Crosscut Festival: Full Schedule

Big Issues + Bold Ideas. Join the conversation at #CrosscutFest
Please note, adding a session to your schedule does not guarantee a spot. They are first come, first serve.

9:00am PDT

#Activism That Works

Marching in the streets is still a valuable tool in the activist’s playbook, but it’s not the only one -- today’s activists are employing social media, guerilla marketing and other modern tools to change the conversation. Three leaders of different movements utilizing different tactics to get their message out join Hashtag Feminism founder Tara Conley to talk about how change gets done.

Moderators

Tara Conley

Assistant Professor, Montclair State University

Tara L. Conley is an Assistant Professor in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. Dr. Conley has published research on hashtag feminism and viral activism, and produced interactive media projects, including Brackish, a documentary about hurricane Ka... Read More →

Speakers

Amelia Bonow

Founding Director, Shout Your Abortion

Amelia Bonow is the Founding Director of Shout Your Abortion, a movement dedicated to broadening the existing cultural discourse around abortion. In 2015, Bonow’s abortion disclosure inspired a viral outpouring of abortion stories on social media and received extensive media coverage... Read More →

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner

Executive Director/CEO & Co-Founder, MomsRising/MamásConPoder and Care Can't Wait

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner is the cofounder and Executive Director of MomsRising, an organization with over a million members across the nation working to increase economic security security, decrease discrimination, and to build a nation where everyone can thrive. She is also a frequent... Read More →

Earth-Feather Sovereign

Advocate/Founder, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Washington

Earth-Feather Sovereign (her/she pronouns) is a member of the Colville Confederated Tribes located in the State of Washington (Northern and southern Okanogan “n. sjilx”, San-Poil band “n.selixtcl’n”, and Nespelem "snpʕwílx" bands). Her Father is Ernest Clark and Mother... Read More →

Saturday May 4, 2019 9:00am - 9:50am PDT
LeRoux

Race & Social Justice, Session

9:50am PDT

Amelia Bonow Book Signing

Amelia Bonow will sign copies of her book "Shout Your Abortion".

Speakers

Amelia Bonow

Founding Director, Shout Your Abortion

Saturday May 4, 2019 9:50am - 10:05am PDT
LeRoux

Book Signing

9:50am PDT

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner Book Signing

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner will sign copies of her book "Keep Marching".

Speakers

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner

Executive Director/CEO & Co-Founder, MomsRising/MamásConPoder and Care Can't Wait

Saturday May 4, 2019 9:50am - 10:05am PDT
LeRoux

Book Signing

11:30am PDT

Trans in Red America

In her latest book, Real Queer America, Samantha Allen traverses the American heartland in search of the queer life. She will discuss the stories of the people she met along the way and her own journey as a trans woman with former Stranger editor and writer David Schmader, whose wit and wisdom concerning the queer life has appeared on page and the stage.

Moderators

David Schmader

Writer, Performer

David Schmader is a writer and performer devoted to explicating his obsessions, from homophobic rock stars and conversion therapy to cannabis and camp cinema. From 1998-2015, Schmader was a staff writer and editor at The Stranger, Seattle’s Pulitzer-winning newsweekly, where he... Read More →

Speakers

Samantha Allen

Author, Daily Beast

Samantha Allen is a GLAAD Award-winning journalist and the author of Love & Estrogen (Amazon Original Stories). She is a senior reporter for The Daily Beast covering LGBT issues and a former Sex + Life reporter for Fusion. She received her Ph.D. in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies... Read More →

Saturday May 4, 2019 11:30am - 12:20pm PDT
LeRoux

Race & Social Justice

12:20pm PDT

David Schmader Book Signing

David Schmader will sign copies of his book "Weed: The User's Guide".

Speakers

David Schmader

Writer, Performer

Saturday May 4, 2019 12:20pm - 12:35pm PDT
LeRoux

Book Signing

12:20pm PDT

Samantha Allen Book Signing

Samantha Allen will sign copies of her book "Real Queer America".

Speakers

Samantha Allen

Author, Daily Beast

Saturday May 4, 2019 12:20pm - 12:35pm PDT
LeRoux

Book Signing

1:30pm PDT

Future of Work

Work is entering into unknown territory, as automated technologies threaten jobs and labor unions face pressures from political shifts and global trade. What is the role of the worker in 21st century American economy? We ask a labor leader, a labor economist and a labor disruptor what the future holds.

Moderators

Monica Nickelsburg

Freelance journalist and contributing editor at GeekWire, GeekWire

Monica Nickelsburg is a Seattle-based freelance journalist, with a focus on food justice and sustainability. She is also a contributing editor at GeekWire, where she covers the intersection of technology and public policy.

