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MONDAY 8/18
(VISUAL ART) Design. Is. Everywhere. Literally: on your street, in your home, at the weed shop… and of course, at Seattle Design Festival’s six-day celebration of creativity and community. Returning for its 15th year, SDF brings a wealth of interactive installations, hands-on workshops, and thoughtful talks, all centered around this year’s theme: “Feedback.” It all kicks off with a block party at Lake Union (August 16–17), followed by three days of mixers with Adobe, ARCADE NW, and Pratt Fine Arts before wrapping with a bash. If you’re into art, design, or rethinking how feedback fuels collaboration, this one’s for you (and it’s all free). (Various locations, Aug 16–Aug 21, free) LANGSTON THOMAS
TUESDAY 8/19
Isabel Cañas with Sadie Hartmann: ‘The Possession of Alba Díaz’
(BOOKS) Isabel Cañas’s new gothic horror novel, The Possession of Alba Díaz, is set during a plague in 18th-century Zacatecas, Mexico, and follows the story of Alba, a woman seized by a malevolent demon, and Elías, her wealthy fiancé’s cousin. The star-crossed pair becomes “entangled with the occult, the Church, long-kept secrets, and each other… not knowing that one of these things will spell their doom.” Fans of Robert Eggers’s Nosferatu and Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s bestselling novel Mexican Gothic won’t want to miss Cañas’s conversation with author Sadie Hartmann, aka “Mother Horror.” (Seattle Central Library, 7–8:30 pm, all ages, free) JULIANNE BELL
WEDNESDAY 8/20
(MUSIC) Not to be confused with the German DJ and musician HorsegiirL, who wears a horse mask to conceal her identity, Horsegirl is a Chicago-based indie-rock band made up of singer-guitarist Nora Cheng, singer-guitarist Penelope Lowenstein, and drummer Gigi Reece. Welsh singer-songwriter Cate Le Bon lent her production magic to their latest album, Phonetics On and On, which was recorded in Wilco’s studio the Loft in the dead of a frosty Illinois winter. The group combines crystalline harmonies and tight-as-hell guitars with hooky pop compositions that lodge themselves deep in your brain. If you share my affinity for bands like Electrelane, the Raincoats, and Look Blue Go Purple, you won’t be able to stop listening. (Neumos, 7 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL
THURSDAY 8/21
(MUSIC) As a longtime admirer of jazz innovators John and Alice Coltrane, I often sulk at the reality that I will never get to see them perform live (Alice passed away back in 2007, and John in 1967). And, given the mercurial nature of free jazz, I’ve had to accept that their studio albums and live recordings are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the genius they individually offered the mortal world. Thankfully, their offspring Ravi Coltrane carries on the family legacy by sharing his parents’ otherworldly compositions and free-flowing style. (Jazz Alley, Aug 21–Aug 24, times vary, 21+) AUDREY VANN
FRIDAY 8/22
Josh Johnson: The Flowers Tour
(COMEDY) As a Black man with an admittedly “white” voice, stand-up comedian Josh Johnson possesses keen, distinctive insights on race that can range from pragmatically ruthless to absurd. And his acute, left-leaning wit has earned him a lengthy stint as a writer/correspondent on The Daily Show, a writing gig for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and the respect of Trevor Noah, for whom he opened on the Loud & Clear and Back to Abnormal tours. Johnson’s humor arises out of rigorous, cohesive narratives rather than several short, sharp punch lines per minute, resulting in a cumulative, delayed-gratification hilarity. Come for the nuanced anti-Trump observations, stay for the perceptive takes on racism. (Moore Theatre, 7 pm & 9:30 pm Friday; 4 pm Saturday, all ages) DAVE SEGAL
SATURDAY 8/23
Kameelah Janan Rasheed: ‘we leak, we exceed’
(VISUAL ART) Brooklyn-based artist (or, as she describes herself, “learner”) Kameelah Janan Rasheed’s exhibit we leak, we exceed draws parallels between the compression of information and the containment of people, specifically calling for “the embrace of Black excess and expansion.” Rasheed’s multimedia works integrate found images and words woven together with her writing to create collage-like wall installations and experimental video art. One example of this is her 2024 piece i want to climb inside every word and lick the salty neck of each letter, which encapsulates the viewer into a black-and-white grid that feels like you’re inside the World Wide Web. Atop the grid are projected photographs, physical prints, a fishing hook, and collected soil. (Henry Art Gallery, free) AUDREY VANN
SUNDAY 8/24
Loretta’s Northwesterner’s Baked Potato
(FOOD) You may have already tried the famous juicy, charbroiled tavern burger from South Park’s storied dive Loretta’s Northwesterner…but do you know about The Baked Potato? On a recent visit, my dining companions and I spotted the menu item and were so intrigued we had to order it. What came out was a huge roasted spud split in half, loaded with a river of melty cheddar, slathered with sour cream, and sprinkled with copious crunchy bacon bits and green onions for good measure. It was glorious. I hate baked potatoes that don’t have a high enough topping-to-potato ratio, but this one was perfect—you got a little of everything and a photogenic cheese pull in every forkful. (Loretta’s Northwesterner, available after 5 pm) JULIANNE BELL
