Connecting Community Through the Cultural Pass Program
Together Spokane: A Partnership to Upgrade Parks and Schools in Every Neighborhood
Thrive International and Spokane Public Library Celebrate Completion of First Phase of “B”
An Interview with Spokane Is Reading Author Tananarive Due
9 Thrive International and Spokane Public Library Celebrate Completion of First Phase of “B” 10
On the cover: Nera Dougherty of River City Rhythms, KYRS volunteer, who broadcasts live from the 3rd floor of Central Library.
SPOKANE PUBLIC LIBRARY LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
All Spokane Public Library buildings sit on the traditional homelands of the four bands of the Spokane Tribe of Indians: sntútʔulixʷi, snxʷmeneʔi, s̓qesciłni, and slʕʷotéw s̓ i (Upper Band, Middle Band, Lower Band, and Chewelah Band). Since time immemorial, the Spokane Tribe of Indians has lived and cared for these grounds. Identifying themselves as “sqélixʷ,” or “Flesh of the Earth.” We pay our respects to their Elders—past, present, and emerging. We show gratitude to the land, river, and peoples who have been fishing, hunting, harvesting, and gathering here for generations. May we learn from one another’s stories so that we may nurture the relationship of the People of the Spokane Tribe and to all those who share this land.
Lilac City Local
A Spokane Public Library Publication
Editor-In-Chief
Amanda Donovan
Managing Editor
Alina Murcar
Copy Editor
Skyler Noble
Contributing Writers
Alina Murcar
Amanda Donovan
Dr. Adam Swinyard
Garrett Jones
Gary Stokes
Liz Melville
Lynnea Kaylor
Sharma Shields
The Power of Partnership
At Spokane Public Library, we believe the library is more than a place, it’s a platform. A platform for stories, learning, creativity, and, most importantly, community. One of the most powerful ways we fulfill this role is through partnerships. In this issue—our partnership issue—we highlight some of our most powerful partnerships to paint a picture of the lasting and deep impact of the library in the community.
By collaborating with local organizations, we bring free, meaningful programming directly to our community. This year, our partnership with Inspirations Dance Studio brought free dance training to our youngest visitors. With Humanities Washington, we’ve hosted thought-provoking conversations that inspire curiosity and connection, reminding us that learning doesn’t end with a book—it grows when we share ideas. This fall, a partnership with WSU brings a free Health Fair to Shadle Park Library on October 25 and the Filipino American Association of the Inland Empire presents a weekly Line Dance class.
These are just a few examples of how partnerships transform our spaces into vibrant hubs of activity. Whether it’s arts, culture, history, or handson learning, our partners enrich Spokane with opportunities that might not otherwise be accessible to everyone.
We are proud to be the bridge that makes this possible—a place where organizations can share their expertise, and where our community can explore, imagine, and connect.
Together, we build something bigger than ourselves: a stronger, more connected Spokane.
Executive Director
Andrew Chanse
Board of Trustees
Alexi Castilla
Danielle DeJaegher
Shelby Lambdin
Mari Margil
Gary Stokes spokanelibrary.org
Spokane Is Reading: A Partnership Rooted in a Love of Literature
Since 2002, Spokane Is Reading has presented an annual one-book and one-community reading program to the greater Spokane area. A partnership between Spokane Public Library, Spokane County Library District, and Auntie’s Bookstore, Spokane Is Reading encourages dialogue and builds community through a shared experience of literature.
This fall, we will welcome author Tananarive Due to talk about her book The Reformatory on October 23, 2025 for an afternoon appearance at 1PM at SCLD’s Spokane Valley Library and at 7pm at Central Library. Read an interview with the author on page 12.
Like The Reformatory by Tananarive Due? Try these read-alikes next
The Joy of Reading, Delivered
Whether it’s listening to a narrator bring a story to life or letting the pages do the talking, reading helps us navigate complex emotions, reduce stress, support cognitive health, and gain empathy through experiencing someone else’s point of view. But for both younger and aging populations, access to reading material can be a significant obstacle. Enter Spokane Public Library’s Outreach Team.
Outreach refers to the practice of libraries extending services and resources beyond their walls to make the library an accessible resource for everyone.
Through partnerships with local organizations, Spokane Public Library outreach coordinators visit more than 70 daycares and senior living facilities each month, bringing a curated variety of new and high demand books, videos, audiobooks, and music CDs.
Sites like Tender Care Day Care and Preschool select titles that align with their curriculum and collaborate with our team to receive
By Alina Murcar, Marketing & Communication Manager, Spokane Public Library
age-appropriate recommendations, while senior living centers often seek thought-provoking or entertaining titles.
