Bainbridge Island Specials

To celebrate the holiday season, BCB brings you this reading of O. Henry's classic Christmas Tale, The Gift of the Magi. Reading by Diane Walker; intro and extro music: In the Bleak Midwinter, by El McMeen.

From the Sandspit to Winslow Way and Fort Ward, from Kingston to Indianola and the piers of Seattle, strange phenomena abound. You can hear all about it here as Bainbridge Public Library's John Fossett, BCB's Diane Walker, and The Art Project's Susan Wiersema share true ghost stories from Bainbridge Island and beyond. These stories were read aloud at the Art Project on Friday evening, October 26, 2018 under the direction of Susan Wiersema. We hope you enjoy them, and have a Happy Haunted Halloween.

From senior flirting to downward dogs and runaway beets, no subject is off limits to Bainbridge poets when invited to submit their favorite works with no theme to inhibit their creativity! Every year, in April,  local poets submit their poems to Arts & Humanities Bainbridge for posting in island storefronts in honor of National Poetry Month, and each year at the end of April the winning poets gather to read their poems aloud. This year BCB was on hand on Wednesday, April 25th, to record Poetry Corners Live, an event hosted by Arts & Humanities Bainbridge at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. This year’s lack of theme — a conscious determination on the part of the judges — resulted in a broad range of poems: some short, some long; some humorous and some deeply moving; some remembering loss and others full of hope. The lucky folks who listened to this event heard some truly magnificent work —  and now you can enjoy it, too! Listen here, and enjoy a flavorful blend of island creativity. For more information, or to purchase a Poetry Corners 2018 chapbook with Karen Chaussabel’s colorful image, “Surrendering to What Is” on the cover, visit the Arts & Humanities Bainbridge website or stop by their office in the Marge Williams Center on Winslow Way West. Credits: BCB audio tech: Finn Mander; audio editor: Jeff Wenker; social media publisher: Diane Walker.

Looking for a quiet break from the holiday rush? Listen here as noted Shakespeare expert, actor, and co-director of inD Theatre Tom Challinor reads Dylan Thomas’s Christmas classic, “A Child’s Christmas in Wales.” Tom will perform this poem again live this weekend at Eagle Harbor Congregational church, at the corner of Winslow and Madison on Bainbridge Island.  That reading, which will be accompanied by violinist Lea Fetterman, is free, appropriate for all ages, and open to the public. So bring the kids; come Friday or Saturday December 22 or 23 at 1, 2, or 3pm, and treat yourself to the sights and sounds of a good old-fashioned Christmas. Credits: Audio tech: Chris Walker; Audio editor and social media publisher, Diane Walker.

When information is democratized, anyone can post content. On the one hand, this is really liberating, but on the other, it makes it really difficult to accurately assess what is true and what is not. In this, the final talk of this year's Library U series on Fake News at the Bainbridge Island Library, Di Zhang, reference librarian at the Seattle Public Library, offers instructions on how to evaluate the plethora of information we encounter, and describes some resources and best practices for identifying fake news. Listen here to learn more about Snopes; reverse image searching; Buzzfeed; the caveats against sharing, liking, and clickbait; and much more.  For additional help, see the resource list posted on the Bainbridge Public Library website at http://www.bainbridgepubliclibrary.org/pdfs/Fake-News-Survival-Guide.pdf. Library U organizer Kathleen Thorne has created a video of this presentation; to view that video, visit https://youtu.be/m4kVn5aqShQ. Credits: Audio tech: Chris Walker; Audio editor and social media publisher, Diane Walker.

In an era of fake news, how do we know which news sources we can trust? In this, the third talk of this year's Library U series at the Bainbridge Island Library, David Brewster, founder of Seattle Weekly, Eastside Week, Sasquatch Books, Crosscut.com and Town Hall, explores the current state of our local news media and addresses the search for reliable news sources. Listen here as, ably assisted by David Harrison, senior lecturer emeritus at the Urban School of Public Affairs at the UW, Brewster discusses the challenges and opportunities of Seattle media; the impact of The Stranger; the role of the "host body" in journalism; our business press; shifting news sources and where to find reputable ones; formulaic journalism; first amendment issues and concerns; the phenomenon of tribal epistemology; what makes a good journalist; and the value of having a plethora of media choices. Credits: Audio tech: Chris Walker; Audio editor and social media publisher, Diane Walker.

In this 45 minute podcast, recorded at a forum held by the League of Women Voters on Wednesday evening, October 11, at Bainbridge City Hall, we hear from Bainbridge Island’s candidates for  Parks and Recreation Commissioner, incumbent Kirk Robinson and challenger Michael Pollack. Listen here as the two candidates address issues posed by their audience, including questions about the plans for the Sakai park, the district's relationship with the Senior Center, the disc golf setup at Battle Point Park, the inclusion of dogs on the island's trails, term limits, the Parks and Rec budget, open communications, and more. Special thanks to City Communications Manager Kellie Stickney for providing access to this recording. Credits: Audio editor and social media publisher, Diane Walker.  

