Celebrating the Wealth of Gems in South End Arts, Culture, & Community: A Year in Review 2023

by Mark Van Streefkerk

The Emerald will be observing a team-wide wellness pause from Dec. 18 to Jan. 2, and most publishing will be on hiatus, with the exceptions of four pieces, of which this is one, wherein editors look back at 2023 and some of the work that made the Emerald shine.

It's an impossible task to pick just a few stories that reflect the Emerald's Arts, Culture, & Community beat for the year. First of all, Arts, Culture, & Community is a vast beat (three rolled into one!) that includes music, entertainment, food, literary events, LGBTQIA+ topics, sports, and more. There's simply so much South End genius going around, and knowing we can't even begin to catch it all is a source of constant regret!

What makes the job easier is working with the incredible contributors at the Emerald. This year I was honored to work with both new and established writers like Amanda Ong, Victor Simoes, Patheresa Wells, Sarah Goh, Agueda Pacheco Flores, Neve Mazique, Nura Ahmed, Jas Keimig, and many more. We have regular columnists like Brett Hamil, who sustained us with political satire through his Sunday Comix, and now DOOM LOOP; Kevin Schofield helped us make sense of emerging data with his Weekend Reads; librarians at the King County Library System curated special reading and event lists every month in the South End Scoop; and the folks at Pongo Poetry gave a voice to some of our community's most underrepresented — incarcerated young people. And a special recognition goes out to the incredible talents of photojournalists Susan Fried, Alex Garland, Ronnie Estoque, and videographer Justin Monte, whose images are every bit as important as written stories.

A heartfelt "thank you" to our readers, arts organizers, event promoters, and extended Emerald family and community. Your support makes our BIPOC-led coverage of the South End possible, whether that's by sharing our stories on social media, sending us story tips, or through financial contributions. Thank you, thank you!

As always, send us ideas or tips at Arts@SeattleEmerald.org, and submit to our Events Calendar through our Google Form.

Read on for some of my favorite stories of 2023, and see you in the new year!

I was thrilled to work with Patheresa Wells again this year. Wells continued her outstanding coverage of What the Funk?! Fest from last year, wrote about the launch of Hinton Publishing and other incredible arts and community events like UMOJA Fest, Wa Na Wari's Walk the Block, and Verbal Oasis Spoken Word Festival.

Amanda Ong was an indispensable part of the Arts and Culture team this year, writing about arts organizations like Yun Theatre and South End authors like Nisi Shawl. Ong also wrote some truly exceptional food articles. I'd recommend her two-part series on Seattle's Asian American Food Pop-Ups, and celebrity culinary wiz J. Kenji Lpez-Alt's Favorite South End Restaurants.

Victor Simoes wrote about Anakbayan South Seattle's efforts in support of democracy in the Philippines, the second annual Lavender Rights Project's Black Trans Comedy Showcase, Massive Monkees Day, and more.

New to the Emerald this year, Jas Keimig brought their extensive knowledge of Seattle's arts scenes, tying it all together in regular arts roundups that we could all count on to steer our social calendars. They excelled with Emerald's guides for Pride and Juneteenth, as well as standout features like serpentwithfeet's Seattle show, a local rapper's debut film Fantasy A Gets a Mattress, and exploring the art of 'junk mail' with Ari Glass.

In addition to being a fabulous emcee for the Emerald's Birthday Party, Sarah Goh contributed to our coverage of Queer and Trans BIPOC events, and turned to community health topics later in the year, including HIV care within Asian and Pacific Islander communities and Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services, a nonprofit supporting Indigenous parents.

Agueda Pacheco Flores wrote a fantastic feature on Bailadores de Bronce, a folklrico dance group that's been going strong since 1972, a photo essay on South Park's Fiestas Patrias, and more.

Nura Ahmed is an Emerald contributor to keep an eye on. Check out her profiles on performing artist Essam Muhammad and Somali chef and writer Ifrah F. Ahmed.

Saira B. and Neve Mazique's New Moon Movie Night Review returned for part of the year before going on hiatus. Neve also wrote an incredible list of horror movie and TV show selections for Halloween.

Behind the camera, veteran photographer Susan Fried is always at the right place at the right time. It's hard to pick just one or two of her photo essays, but if I had to, I'd say her Bubblin Brown Sugar and T'Challaween essays are both exemplary of her work that effortlessly captures South End communities.

Alex Garland is a prolific reporter and photographer, just as capable doing a write-up about a local business as he is capturing a protest in photos. This year I thoroughly enjoyed his article (and wonderful photos) about feral cats, and his photo essay on Growlerz Seattle, a new dog daycare and hangout for both dogs and humans in Columbia City.

Ronnie Estoque did a little of everything for the Emerald this year. In addition to his written reported pieces, he also contributed photo essays and videos. Check out his video feature on Mapu Maia, a Kent clinic that provides free services for queer and trans Pacific Islanders, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, and his coverage of the Palengke Summer Party, a market that celebrates Seattle's Filipino community.

I'm indebted to the Emerald's Managing Editor Rosette Royale, Voices editor Mike Davis, and News editor Phil Manzano for their wisdom, perspectives, and the care and love they bring when considering stories that reflect the South End. I'm grateful to be part of the team!

I'd also like to give a special shoutout to developmental editors Bridget McKenna and Amanda Sorell, two people who comb through every word that appears on this website, and to Megan Christy — copy editor, content manager, keeper of the knowledge, and the "great decider!" These three are unsung heroes behind the curtain, making everything possible. Thank you!

📸 Featured Image: Community, Arts & Culture editor Mark Van Streefkerk (left) interviews reporter Sarah Goh at the Emerald's Ninth Birthday Party on Aug. 12, 2023. (Photo: Grant Wu)