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Alex Ashley, a journalist and musician from Bellingham, Washington, has known his friend, Kit Knowles, for almost five years now. The connected after the loss of a mutual friend. When it comes to their friendship , they trust each other, they communicate — all the boxes are checked. Except one. “There’s an old proverb — you’ve probably heard it — that says ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder,’” Ashley says. “But what if that’s all you have: absence? What then?” The two communicate almost solely

This week on Sound Effect , we’re sharing stories of heartbreak, and the different ways people respond to it.

Marcus Haney has caught several big named musicians on camera, including the likes of Coldplay and Elton John. In 2014, he was asked to produce a music video for the British band Bear's Den. He came up with the idea of coming to Seattle to film his younger brother, Turner Haney, and Turner's friends, who all attended Seattle Pacific University, capturing youth on the brink of adulthood. But on June 5, 2014, the day the filming was supposed to begin, tragedy struck. Aaron Ybarra walked onto to

Hearts are usually broken in a moment, at a specific place. Michelle Penaloza, a poet who lives in Seattle, understands that memories, good, bad and everything in between, are tied to things. Maybe it was a song that was playing in the background. Or perhaps it’s a certain park bench where someone delivered bad news. Penaloza took 22 people on walks that began at the old Richard Hugo House on Capitol Hill . The destination for these walks was where the heartbreak occurred. One walk involved a

A trinket, unintentionally loosed from a handful of change KNKX producer Nick Morrison used to pay for his morning coffee created a connection between him and his morning barista. “I just said, ‘My sister,’ and she said, ‘My son,” he remembers. Shauna, the team leader of the coffee cart had the same glass heart. The two locked eyes, clasped hands, and created a connection recalled every time Morrison picks up his split-shot latte. Upon his younger sister’s passing, a man from a support agency

In 1950s Tacoma, Harold Moss and his wife Willibelle faced racism in the search for a home. “You learned that when you called a white realtor, you had to use your white voice, and if you sounded black, you weren’t going to get anywhere,” said Moss. The couple owned a plot of land on which they intended to build a house, but banks refused to give him a mortgage and contractors refused to build. They decided to keep the land and buy a house instead. Seller after seller rejected the Moss’ attempts

Broken hearts are what inspires a lot of the music we listen to, whether it’s pop, soul, country or the blues. But what if that song of love gone wrong is about you, and you’re relationship with that musician? And what happens when you and that artist get back together, but those songs, they’re still out there. This is the experience of Seattle musician Jenn Champion and her partner, Sound Effect contributor Arwen Nicks. Jenn and Arwen are in a happy, healthy relationship now. In fact, they just

This week on Sound Effect , we've teamed up with the women behind the " Hella Black Hella Seattle " podcast to tell stories of black history in the Northwest. Black History Month We meet the women behind the "Hella Black Hella Seattle" podcast and talk about what black history means to them. Seattle's 'Queen of Gospel' Pastor Pat Wright has been a radio disc jockey, an R&B singer, and an educator but she is easily best known as the founder and director of Seattle’s renowned Total Experience

Pastor Pat Wright can't read music, but she made a hit single as a solo R&B singer, performed for three U.S. presidents including Barack Obama, and sang at Jimi Hendrix's funeral. Wright began and continues to direct Seattle's renowned Total Experience Choir. Founded in 1973, the choir has performed for presidents, and toured in 28 countries and 33 states. She attributes its success to the type of music they perform. "You can't make old folks out of young people ... your music director has

At age 13, Kristi Brown knew she would be a chef, but she remembers planning multi-course meals by the time she was 5. "I'm a big believer in working on your purpose," she says, "That really is the only answer that you have if you want to be happy."