In this 20 minute podcast, recorded at a forum held by the League of Women Voters on Monday evening, October 9, at Bainbridge City Hall, we hear briefly from each of Bainbridge Island’s candidates for City Council. Listen here as Ted Jones and Matthew Tirman from the South District, Rasham Nassan and Wayne Roth from the Central District, and Joe Deets and Kevin Fetterly from the North District each briefly introduce themselves and answer two questions posed by audience participants. Sadly, additional questions during the evening’s presentation were not recorded due to technical difficulties. Thank you for listening and for your patience; we hope to record all of Wednesday evening’s session with the Parks and Rec and School Board Candidates, so stay tuned! Credits: BCB audio tech: Chris Walker; audio editor and social media publisher, Diane Walker.

If you've seen photos of a shark swimming in the streets of Houston after Hurricane Harvey, you've seen the particular variety of fake news that appears when emergencies attract national interest. In this week's talk in Bainbridge Public Library's Library U series on fake news, UW Assistant Professor and former basketball star Kate Starbird describes some of the results and discoveries from her extensive research concerning fake news and social media in times of crisis. Starbird's talk, delivered on September 30th at the Bainbridge Public Library, was entitled "Finding ‘Fake News’ in Times of Crisis: Online Rumors, Conspiracy Theories, and Disinformation.” Listen here and learn how phenomena such as Facebook algorithms, the loss of trust in traditional journalism, clickbait, and confirmation bias can make us vulnerable to disinformation, misinformation, and conspiracy theories -- much of which may be being propagated by computer programs. Credits: BCB audio tech: Chris Walker; audio editor and social media publisher, Diane Walker.

Although the term "fake news” didn’t garner Word of the Year status until 2016, this dubious journalistic practice has been with us a long time.  But our digital ecosystem seems to have evolved into a near-perfect environment for the flourishing of fake news, even as the digital news trend has decimated the force of the traditional, objectively minded, independent press. What to do now?  In this month's Library U series, four different lecturers will be exploring topics around fake news. This podcast captures the first of those presentations, which was delivered Saturday, September 23rd, by T. Andrew Wahl, journalism professor at Everett Community College. After an introductory video -- a Ted Talk by internet activist Eli Pariser on the Filter Bubble  -- Wahl goes on to discuss such subjects as the history of fake news, the origins of the filter bubble, the growing political divide, some classic examples of fake news, the challenges of responsible journalism, and how smartphones are changing our awareness of the world around us. We apologize for the sound quality of this talk; it was held in the library's brand new public meeting space, and we had some difficulties connecting with the new sound system. But we feel certain you'll find Wahl's talk intriguing. Credits: BCB audio tech: Chris Walker; audio editor and social media publisher, Diane Walker.

"Great art is the outward expression of the inner life in the artist, and this inner life will result in his personal vision of the world." Edward Hopper From hot dogs to politics; from pregnancy to funerals  -- no subject is off limits to Bainbridge poets when invited to express themselves -- especially when inspired by the above quote from artist Edward Hopper! Every year, in April,  local poets submit their poems to Arts & Humanities Bainbridge for posting in island storefronts in honor of National Poetry Month, and each year at the end of April the winning poets gather to read their poems aloud.  This year BCB was on hand on Thursday, April 27 to record Poetry Corners Live, an event hosted by Arts & Humanities Bainbridge and the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. This year's theme -- Expression -- resulted in a broad range of poems: some short, some long; some humorous and some deeply moving; some about memories and others full of hope. The lucky folks who listened to this hour-long event heard some truly magnificent work --  and now you can enjoy it, too! Listen here, and enjoy a flavorful blend of island creativity. Credits: BCB audio tech: Chris Walker; audio editor and social media publisher: Diane Walker.

