Hi Friends,
I’m excited to share something new we’re trying at Town Hall Seattle. We’re stretching into our strategic plan — experimenting, expanding, seeing what sticks when we try new programming. We’re introducing a new series called Speaking of Seattle. It’s conversations about the issues shaping Seattle, curated by Marcus Harrison Green; publisher of the South Seattle Emerald, an author, speaker, podcaster, and columnist with the Seattle Times. And to bring this series to life, we’re co-producing with our friends at The Stranger.
Civics is already a cornerstone of our programming, and now we’re testing the theory that all politics is local. What happens at City Hall, in Olympia, in our neighborhoods — the stuff that you see every day with your own eyes. Speaking of Seattle is a place to listen, ask questions, hear different views…without it turning into a shouting match. We want to model civic discourse, civil dialogue, and remember that we can share space even if we disagree.
We’ll host four events during the 2025-26 season, and we’re aiming to hit some of the topics that keep coming up when you talk to people around Seattle. We’re hopeful that these conversations bring clarity and inspiration to your own communities, wherever they might be.
First up: The November elections. On November 12 at 7:30PM, Marcus will be joined by political strategist Crystal Fincher, The Stranger’s news editor Vivian McCall, and the South Seattle Emerald’s political columnist Tobias Coughlin-Bogue. Together they’ll cut through the noise to unpack what the results really mean — from City Hall to Olympia — and connect it all to the turbulent political currents in Washington, D.C. It’s about what happens next in Seattle. Grab your ticket and get civic with us.
This is new for us, AND it’s also what Town Hall has always tried to do — make space for civic life to feel alive and meaningful.
Kate Nagle-Caraluzzo, Executive Director
