posts that contain mini-bios of our writers
by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS When Arts Walk ends, Jazz Walk begins. The second-annual Olympia Jazz Walk, a fundraiser for the nonprofit JazzClubsNW, is timed to keep the festival atmosphere going late into Saturday night with live jazz throughout downtown Olympia. “The idea is to make the Arts Walk and the great spectacle that …
by Karen Lunde for OLY ARTS From the earliest tribal welcome songs to anti-war and protest anthems, music has given a powerful voice to messages of peace. The Olympia Peace Choir, a community chorus over 100 members strong, will carry that tradition on with its first-ever Peace Walk. Choir members have invited the community to …
by Kelli Samson for OLY ARTS The Washington Center for the Performing Arts has been closed for the summer while the City of Olympia made updates to the HVAC system. Rest assured, come October 5 the center will open its 32nd season with an energetic performance by Gaelic Storm. While every act slated to grace …
by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS Within the citywide celebration that is Arts Walk, there’s nestled a mini-festival with a focus on the fiddle. Fiddle Fest, scheduled for the Friday night of fall Arts Walk, has since 2004 been a showcase for traditional music — an art with a long history. “Traditional music hasn’t always …
by Jennifer Crain for OLY ARTS In October, Olympia Symphony Orchestra embarks on an ambitious celebration of its 65th year. The program Opening Statements launches the season with “Awakening,” a contemplative, three-movement piece by Joseph Curiale, an American composer who’s created works for the screen and concert stage for more than three decades. Maestro Huw …
by Jonah Barrett for OLY ARTS For those wanting to find an escape from mainstream media, zines provide a type of oasis. Olympia Zine Fest celebrates its third year this October, and everyone is invited. What are zines? They’re little, self-published pieces of literature, with topics ranging from short-story collections to activist manifestos to lists …
by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS Hold on to your seats, Olympia, because the Lord Franzannian Royal Olympian Spectacular Vaudeville Show is back, and it’s slated to be bigger and better than ever before. Directed by local storyteller Elizabeth Lord, LFROSVS is an annual variety show featuring short, one-act performances by acrobats, actors, dancers, musicians, …
by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS Stable Studios is tucked away in an easy-to-overlook building on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Cherry Street in downtown Olympia. The artist it’ll feature for Arts Walk this fall is anything but little-known. She’s Susan Christian, former owner of Salon Refu and a painter who’s been showing her work …
by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS Olympia poet Laureate Amy Solomon-Minarchi is doing everything she can to change the perception of poetry as a stuffy, elitist art form. “Poetry is accessible,” says Solomon-Minarchi. “We do not need to be in a fancy school, have advanced equipment and technology or have a small window of opportunity …
by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS For the two days of Arts Walk and approximately a week thereafter, Thomas Architecture Studios will present sand carvings by Amos Callender and Tom Rieger. TAS is a combined architectural studio and art gallery. Callender says various factors will determine exactly how long the work is on view. Last year …