At Rockwood Retirement Communities South Hill, access to a rotating collection of books enables residents to participate in
“
It’s been such a mercy to have this service. We cannot make it to the library but praise and thank you for your labor on our behalf. I could not live without books.”
a monthly book club, “Hooked on Books,” where popular titles like The Women by Kristin Hannah and The Alice Network by Kate Quinn take center stage.
“Since 1997, when I first started “Hooked on Books,” we’ve used the library to provide our supplies,” said Director of Activities Kim Cederholm. “This book club is all about connecting residents and encouraging socialization. Some members have been with us for nearly eight years. We learn so much about each other because the stories spark personal memories, especially with historical fiction.”
Outreach also serves individuals who are unable to visit the library in person but still cherish the joy of reading. Through a partnership
with Meals on Wheels, library materials are delivered directly to homebound community members alongside their meals. Currently, nearly 30 customers are enrolled in the service, with 15–18 receiving deliveries every two weeks. A Meals on Wheels customer recently sent the library a note saying: “It’s been such a mercy to have this service. We cannot make it to the library but praise and thank you for your labor on our behalf. I could not live without books.”
Between January and August of 2025 alone, Outreach staff fulfilled 977 item requests—already close to the total number delivered in all of 2024.
Services at locations like Rockwood and Tender Care have been in place for more than 20 years. “Outreach services across the nation have been a part of the library model since the early 1900s when librarians extended library services to underserved communities by horseback or horse-drawn carriages,” said Customer Experience Manager Thomas Herrlinger. “While we may not have started by horseback at Spokane Public Library, we did make outreach more of a priority a few decades ago as part of a community-wide effort to make library services more accessible.” Through long-standing partnerships and shared values of accessibility and community enrichment, Spokane Public Library continues to bridge the gap in access to reading materials.
Members of the Rockwood Retirement Communities book club, “Hooked on Books.”
By Alina Murcar, Marketing & Communication Manager, Spokane Public Library
How do you draw a parallel between libraries and cafes?
For New Leaf Cafe and Spokane Public Library, it comes down to mission alignment: building community and removing barriers to access (and, of course, the popular beverage choices among book lovers—tea and coffee).
New Leaf Cafe, located at Central Library, is part of Transitions, a non-profit that aims to end poverty and homelessness for women and children in Spokane through four different initiatives: a drop-in day center for women and non-binary adults, transitional housing for women and children, permanent supportive housing, and job training through New Leaf Cafe.
“When renovating the Central Library as part of the 2018 bond, we knew customers wanted to be able to grab a coffee or a snack before they attended a library program or browsed for books,” said Andrew Chanse, Spokane Public Library’s executive director.
NEW LEAF CAFE SPECIALS
Pay What You Can: For as little as a penny, patrons who can’t afford more can enjoy a freshly-brewed 12 oz. cup of DOMA’s New Leaf signature blend, served hot or iced with cream and sugar.
Pay It Forward: By adding a little extra to your purchase, you help provide a free premium drink or pastry to someone in need.
“Rather than hire a for-profit business, it was important to us to partner with a mission-aligned organization that was providing a service to the community. Transitions and New Leaf Cafe were the perfect fit.”
While New Leaf Cafe staff are serving delicious drinks and snacks at Spokane Public Library’s busiest location, they are also participating in a 6-week job training program for individuals with barriers to traditional employment. The program provides trainees with two three-hour shifts per week (roughly 36 hours total), ensuring they have adequate technical and relational skills, including how to manage stress, before graduating.
“Once trainees complete the program, we celebrate with a little cohort ceremony, and our vocational specialists continue to help them work on
their next steps, like obtaining their next job,” said New Leaf Program Director Ted Munat.
Since opening their location at Central Library in 2022, New Leaf Cafe has served over 21,000 coffees, teas, and snacks to customers. From 3,126 transactions in their first year of operation to now being on track to reach 10,000 by the end of 2025, New Leaf Cafe continues to expand the capacity of Transitions’ impact as a whole.
“As the main public-facing program of Transitions, New Leaf Cafe helps share our story with the public and, as a result, gets more people involved in our mission,” said Sarah Lickfold, executive director at Transitions.
Connecting Community Through the Cultural Pass Program
Spokane is rich with opportunities to explore the arts, engage with science, and cheer on our hometown sports teams. But for some, cost can be a barrier to participation. That’s where Spokane Public Library’s Cultural Pass Program comes in by removing financial roadblocks and opening the door to unforgettable cultural experiences for Spokane residents.