From BCB... http://bestofbcb.org/spec-006-bainbridge-schools-foundation-seminar/ This is a recording of a seminar sponsored by Bainbridge Schools Foundation on the subject “The State of Education on Bainbridge Island.” On Tuesday, May 11, The Bainbridge Schools Foundation gathered a group of education experts and politicians at IslandWood to address funding, staffing, and other challenges affecting the Bainbridge Island School System. Panelists for this event included: State Senator Christine Rolfes of Bainbridge Island, who has been a leader in legislative efforts to achieve ample funding for public education in our state; Attorney Tom Ahearne, an attorney who lives on Bainbridge Island, who has been the leader of the legal effort at the State Supreme Court to order ample funding for education as required by our State Constitution; Bainbridge Island School District board president Mev Hoberg; Superintendent-elect for our Bainbridge School District, Peter Bang-Knudsen; Amanda Ward, a much-respected teacher of Social Studies in Bainbridge High School Panel moderator: Peter Murchie, a board member of the Bainbridge Schools Foundation. After moderator Peter Murchie introduced the five distinguished panelists, attorney Tom Ahearne proceeded to explain the current status of legal efforts seeking to achieve ample funding for public education in our state. The first 38 minutes of the seminar focused primarily on issues of funding for public schools. Then, from minute 38 through minute 54, there was discussion of the teacher shortage in our state and our District’€™s efforts to respond to that situation. From minute 54 to the end, the moderator turned to questions for the panelists from the audience. The overall duration of the recorded event is approximately one hour, 46 minutes. Credits: BCB audio recorder and editor: Barry Peters; BCB social media publisher: Diane Walker.

This is a 40-minute keepsake of high points from the unforgettable Dec 15th nighttime community vigil in the 40-degree weather at the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial. It starts with a short interview about the meaning of the event with Clarence Moriwaki, one of the leaders of the Japanese American community, immediately prior to the ceremony. We meet one of the grass roots organizers of the event, Marsha Cutting. She created a Facebook group a few days earlier, which went viral among Islanders, calling for a vigil to protest the appalling and divisive remarks of fear-mongering politicians. The ceremony opens with Clarence Moriwaki reading a passionate humanitarian statement written by the vigil committee. Listen to subsequent remarks by two state government leaders from Bainbridge Island - Senator Christine Rolfes, and Representative Drew Hansen. Resident Althea Paulsen read remarks from Sen. Patty Murray, and Ingrid Outland read a message from our Congressman Derek Kilmer. City Councilman Val Tollefson delivered a personal message. Mary Woodward spoke as the daughter of the principled editor of the Bainbridge Review who opposed the Japanese exclusion from our Island. Clarence Moriwaki praised the humanitarian remarks of WA Governor Jay Inslee who hails from our Island. Also hear three speakers from the audience, concluding with Rector Tommy Dillon of Grace Church, who recited a favorite passage of scripture, from the Holy Koran. We also hear excerpts of music from representatives of the High School Band, singer Rick Barrenger, and a cappella singers from the Threshold Choir. Credits: BCB volunteers: Chris Walker, Reed Price and Barry Peters.

“Climate change is a problem that can no longer be left to a future generation.” - Pope Francis. The recent October 27th panel discussion by five local clergy -- and their responses to the Pope’s recent encyclical on climate change -- help make us more aware how many clergy, especially on Bainbridge Island, have long stood up to address climate change among their congregations and in public. This podcast is a recording of “Faith and Climate Change — Do We Have a Moral Obligation to Act.” That topic was the subject of a panel of local clergy at Eagle Harbor Congregational Church on Bainbridge Island on Tuesday, October 27th. The event was co-sponsored by the Interfaith Council of Bainbridge Island and North Kitsap, the Bainbridge Island Citizens’ Climate Lobby, and Climate Action Bainbridge. The podcast includes: 0:00 Event introduction - by Peggy Erickson, co-chair of Bainbridge Citizens’ Climate Lobby 2:15 Introduction to clergy panel discussion, by Erika Shriner, board member of Climate Action Bainbridge, who moderated the clergy panel discussion 5:26 Question 1: What does your faith believe about humanity’s relationship to the earth, and is there a moral imperative to care for the earth? 5:50 Response by Rev. Dee Eisenhauer, minister of Eagle Harbor Congregational Church, United Church of Christ 8:28 Response by Rabbi Paul Strasko, Congregation Kol Shalom 12:45 Response by Rev. Paul Stumme-Diers, Bethany Lutheran Church 15:15 Response by Rev. Eric Mason, Grace Episcopal Church 18:18 Response by Assemblyman Stan Brown, Baha’is of Bainbridge Island 20:30 Question 2: What has your faith community done, or planned to do, to incorporate climate action into your collective work and the lives of your members? 20:46 Dee Eisenhauer23:30 Paul Strasko26:48 Paul Stumme-Diers29:30 Eric Mason31:42 Stan Brown 33:45 Question 3: With lots going on, are we getting real results? How can we engage more people of faith to accept the science of climate change, and to act on it? 34:48 Dee Eisenhauer37:43 Paul Strasko42:10 Paul Stumme-Diers44:56 Eric Mason47:12 Stan Brown 51:51 Question 4: How do we mobilize massive numbers of people to do something constructive about climate change as soon as possible? 53:20 Dee Eisenhauer54:40 Paul Strasko55:24 Paul Stumme-Diers56:08 Eric Mason56:58 Stan Brown 57:45 Moderator closing remarks 58:51 Transition to presentations by climate change activists 59:05 How to share this BCB recording with your friends 59:40 Stacey Nordgren describes a Nov 18th workshop by EcoAdapt to enable the public to address climate change responses in the City of Bainbridge Island Comprehensive Plan update. 1:02:12 Dr. Michael Soman describes Citizens Climate Lobby 1:05:10 Brian Anderson describes Climate Action Bainbridge 1:09:11 Erika Shriner, describes Carbon Washington 1:12:42 Peggy Erickson wrap up, with mention of Earth Art Bainbridge. Please note that, for your listening convenience, this recording of the 100-minute October 27 event was shortened to 73 minutes by eliminating the Q&A session and editing the activist presentations. Credits: BCB recording technician, audio editor and publisher: Barry Peters

