WEDNESDAY 6/4
Author Talk: Casey Johnston, ‘A Physical Education’
(BOOKS) In the age of Ozempic and rampant misinformation promoted by the likes of RFK Jr., we are living in a dangerously regressive time when it comes to wellness and body image, but voices like Casey Johnston’s might just be the antidote we need. I’ve followed Johnston, a cultural critic and veteran weightlifter, since she was writing the column “Ask a Swole Person” for the site The Hairpin (RIP), which led me to her “couch-to-barbell” fitness program LIFTOFF and her newsletter She’s a Beast. In her new memoir, A Physical Education, Johnston shares how her weightlifting journey empowered her and helped her to escape the nefarious clutches of diet culture. You don’t need to be a protein-shake-swilling gym rat to be interested in her story, either: As one Vanity Fair writer put it, “This book is about exercise in the way that Friday Night Lights is about football.” Johnston will be joined in conversation by Cat Bohannon, author of Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution. (Third Place Books Lake Forest Park, 7 pm, free) JULIANNE BELL
THURSDAY 6/5
Anthony White: Somethin' Somethin’ Opening Reception
(VISUAL ART) From the end of May to the end of June, the Greg Kucera Gallery will exhibit the art of Seattle-based queer Black artist and curator Anthony White. Painting with glossy and textural polylactic acid, White crafts unique still lifes and portraits that combine cultural critique, nostalgia, and humor, that aim to disrupt, he explains, “hierarchies of status and wealth by placing seemingly trivial, low-brow accoutrements in palatial and referential environments.” Some of the things you can expect to see in his paintings are Silly String, Flintstones vitamins, Bratz dolls, Smucker’s Uncrustables, and credit card company logos, all in an I Spy-style arrangement. (P.S. Galleries are basically just art museums with no admission, so don’t feel like you have to be Mr. Monopoly to step inside.) (Greg Kucera Gallery, opening reception is 5–8 pm, show hangs Tues–Sat through June 28, free) AUDREY VANN
FRIDAY 6/6
(MUSIC) Did you know that there is a boutique hotel above the Crocodile (cue Lana Del Rey's "Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd")? The Hotel Crocodile’s intimate Lobby Series is back this week with local trio Tres Leches. If you’re a fan of ’90s punk bands like Babes in Toyland, 7 Year Bitch, the Gits, or the Pixies (at their most chaotic), then you must attend this show. And, considering that the band hasn’t released new music since 2022’s Fósil, it’s very likely they’ll debut some new unreleased material. (Hotel Crocodile, 8 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN
SATURDAY 6/7
(VISUAL ART) Love this premise: a group of artists across disciplines show up at 9 a.m. and work together on a “festival of performance” that they’ll be putting on at 8 p.m. the same day. Artists will include Jéhan Òsanyìn, Nia-Amina Minor, Alyza DelPan-Monley, and Adrienne Mackey, and the theme is doing nothing, as in: “slow attention, and unplugging from algorithms.” This happening is put on by the Feast, a local theater company that “prizes virtuosic artists working in extremes; pays those artists really well; and builds maximalist, collectivist, welcoming events.” Communications Director Jesse Roth says, “Facebook and Instagram are making money off our attention and supporting fascist policies. People say these platforms are essential for succeeding in the arts, but we don’t think that’s true. We want to divest our time, money, and attention from these algorithms and draw focus back to community: sharing space together, in real life.” Preach! (Actualize Art Space, 8 pm) EMILY NOKES
SUNDAY 6/8
(CRAFTS) Whether you are an expert knitter who regularly whips up intricate Fair Isle cardigans or have never touched a needle or crochet hook in your life, this Monroe festival dedicated to fiber arts promises plenty of entertainment. I’m excited to see 2025’s featured sheep breed, the adorable Shetland, but rest assured there will be lots of other fuzzy, fiber-producing animals present, including alpacas, goats, and Angora rabbits. Admire beautiful fiber arts show entries, participate in raffles, check out food and drink vendors, and watch live demos on spinning, weaving, felting, knitting, sheep milking, and more. (Evergreen State Fairgrounds, 9 am–6 pm on June 7; 9 am–5 pm on June 8, free) JULIANNE BELL
MONDAY 6/9
(FOOD) It's Burger Week! Starting June 9, 25 restaurants around Seattle are offering a limited-edition specialty burger for just $12 (and many of them come with fries!). Galbi Burger's offering is the Ssamjang Twist Galbi Burger with a galbi-marinated patty, grilled garlic, and ssamjang mayo; at Attic Alehouse and Eatery, you can get a burger topped with chili and a fat onion ring. For something a little different, check out Loretta's Northwesterner's Burger Dog. Yup, a hot-dog-shaped burger patty is stuffed into a bun along with bacon pepper relish, secret sauce, mustard, ketchup, onions, pickles, and cheese. The folks at Athenian Seafood Restaurant and Bar in Pike Place Market are skipping the red meat and instead stacking their burger high with blackened salmon and Jack Daniel's green-apple chutney, along with all the usual fixins. Vegetarian? Check out FareStart, Galbi Burger, and Rough & Tumble's offerings. Vegan? Head to Georgetown Liquor Co. for a totally plant-based mushroom and Swiss burger. There's something for everyone who likes food. (See the full list of participants here.) MEGAN SELING
TUESDAY 6/10
Wendy Elisheva Somerson (Wes) with Ijeoma Oluo
(BOOKS) This conversation will foster a "liberatory model for Jewish healing firmly rooted in Jewish spiritual values," led by Dr. Wendy Elisheva Somerson (Wes), PhD, who has written extensively on Palestinian solidarity and Jewish ritual, and Ijeoma Oluo, who penned the powerful tomes So You Want To Talk About Race, Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America, and Be A Revolution: How Everyday People Are Fighting Oppression and Changing the World — and How You Can, Too. If you're feeling a sense of despair over the genocidal violence of the last year, head to the talk for thoughts on healing and activism opportunities to fight for a free Palestine and "a Jewishness beyond Zionism." (Third Place Books Seward Park, 7 pm, free, all ages) LINDSAY COSTELLO
Prizefight!
Win tickets to rad upcoming events!*
ROCKING
with William Shatner & Neil Degrasse Tyson
June 18, McCaw Hall
Contest ends June 13 at 10 am
SEATTLE PRIDEFEST
June 29, Seattle Center
Contest ends June 26th at 10 am