Speakers

Meenakshi Rishi

Professor, Seattle University

Meenakshi Rishi is a Professor in Economics at Seattle University. She earned her Ph.D. from the Department of Economics at University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her research interests are in development economics, international finance, entrepreneurship, and energy economics. She... Read More →

Oren Cass

Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute

Oren Cass is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, where his work on strengthening the labor market addresses issues ranging from the social safety net and environmental regulation to trade and immigration to education and organized labor. Cass is the author of The Once and... Read More →

David Rolf

President Emeritus, SEIU 775

David Rolf is a labor leader, organizer, writer, and speaker working to build the next American labor movement. He is the founder and President Emeritus of SEIU 775 and a former Vice President of SEIU International. He led campaigns that helped organize hundreds of thousands of minimum-wage... Read More →

Caleb Weaver

Public Affairs Manager, Uber

Caleb Weaver oversees public affairs for Uber in 12 states in the western United States out of the company's Seattle office. In this role, he manages a policy and communications team across the region that handles engagement with state and local policymakers, press and community leaders... Read More →

Saturday May 4, 2019 1:30pm - 2:20pm PDT
LeRoux

Business & Tech

2:20pm PDT

Oren Cass Book Signing

Oren Cass will sign copies of his book "The Once and Future Worker".

Speakers

Oren Cass

Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute

Saturday May 4, 2019 2:20pm - 2:35pm PDT
LeRoux

Book Signing

2:45pm PDT

WA To Do About Wildfires?

Last autumn’s deadly and massive Camp Fire in California presented the nation with a single dramatic storyline from a much larger ongoing narrative — American wildfires are burning more acreage and doing more damage than ever before. What can be done and are we ready in the Northwest? Leaders from our region will discuss Washington’s wildfire readiness with recently retired California Fire Chief, Ken Pimlott, who has spent his career on the frontlines of nearly every major fire in that state, including Camp Fire.

Moderators

Ted Alvarez

Editor, Crosscut

Ted Alvarez is an editor at Crosscut and KCTS 9 focused on science and the environment. His work has also appeared in Backpacker, Grist.org, Air Canada En Route, Outside, Alaska Beyond, Rolling Stone, Men's Health, Skiing, Scientific American and many other outlets. He is the author... Read More →

Speakers

John Giller

Regional Fire & Aviation Director, US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management

John Giller has lived and worked in the Pacific Northwest most of his life, working in various fire, fuels and aviation management positions in the private and public sectors, including the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Rural Fire Department and Klamath Fire, Incorporated... Read More →

Ken Pimlott

Former Chief, Cal Fire

Chief Ken Pimlott began his 35 year fire service career in 1984 as a reserve fire fighter in Contra Costa County, California. He joined CAL FIRE in 1987 as a seasonal fire fighter, and ultimately worked his way through the ranks to Director, a position he held from 2010 until his... Read More →

Hilary Franz

Commissioner of Public Lands, Washington State Department of Natural Resources

Elected in 2016, Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz protects and manages nearly six million acres of public lands in Washington State – from coastal waters and aquatic reserves, to working forests and farms, to commercial developments and recreation areas. Commissioner Franz... Read More →

Cody Desautel

Natural Resource Director, Colville Tribe

Cody Desautel currently serves as the Natural Resource Director for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. Since 2002 he has worked on the Colville Reservation for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Colville Tribe as an Inventory Forester and Natural Resource Officer... Read More →

Saturday May 4, 2019 2:45pm - 3:35pm PDT
LeRoux

Science & Environment, Session

4:00pm PDT

Bridging the Partisan Divide Through Environmental Policy

Since the Green New Deal was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year, support for the ambitious legislation has fallen along party lines, serving as a kind of litmus test for largely urban Democrats and a punching bag for mostly rural Republicans. Is it possible, then, for the country to come together on environmental policy? Hilary Franz, a Democrat and head of the Washington state DNR, will entertain the possibility with former Republican Representative and founder of RepublicEn, Bob Inglis.

Moderators

John Carlson

Crosscut writer, KVI Radio host

Popular Crosscut columnist John Carlson is a veteran news commentator, and has hosted “The Commute with Carlson” on 570 KVI radio since the early 1990’s. He was a co-founder and former president of the Washington Policy Center, one of the northwest’s most respected policy... Read More →

Speakers

Bill Bryant

Chairman, BCI

Bill Bryant is founder and chairman of Bryant Christie Inc., a firm that provides market access, regulatory compliance and technical trade services to food, agriculture and beverage exporters. Since founding the firm in 1992, Bryant has been appointed under both Republican and Democratic... Read More →

Hilary Franz

Commissioner of Public Lands, Washington State Department of Natural Resources

Bob Inglis

Founder, Former South Carolina Congressman, republicEn.org

Bob Inglis is the Executive Director of republicEn.org. He was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1992, having never run for office before. He represented Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina, from 1993-1998, unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Senator Fritz Hollings in 1998, and then returned... Read More →

Saturday May 4, 2019 4:00pm - 4:50pm PDT
LeRoux

Science & Environment, Session