October 2025 e-news
Dear Friends,
We look forward to welcoming Evergreen State College students to Olympia in September. They bring fresh energy and creativity to town at a time when the leaves are falling and we're getting ready to hunker down for the rainy season. This year, we had the opportunity to introduce incoming students who were participating in Evergreen's Civic Engagement Institute to Olympia's rich history of community organizing through a collective listening session at the Olympia Library. We listened to three stories from our archive and had a vibrant discussion about how social change happens and importance of public or "third spaces" in supporting collective efforts. I was wonderful to be joined by Betsy Storey (above left) who gave students an orientation to all the amazing resources the Olympia Library has to offer, and Mindy Chambers (above right), local community organizer and retired journalist, who has collaborated with us on our Community Root Project. Two big champions of our work!
This fall also welcomes our cohort back together to launch the public programming phase of the Pride Storytelling Project. They've designed exciting and creative projects that we'll share with you later this year! You can read all about what they're up to below. I'm honored to have the opportunity to work alongside such a talented and thoughtful group!
We're installing our Stories of Food, Food as Story exhibit at the Lacey Museum and Cultural Center in a few weeks. They're not quite ready to open yet in their new space. We're eager for their grand opening and will keep you posted! Also, be sure to Save the Date for a playback theatre performance with The Heartsparkle Players, featuring guest musician and Pride Storytelling Project cohort member Azadi Amaan! We'll be sharing stories of "legacy." Mark your calender for Nov 14 at 6:30pm at the Soul Cafe at Traditions!
We continue to adapt to a greatly reduced capacity to carry out our work, with the layoff this summer of our co-director, Meg, and a significant reduction in my hours. We're embracing both pragmatism and optimism, remembering that sometimes the most creative solutions come from constraints. Thanks for your understanding if we're slow to respond or if we need to say no more often to opportunities to collaborate. If you're able, please consider making a donation to support us at this time.
Thank you for continuing to be a part of our story at Window Seat. We look forward to seeing you sometime soon!
Until soon,
Elaine Vradenburgh, Memory Activist
