Town Hall Seattle Civics Series

In Part Two of our Queering Talks series with Dr. Jen Self , we will center the voices of those who have always led the way in liberation movements, claiming the spotlight for those who have consistently been "out in front" of struggles for justice, love, and equity, demonstrating that the margins have always been the source of radical change. Queering leadership is not just about reclaiming lost...

Is there a current law on the books that you disagree with? How about ten? In  Bad Law: Ten Popular Laws That Are Ruining America ,  New York Times  bestselling author and legal analyst Elie Mystal argues not only that ten pieces of legislation are making life worse for millions of Americans but that they should be repealed completely. On topics ranging from immigration to gun rights to abortion a...

Around the world and throughout history, bitter political adversaries have put aside their differences and worked together to create peace. In a conversation moderated by Jillian Youngblood, Executive Director of Civic Genius, hear two extraordinary leaders tell how they helped transform South Africa into a multiracial democracy, and what their experiences can teach us. Roelf Meyer is renowned for...

Seattle home prices are notoriously sky-high, making this city a difficult place to afford and move to. How did Seattle and other U.S. cities become that way? Or, as historian and journalist Yoni Appelbaum puts it, how did the U.S. cease to be the land of opportunity? Pulling from his book,  Stuck , Appelbaum explores how housing affects the very fabric of our society. For 200 years, people in the...

"If you want to make change, you've got to make noise." A call to action in the political sense conveys boldness and focus. It's about drawing attention and speaking loudly about one's convictions, with a sense of urgency and persistence. To longtime outspoken advocate and US Senator Ron Wyden, that's what you'd call chutzpah – and his upcoming book sets out to inspire that same quality of action-...

You've probably been there: doomscrolling or otherwise distracted by devices. Many of us have lost focus before as our addictive phones consume our time or interfere with social situations. People bump into one another on the street, look down at their phones at restaurants, or check their mobile devices while spending time with the kids as continuous pings sound off in their pockets and purses. ...

Step into the in-between. This segment dives into the rich, transformative power of liminal spaces—those borders and boundaries where identities and experiences defy tidy categories. Our speakers will share deeply personal stories of hybridity, multiplicity, and fluidity, offering insights from lives lived beyond the binary. These talks challenge conventional thinking and celebrate the voices of t...

Did you know that the Seattle Public Library offers any U.S. resident, ages 13-26, a free "Books Unbanned Card," which allows you to check out any e-books or e-audiobooks from the Library's digital collection, no matter where you live? This is just one example of how people are resisting new restrictions on information and education across the country. In his new book,  Teach Truth,  Seattle educa...

After the U.S. elected Barack Obama its first Black president in 2008, some assumed that this signaled a post-racial America. However, subsequent and serious incidents suggested this was not the case, inciting what some came to know as a second civil rights movement. Political correspondent, journalist, and historian Juan Williams explores this phenomenon in his latest release  New Prize for These...

In America today, reports show that food insecurity is a pressing issue for over 35 million people. With rising grocery prices, inflation, and the lasting impacts of the pandemic—understanding the complexities of hunger has never been more imperative. Mariana Chilton explores this issue in the book,  The Painful Truth about Hunger in America: Why We Must Unlearn Everything We Think We Know—and Sta...

If there is one thing on our collective minds these days, it is the issue of politics. But for all the interest it piques, much of it remains a mystery to the American public. Bestselling author and journalist Casey Michel, who tackled the problem of financial corruption in his first book  American Kleptocracy , sheds light on an issue that may be unknown to those outside the Capitol. In Michel's...

Professor of Political Science Paul Pierson, discusses his new book  Partisan Nation . Co-authored with Eric Schickler, this book explores the roots of America's democratic crisis, highlighting how the mismatch between the Constitution and today's nationalized, partisan politics has destabilized American democracy. Pierson offers a fresh perspective on contemporary polarization, explaining how it...

What can professional risk-takers — poker players and hedge fund managers, crypto true believers and blue-chip art collectors— teach us much about navigating the uncertainty of the twenty-first century? In the bestselling  The Signal and the Noise , statistician Nate Silver showed how forecasting would define the age of Big Data. Now, in his timely and riveting new book,  On the Edge , Silver inve...

