Futurewise Executive Director Alex Brennan came by the Collaboratory and talked urban growth boundaries, development, and housing.

We're back! Washington State Association for Justice Executive Director Liz Berry stops by the new digs to talk about her firsthand experience with gun violence, Washington's inability -- or unwillingness -- to raise tax revenue, and her legendary cousin Glen.

Classic upisode! Or, re-run! Longtime advocate and 2017 mayoral finalist Cary Moon swings by the bookstore and raps with Ian about growing up in the Midwest, land planning in Seattle, and the value of our city's connection to the water. She explains the distinction between the successful public park (a city project) and the viaduct (a controversial state project) and discusses what she learned -- and what confirmed that she already knew -- during her run.

Classic upisode! Or, re-run! Real estate expert and Civic Minute founder Sol Villarreal stops by the book store to chat about the housing market, trust in business and politics, and engage in a rigorous debate with Ian about our social expectations for elected officials.

It's Cascadia Day! Ian gets together with a gang of the region's top subject matter experts to discuss how we define the region, how we think about the region, and what's next for the millions of people who call Cascadia home. Cascadia Magazine founder Andrew Engelson, Tarika Powell of Sightline Institute, Cascadia Rail co-founder Paige Malott, and iconic Cascadian poet Nadine Maestas take turns schooling Ian and the live audience on their perspectives about Cascadia's future.

Celebrated Slovenian/American avant-garde artist Milenko Matanovic, also known for his tireless and effective community organizing here in the U.S., came by the bookstore for a philosophical barnburner while the "Puzzle Break" was in full swing next door. He shares his passion for that most democratic of institutions, the public meeting, and breaks down how important it is to a functional relationship with the government (and how easy it is to abuse).

John Cracolici of Cascadia Rail stops by the bookstore and walks Ian through his journey from Pike Market grocer to transit activist to geostructural engineer. He details the vision for a region-wide high-speed rail system and why it's not as far off or expensive as you might think.

Political and communications guru Amanda Finney stopped by the bookstore for a chat on running the HRC primary in Louisianna and where that ill-fated 2016 campaign went wrong. She and Ian discuss what they both see as the real divide in America, which is less about left versus right and more about one's identity in place. She urges Seattlites to get into more dinner table arguments with their uncles.

Seattle housing advocates Laura Loe and Ethan Goodman stopped by the bookstore for what started out as an update on pro-housing, anti-homelessness legislation and turning into a sprawling rumination on life changes, self-empowered community development, the uselessness of "supply and demand" as a basic rhetorical device, and even the status of the left/liberal divide as it applies to housing and urban planning policy. Both gave reasons to be optimistic, as well as concerned, about the future of urbanist policy in Seattle.

Decorated Seattle photojournalist Alex Garland stopped by the book store during business hours for a lively conversation about his work documenting moments of change across the city and even beyond Seattle. He recounts how "the Occupy moment" galvanized some of the most effective politics of the current era even if it didn't necessarily achieve concrete objectives; he walks Ian through the closure of the downtown viaduct, weighing in on the dangerous beauty and massive waste involved in such a project; he encourages listeners to see queer artists of color before they are pushed forever out of Seattle

Poet, playwright and Seattle Latino Film Festival Founder & CEO Jorge Enrique Gonzalez Pacheco swings by the bookstore and chats with Ian about his early artistic life in Cuba, where he incurred severe government side-eye with his hagiography to the pre-revolution days, and how his poetry stemmed from an inability to related to his widowed father. He talks about his migration to Miami, via Mexico, and the random string of events that led him not only to Seattle but to organizing a major cultural event in the city, now a decade old.