Mobius Discovery Center
Set in downtown Spokane in the Washington Water Power building overlooking the Spokane River, Mobius Discovery Center is a wonderland for curious young minds. With hands-on exhibits covering physics, technology, engineering, biology, art, math, and more, Mobius sparks learning through play. The Cultural Pass includes free general admission for up to four children and two adults.
Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture (MAC)
In historic Browne’s Addition, the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture (MAC) celebrates the region’s art, culture, and history. From contemporary exhibitions and Indigenous art to deep dives into Spokane’s past, the museum offers something for everyone.
The Library’s MAC pass provides free admission for up to two adults and four children—a savings of more than $60 per visit. From June 26, 2025–January 4, 2026, you can see Tlingit glass artist Preston Singletary’s exhibit: Raven and the Box of Daylight, a multi-sensory odyssey that tells the Tlingit story of Raven and his transformation of the world.
Spokane Velocity FC and Spokane Zephyr FC
What better way to celebrate Spokane’s growing love for soccer than cheering from the stands at ONE Spokane Stadium? With the Cultural Pass, library users can claim free tickets to home matches for the Spokane Velocity FC (the men’s team) and Spokane Zephyr FC (the women’s team). It’s a high-energy, community-centered experience that brings people together through the universal language of sports. Fans can check out a pass that gets them 4 seats
By Amanda Donovan, Director of Marketing & Communication, Spokane Public Library
and an on-field experience before the match. Go Spo!
Spokane Symphony
New this year, patrons can check out passes to three Masterworks Concerts and also the Nutcracker. “Music is the first language we learn, and the last language we lose,” says Spokane Symphony Music Director James Lowe. The Spokane Symphony’s mission is to enrich, inspire, and transform the lives of all people through music, community engagement, and education, which is a great alignment with the library mission. Spokane Civic Theatre
Also new this year, library cardholders may now check out tickets to Season 78 featuring productions like Legally Blonde, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Emma, The Glass Menagerie, and more. Spokane Civic Theatre is an award-winning nonprofit community theatre. With two performance spaces and an active education program, each season,
Civic produces 15-20 plays, musicals, and other live events each season created by more than 400 volunteer creative contributors, and conducts performing arts
Credit: Mobius Discovery Center.
Credit: NW Museum of Arts and Culture.
Credit: United Soccer League.
Credit: Spokane Civic Theater.
classes, predominantly for the youth of the community.
Thanks to generous funding from the Spokane Public Library Foundation, the library was able to add the passes to Spokane Civic Theatre and Spokane Symphony this year.
For many library users, these partnerships are about more than free tickets, they’re a connection to community.
“I just wanted to follow up with you about the library pass program,” shared one patron. “I have been a Spokane resident for a little more than a year, with my main library being the one at Liberty Park. I have had nothing but amazing experiences with the library and all the benefits they offer. The variety of classes, resources, staff, and modernization has really helped me in my transition to Spokane. I have even used the museum passes. I look forward to utilizing them and other perks soon.”
The Cultural Pass program reflects Spokane Public Library’s commitment to ensuring everyone in Spokane has access to the cultural and recreational opportunities in our city. We want to help residents of all backgrounds feel connected whether it’s through a museum visit, discovering science, or cheering in the stands with neighbors.
Passes can be reserved online at spokanelibrary.org/museumpasses using a valid Spokane Public Library card (offer valid only for residents within the Spokane city limits). Each institution has slightly different rules around availability, so make sure you review the reservation page for full details.
Books that Score Goals with Velocity FC and Zephyr FC
Ted Lasso once said: “Living in the moment, it’s a gift. That’s why they call it the present.” You know what helps people live in the moment? A good book. Some of our Velocity and Zephyr FC players shared some of their favorite reads with you so you can score on your reading goals.
Ryan Bilichuck, Velocity FC Goalkeeper
Emma Jaskaniec, Zephyr FC Midfielder
Ally Cook, Zephyr FC Forward
Ally Cook, Zephyr FC Forward
Ally Cook, Zephyr FC Forward
David Garcia, Velocity FC Center-Back
Jack Denton, Velocity FC Center Midfielder
Thais Reiss, Velocity FC Forward
Ish Jome, Velocity FC Left-Back
Ish Jome, Velocity FC Left-Back
Jack Denton, Velocity FC Center Midfielder
Thais Reiss, Velocity FC Forward
ONE RADIO SHOW AT A TIME BUILDING COMMUNITY
ONE RADIO SHOW AT A TIME BUILDING COMMUNITY
By
LISTEN TO KYRS THIN AIR COMMUNITY RADIO
LISTEN TO KYRS THIN AIR COMMUNITY RADIO
88.1 AND 92.3 FM OR STREAM AT KYRS.ORG
88.1 AND 92.3 FM OR STREAM AT KYRS.ORG
Ablue and orange disk marks the spot: gleaming from a window of the Media Studios on the 3rd floor of Central Library. It’s the studio where KYRS Thin Air Community Radio broadcasts live.
