Literary Notes

Urban planning and Asian American history professor Dr. Marie Rose Wong stops by to talk about her book Building Tradition: Pan-Asian Seattle and Life in the Residential Hotels, detailing the history of Seattle's International District and its single-room occupancy hotels. The interview was conducted by WTBBL volunteer Camille Blanchette.

Author and former WTBBL volunteer Kat Richardson sat down with us to chat about the third book in her supernatural mystery series, Greywalker. This interview was conducted back in 2008 by Jeff Cavanaugh.

Science writer Mary Roach joins us to talk about her latest book, Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy. She discusses the advancements made in replacing and enhancing parts of the human body and the people she's met from around the world to learn about them. The interview was conducted via video call by WTBBL volunteer Rachel Glass.

Historian Peter Blecha joins us to talk about his books Rock & Roll Archaeologist and Stomp & Shout: R&B and the Origins of Northwest Rock & Roll. He recounts his time as the senior curator for the Museum of Pop Culture and gives a brief overview of popular music throughout the Pacific Northwest. The interview was conducted by lead media technician Nathan Ureta.

Historian Frederick L. Brown discusses his book The City is More Than Human: An Animal History of Seattle with library volunteer Chris Snee. The book recounts the history of the city with a focus on the livestock, pets, and wildlife that helped shape Seattle into what it is today.

Writer and social worker Michael Keen visits our studio to talk about Notes From the Trauma Party, a novel taking heavy inspiration from his experiences with love, writing, addiction, and more. The interview was conducted by former WTBBL patron services specialist Izzy Fernandez. 

Writer and former National Park ranger Russell Cahill sits down with WTBBL volunteer Howard Lazzarini to discuss his memoir, two works of fiction, and the life outdoors that inspired them.

In 2009, author Jamie Ford stopped by our studios to discuss his debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. It tells the story of a Chinese-American boy in Seattle during the 1940s and his connection to a Japanese-American girl who was interned at a camp south of Seattle. Former volunteer Na Young Kwon sat down with Ford to talk about the novel, the hotel that serves as its setting, the Seattle jazz scene, and more.

Historian Jennifer Ott joins us to chat about Seattle's drastic 19th century transformation that she writes about in Waterway: The Story of Seattle's Locks and Ship Canal. WTBBL volunteer Martha Baskin conducts an in-depth interview with Ott about the engineering, planning, and immigrant labor that went into connecting the bodies of water within and around the city.

The Sound of Seattle: 101 Songs That Shaped a City is a look into the rich, storied history of the Pacific Northwest's music scene. It was written by musician and KEXP DJ Eva Walker along with writer Jacob Uitti. They sit down with WTBBL volunteer John Gahagan to discuss music in the Northwest, the history of KEXP, and more.