Every year, Town Hall selects exceptional local artists and scholars for paid residencies where they engage with Town Hall programs and collaborate with our programming team to develop original events for the community. Findings Night is the final presentation for Residents to showcase what they have worked on at Town Hall. Learn more about our residencies here.

Sally James, Scholar-in-Residence

The Year 12 project asks about a pivotal period in a young person’s growth when what’s swirling around us in news, music or culture may leave a permanent imprint on our identities. Through shared stories from community members and scientific explanations of why this year is so important, the audience will be encouraged to revisit their own Year 12.

On May 30th, Sally will be joined by these three storytellers:

Sydney Floryanzia, a Ph.D student in Chemical Engineering at the University of Washington, is working on developing drug-delivery methods to cross the blood-brain barrier

Charles Mudede is both a journalist and a filmmaker who’s works can be found in The Stranger and other publications. Two of his films, Police Beat and Zoo, premiered at Sundance, and Zoo was screened at Cannes.

Bryn Nelson is a Seattle-based author, journalist, and editor who specializes in scientific, environmental, medical, and travel-related stories. His new book, Flush: The Remarkable Science of an Unlikely Treasure has tapped into all four of those interests.

Sally James is a writer whose curiosity about people has taken her from jails to hospitals to schools to research labs. Once a staff member on daily newspapers, she has been an independent writer on medicine and science for many years. She has reported stories for the South Seattle Emerald, Parentmap, and Seattle Business magazines, as well as other outlets. She is the mother of three adult children and lives in Seattle with her husband and a noisy cat. She is a former president of the Northwest Science Writers Association, a nonprofit supporting science communication.

Shaina Shepherd, Artist-in-Residence

Shaina will present a collection of art songs titled, “Dauphine,” focusing on a character struggling with being a femme minority living in mostly white communities. Her songs are pulled from her personal journal where she explores the feeling of ennui correlated directly with the black diaspora. Findings Night will be the culminating concert of her residency.

Known for her pervasive style, Shaina Shepherd lends her soulful voice to projects of all genres — from collaborating with Nancy Wilson of Heart, to sharing stages with rock stars like Modest Mouse, and being a soloist with classical ensembles around the country. Inspired by the parallels between gospel and garbage metal, Shepherd is embarking on a national tour to share her storytelling chops and penchant for rock and roll glamour with the country. Her heart songs are steeped in American folk and redefine the Outlaw genre with an infusion of Tina Turner, Betty Davis, and Nina Simone. She has recently been featured in Nordstrom’s holiday campaign with her release of “Never Be Another You”, played a KEXP in-studio session, and toured nationally.

Presented by Town Hall Seattle.