A MISSION FOR RADIO FOR
THE PEOPLE
Lupito Flores founded Thin Air Community Radio in October 2003. Lupito envisioned volunteers of diverse backgrounds operating the station to reach those unserved and underserved. Whether local, state, national, or global, the station’s programming would address social, economic, and environmental justice.
Programmers would discuss human rights, multiculturalism, democracy, the arts, and social causes.
KYRS became a full-power radio station on November 5, 2007, with 6,800 Watts of power on 88.1 FM, reaching north into Canada, west into Idaho and Montana, south to the Palouse, and east to the Rockies. Michael Moon Bear succeeded Lupito as Station Manager in 2020.
IN NEED OF A NEW HOME
KYRS initially operated out of Spokane’s Community Building, but in the early 2020s the search for a new home began. Around the time that Spokane Public Library was undergoing a major transformation—renovating four libraries and building three new ones, thanks to a 2018 bond measure. This process pushed the library to innovate and redefine its role in the community. The reimagined Central Library emerged as much more than a traditional library, becoming a hub for community, diversity, and innovation with an emphasis on music and video education.
During this time, the library approached KYRS to offer a permanent space for broadcasting. Since 2022, KYRS has broadcasted live from the 3rd floor of Central Library.
PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMS
The co-location provides a unique opportunity for programming presented in partnership by KYRS and Spokane Public Library. Get Loud in the Library is a monthly free, all-ages concert showcasing local music. Admission is free, and guests can enjoy beer, wine, and snacks while experiencing one of Spokane’s most unique and intimate live music venues.
Lilac City Sounds with KYRS is your gateway to Spokane’s vibrant music scene. This monthly series, showcases local artists through intimate live performances from Spokane Public Library’s recording studio and features insightful conversations about the musician’s creative journey. Catch it the 4th Tuesday of each month at 3 PM on KYRS or find past shows on
Spokane Public Library’s YouTube channel (go.spokanelibrary.org/ LilacCitySounds). KYRS features the pulse of the people of the Inland Northwest, tune in today.
Program Director Dana Matthews (L) signals to Federica Brandi (center) to begin interviewing Vicki Carter of the Spokane Conservation District for a remote broadcast at the Scale House Market grand opening.
Nera Dougherty of River City Rhythms host of Lilac City Sounds with KYRS.
THE POWER OF BEING SEEN: HOW PEER SERVICES CHANGE LIVES AT THE LIBRARY THE POWER
OF BEING SEEN: HOW PEER SERVICES CHANGE LIVES AT THE LIBRARY
By Alina Murcar, Marketing & Communication Manager, Spokane Public Library
Imagine not having a place to go at night, struggling to find a job, and feeling utterly alone. That sense of isolation would be overwhelming, wouldn’t it? Often, all we need is someone to truly listen to us, to feel seen and cared for. This is the power of community, and it’s precisely what Peer Services Specialists offer our visitors at Central Library.
Peer Services Specialist Kayla has spent nearly two years at Central Library, where she has supported the community through 1,866 interactions, providing vital services and resources to those most in need. Whether it’s connecting people with housing and addiction recovery resources or helping schedule appointments, Kayla creates a safe space for conversation and connection.
need in the community, and in partnership with Peer Spokane, can provide Peer services full-time at the library. Originally funded by Better Health Together, but when that contract ended, the City of Spokane stepped in to help provide additional funding to maintain this service.
“When we [the Peer Services Specialists] started at the library, we were strangers to everyone,” Kayla reflected. “While new faces arrive regularly, there are also familiar ones who’ve become part of our community. By showing up every day, learning people’s names, and taking the time to greet them, trust has grown over these past two years.”
presence can mean the difference between someone being asked to leave for violating a library policy or being given the help they actually need. Without her, that responsibility would fall to staff who aren’t trained the way she is. That makes a big difference.”
Peer Services Specialists don’t just offer help—they offer humanity. For many visitors, a Peer may be the only person who listens without judgment, who remembers their name, and who sees them. That kind of connection can change a moment and it can change a life.
THE POWER OF BEING SEEN: HOW PEER SERVICES CHANGE LIVES AT THE LIBRARY
“I experienced a lot of trauma growing up,” Kayla shared. “Having a Peer during those times would have made a huge difference for me. I wanted to become the support I didn’t have.”
