Arts & Life

Many Pacific Northwest artists feel compelled to respond to the drama of the salmon fighting their way upstream to spawn. In "Finding the Poem," Port Angeles poet Alice Derry sees in the salmon's efforts a parallel with the way we learn to accommodate each other in a long marriage — and how often it is loss that teaches us, finally, how to do it.

Julia Harrison’s sweet tooth and her training as an anthropologist have led her on some delicious adventures. On her Sweet Travel blog, she writes about how candy and other sweets carry a cultural story within their recipes and history. She tells Ross what she’s learned about Washington state.

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.

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.

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:

Nearly half a century ago, a diverse group of characters began to capture children's hearts: Spider-Man, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, The X-Men. The epic Marvel universe has been a massive force in pop culture, inspiring countless books, films and becoming a multi-billion-dollar enterprise.

Ross Reynolds talks with film historian critic and commentator David Thomson about why he decided to undertake nothing less than the story of the movies in his new book, “The Big Screen.”

Librarian Nancy Pearl gives Weekday listeners her recommendations for science-fiction titles (and a few fantasy novels, too). Here are Nancy's picks:

On the eve of the election, Ross Reynolds takes the pulse of listeners and asks, "Is the nation better off today than it was four years ago?"