Good Stories

The 10 Best Long Stories about Seattle

We gathered the most recent and best long reads from Seattle Met's award-winning writers.

11/24/2021 By Seattle Met Staff

Feature

Why Jay Inslee Chose to Stay in This Washington

The governor embarks on a rare third term after leading his home state through its worst public health crisis in a century.

06/21/2021 By Benjamin Cassidy

Feature

The Shooting of John T. Williams, 10 Years Later

A decade ago, a Seattle police officer killed Rick Williams's brother, a celebrated Native woodcarver. Nothing will ever be the same for Rick—or the city he calls home.

08/26/2020 By James Ross Gardner Photography by Lindsey Wasson

Essay

Welcome to Seattle! Now Quarantine.

I uprooted to the Emerald City for excitement. But the pandemic thrust me back into isolation.

04/29/2020 By Benjamin Cassidy

Feature

What Pitted Seattle’s Glass?

In the spring of 1954 car owners noticed small divots on their windshields. Then things got weird.

04/08/2020 By James Ross Gardner Illustrations by Miko Maciaszek

Longreads and Chill

A Seattle Met Longform List for Coronavirus Quarantine

This is a long quarantine for someone with nothing to read about. Here are five stories to get you through the social distancing doldrums.

03/13/2020 By Seattle Met Staff

FEATURE

The Octopus from Outer Space

Seattle’s most beguiling sea creatures were once feared and hunted—and even wrestled—for sport. But new research and a few surprising encounters are changing...

12/02/2019 By James Ross Gardner

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A Life Extruded: Mike Easton and the Alki Homestead’s Path to Il Nido

When the chef reshaped his career he couldn't have known he'd share his destiny with a century-old log cabin and dining icon rising from literal ashes.

10/22/2019 By Allecia Vermillion Photography by Kyle Johnson

Feature

Who Will Mourn the Tech Bro?

The subculture you love to hate is tough to define. It will be even tougher when it’s gone.

09/24/2019 By James Ross Gardner Illustrations by Ryan Snook

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In the Straits: An Inmate Turned Millionaire Turned Lone Survivor

He was a convicted felon who found a niche in Seattle’s construction boom. Then a fatal boating accident came for Michael Powers’s fairy-tale ending.

08/19/2019 By James Ross Gardner

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A Song of Shadow and Light

The Tacoma Refugee Choir formed to reach out to the most vulnerable. Its founder didn't anticipate its impact on her—or her city.

05/28/2019 By James Ross Gardner Photography by Lindsey Wasson

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Where on Earth Is Sam Sayers?

On a perfect summer day, a solo hiker went missing from a Cascade trail. Nine months later, the mystery has consumed the lives of thousands.

04/23/2019 By Allison Williams

Feature

Dealer Takes All: Inside One of Seattle's Biggest Opioid Busts

It took a multistate sting to bring down the opioid king of Capitol Hill. But not before his product stole a life.

03/26/2019 By Levi Pulkkinen

Feature

Land of Milk and Money: Inside the Wild World of Washington Dairy

Death, disfigurement, sexual harassment allegations, and a years-long labor dispute worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster.

02/26/2019 By Stefan Milne Photography by Mike Kane

Year in Review

Seattle Met's 6 Most-Read Stories of 2018

From an unclaimed Seattle rock star to a world-changing card game, these were our most poplar long-form articles of the year.

12/19/2018 By Seattle Met Staff

Feature

Women Erased: How Washington Has Failed Missing Native Women

More Native American women have been counted as missing or murdered here than almost anywhere in the country. But authorities are at a loss on how to track, let alone stop, the trend.

12/18/2018 By Hayat Norimine Photography by Lindsey Wasson

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The Sainthood of Dave Matthews Has Been Indefinitely Postponed

He’s one of the highest grossing musicians alive. So why won’t Seattle claim its biggest rock star?

11/20/2018 By Allison Williams

Feature

A Rumor in Madrona

Can a decades-old deadly home invasion case help unmask the dangers of the misinformation age?

10/15/2018 By James Ross Gardner

Born This Way

Conversion Therapy Survivors Still Have Wounds to Heal

Licensed therapists can no longer practice conversion therapy on minors. But new legislation can't erase the anguish of those who lived through the experience.

06/19/2018 By Hayat Norimine

Feature

The Boat at the Bottom of the Sea

More than a year after a Seattle-based crabber vanished in Alaska's Bering Sea, its final hours remain a mystery. The surviving family of the Destination’s crew—and one intrepid investigator—seek to uncover the secrets the ocean still keeps.

04/09/2018 By Eva Holland