Meet Our Rainmakers: Sharon Ricci

Rainmaker Sharon Ricci says, "Locally focused reporting and growing community connections are essential to a healthy, positive community!"

by Amanda Sorell

Welcome to a new series: Meet Our Rainmakers!

Rainmakers are readers like you who make regular donations to the Emerald — their contributions help us amplify the authentic voices of the South End, and we couldn't do it without them.

Stay tuned for more Rainmaker mini-profiles, where you can learn more about the communities that support the Emerald.

Want to be a Rainmaker? Head to our official Kindful website to support BIPOC-led media in South Seattle with a monthly contribution of any amount.

Already a Rainmaker? Thank you! '

Sharon Ricci

Sharon Ricci, a South End resident since 2006, is in her second year of supporting the Emerald, which she heard about from her friend Nakisha (who was featured in the Emerald for her artwork about a decade ago). Her favorite thing about the publication is "how I always discover new people and places right in my community, as well as gain insight on important issues and advocacy work in Seattle and beyond. Locally focused reporting and growing community connections are essential to a healthy, positive community!"

As a resident of the Lakeridge/Skyway neighborhood, Ricci finds the Emerald to be "full of details and points of view that are hyper-focused for Rainier Beach residents." In her neighborhood, she frequents Redwing Cafe "to slather everything in lemon tahini" and Kubota Garden "to recenter my soul." She also appreciates "the moist, clean air that fills your lungs in Deadhorse Canyon." She's passionate about spending time outdoors in these and other places, including the many trails and parks in the South End, where she walks her dog, Buddy. She's been a tree advocate since she trained as a volunteer urban naturalist at the Seward Park Audubon Center in 2009 and visited local schools as the "Talking Tree." And she says that because Deadhorse Canyon/Lakeridge Park is a vital greenspace in her neighborhood, she advocates for its protection with the Friends of Dead Horse Canyon, "which also helped me learn about the extraordinary efforts of Seattle's Urban Forestry Commission to protect the tree canopy in our area and citywide."

Some might know Ricci by her alias "The Moody Potter." Prior to the pandemic, Ricci got into making pottery by taking classes at Seward Park Clay Studio and Moshier Community Art Center in Burien, but the pandemic transformed her hobby into a home studio complete with wheel and kiln, as well as a shop in the loft of her garage that friends can visit to browse her pottery offerings and "pick out things they like." She also sells her wares at Re. Evolucin, owned by Clansy Campos, "who has been a huge supporter by carrying my pottery in her lovely shop for many years."

Ricci isn't on social media anymore, so she connects with people in other ways. "I have found that it is still easy to meet people and make new friends just by walking and saying hello to familiar faces. I love getting to know more of my neighbors. If you see me on your block, please say hi!"

Amanda Sorell is a storyteller who lives in Seattle. She's an editor for the Emerald. Read her newsletter at eClips.Substack.com.

Featured Image designed by the Emerald team; photo courtesy of Sharon Ricci.