The Greater Seattle Bureau of Fearless Ideas

It’s here! Illustoria Magazine () the LOVE issue just dropped today!
In addition to the spectacular cover by , and poetry by , this issue also features writing by some amazing young writers right here at the Bureau of Fearless Ideas in Seattle. We’ll be sharing more from these young writers, Amira and Audrey, throughout the month. But for now be sure to order this issue and subscribe at store.mcsweeneys.net (link in bio).

Summer is for writing outside, with ink you made from fresh blackberries.

Thanks to artist, Claire Donaldson, for showing us the joys of natural inks, and inspiring creative experiments this summer.

There’s still time to sign up for one of our Fearless Ideas Summer Workshops! This July, we’ll be writing outside, by the campfire, and in our community writing centers at Greenwood and Yesler Terrace — along with some amazing guest teaching artists and writers. We’ve got space available for elementary, middle, and high school students.

Go to www.fearlessideas.org/summer-2024 (LINK IN BIO) to learn more and fill out an interest form today!

New youth publications! The inimitable first grade authors of Bailey Gatzert Elementary have just released their newest series of books inspired by creatures you might see here in Seattle. Featuring an astronaut hummingbird, a fishing osprey, and a squirrel aviator — these stories are sure to be classics.

Congratulations, 1st grade authors!

We’re hiring our next Executive Director, and we’re so excited to welcome a new visionary arts leader onto our creative, kind, and courageous team.

To learn more, please go to www.fearlessideas.org/employment (Link in Bio). And we’d so grateful if you can share this opportunity with your communities.

Deadline to apply is June 30th.

By a campfire over s’mores, through the woods, and into the neighborhood — this summer we’ll be searching for our “summer selves” as a theme to inspire new art and stories.

We have summer programming offerings for elementary, middle, and high school students. Head to www.fearlessideas.org/summer-2024 (LINK IN BIO) to learn more and apply today!

It’s that time of year when we get to step back and reflect on all the learning, fun, stories, and growth we’ve experienced throughout the school year together.

At our Greenwood and Yesler Terrace locations, we’ve been hosting students and families for gallery walks, open mics, and end-of-year celebrations.

Now we’re starting to look ahead to summer. But before we do, we’re looking back at what has been a fantastic 2023-24 school year. Thanks to all the students and families, volunteers and staff who’ve worked together to make this year special!

#2024

We are proud to announce that the Bureau of Fearless Ideas is a recipient of a Community Accelerator Grant funded by the and awarded by

This generous gift will accelerate our organization’s efforts to provide engaging writing and storytelling programs for youth in Seattle this summer and beyond.

Thank you to the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and ArtsFund!

At our most recent poetry reading event, we hosted our first pencil sharpening contest. The competition was steep as some of our city’s finest sharpeners slowly and methodically attempted to carve the most magnificent shaving.

And… drumroll please…. Congratulations to…. whose delightful pencil shaving was selected as the most dazzling of the day by the youngest person in attendance at the end of the day (a very wonderful 1.5 year old named Sylvie).

Thank you to all the participants. When put all together, these shavings really start to make a work of art!

HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who joined us (and some who joined from afar) at this year’s at the spectacular Chihuly Boathouse (). Thanks to the support of our community we were able to exceed our $120K fundraising goal, instead raising $129,050 (20% of our total costs for the entire year) that will help sustain and grow our creative and fearless work.

Shout out to everyone who made the night magical, including (but not limited to): our dazzling emcee (and all-around event-making superstar , musical delights from and , delicious dinner from and , tasty local beverages from , beautifully scrumptious dessert from , and incredible performances from youth leaders the TwaTweezy Boys (with an incredible video by and equipment from ), , Toa, Yasmin, and Etta. And it was all photographed by our friends at .thephotographer.

Thank you also to event sponsors and the Sheng-Yen Lu Foundation.

With gratitude,
The Bureau of Fearless Ideas

It’s the last official day of National Poetry Month. This year we were delighted to be a host location for Seattle Civic Poet, ‘s Public Poetry Campaign, featuring a poem by our own staff member, .wilson09.

From Bryan: one of my favorite parts of this project was the way it invited so many people to collaborate, celebrate, and be creative together. From Shin Yu Pai’s inspiring vision for poetry in public places, to designer Jayme Yen’s () larger-than-life re-imaginings of poems by five local writers (Joe Nasta, Cindy Luong, Bryna Cortes, Kathya Alexander, and me), plus production support from Dustin Mara — this project really exemplified the way that poetry can be a communal experience.

After the poem went up as an installation, other places like the created their own displays with the poems (you can see one at the Greenwood branch — also pictured in this slide show). We also hosted a poetry reading and celebration, and our students after school made collages with Teacher Matt () by remixing the words from the poem into beautiful visual poems (scroll to see).

