For nearly 90 years, the University of Washington Press has been in the business of publishing books. For over half that time, Naomi Pascal has been at the forefront of the operations.
WINSOME | Lensey Namioka
She excelled in mathematics when she attended elementary school in Cambridge, Mass. Her classmates thought she was weird for her unique academic ability.
IMAGINATIVE | Philip Lee
Philip Lee is no stranger to the publishing business. Beginning in 1977, for seven years, throughout high school and college, he worked in a number of bookstores. Another seven was spent in marketing in the magazine publishing business at Conde Nast Publications in New York. He has worked for Glamour, Mademoiselle, Vanity Fair and GQ magazines. However, despite greatly enjoying the business, Lee wanted to work somewhere that reflected his culture.
INDISPENSABLE | Gary Luke
Meander through the aisles of your corner bookstore, and you’re bound to come across some intriguing titles. “The Best Places to Kiss in the Northwest,” “The Cancer Lifeline Cookbook,” or how about “Sleeping Bag Yoga”? These books share a common thread beyond just challenging convention. What may not be so apparent is that the person putting out these covers is Asian American.
DRIVEN | Peter Bacho
Novelist and teacher Peter Bacho believes everybody has a story to tell. The Filipino American recalls his own humble beginnings, growing up poor in Seattle’s Central District in the 1950s. A juris doctorate, a master’s degree and two award-winning novels later, Bacho is now being honored as a pioneer who paved the way for Asian Americans in literature.
SHARP | Mayumi Tsutakawa
Seattle has no shortage of people who are well known within the arts community. The International District in particular has a number of outstanding leaders in the Asian American community. But both these communities owe a debt of gratitude to Mayumi Tsutakawa.
Instant Gratification — Play brings sexy back to Seattle
There is nothing like sex in Seattle on a Friday night: especially when you’re watching it live on stage.
Growing Pains — Teacher matures along with her students
Author Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum knows how complicated growing up can be. Her first novel, National Book Award finalist “Madeleine is Sleeping,” explored the turbulent, often surreal world of adolescence. There, Bynum revealed the tragedy that can hide behind the physical or hormonal changes that put an end to childhood. Far too many of us want to stay children, want to stay unformed and unfocused as adults, escaping into a private void we mistakenly call “freedom.”
Mayumi Tsutakawa: Pioneer in Publishing
Mayumi Tsutakawa has racked up a large number of achievements during a career spanning several different fields. Straight out of grad school, she became the first Asian American female reporter at a daily newspaper in the Seattle area. She later wrote and edited several anthologies, including the first anthology of Asian American women’s writings.
Gary Luke: Pioneer in Publishing
As the publisher of Sasquatch Books, Gary Luke feels a sense of honor and responsibility to make his company an outlet for diverse perspectives.