A Scott Bullitt Lecture in American History: Michael Eric Dyson
Seattle Public Library's annual A. Scott Bullitt Lecture always brings big names to town who have big ideas — and lucky for all of us, for free! This year doesn’t disappoint with Georgetown University sociology professor and writer Michael Eric Dyson taking the pulpit at Mount Zion Baptist Church. Dyson is the author of over a dozen books (and even more opinion pieces), including 2017’s Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America. The book is a bestseller, garnering wide acclaim and called “searing,” “eloquent,” “urgent,” and “fierce.” Dyson is a magnificent thinker and even more powerful speaker. Do not miss this. (If you can’t make it, check SPL’s website in the future for a podcast of his talk.)
If you go: Michael Eric Dyson, Mount Zion Baptist Church, Oct. 13. (free)--N.C.
Sun Kil Moon
There are albums, and voices, that transport you –returning you to a time, a place, a feeling in a way that nothing else can. One of these albums for me is Sun Kil Moon’s 2003 Ghosts of the Great Highway, every word written and sung by Mark Kozelek. I love Kozelek’s intimate, bordering-on-confessional lyrics, his voice, his layered guitar arrangements, how he manages to both dress up and strip down great songs by others. Kozelek has been performing since 1989, releasing records under his own name as well as with his bands the Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon. Somehow each album is hailed as “his most autobiographical and raw yet.” Get ready for an intimate night at Benaroya Hall, where he’ll be joined in Seattle by an 8-piece subset of San Francisco band Magik*Magik Orchestra.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJU7kKcNNk0
If you go: Sun Kil Moon, Benaroya Hall, Oct. 12 ($30)--N.C.
America: The Cookbook
The Summit on Pike, Friday 10/13 at 7:30 p.m., $5
My fridge holds one of my favorite postcards: Minnesota- Principal Hot Dishes by Region. Each morning in my kitchen, my anxiety is slightly quelled knowing that Wild Rice Casserole and Tuna Noodle Hot Dish have been cataloged and valued. What artist Faye Passow did for Minnesota casserole appreciation, Gabrielle Langholtz has done for the entire country in her brand-new book America: The Cookbook. Langholtz will talk about the work — which goes state-by-state to discuss traditions new and old, and includes 800, home-cooking recipes — with acclaimed NW chefs (and cookbook authors) Renee Erickson and Naomi Pomeroy. I cannot wait to hear more about the evolution of this book, not to mention to buy it for everyone for the holidays!
If you go: America: The Cookbook, The Summit on Pike, Oct. 13 ($5)--F.D.
Wasted! The Story of Food Waste
You’ve probably heard mutterings that food waste in the U.S. is a problem or at the very least, you’ve heard of people dumpster-diving and finding perfectly good bottles of juice or bread. Told from the perspective of innovative chefs who are blurring the lines between “waste” and “delicacy,” this documentary confronts the multi-layered topic of food waste and the many issues it touches — from hunger to capitalism to the environment to cooking — and ultimately leaves you feeling that you (YOU!) have the power to do something about it. “We don’t need to produce more,” one man in Wasted! asserts of a country where an estimated 40% of the food we produce is wasted. “We need to act differently.” I'd add: we need to start thinking differently and we can start by watching this invigorating, enlightening and hopeful film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcVNFJn7NgI
If you go: Wasted! The Story of Food Waste, SIFF, Oct. 13-15 ($14)--N.C.
Lake View Cemetery Walking Tour
Cemeteries are calm, beautiful and packed full of history, from the stories of the land to the grave markers of the people interred there. Atlas Obscura field agent and cemetery enthusiast Jared Steed has done the hard work for us, finding the most interesting stories and weaving them together into a fascinating history of Seattle’s most famous cemetery, home to not just Bruce and Brandon Lee but many of Seattle’s pioneers. In addition, you’ll look closely at a few things normally unnoticed, including the Nisei War Memorial Monument, which honors Japanese American veterans, and a monument honoring Jefferson Davis’ brother-in-law. As with any event at Volunteer Park, I recommend pairing this with a pastry pilgrimage to the lovely and delicious Volunteer Park Café. Two tours: 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
If you go: Lake View Cemetery Walking Tour, Oct. 14 ($20)--N.C.
This article is made possible with support from the City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture.
