About the Crosscut Festival
Three days of thought-provoking conversations and innovative thinking, tackling the most important issues of our times. Journalists, politicians, authors, and newsmakers from our community and around the nation come together to take a hard look at the people, policy and events that shape our lives.
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Previous Speakers
Valerie Jarrett
Valerie B. Jarrett is a senior advisor to the Obama Foundation and Attn, a Senior Distinguished Fellow at the University of Chicago Law School, and President of the Board of When We All Vote. She also serves on the boards of Ariel...
Macklemore
A lifelong Seattle resident, Macklemore has always believed in using his platform, resources and creative pursuits to have an impact on social justice issues. Along with Ryan Lewis, Macklemore launched The Residency program in...
Pramila Jayapal
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal represents Washington’s 7th District, which encompasses most of Seattle and surrounding areas including Shoreline, Vashon Island, Lake Forest Park, Edmonds and parts of Burien and Normandy Park.
...
Julian Castro
Julian Castro was the youngest member of President Obama's Cabinet, serving as the 16th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 2014 to 2017. Castro served as the mayor of his native San Antonio, Texas from...
Jamelle Bouie
Based in Charlottesville, Virginia and Washington D.C., Jamelle Bouie is a columnist for the New York Times and political analyst for CBS News. He covers campaigns, elections, national affairs, and culture. Prior to the Times...
DeRay McKesson
DeRay Mckesson is a civil rights activist focused primarily on issues of innovation, equity and justice. Born and raised in Baltimore, he graduated from Bowdoin College and holds honorary doctorates from The New School and the...
Philip Rucker
Philip Rucker is the White House Bureau Chief at The Washington Post, leading its coverage of the Donald Trump presidency. He and a team of Post reporters won the Pulitzer Prize and the George Polk Award for their reporting on...
Emily Bazelon
Emily Bazelon is a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine, the Truman Capote Fellow for Creative Writing and Law, and a lecturer at Yale Law School. Her previous book is the national bestseller Sticks and Stones: Defeating...
Jeffrey Merkley
As Oregon’s U.S. Senator, Jeff’s goal is to make Washington work for working Americans. He is fighting to create good jobs for working Oregonians, protect consumers from predatory practices, and ensure that all Oregonians have...
Doug Baldwin Jr
Doug Baldwin Jr. graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Science, Technology and Society before signing with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2011. During his career he has become a Super Bowl...
Kshama Sawant
Kshama Sawant is not a career politician. An activist with Socialist Alternative, she brings a passion for social justice to her work as elected representative of Seattle’s working people. An outspoken socialist who has won...
The Crosscut Festival kicks off with the Headliners Gala! The Gala brings our community together to celebrate and support great public media and journalism in the Pacific Northwest. Providing funding for KCTS 9 and Crosscut, this special event honors newsmakers who take us beyond the headlines.
The Experience
The Headliners Gala kicks off the festival weekend and brings our community together to celebrate and support great public media and journalism in the Pacific Northwest. A fundraiser for KCTS 9 and Crosscut, this special event honors newsmakers who take us beyond the headlines.
Friday programming includes community sessions that are free and open to the public. These sessions go behind the headlines with leading local journalists as we discuss Seattle’s most pressing issues. Following these community programs is the opening night keynote.
Saturday activities include a full day of conversation and activities on the Seattle University campus with over 100 speakers from across the nation and around the region. Sessions will take place concurrently throughout the day and across five venues, ending in an after-party where you can discuss what you heard throughout the day and mingle with your fellow attendees.
2019 Highlights
Beyond the Sessions
Enjoy on-campus lunch options
For a diverse selection of lunch options visit some of Seattle’s best food trucks, available in on the lower mall during lunchtime, or visit the cafeteria located in the Student Center. Coffee will also be available throughout the day on the lower mall and outside of Campion Hall. Food truck court sponsored by Amazon.
Keep the conversation going at the Crosscut Festival After Party
Join us for a closing party on campus immediately following the last session, featuring a beer garden, food, music and the opportunity to mingle with your fellow attendees.
Free Sessions
Join us as we kick off the festival with a free community program. Go behind the headlines with leading local journalists as we discuss Seattle’s most pressing issues.
More Features
What is Crosscut?
Founded in 2007, Crosscut was a pioneer in the national landscape of local, online-only news outlets. Working out of coffee shops and hole-in-the-wall offices, its small team of writers broke fresh ground on topics such as transportation, homelessness and the reshaping of the urban landscape.
In 2015, Crosscut merged with KCTS 9 public television under the umbrella of a single nonprofit called Cascade Public Media. Today, our combined staff of reporters, video producers and web developers fills an essential role in the Northwest’s news ecosystem, focusing on politics and public policy, race and equity, arts and culture and the environment. We tell stories and provide context and analysis that helps people understand our fast-changing region and how they can be a part of shaping it for the better.
Media
Crosscut Talks Podcast
Browse the complete Crosscut Talks archives
Crosscut Talks podcasts feature recordings from every session at the 2019 Festival. They are available to listen and download everywhere you get to your favorite podcasts.
Exclusive Interviews on Crosscut Now
Watch more episodes of Crosscut Now
This limited series airs on PBS and features one-on-one studio conversations with headlining speakers at Crosscut Festival.
Crosscut Now Studio Sessions: Janet Napolitano
While leading the Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano created the legal framework for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, and invested heavily in border and airport security technology. In 2013, she left DHS to become the president of the University of California. She is the author of “How Safe Are We?,” a critique of American security measures in the age of cyberwarfare.
Crosscut Festival in the News
Read more articles on Crosscut.com
Crosscut’s news coverage of Festival topics and panelists will take you behind the scenes and give you deeper insights into the issues that matter to you.
Volunteer
Interested in volunteering for the Crosscut Festival? Volunteers who complete a minimum of 4 hours are invited to attend any Saturday programming outside the hours of their shift. Sign up to be a part of Cascade Public Media’s volunteer program to find out more!
Location
Join us on the beautiful Seattle University campus for this year's festival.
Sponsors
Crosscut Festival would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors and partners. See the full list of sponsors and find out about opportunities to support the festival on our sponsor page.
Thank you!