Which is all to say: poetry begets poetry; when we share our ideas, we call each other into inspiration and the joy of creating things as a community.

Keep writing! Keep reading poetry, even when is over.

Tonight’s the big night of our at the Chihuly Boathouse!!! We are so honored and grateful to be joined by the fantastic food trucks and , drinks from , dessert from , poetry by , musical performances by and , and more youth leaders from the Bureau of Fearless Ideas! We’ll all be joined by the sparkling spectacular emcee, as we fundraise to support Fearless Ideas’ creative youth programs!

Tickets are sold out, but you can still donate in lieu of attendance at fearlessideas.org (link in bio).

Thanks to everyone who came out this weekend to our poetry party in celebration of Seattle Civic Poet, Shin Yu Pai’s () campaign, featuring a poem by our own Fearless Ideas staff member, Bryan (.wilson09). Throughout the afternoon, Bryan read his poem, guests got a behind the scenes look at the incredible poetry installation designed by , and everyone made some amazing art. Look out for an announcement of the winner(s) of the pencil sharpening contest!

You can view the installation based on Bryan’s poem from Greenwood Avenue at the Bureau of Fearless Ideas, as well as the larger version downtown at the Municipal Tower Gallery. And you can see all of the poetry installations in this campaign throughout the month in various locations around town (see link in bio for more info).

This year our will feature multiple ways to support the Bureau of Fearless Ideas’ youth programs, including a raise the paddle, raffle prizes, and a silent auction. Thanks to some spectacularly kind folks in our community, the silent auction will include some truly awesome items, like this signed Pearl Jam tour poster with professional framing by our friends right here in Seattle.

The gala is just one week away on April 19th at Chihuly Boathouse. Be sure to get your tickets at www.fearlessideas.org/fearlessideasgala (Link in Bio) today!

Introducing our 2024 Fearless Emcee, the spectacular Sasha Summer Cousineau! Sasha, owner of Revel Rouser Events (), is a fundraising auctioneer, gala emcee, wedding officiant, fundraising and event planning consultant (and we’d add — sparkling goddess of joy and celebration) based in Seattle, WA.

“I believe myclients make up the heart and moral compass of our communities which is why I’m living my ‘OccuPassion’ every time I get to work with local non-profit organizations and educational institutions,” says Sasha. A lifelong performer passionate about social justice, racial equity, and feminism, she is a skilled event professional and we are so happy to have her on board to make this year’s extra-special.

We’re just under two weeks away from the gala, and tickets are going fast. Be sure to get yours at www.fearlessideas.org/fearlessideasgala (LINK IN BIO).

Wanna hear a joke? Here’s a throwback to one of our favorite workshops of the past year, when our students learned how to write comedy for television with Wally Feresten and Dina Gusovsky — writers from .

We are 19 days away from the , which will take place on Friday, April 19 from 6-10pm at the Chihuly Boathouse. Join us as we raise funds and celebrate our mission of creating equitable learning communities that encourage youth to reimagine the world through writing & storytelling.
Doors open at 6:00pm, with a live performance from the , a short program beginning at 7:30pm, followed by a Raise the Paddle, Silent Auction, and Raffle Drawing.
Food will be available from 6:00pm until the program starts, provided by and
Join us for an evening of inspiration and metamorphosis as we transform the into a space to celebrate writing & storytelling and the impact they have in the lives of young scholars! Link in bio for tickets!
Can’t join us, but want to help spread the word, share this post with your network.
Can’t join us, but have the means to make a donation to our organization? Click the link in our bio.

In the image: throwback to last year’s gala, where Yasmin brought down the house with an incredible poetry performance!

NEW VIRTUAL AFTER SCHOOL WRITING OPPORTUNITY!

and MOPOP () are joining forces this spring to offer Fearless Writing Club, a six-week workshop for youth aged 12-14. Focusing on identity, community, and the power of creative expression, this immersive experience will explore fearless writing through the hidden worlds and the voices of diverse creators in science fiction.

Partial and full scholarships are available for student clubs. Go to the Link in Bio or www.mopop.org to learn more and reserve your spot today!

Matching gift opportunity alert! Beginning today and running through Friday, April 19, your donation of $300+ to the Bureau of Fearless Ideas will be matched dollar for dollar up to $25,000, thanks to the support of an anonymous donor! Help us support more young authors by donating today. Thank you in advance!

Head to https://www.fearlessideas.org/fearlessideasgala today to make your donation (Link in Bio)!

Shoutout to our friends for hosting an incredible multi-day learning experience exploring with our Yesler Terrace after school students and families. During the last day of the partnership, we got to go on a field trip adventure to Fred Hutch campus to engage in hands-on science and storytelling activities!

