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Cascadia Magazine is dedicated to publishing great writing from across the Pacific Northwest — from Eugene to Nanaimo, from Seattle to Umatilla– and all points in between. In our first year, we’ve published a small, but quality selection of fiction, essays, and poetry from talented writers like Donna Miscolta, E.J. Koh, Samiya Bashir, Chelene Knight, Ellen Welcker, Anca Szilágyi, and Paul Nelson. We’re excited to publish even more great literature in 2019!
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Cascadia Magazine original: Two poems by Samuel Green
“This was the year the elk swam
to the island, a stray bull turned out
of its Cascade herd & somehow
kicked its way across a mile of saltwater
currents…”
Former Washington state poet laureate Samuel Green who lives in the San Juan Islands, has two poems online now at Cascadia Magazine about human interactions with wildlife: “Falcon Watching, Disney Point,” and “Elk.” Take a moment to read them here.
BC court rules farmed salmon must be tested for virus
In a big win for critics of salmon farms in British Columbia, a court ruled that the BC and Canadian government were negligent in preventing a deadly virus that can be spread to wild salmon, and that fish farms must test for the fatal piscine reovirus, The Tyee reports. In related news, KUOW looks as proposed new rules in the Washington state legislature that would triple the distance boats must keep away from orcas in the Salish Sea, in order to better protect their ability to hunt chinook salmon. And for background on First Nations’ fight against fish farms in BC, read Mychaylo Prystupa’s feature at Cascadia Magaine.
Vancouver empty rental rules have reduced vacancies
CBC reports that Vancouver’s empty rental rule, designed to put vacant properties back in the market, has caused vacancies to drop 15 percent and started to bring down rental prices. Meanwhile, Willamette Week reports that a new 80-unit affordable housing complex in Portland designed to help black families displaced by gentrification has had major problems filling spots, and after months is still empty. And OPB examines several bills in the Oregon legislature designed to fight rising housing costs, including rent control and statewide zoning changes.
Many youths leaving mental health treatment end up homeless
KNKX looks at a new report that finds that a rising number of youths in Washington state who seek treatment for mental health issues or addiction end up on a path to homelessness. And, in order to cope with Washington’s crisis in mental health treatment, the legislature is considering a bill that would create a new psychiatric teaching hospital in Seattle, Crosscut reports.
Seattle’s Pramila Jayapal leads progressives in US Congress
The Nation has a great profile of Seattle Congressional representative Pramila Jayapal, who’s one of the co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and leading Democrats to take more left-leaning stands on issues like Medicare for All and a Green New Deal. Meanwhile, The Tyee reported on false ads taken out in BC media claiming the leader of Canada’s center-left NDP, Jagmeet Singh (who’s running for a seat in Burnaby, BC), owns a huge mansion and other misinformation.
“Bukas Na Puso,” a photo essay by Bianca Recuenco
At Human Condition, check out the photo essay “Bukas Na Puso” (which means “Open Heart” in Tagalog) by Filipina-American photographer Bianca Recuenco, who recently graduated from the University of Washington. It’s a beautiful look at the fluidity of gender and identity, a collection of work that Recuenco says aims to “depict how vulnerability can translate into strength.”
An excerpt from Sharma Shields’s new novel “The Cassandra”
At Electric Literature, you should definitely read an excerpt from Spokane author Sharma Shields’s new novel The Cassandra, an off-kilter telling of the Greek myth of Cassandra– the future-seer no one believes. Sharma has re-imagined her as the character of Mildred Groves, a 18-year-old who escapes her domineering mother to work at Hanford for the atom bomb project. “Beneath the bright leaves, the limbs looked like Father’s thin arms, reaching skyward, surrendering. When I was very little, he’d called me whip-smart, but Mother had demurred. She can see the future, this girl, he’d said. He was right. I could. But Mother had told him that there was no place in the world for knowledgeable women…” Read the full excerpt here. And while you’re at it, read Sharma’s fantastic essay “Great Grinning Things” about living with MS now online at Cascadia Magazine.
That’s today’s collection of news, arts, and culture from the Cascadia bioregion. Stay warm and be safe out there in the ice and snow! –Andrew Engelson
Photo credit: fish farm image by Tavish Campbell