We're back! Washington State Association for Justice Executive Director Liz Berry stops by the new digs to talk about her firsthand experience with gun violence, Washington's inability -- or unwillingness -- to raise tax revenue, and her legen
Classic upisode! Or, re-run! Longtime advocate and 2017 mayoral finalist Cary Moon swings by the bookstore and raps with Ian about growing up in the Midwest, land planning in Seattle, and the value of our city's connection to the water. S
Classic upisode! Or, re-run! Real estate expert and Civic Minute founder Sol Villarreal stops by the book store to chat about the housing market, trust in business and politics, and engage in a rigorous debate with Ian about our social expecta
It's Cascadia Day! Ian gets together with a gang of the region's top subject matter experts to discuss how we define the region, how we think about the region, and what's next for the millions of people who call Cascadia home. Cascadia Magazi
Celebrated Slovenian/American avant-garde artist Milenko Matanovic, also known for his tireless and effective community organizing here in the U.S., came by the bookstore for a philosophical barnburner while the "Puzzle Break" was in full swin
John Cracolici of Cascadia Rail stops by the bookstore and walks Ian through his journey from Pike Market grocer to transit activist to geostructural engineer. He details the vision for a region-wide high-speed rail system and why it's not as
Political and communications guru Amanda Finney stopped by the bookstore for a chat on running the HRC primary in Louisianna and where that ill-fated 2016 campaign went wrong. She and Ian discuss what they both see as the real divide in Americ
Seattle housing advocates Laura Loe and Ethan Goodman stopped by the bookstore for what started out as an update on pro-housing, anti-homelessness legislation and turning into a sprawling rumination on life changes, self-empowered community dev
Decorated Seattle photojournalist Alex Garland stopped by the book store during business hours for a lively conversation about his work documenting moments of change across the city and even beyond Seattle. He recounts how "the Occupy moment"
Poet, playwright and Seattle Latino Film Festival Founder & CEO Jorge Enrique Gonzalez Pacheco swings by the bookstore and chats with Ian about his early artistic life in Cuba, where he incurred severe government side-eye with his hagiography t
Seattle's Chief Librarian Marcellus Turner stopped by the bookstore -- he got there before any staff did! -- and looked back on his career in library administration, which dates back to the 4th grade in Mississippi. He details the challenges t
Restauranteur Yenvy Pham brings Ian the best sweetbread ever baked or eaten and between bites, the two talk about the managed uplift of Little Saigon as the city changes around it, and sometimes changes it, too. Yenvy, whose parents founded Ph
Ian interviews Gabriel Bello Diaz, founder of Efficio Custom Products and the new Hyena Culture maker space collaborative. They discuss "the east coast grind," their shared Puerto Rican heritage, and the challenge of being technical in two lan
Organizer and real estate strategist Bo Zhang talks about how her experience in rural Japan shaped her sense of community -- and how lack of community creates trauma. Bo fills Ian in on her family struggles and how they impacted her decision t
Reproductive justice advocate Kirsten Harris-Talley stopped by the bookstore and recounted her whirlwind 51 days as a city councilmember; she sheds light on how the "dominoes had to fall" for such an unlikely event to occur and also shares how
Featuring three of the best conversations this season, this week's episode focuses on the best of the unpublished UpZones interviews: Ian and journalist Casey Jaywork discuss "truth" in journalism in the postmodern moment; architect and MOAR co
After an epic hagiography about the new zoning laws in the Twin Cities, Ian welcomes good friend and local CEO Seena Mortazavi to the bookshop and the two discuss growing up in the Middle East (with a stint bravely roller-blading the wild hills
South Seattle Emerald interim Managing Editor Aaron Burkhalter talks about his career in local journalism in the Pacific Northwest and how much the coverage needs of the south side have changed as the city's population has grown. Aaron explain
Transit Riders' Union General Secretary Katie Wilson swings by and talks about growing up in Binghamton, NY, settling down in Seattle based on the killer library resources, and the paradoxes of labor organizing in the age of global capital. She
The Urbanist Executive Director Owen Pickford stops by and chats with Ian about his urban evolution from smalltown Ohio, through Madison, Wisconsin to London, Mumbai, Austin and finally Seattle. They discuss what makes a policy or a change "go
The Urbanist Executive Director Owen Pickford stops by and chats with Ian about his urban evolution from smalltown Ohio, through Madison, Wisconsin to London, Mumbai, Austin and finally Seattle. They discuss what makes a policy or a change "go
Seattle poet, playwright, longtime former advice columnist, and book-publishing industry impresario Greg Brisendine popped by the bookstore for a chat about finding the balance between day job and night moves -- between carreer and passion for
Longtime advocate and former mayoral finalist Cary Moon swings by the bookstore and raps with Ian about growing up in the Midwest, land planning in Seattle, and the value of our city's connection to the water. She explains the distinction bet
University of Washington Law School professor Hugh Spitzer stopped by the bookstore for a free-flowing discussion on how Washington State's founding history played into the national populist, and then progressive, movements popular in the state