A museum of almost-real pasts, presents, and futures

“For every choice we make, we kill off an alternate future. Sometimes we have to live with their ghosts.”

Cue the wash of ‘first day of school’ pictures on your social media feeds – many students are headed back to the grind. But in some district, school’s still out: not for the summer, but for contract negotiations. As teachers in districts from Stanwood to Evergreen go on strike, KUOW reporter Casey Martin is staying informed.

We also spoke to two people who disagree about whether teachers should be able to bargain statewide: former attorney general Rob McKenna and Liv Finne, Director of the Center for Education at the Washington Policy Center.

On September 19th, KUOW will hold an event called “That’s Debatable;” you can get tickets and find out more here. What’s up for debate is whether politics is ruining pop culture. R. Eric Thomas, Senior Writer at Elle.com, argues that the collision between the two is bad for both of them.

The Museum of Almost Realities is adjacent to the Library of Future Happiness. You can take a rest in the Possible Futures Play Area, while you wait for the Department of Emotional Labor to open for processing. Artist and designer April Soetarman’s work puts bureaucracy – and fantasy – into the emotional landscape of what we remember, what we do for each other, and what never was.