Speakers Forum

Author Thomas Frank made his mark on the book world by taking Republicans to task for the state of the nation. Last year, well before Donald Trump’s presidential win, Frank shifted his gaze to the Democrats. He didn’t like what he saw there, either.

The first 100 days of the Donald Trump era have come and gone. There’s been plenty to fathom, through 24-7 reporting and frequent tweets, but if you’re ready to take a deep breath and consider the big picture, here’s your chance.

The Storywallahs series provides a stage for Puget Sound residents with roots in India and South Asia to tell stories. This time around the theme concerned the question of belonging. In the era of "making America great again," these stories help illuminate what it means to be great in the first place.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson was elected in 2012 after a career path that included service on the King County Council, litigation for a major Seattle law firm, clerkships for federal judges, and a stint as a traveling chess master. In this talk, he tells the story of his fascination with chess and the behind-the-scenes drama of his challenge to President Donald Trump’s so-called Muslim ban.

Since 2011, the people behind Sandbox Radio have been putting together live performances of the kind of variety show you don’t hear much these days. There’s comedy, drama, sound effects and music — all percolating up from the minds and talents of local artists and featured guests.

Every year the Citizen University conference takes place in Seattle. Civic-minded people from around the country gather to make connections, listen and share messages of challenge and progress. This year the theme was Reckoning and Repair in America.

Civic Saturday is the brainchild of Eric Liu and Jená Cane, co-founders of the Seattle-based non-profit Citizen University. They call it the civic analog to church. Like church, it brings people together but to ponder our civic lives. And like church, the gathering includes songs, readings of “scripture” taken from great American texts, silent reflection and a “sermon” given by Liu.

Before Chris Hayes became an Emmy Award-winning MSNBC host and a best-selling author, he was a kid trying to navigate New York City in the 1990s. His experience of borders, between neighborhoods and classes of people, informed his world view.

Human beings have depended on mythology since the beginning of our existence. Myths told us how the world began, how to understand its trials and wonders, and how it might end. Yet now, when many of us believe something is not true, we call it a myth. What happened?

Ballerina Misty Copeland started her dance training at the late age of 13. Nonetheless, she was soon recognized as a prodigy and rose quickly to opportunity and success. In 2015, she became the first African-American woman promoted to principal ballerina by American Ballet Theatre.