Seattle Story Project
Read previous Seattle Story Project pieces in our archive.
First-person reflections published at KUOW.org. These are essays, stories told on stage, photos, and zines. To submit a story — or note one that deserves more notice — contact Isolde Raftery at iraftery@kuow.org or 206-616-2035.
From the archive:
I thought I was a Mexican chola girl — then I met my dad
We photographed Ericka when she was a sex worker. This is her life now
He met his first love in Seattle's south end. He lost her there, too
The first time a man hurt me, I was 8. My story isn't unusual
A man shouts racial slurs in a Seattle Starbucks. The silence is deafening
A Young Irish Mom's Painful Decision
I escaped Nazi Germany. I see its ideology alive in America today
My mom's mental illness told through photos
The Grief I Chose: Placing My Baby For Adoption
Caitlyn Jenner, Laverne Cox And My 7-Year-Old Daughter
I Didn't Kill Benjamin Ng, But Maybe I Should Have
‘Is There a Problem?’ That Scary Brown Man And White Privilege
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Stories
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Rescue at sea: A Mercer Island man's harrowing account of courage and luck in the South Atlantic
Balthasar Wyss of Mercer Island was rescued in March in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean after the sailboat he'd been on sank. This is his account of what happened.
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A Seattle mom’s searing letter to a truant officer
In January, an “attendance specialist” from Whitman Middle School sent a form letter to a Seattle mom, which included a warning that her son being late to school could result in court action. This is that mother’s response:
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The Kia Boy and me
In July 2023, Aimee Muul’s 2017 Hyundai Elantra was stolen. While her car was missing, it was featured on a Kia Boyz Instagram story a couple of times and shown being used by young men to do stunts.
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Lindy West’s Valentine’s Day sex granola recipe
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A Native grandma smuggled her grandkids out of their abusive boarding school. She hid them in the mountains
One time, when my gram/Tupa came to visit, she waited for the nuns to be busy doing something else, and she said, “Get in the car.” I was 8 years old when we were taken to boarding school.
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'A single garment of destiny': Dr. King's lessons on interconnectedness
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Things I lost this year: A passport, a pregnancy, a marriage
I stayed in an Airbnb while my husband lived in our house, hoping he would change his mind and see me, want me. I waited until he said no, no chance, the end.
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I traveled to Italy after 2 years of pandemic isolation. Then I got Covid
I had hardly left my home in two years. I’d locked myself away, watching out for neighbors, friends, parents, and my partner. I was finally back in the world, triple-vaxxed and ready to see anything new — anything besides two side-by-side lines on a home Covid test.
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The last homecoming queen at Edmonds-Woodway High School
“So I made Homecoming Court,” Ella announced one October evening. We had just sat down to dinner, and our eldest was catching us up on the latest news of her high school senior year.
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Personal space be damned: A non-hugger rethinks her position
Some time in my 40s, I developed a reputation for “not being a hugger.” It’s not so much that I have suddenly grown uncomfortable with hugs in my middle age; I’ve just become more comfortable saying so.
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The silence is maddening: remembering Jesse Sarey
"As our family continues the fight seeking justice for Jesse, many more have joined this unique 'family' of impacted people."
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'Will I die?' Coverage of maternal deaths among Black women cause fear
Earlier this year, Black health care providers penned an open letter to Black birthing people acknowledging that America's racist past casts a long shadow over the pregnancy experience. They called out “Black birth trauma porn” as a major contributing factor to the heightened fear around birth.