We are seeking sponsors to support our annual gala! Taking place on Friday, April 19, the Fearless Ideas Gala is our biggest fundraiser of the year!

We have a lot of great benefits lined up for sponsors, so hop on over to our link in bio and send our Development Director a quick email and we’ll get back to you with our sponsorship packet so you can see which one of our many tiers is right for you and your business.

Your sponsorship will provide vital support for youth and their families, ensuring equitable access to quality educational resources, engaging artistic experiences, and a strong sense of community. We welcome you to become a vital part of our journey and support a future filled with kindness, creativity, and fearless learning.

Thank you for considering!

#2024

National Poetry Month is just around the corner, and we are so excited to be participating in Seattle Civic Poet (for ), ‘s multi-site installation campaign, !

In April, Shin Yu Pai will launch the project, wherein some of our city’s beloved places like Seattle Public Library, Wa Na Wari, Friends of Little Saigon, Seattle Municipal Tower, Slide Gallery in Belltown, and our own Bureau of Fearless Ideas Greenwood writing center will be illuminated with dazzling visual poetry installations — with poems written by local poets and visual design by the spectacular Jayme Yen!

we’re especially excited to see a poem written by our staff member, Bryan Wilson (.wilson09) as part of the project. Be sure to stop by all of the participating locations this April, to see Bryan’s poem, and poetry by all the other amazing Seattle poets like Kathya Alexander, Bryna Antonia (Á Thanh) Cortes, Cindy Luong, and Joe Nasta.

To learn more about this project and our wondrous Civic Poet, Shin Yu Pai, head to the link in bio to read a full article featured in ’ Art Beat.

Join us on Friday, April 19 from 6-10pm at the Fearless Ideas Gala! Come celebrate and help us reach our fundraising goal of $120,000 to support the incredible young writers and storytellers at the Bureau of Fearless Ideas. We’ve got a fantastic evening planned at the spectacular Chihuly Boathouse (not normally open to the public!) with a silent auction, a raffle, readings from some incredible local writers, and a ‘Raise the Paddle’ event. Enjoy some of our favorite local food trucks, Where Ya At, Matt and Off the Rez, sweet treats from Trophy Cupcakes, and more!

The Fearless Ideas Gala is our largest fundraiser of the year. We look forward to celebrating with you. Get your tickets now via the link in bio (www.fearlessideas.org/fearlessideasgala), and stay tuned for more details about the event as we get closer to April 19th!

The latest publication from the 3rd grade authors at Olympic Hills Elementary. It’s the ultimate travel guide to a world that only children know the name of — adults can call it “Kidtopia”. The imagined world is filled with extraordinary things like a hotel for siblings, a dangerous cave of boring books guarded by a Boring Book Monster, a river made of memories, and so much more!

Scroll through the slideshow to see inside the book, and check out some of the map of this world that was co-created by the student authors and the amazing illustrator-educator, Camilla Franklin !

Congratulations, Authors! Write on!

Yesterday, we hosted a working party to help reorganize and clean up our Greenwood center after a flood in January caused us to replace our floors, pipes, and some parts of the walls.

Among the brilliant efforts of our volunteer super team, student-volunteer, Audrey led the charge to reorganize ALL OF OUR BOOKS, and curated this wonderful display to celebrate and month!

Hey everyone! Happy Friday! We are excited to welcome our community to join us for a fun, creative, and story-filled evening at the to fundraise in support of Fearless Ideas’ learning, writing, and storytelling programs.

More to come soon, but be sure to for APRIL 19TH!

This cold weather has us daydreaming about sweet summer memories and a recent reunion of the brilliant YETI (Yesler Education Team Initiative) intern team of 2023. We recapped our strengths and ate (mostly) great food! Check out the fresh new gear too (printed by the incredible team at Sanctuary Screenprinting)!

Remembering the BFI/826 Seattle Alumni Winter Party this past December. It was so much fun catching up, seeing old friends (some who now live in other states), exchanging books, and playing games.

We can’t wait to get together again soon! Next time we hope to bring together even more alumni, staff, and volunteer friends.
(Shoutout to Brook & Hana for organizing)

Fearless Ideas staff, Bryan & Roberto, recently had a chance to visit our friends at the (REWA) After School STEAM programs at Maple and Kimball Elementary schools. They had so much fun writing alongside REWA’s spectacular scholars, finding metaphors in the learning spaces that spoke to students’ identities, and collaborating to put it all together into a group poem.

This week, we got to drop off copies of our group poem, printing in these super-fun for students to take home and share with students and families.

Thanks REWA for welcoming us to your creative, kind, and fearless learning community! We can’t wait to come back.