Stranger Suggests: Your Agenda This Week, August 3–August 9

MONDAY 8/3

Coconut Sticky Rice Oolong from Atulea

(FOOD) I’ve been a vocal devotee of the tea shop Atulea, which has locations in Greenwood and Capitol Hill, for years. Since the beginning of spring, I’ve been particularly hyperfixated on their iced coconut sticky rice oolong. The toasty, slightly tannic flavor of roasted rice oolong mingles with a splash of creamy coconut milk, resulting in a drink that’s perfectly refreshing and not tooth-achingly sweet. I can’t get over how well the fragrant, floral tea and rice complement each other. Add some mango puree for a mango sticky rice moment in beverage form. (Atulea, 8 am–7 pm) JULIANNE BELL

TUESDAY 8/4

Elaine Castillo

(LITERATURE) A love story following the “greatest content moderator in the world” probably wouldn’t be your first pick off the shelf. But in Elaine Castillo’s hands, it’s a story that’s absolute gold. In her acclaimed new novel Moderation (already longlisted for the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction and named one of the best books of 2025 by publications ranging from The Atlantic to TIME), Castillo follows an elite virtual reality content moderator whose dream promotion becomes far more complicated after an unexpected romance collides with questions about history, identity, and the limits of technology. Sound enticing? Then take this as your sign to learn more by joining the award-winning author of America Is Not the Heart and How to Read Now for a conversation about perhaps one of the year’s most anticipated novels. (Elliott Bay Book Company, 7–8:30 pm, free) LANGSTON THOMAS

WEDNESDAY 8/5

The Flamingo

(FILM) This documentary by the former programmer at Northwest Film Forum, Adam Sekular, is, on the surface, about Mary Phillips—a woman in her late sixties, who finds pleasure, and helps others find pleasure, through BDSM. She discusses her practice, her life, and shows some of her art; Mary lives a pretty ordinary life. In fact, this documentary is about a person who has found true happiness in life. But the deeper film, the one below its adoringly documented subject, is found in Sekular’s impressive eye for the silent details, the magical stuff, the unexpected moments that make cinema. His shot compositions and sequence stimmung (or mood direction) are just impeccable. There is only one structural misstep in this work, but I will not say what it is as it happens late in the documentary. Altogether, The Flamingo presents the kind of character study that we city people should never stop celebrating. (Northwest Film Forum, 7 pm) CHARLES MUDEDE

THURSDAY 8/6

Ishmael Houston-Jones + Keith Hennessey

(PERFORMANCE) Dancer, choreographer, and writer Ishmael Houston-Jones has pursued experimental dance since the early 1970s, notably starting the gay men’s performance collective Two Men Dancing while living in Philadelphia. After he moved to New York City in 1979, Houston-Jones’s dance style became influenced by the punk clubs, breakdancing, and early hip-hop that surrounded him in the East Village, which developed into a unique improvisational dance style that he spent the next several decades teaching around the world. He will perform an improvised routine alongside his longtime collaborator, self-proclaimed “frolicker, imperfectionist, and witch” Keith Hennessy, with music from josé e. abad. (Velocity, 7:30 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN

FRIDAY 8/7

Perimeter Road at 13th & Greely

(VISUAL ART) In April, I wrote about Marcellus Bonow-Manier’s residency at the Georgetown Steam Plant, which has stretched out over the past year as the artist haunted and documented the darkened corners of our city’s iconic industrial cathedral. Now his photographs are being exhibited onsite in two simultaneous exhibitions: 13th & Greely, titled after the abandoned intersection where the Steam Plant stands, and Perimeter Road, “an inquisition and love letter to the building itself.” The show features Bonow-Manier’s ethereal point-and-shoot images and sculpture by colleague and collaborator Mack Greene. The opening reception—with a live DJ set billowing through the building—on August 7 is free, but RSVP on the Steam Plant’s site to save your spot. (Georgetown Steam Plant) AMANDA MANITACH

SATURDAY 8/8

Den Fest V

(MUSIC) Kay Redden is a modern-day Andy Warhol of sorts, gathering the coolest-of-cool artists in Seattle for her cassette-only label Den Tapes, releasing over 100 albums since it launched nearly 11 years ago. (It’s kind of like Warhol’s Factory, if you think about it.) Each year, Redden organizes Den Fest, which is not just a celebration of the label itself, but an emblem of the excellent music coming out of our city. Ranging from shoegaze and indie folk to hardcore and sound collage, the fifth annual Den Fest lineup features 16 bands across two days, including Coral Grief, Versing, Linda From Work, Pitschouse, and Spiral XP. (Sunset Tavern, 7 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN

SUNDAY 8/9

The Mountain Goats, the Hold Steady

(MUSIC) This show’s for the writers. The wordsmiths. The tender-hearted poets who have strong opinions about dictionaries (Merriam-Webster or bust), and pore over lyrics while listening to records, because they know that it’s the ~words~ that can make a great song timeless. Both the Hold Steady and the Mountain Goats reliably deliver fortifying rock music with a flair for the dramatic hook, but their songs are more than just songs. They’re worlds full of characters you connect with and people you want to know or regret that you do. Because Craig Finn of the Hold Steady and John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats are also two of the world’s best writers in modern music, telling captivating tales about the dangers of partying with townies (“One for the Cutters” by the Hold Steady), the benefits of touring with one-hit grunge wonders (“Candlebox” by the Mountain Goats), and vampires (both bands have songs about them!). Every English major with a half-finished novel in their notes app will be at this show. (Woodland Park Zoo, 4:30–8:30 pm, all ages) MEGAN SELING

The post Stranger Suggests: Your Agenda This Week, August 3–August 9 appeared first on The Stranger.