could see everything from live music, to comedy shows, public figure drawing sessions, burlesque performances, and beyond. “I’ve been working at the Rendezvous in one way or another for the last ten years or so. I’ve been the events and booking director for the past three years,” she said. But her experience goes beyond just booking the shows:
Fall Film Fests to Fit into Your Travel Plans
It’s lucky if you live here around the Puget Sound because you do not have to go far to experience great cinema. There are vast possibilities here that will have destinations like Port Townsend, Tacoma, and Orcas Island on your mind. Here are a few highlights of local film festivals and archival series coming this fall.
Hardware Electronic Artists Connect Communities in Seattle’s Live Music Scene
At 10 p.m., Seattle music project monocot.zip, composed of longtime friends Ryan Tucker and Luke Pendergrass, took to the stage and began their set. When their first notes hit the speakers, the crowd drew closer, because what was happening on stage was something you wanted to watch just as much as dance to.
Trans* Talk: Current Events
This week, I wanted to provide an update on current and relevant Trans* and Queer news from the past month. Legislation is moving quickly, and it can be difficult to keep track of important Trans* rulings that can keep you and/or your loved ones safe.
Letter from The Editor
I joined The Echo because I see the same spark and desire in everyone who creates with us. When one of our writers interviews someone with important, silly, or beautiful things to say about their work or life, we all shine. When another writer pours their thoughts and emotions into a piece of narrative or poetry, someone’s cup is filled for the day. Or when still another Creative captures a salient scene with their camera, Truth regains a beacon.
Pongo Poetry Project Provides Creative Therapy to Struggling Youth
What would the world be without poetry today? Poetry, a quintessential art form, always needs more attention, affection, and appreciation. The Pongo Poety Project, a nonprofit organization based in Seattle, is just one of many that continues to keep this art form alive while fostering new writers into its environment.
Federal Cuts to Public Media May Bring Devastating Consequences
The true value in community media is in the way it forges local connection and identity, providing spaces for diverse voices—something that is often lost in conglomerate media, who tend to cite the same sources (often one another), parrot the same talking points, and create an overwhelming agenda on behalf of their owners or investors.
Evergreen Style: PNW Climate Week
From July 16 to 25, PNW Climate Week hosted various community-led events across the region to inspire climate action. Cheryl Scheiderhan is a member of the small but mighty team who worked hard to make this year the most impactful one yet.
As a fashion professional, Cheryl is focused on the complex relationships between climate, clothes, and consumption. Being in a city like Seattle, which thrives on technical solutions, it’s proving difficult to convey the relevance of fashion.
Boba Fest Revitalizes Summer in U District
On July 19, the U District, which boasts over 20 boba-centric establishments, hosted Boba Fest. It was a celebration of this delicious drink and the avid fan base around it. To wander between the shops was to hear deep discussions of what kind of boba is best with what tea and what savory snack pairs well with the sweetness.
Trans* Talk: Pride and History
On my way to the station, several people complimented my shirt or my hair, others smiled as I walked past, and even more strutted by in intricate outfits, displaying various Pride flags in all manners of ways. In a sea of rainbows and smiles, I made my way home, thinking about those who had come before me, the Queer and Trans* elders I would never get to meet. What would they think of the current state of the movement? Would they think we were “loud” enough?
Pride Continues: Seattle Queer + Trans Film Fest Celebrates 30 Years
For their 30th Queer and Trans Film Festival, Three Dollar Bill Cinema is taking us back to 1996 when it all began. This event will be a mix of throwback favorites and some new shorts in the TRANSlations Shorts program. The festival will open with Beautiful Thing, which was the film that kicked it all off 30 years ago.
Friday Afternoon Tea an Inclusive Respite for All Communities
I closed out Pride Month by attending the fabulous and charming Queer Talent Show at Friday Afternoon Tea in Wallingford. This Queer and woman-owned business is a wonderful location with kind and knowledgeable staff, and their get-together for the end of Pride was cozy, loving, and all-around magical. Owned by the amazing Friday Elliott, Friday Afternoon Tea is quite simply the place to be.
Dark and Tender: Healing Black Men with The CUT Project
Aaron Johnson (he/him) is on a mission, the type of undertaking that comes to you through lived experiences. Ben Wilson (he/him), the producer of and participant in the short film Dark and Tender, invited me to attend the film’s screening at the Seattle Black Film Festival. The film, which aims to be a larger documentary, tells the story of the CUT Project.
