Listening Guide: In The Moment Ep. 29

Mar 7, 2019 | Audio, Digital Stage, Listening Guide, Town Crier



In episode #29 of In The Moment, correspondent Katy Sewall talks with John Lanchester (3:58) about his book The Wall. They delve into Lanchester’s inspiration for the book—a recurring dream. Lanchester recounts the prescient nature of his dream, which took place before discussions of Brexit and Trump’s border wall. The dream took place in the future of our world impacted by global climate change and a rising sea level, and followed a lone figure standing on a dark, cold wall. Scher and Lanchester explore the notion that walls such, though typically made for security and safety, often create exclusion and othering for those on the opposite side. Lanchester says that those who participate in othering must make constantly make excuses and seek justifications, and must train themselves to see the others as people wholly unlike themselves. In order to change how people see the world, says Lanchester, we need imaginative works of fiction.

Chief Correspondent Steve Scher interviews renowned biologist Frans de Waal (12:20) about our assumptions about animals. They discuss the common perception that animals only have instincts or minimal associative learning. De Waal recalls how in the 1990s his contemporaries laughed off his proposed theories of animal empathy and sympathy—yet he continued his research undaunted, inspired by the close relationships and knowledge he had developed about the primates he worked with. He discusses the process of measuring the physiological effects of emotions in animals, as opposed to feelings which are individual experiences. De Waal also reports that he’s just as happy to work with animals while relying solely on observations.

And host Jini Palmer sits down with Town Hall’s Marketing Manager Jonathan Shipley (21:44) to discuss the Town Crier blog and his interview with translator Michael Straus. Shipley discusses how he learned that the process of translation is not verbatim, but a more complex consideration of finding the “spirit” of the text. Jini and Jonathan delve into the importance of the translator as a part of the finished work, and of the ways which audiences interpret or receive that work.

Still Curious?

-Frans da Waal gave an enlightening TED talk on the moral behavior of animals.

-NPR offers a fascinating recorded interview with John Lanchester about one of his previous books How To Speak Money.

-You can read Jonathan’s interview with Michael Straus on the Town Crier.

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dTown Hall Seattle is committed to accessibility for audiences and artists alike. From our ticketing policies to the capacities of our physical space, our goal is for Town Hall to be a place where everyone can take part, be inspired, and use their voice to shape our future.

Our Venue

In 2019, Town Hall Seattle completed a $35 million renovation, providing an even more accessible home for our city’s conversations and creativity. Core accessibility features of the renovation include:

  • At-grade entrances (8th Ave Entrance to The Lobby, and West Entrance facing Downtown Seattle)
  • Restrooms for all genders and bodies. Our building features 17 all-gender restrooms on our lobby level, as well as ADA-accessible restrooms on the lobby and Forum level
  • Church pew/bench seats with wheelchair and companion seating in The Great Hall, and variable/movable seating in The Wyncote NW Forum and The Mehdi Reading Room
  • A modern, spacious elevator serving all three levels of the building and a wheelchair lift for speaker access to the Forum green room
  • Wheelchair ramp leading to the Forum Stage and wheelchair access via the elevator to the Great Hall stage
  • Accessible backstage areas, restrooms, and green rooms serviced by an elevator
  • Speaker and presenter seating for all bodies and abilities
  • A Hearing Loop system in all three performance spaces. Using T-Coil (wireless receiver) technology, the hearing loop system projects voices and sounds directly from the microphone into an individual’s hearing aid.
  • Braille on permanent room signage throughout the building

A Note on Transportation and Parking

Town Hall Seattle does not have a designated parking lot. Our venue is served by frequent bus routes, is near access to light rail stations, and close to a number of parking options nearby – including discounted, ADA parking at LAZ Parking (6th Ave Coast Seattle Downtown Hotel Garage). Learn more about parking options and discounted parking nearby here.

Program Accessibility & Livestreaming

Town Hall strives to ensure that all audience members can participate fully in our programs. We make every effort to provide real-time captioning (CART), ASL interpretation, translation and transcription services, and seating accommodations upon request.

Town Hall currently provides livestreaming for select events. An event may be livestreamed under any of the following circumstances:

  • In-person tickets to the event are sold out or anticipated to sell out
  • Livestreaming is requested by a speaker or co-presenting partner
  • Livestreaming is requested by a ticket buyer
  • The event topic is relevant to disability or disability justice

Audio and/or video recordings of most Town Hall-produced programs are available to the public approximately 2 weeks after the initial event date. You can find Town Hall’s digital content by visiting the Audio & Video Archives, and by subscribing to our podcasts and YouTube channel.

We do our best to honor livestream requests, pending staffing and permission from speakers and publishers. Contact access@townhallseattle.org to request accessibility services, ask questions, or to let us know what other accommodation you need to participate fully. Please provide at least 2 weeks’ advance notice when requesting CART and Livestreaming, and at least 4 weeks’ notice when requesting ASL.

For more information about our entrances, accessibility requests, and more, check out our Plan Your Visit pages.

Economic Accessibility

Town Hall strives to ensure that the cost of admission is never a barrier to participation. Almost all Town Hall-produced events are available on a sliding scale starting at $10, and many events are free. To break down further barriers to access, our 22 & Under initiative launched in 2019 with support from the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, making most Town Hall-produced programs free for everyone aged 22 & Under.

If the ticket price to a Town Hall-produced program poses a barrier for you, please contact patronservices@townhallseattle.org for economic accommodations.

Economic Access for Rental Partners: We operate our stages with the same deep commitment to economic accessibility; our performance spaces are the most affordable in the region among similarly sized venues. We underwrite rental rates and related services for other small and midsized nonprofits and mission-aligned producers to help level the cultural playing field and ensure that everyone can afford to take the stage.

Note: Town Hall does not set the ticket prices for Rental Partner events. Our sliding scale ticketing model and 22 & Under tickets do not extend to programs produced by Rental Partners. To identify rental events, look for the gray “Rental Partner” label on our website and printed calendar.

Town Hall values active collaboration with our community, and our commitment to accessibility is no different. We invite you to contact us with feedback and ideas.