When asked to attend the 2^nd annual Seattle Fetish Ball and write about it, I only had one question at first: What do you even wear to fetish balls? I’m the type of person that needs to look at menus, check parking, and figure out how long a walk from place to place is. I like being informed, but mostly I have a fear of being or looking out of place. Luckily, they had guidelines. Fetish wear required, it was clearly intended to be a safe space for the fetish/kink/alternative communities.

Whole Washington hosted their first philanthropy event to raise money and support toward universal health care. Many health professionals and volunteers joined recognizable political and nonprofit community leaders at The Historic Mt. Baker Community Center on May 17.

Firelight flickered on the walls, and the crackling grew into a roar. In the amber glow, a face watched her pass, little eyes staring out from an old photograph of her daughter. 

Ivy was twelve when Leonna last saw her. The girl was Leonna’s greatest pride. The one creation of hers whose heart seemed truly pure. She hoped Ivy had remained that way, indelible and defiant against the cruelties of the world, never letting them break her. 

On December 7, 1941, the attack on Pearl Harbor marked the start of the United States’ involvement in World War II. It also started a wave of fear and unrest throughout the country, leading to an overwhelming prejudice against Japanese Americans. “Most of us had no ties to Japan,” Lilly Kodama, a survivor, explained. “We had never been there. We had never even seen it.” Similar to the reactionary racism and prejudice against Arab Americans following 9/11, the discrimination against Japanese Americans had no true basis in fact, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order only created more harm and prejudice against an already vulnerable community.

A day trip out of Seattle up to San Juan Island, near the Canadian border, will take you to one of my favorite Washington icons. At Roche Harbor, a short walk through a wooded cemetery more than a century old will lead to a clearing, in the center of which rests a large stone rotunda. Afterglow Vista (previously known as McMillin Memorial Mausoleum) seems otherworldly—a classical, open-air rotunda containing Masonic symbols, including a round stone table and chairs (in which the ashes of the McMillin family, along with those of John S. McMillin’s secretary Adah Beeny are interred) in the center of a Pacific Northwest island forest.

This year’s SIFF has served us a remarkable collection of films. Three of my favorite films from this year all have friendship as a core theme: Ka Whawhai Tonu, The Balconettes, and She’s the He. 

The saddest part about attending the Seattle International Film Festival is the moment you realize it’s almost over. I have gotten to see some unforgettable films this season, thanks to the diverse and unique sensibilities of the 26 SIFF Programmers, who began their research and selection process last August for this year's festival. SIFF 2025’s final weekend is now upon us, and there’s still time to take advantage of some of the must-see films, now showing at the five SIFF and SIFF-partner venues around the city.

JLH: [This show] is sort of like confirmation. And I think that’s been an experience for people. I’m also a Survivor. The experience of people coming in and asking, “Does this agree with me or not?”, and me feeling concerned and sensitive about how this feels for Survivors, because, again, the framing is not around Survivor experience. It’s around the document, the lack of documentation, and the protest around our systems of power that are definitely not serving. So almost an archival protest. The programming needed to be more of a deepening of conversations around survivors and their experiences.

On the surface, the works in  Jennifer Leigh Harrison’s show I’m Trying to Tell You Something: Breaking the Silence of Femicide Through Visual Art at Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA), belie the show’s heavy subject matter. In contrast, the work is light, largely abstract, not portraiture, with no obvious violence exhibited. In fact, the only works featuring human subjects are a performance by Harrison and two videos, where she partners with performers from Seattle Pole Dance. A closer look, however, reveals that Harrison’s work utilizes a unique data visualization, in addition to educational wall labels, to tell the stories of intimate partner violence (IPV) against women.

Documentaries like Between Goodbyes, Viktor, and Seeds are an invigorating style of non-fiction storytelling. These films evolve the genre beyond what we perceive as documentaries. Documentary filmmaking, like narrative filmmaking, sets out to tell a story and so it makes sense to tell the story in a way that makes sense for the subject and material. These three forge their own path and are all the better for it.

The theme of this year’s SIFF is “Escape to the Reel World,” and with passport in hand, attendees get to travel the globe seeing stories from all over the world—opening your eyes, your ears, and your soul.

Here are just a few of some of the many movies worth a look:

It has been an amazing week of films, both international and domestic, at the Seattle International Film Festival. While I have been enjoying many films from around the world, I must give an enthusiastic shout-out to three films that hail from the northern climes of Scandinavia—specifically, Denmark and Norway.

Being intentional is something that Timothy Parent—also known as T—promotes through the educational platform, Reforme U. His emphasis on dressing with authenticity helps people transform their relationship with fashion from mindless to mindful. Our conversation explores his perspective on sustainable fashion and highlights his upcoming projects in the community, which—full disclosure—includes a collaboration with me.

I want to start by thanking everyone, whether you have read all of Max’s Musings or this is your first one. When presented with the opportunity to explore my love for poetry in a new way and share my thoughts and experiences, I lunged at the chance to do so. Poetry has always been an escape for me as it has taught me more about myself than I could ever fathom.

For my final Max’s Musings, I selected a poem from the powerhouse poet Maya Angelou. I couldn’t think of a more remarkable poet to ride out this long-awaited train.

When I brought the idea of beginning a new series to my managing editor, I had the intention to create an informative column. I would look at the news and digest it as best I could, making a one-stop place for Trans News. But, as I’ve said, the news is changing rapidly, court decisions are made every day, and new propositions and bills are entering the floors of city, state, and federal chambers at breakneck speeds. There’s too much to break down and others work tirelessly to update the community on a national scale, so I’ve shifted the focus of our column to advice, local news, and uplifting stories for Trans, Nonbinary, and Gender Non-Conforming people in the Puget Sound region.

There's nothing quite like opening night. There's an electricity in the air as tents go up, marquees are set, and the staff makes final checks in their walkie talkies. Of course, it wouldn't be opening night of the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) without at least a drizzle of rain, which began coming down in earnest around the time the red carpet arrivals kicked off.

The 51st annual Seattle International Film Festival kicked off last night at the Paramount Theatre with a screening of Darren Thornton’s Four Mothers. The festival has grown immensely since its debut in 1976, where it showed 18 films. Now, over the next ten days through May 25, you can expect screenings of 245 films that span continents, criss-cross genres, and highlight brand new and longtime filmmakers alike.

When Leonna was six, wildfires turned the sky a wrathful shade of red. 

The sun seemed to be the glowing eye of a giant beast veiled within the smoky horizon. She feared it would consume the world. That morning, her mother had soothed her despondent cries and promised it would be all right, but Leonna never quite forgot the dreadful memory of that burning sky. 

Now, for the first time in forty years, the fury of those flames returned.

If you spend time in historical Downtown Renton, you will likely run across our next guest—just look up. Erasmus the Rooftop Dragon landed atop a crooked little building in 2019. Since then, the city of Renton has embraced Erasmus, holding the annual Dragon’s Landing festival every April to commemorate his arrival.  

Nicole Bearden (NB): I’m excited to chat today, Erasmus. I’ve never had the pleasure of speaking with a dragon before.  

Erasmus the Rooftop Dragon (ERD): The honor is yours, I’m sure.

Now known as SIFF Uptown, the theater is a hub of great cinema both new and classic. Since SIFF took over, the space has been updated with great seating, modern sound systems, and digital projection. The work that SIFF has put in has paid off, creating a space for movie lovers around the city to come and enjoy the magic of the big screen.