THE SAGA CONTINUES
Spokane Arts has announced recipients for the second round of its 2022 SAGA — short for SPOKANE ARTS GRANT AWARDS — program. SAGA funding is distributed three times annually to artists, arts service organizations, and culture and heritage groups based in the Spokane area. Applications for the final round of 2022 grants are due Oct. 1. The following list of organizations received round two SAGA funding; read more about each project, from songwriting workshops to murals, at spokanearts.org. (CHEY SCOTT)
MUSIC: The Smokes (pictured above)
VISUAL ARTS: Mallory Battista and Lisa Soranaka
CULTURAL: Spokane Chinese Association, Sindhu Surapaneni
STAGE: Spokane Playwrights Laboratory, Bright Comet Theatre, Spokane Shakespeare Society
WORDS: Browne's Addition Neighborhood Council, Spark Central
iCRIED
I'm not usually one to pick up a memoir, but the title of beloved iCarly star Jennette McCurdy's debut book stopped me dead in my tracks and had me searching every local bookstore for a copy. I'M GLAD MY MOM DIED chronicles McCurdy's childhood as an actress, her struggles with bulimia and anorexia, and her strained relationship with her narcissistic mother. Her writing style is casual and laid back as she recalls the trauma and abuse she endured as her mother controlled every aspect of her life until her mother's passing when McCurdy was 21 years old. She searches to answer what children owe to their abusive parents. (Spoiler alert: The answer is absolutely nothing.) Her compelling writing and humorous flair helped break through the tears that constantly welled in my eyes and made I'm Glad My Mom Died one of my favorite books of 2022. (MADISON PEARSON)
THIS WEEK'S PLAYLIST
Noteworthy new music arriving in stores and online Sept. 16:
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE, ASPHALT MEADOWS. The Seattle indie rock champion still excels at offering an outlet for Ben Gibbard's relatable and empathetic anxieties on its 10th full-length studio album.
BLACKPINK, BORN PINK. The queens of K-pop return with more chaotically complex melody-driven pop music that touches on everything from hip-hop and hyperpop to EDM and Middle Eastern flairs.
MARCUS MUMFORD, (SELF-TITLED). I like to imagine the songwriting troubadour went solo by posting a "NO SONS ALLOWED" sign on his folk-rock band's clubhouse door. (SETH SOMMERFELD)
