KUOW Presents connects listeners to a diversity of stories and perspectives from around the Pacific Northwest and around the world on topics that matter to our daily lives.
New City Hall was the first modern, concrete civic building of its kind in the city of its kind in Toronto Canada.
It was designed by a Finnish architect named Viljo Revell. When the building opened in 1965, it stood out very prominently from Toronto’s traditional Victorian structures. The striking concrete design was carried throughout the building. It was even incorporated into the office furniture. Desks, coffee tables and cabinets all had concrete legs — and nearly everyone hated it, a lot. The public was angry. Controversy ensued. Someone even resigned.
In this special hour-long edition of Art of Our City we explore stories from Puget Sound poets, illustrators, singers and more. They share the inspirations behind their work, and in some cases what they hope people will gain from it.
When Ellen Forney was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 16 years ago, her first concern was for her creative future. The award-winning cartoonist prided herself on the artwork and stories she'd come up with during periods she described as manic. Right after her diagnosis, Forney was reluctant to try the drug treatments her psychiatrist prescribed for her. Would she lose her creative edge on lithium? But after a serious period of depression, Forney set out on the ongoing journey to achieve and maintain a state of mental balance.
One of the diaries meticulously kept for over 50 years by Christine Deavel's relative, Sarah. Christine used Sarah's entries from 1914 as source material for her poems.
Why do we make art? and Is it worth the personal cost? are two of the central questions in Christine Deavel's poetry collection "Woodnote" (Bear Star Press, 2011). Deavel is the co-owner of a poetry-only bookstore in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood, and a graduate of the prestigious Iowa Writers Workshop. "Woodnote" has even won the Washington State Book award for poetry. But even so, Deavel describes herself as someone who is almost constantly in crisis about why she, or anyone, writes. KUOW's Elizabeth Austen spoke with Christine Deavel about that ambivalence and how it plays out in her work.
Stuart Zobel is the guitarist in the Seattle-based band Choroloco. The band plays music from Brazil called “choro.” Stewart says the infectious rhythms and melodies of the music, and the spirit of community associated with the choro style is what draws him to the music. He says:
Two years ago, a routine November afternoon became anything but routine when “Voice of the Mariners” Dave Niehaus died suddenly at his Bellevue home. As news broke around the region, thousands mourned and the community struggled to come to terms with a huge and unexpected loss. Producer Feliks Banel takes us on an audio journey dedicated to the Voice of the Mariners.
From a movie production arm to plumbing supplies, Amazon.com has been strategically spreading way beyond its original retail base. And yet Amazon's latest earnings report quoted a loss of profit to the tune of $274 million last quarter. The reason? The company says it's spending big on existing and new businesses. We'll get that story from American Public Media's Ashley Gross.
Once upon a time, the people of Chicago's 35th Ward just wanted a small safe place in the neighborhood where their children could play basketball. They thought that a little concrete plot just west of Logan Square would be the perfect place. But the city of Chicago had other plans for that lot. So the neighbors banded together to fight for their little playground. But to do that they had to take on Chicago's intimidating political machine with demonstrations and protests. Ultimately, they had to work to unseat the leader of their ward.
In "Meet Me at Unity Playlot," independent producers Elizabeth Meister and Dan Collison of Long Haul Productions bring us the story of the battle for Unity Park.
Your attitude toward rain and seemingly endless dark skies may be the best litmus test for whether you are a true Northwesterner. Do you resist or embrace the shift toward dark, wet days? In her poems “Under the Graphite Sky” and “Strange How You Stay,” Orcas Island poet Dorothy Trogdon gives us a uniquely Pacific Northwestern view of winter.
Science writer Sy Montgomery has been described by The Boston Globe as part Indiana Jones and part Emily Dickinson. While researching the books, films and articles she produces, Montgomery has been chased by an angry silverback gorilla in Zaire and bitten by a vampire bat in Costa Rica. She has also worked in a pit crawling with 18,000 snakes in Manitoba and handled a wild tarantula in French Guiana.
