Hear it Again: An ode to the 'makers' of Washington state

Soundside is looking back on stories "made in Washington."

Well, technically, all Soundside stories are “made” in Washington. But we're talking about the art and artisanship that’s made — and inspired by — our state.

This segment will look back on Tacoma’s hunt for small, glass medallions called Monkeyshines, the poetry of Seattle’s Chinatown International District, and thousands of sail stitches, all sewn by hand.

In March, KUOW arts and culture reporter Mike Davis spoke with Malaysian Composer Yii Kah Hoe, who uses the natural sounds of the Palouse to create immersive musical compositions unlike anything you’ve heard before.

Yii Kah Hoe is a Malaysian composer and Fulbright Scholar in Residence at Washington State University. He regularly makes field recordings of his surroundings, and these recordings became the groundwork for his latest composition, "Of This Land."

"Of This Land" incorporates many of Yii’s big ideas about space and sound. The piece was performed in the Elson S. Floyd cultural center, a round building with multiple levels. To Yii, field recording isn’t just capturing the sound of snow falling — it’s a way of giving the natural world a voice and a chance to advocate for itself. What it is saying is up for the audience to decide.

You can read and listen to the original story here.

Every Lunar New Year, a group of volunteer artists sneak through Tacoma in the dead of night.

They hide thousands of colorful glass “floats” — 5- to 10-inch orbs, with an insignia stamped on the top.

If you’ve been in Tacoma during the Lunar New Year, you've likely seen people shaking bushes, climbing trees, or turning up rocks, and you may have seen a collector of what are locally called “Monkeyshines.”

Ms. Monkey is the mysterious creator of this tradition, and is celebrating 20 years of hiding these glass pieces. But even after all that time, the project retains an aura of secrecy. Back in March, KUOW’s Alex Rochester managed to get an inside look at the process.

You can read and listen to the original story here.

To celebrate National Poetry Month this year, Seattle Civic Poet Shin Yu Pai spoke with four different poets about the locations that inspired their writing, and how their work has gone on to influence the people and places of Washington.

One of the people she spoke with was Koon Woon, a poet whose writing has sought to capture life in Seattle’s Chinatown International District. He’s the publisher of Goldfish Books and Chrysanthemum Poetry Journal, as well as a formidable poet in his own right. But his poems aren’t lofty and highbrow — they're deeply rooted in his lived experiences of poverty, working-class immigrant life, and living on the margins.

Pai visited him near Hing Hay Park to learn more about his process.

You can read and listen to the original story here.

For our final "Made in Washington" story, we’re headed to Marrowstone Island, just off the Kitsap Peninsula.

That’s where the Chimenti family live and work, preserving the traditional practice of hand sewing tall ship sails. These sails are commissioned for towering masts — found on boats you might only have seen in history books.

The ships that are still around need regular maintenance on their large, billowing sails, and the Chimenti’s shop is one of the few places in the world that still specializes in these sails, long with the authentic style of making them.

Soundside producer Alec Cowan visited their loft in January.

You can read and listen to the original story here.