From BCB... http://bestofbcb.org/spec-003-david-gutersons-march-2015-address/ In this podcast, the third in our new series of BCB Bainbridge Island specials, we offer award-winning local author David Guterson's reflections on the writing of Snow Falling on Cedars, from a talk delivered at Bainbridge Performing Arts on March 22nd, 2015. This talk is introduced by Kate Carruthers, Director of BPA's Book-It Theater production of Snow Falling on Cedars. As part of their March presentation of Snow Falling on Cedars, Bainbridge Performing Arts invited Guterson to give a special presentation prior to a matinee performance of the play. Reading Snow Falling on Cedars twenty years later, its author encountered an unexpected mixture of emotions. In this talk he shared these, along with his thoughts on the influences, ideals, and ambitions that led to its writing and what the book means to him now. It took Guterson five years to write Snow Falling on Cedars, in part because he was teaching full time at Bainbridge High School, and in part because of the extensive research he did on salmon fishing, strawberry farming and the internment. To describe the anti-Japanese hysteria that prevailed in the 1940's, he steeped himself in about 600 pages of oral histories compiled by elderly internees for the Bainbridge Island Japanese-American Community Association.  And while the fictitious San Piedro Island of Snow Falling on Cedars drifts at some distance from Bainbridge -- on a real map of Puget Sound it would lie in the San Juan Islands -- it is populated by some authentic Bainbridge characters. The literary model for the book, however, was more remote -- Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, the 1960 novel Guterson regularly assigned to his high school English classes.  Guterson, then 39, received the 1995 PEN/Faulkner Award for Snow Falling on Cedars – a remarkable achievement for a first novel. Even more remarkable was the fact that it went on to be not only a critical but also a commercial success: with over four millions copies sold, it has generated a Hollywood film, a stage play, and countless high school student essays. Ironically, it is his novel that is now showing up in high school curricula – if it hasn’t been banned. Listen here to hear Guterson's reflections as he looks back 20-30 years at the young man who wrote his book and how it all came to be.   Credits:  BPA audio tech Alex King; BCB audio tech and audio editor Lyssa Danehy de Hart; BCB publisher Diane Walker.

This second show in the new podcast series of BCB Bainbridge Island Specials is a recording of Part 2 of "Dear Editor: Letters to the Bainbridge Review", by the cast of Island Theater. This rendition is a documentary for radio recorded on March 1, 2015 at the BCB Studios, and it was also presented to a live audience in February 2015 at the Bainbridge Island Public Library.  The performance is part of the Island Theater's 20th anniversary season. This 2-part recording is read aloud by the following Island Theater cast members: Diane Bankart Charlie Hamilton Debbi Lester Fred Saas Tell Schreiber Pat Scott Diane Walker The Director of the production for Island Theater was Tell Schreiber. In this part 2, there is one last letter from the era of World War II, and the remaining letters in this 30-minute podcast are from the ensuing decades. For Part 1 of this reading for radio, see BCB's first Island Theater podcast. Credits: BCB producer, editor and publisher: Barry Peters

This first show in the new podcast series of BCB Bainbridge Island Specials is a recording of Part 1 of "Dear Editor: Letters to the Bainbridge Review", by the cast of Island Theater. This rendition is a documentary for radio recorded on March 1, 2015 at the BCB Studios, and it was also presented to a live audience in February 2015 at the Bainbridge Island Public Library.  The performance is part of the Island Theater's 20th anniversary season. This 2-part recording is read aloud by the following Island Theater cast members: Diane Bankart Charlie Hamilton Debbi Lester Fred Saas Tell Schreiber Pat Scott Diane Walker The Director of the production for Island Theater was Tell Schreiber. In this part 1, there are three segments, each separated by a brief musical interlude: Segment 1: A burst of short excerpts from various letters Segment 2: Letters from years prior to World War II, as far back as 1928 Segment 3: Letters from the era of WW II and the exclusion of Japanese Americans from Bainbridge Island Part 2 is a separately published podcast and includes letters from the post-war era through the 1970s. Credits: BCB producer, editor and publisher: Barry Peters