Democracy in a Hotter Time calls for reforming democratic institutions as a prerequisite for avoiding climate chaos and adapting governance to how Earth works as a physical system. To survive in the "long emergency" ahead, the book suggests ways to reform and strengthen democratic institutions, making them assets rather than liabilities. Edited by David W. Orr, this collection of essays proposes a...

In his new book,  Decade of Disunion , Robert W. Merry explores the critical lessons from the 1850s when the United States faced a growing crisis over slavery. The Mexican War's vast new territories sparked debates on expanding slavery, clashing with the 1820 Missouri Compromise. Key events such as the Compromise of 1850, the 1854 repeal of the Missouri Compromise, the 1857 Dred Scott decision, an...

Sequim––a quiet, coastal community just a couple hours away from Seattle––may seem like an unlikely microcosm for the rise of far-right politics. And yet, political journalist Sasha Abramsky has closely followed small-town communities, including Sequim, and argues that places like these have directly influenced current national politics. How could small-town USA be so instrumental in today's polit...

Some Americans fear the Federal Constitution falls short in addressing democratic threats, yet it's long been revered for its ideals of liberty and equality.  Join us at Town Hall Seattle for a discussion with Aziz Rana, Michael Hardt, and Jaleh Mansoor about Rana's book,  The Constitutional Bind , exploring how this flawed document gained mythic status and its impact on society. Rana contends thi...

Over the past decade, charitable crowdfunding has exploded in popularity across the globe. Sites such as GoFundMe, which now boasts a "global community of over 100 million" users, have transformed the ways we seek and offer help. When faced with crises—especially medical ones—Americans are turning to online platforms that promise to connect them to the charity of the crowd. What does this new phen...

G overnment-backed guarantees, from bailouts to bankruptcy protection, help keep the private sector in business in our nation's economic system. What if the same were true not only for businesses but for individuals as well?  In her new book  The Guarantee: Inside the Fight for America's Next Economy , Natalie Foster, co-founder and president of the Economic Security Project, invites readers to en...

Traffic, parking, gas prices, miles per gallon- many casual concerns might enter your mind when you get into your car and go out into the world.  But what happens when your concerns are not casual but constant, and they start with figuring out whether you can even access where you're trying to go in the first place? One-third of people living in the United States don't have a driver's license, yet...

Technology pioneers like Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft (to name a few) are woven into the fabric of Seattle's economy. Yet, on a day-to-day basis, how much do you think about what these techno giants mean for the future of our world?  With such enormous amounts of influence and money, how are these powers shaping our world today? Economist and journalist Loretta Napoleoni digs into these questions....

In April 2020, when the world was in the early months of COVID-19, you may remember the televised concert that Lady Gaga hosted called "One World: Together At Home." This star-studded show was put together by  Global Citizen , an international social justice organization that used the program to promote and support healthcare workers and the World Health Organization. The program was remarkable in...

Have you ever thought what #FakeNews might have looked like 200 years ago?  While we may be experiencing a new era of disinformation, the tactics aren't necessarily original. Drawing from their latest book,  Stories Are Weapons , journalist and science fiction author Annalee Newitz traces back in history how disinformation, propaganda, and violent threats — all elements of psychological warfare —...

Erratic weather, blistering drought, rising seas, and ecosystem collapse now affect every inch of the globe.   Increasingly, we no longer look to stop climate change, choosing instead to adapt to it. Academics call it maladaptation; simply, it's about solutions that backfire. In his new book,  Over the Seawall,  Stephen Robert Miller tells us the stories behind these unintended consequences and th...

In 2018, there was a mass shooting with an AR-15 at a Waffle House.  The racially charged act of violence led Dr. Jonathan M. Metzl, a Nashville-based gun policy scholar and author, to advocate for gun reform. But how can we stop gun violence in a nation that sees hundreds of mass shootings every year? As Metzl examined the crime, he began having doubts about continuing to approach gun reform thro...