The Spovangelist

Since 1985 Crosswalk has provided a safe place devoted to “breaking the cycle of youth homelessness”. Over time a suite of services have co-located in their facility, including an Early Head Start (EHS) program of Volunteers of America that keeps young parents in school by providing daytime care for their children. Prior to this arrangement, [...]

Peaceful Valley is a gem but the secret is out and running up the hill. The scenic location and closeness to downtown are too much to resist for developers. For several decades, the neighborhood has resisted drastic changes and remained a sweetly paced, unique community in the heart of Spokane.
Our first Indians fished here, wood-frame [...]

Just one year ago a handful of Spovangelites cemented my resolve to start a (mostly) young women’s group called the Spokane Shrinking Violet Society. It is startling what has grown in its place since that time. Hundreds of participants, dozens of lifelong friendships, and nearly 80 events later, we have firmly established what we [...]

No matter how public or private the writer, blogging  is a fundamentally social activity. Many of our most popular posting ideas come directly from you, the reader, and that is one reason why the Spovangelist is now on Facebook.
With the new layout, navigating to your favorite pages can be a bit of a hassle. One [...]

They say an effective communication technique is to “tell ‘em what you’re gonna tell ‘em, tell ‘em, and then tell ‘em what you told ‘em.” That is what I appreciate about Gabriel and Rimas’s proactive three-pronged approach to marketing Chicken Sh@#: Exploring Urban Ecosystems. Instead of issuing a wan invitation to an opening night event [...]

Collectives, whether they identify as such or not, are the lifeblood of a vibrant scene. While local music has reshuffled in preparation for another boom, local art has grown steadily to include more and more opportunities for young artists to showcase their work and build a following.

The next four months are packed with more community-produced [...]

Wednesday night I taught a worm composting workshop in the Saranac Art Projects gallery Chicken SH@# exhibit with local permaculturist Bea Lackoff. It was a blast.

All photos courtesy of Gabriel Brown.
Next class will be held from 2:30-3:30pm at Fresh Abundance on N. Division as part of their Feb. 20th Seed Exchange event. I look forward [...]

“In Death and Life Jacobs described in detail how powerful forces were hurting cities, both physically and metaphysically. She discussed the importance of neighborhoods, and what made one block friendly, but another deadly. She talked about the need for old buildings, and faulted restrictive zoning regulations as often harmful to a neighborhood’s vitality. She castigated [...]

This is what community looks like:

Sometimes you just get hit with an “Aha!” moment and all the talk and striving and scheduling pays off. THIS is community in action, you say to yourself. Right here, this is what it is all about!
Most recently I felt it at Jon Snyder’s campaign party, and then at the [...]

When I worked as an annual fund caller at my alma mater, I dreaded asking people close to my own age for their money. Every once in a while a recent grad would get incredulous. “Are you kidding me? I already owe that school over $70,000, and you’re asking for more?” But what is an [...]