Libraries nationwide have seen an increased need for social services and peer support, especially following the pandemic, which has led to a rise in social service needs within the community. Spokane Public Library is supporting that
This time spent building trust with library customers has provided more bandwidth to other library departments as well. Kayla’s work deeply supports the library’s Safety and Environment Team by providing more resources to help people.
“When we’re helping someone and it’s clear they’re experiencing a mental health challenge, Kayla can step in, de-escalate, and connect them with the right support,” said Jordan Hilker, safety & environment manager. “Her
MENDING MORE THAN CLOTHES: SPOKANE ZERO WASTE AND THE LIBRARY BUILD COMMUNITY
By Liz Melville, Spokane Zero Waste
Elyse Hochstadt is a difference maker. A Spokane textile artist who channeled her grief about climate change into meaningful action.
In 2023, while completing an artist residency at Spokane Public Library, Elyse launched Spokane Zero Waste (SZW), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to build the knowledge, skills, and systems for a thriving waste-free community.
As a community of learning with free meeting spaces available, Spokane Public Library was an ideal place to premiere SZW’s first-ever Mend-It Cafe.
water, air, and soil. According to Global Fashion Agenda, a garbage truck full of textiles is dumped into a landfill every second, resulting in 42 million tons of textile-based plastic waste each year.
Next Mend-It Cafe | Wednesday, November 5, 4:30-7pm The Hive
Since then, SZW and the library have collaborated on Upcycle Fashion Lab, a sewing lab for tweens, and SZW has participated in library craft fairs and markets with upcycled goods made through their ReCraft Lab program. To date, 846 items have been repaired at the Mend-It Cafes—a powerful example of waste diverted from landfills and given new life.
By hosting events at the library, SZW can reach a diverse audience and help raise awareness about the effects of consumer culture. SZW focuses on this issue, particularly as it relates to fast fashion.
Most people don't know that 60% of textiles are made from petroleumbased fabrics, and that when machine washed and dried, these materials release toxic microfibers into the
SZW works to counter this problem by offering mending services through regular events like Mend-It Cafe, public classes that teach everything from beginning sewing to botanical dyeing, and through ReCraft Lab, a program that trains refugee and immigrant women in the art of upcycling.
SZW is working to create a regional fibershed. A fibershed is defined as a geographical area where natural fibers are grown, processed, and used to create textiles with the goal of building a local, sustainable textile system. An Eastern Washington fibershed would create a lucrative and environmentally sustainable system to produce and process wool and get it to a variety of markets.
Would you like to be a difference maker? Spokane Zero Waste needs your support to continue their work and grow. Learn about SZW’s programs and volunteer opportunities at spokanezerowaste.org.
Partnerships that Inspire: KSPS PBS and Spokane Public
Library
By Gary A. Stokes, President and General Manager, KSPS PBS and Spokane Public Library Board President
For more than 50 years, KSPS PBS has been a trusted source of education, inspiration, and connection. At the core of our work is a commitment to learning, curiosity, and community engagement, values we proudly share with Spokane Public Library. It’s this common ground that has allowed a truly meaningful partnership to grow over the years.
From early collaborations like story times at South Hill Library to events like The Great American Read finale watch party in 2018, KSPS PBS and Spokane Public Library have found countless ways to bring people together around ideas, stories, and discovery.
Over the years, we’ve teamed up for summer camps at The Hive, family game nights at Hillyard, and the ever-popular Game Quest reading and activity challenge, which combines learning and play in exciting ways for kids and families.
Just this year, we’ve collaborated on screenings of powerful documentaries like Bike Vessel, Home Court, and Matter of Mind: My Alzheimer’s. Each event invites dialogue, connects neighbors, and builds awareness of important issues.
Partnerships like ours matter because they transform spaces into places of connection. Together, KSPS PBS and Spokane Public Library create opportunities for families, lifelong learners, and curious minds to explore the world—whether through a book, a documentary, or a shared community experience.
Thrive International and Spokane Public Library Celebrate Completion of First Phase of “B”
By Amanda Donovan, Director of Marketing & Communication, Spokane Public Library
On May 22, 2025, Thrive International and Spokane Public Library marked the ceremonial groundbreaking for their landmark affordable-housing and library partnership at “B” on 6980 N. Nevada Street in the Shiloh Hills neighborhood of Spokane.
The first phase was Spokane Public Library’s contribution to the project, which includes a 24/7 Library Kiosk, greenhouse, and geodesic dome classroom, delivering public amenities ahead of the residential portion of the project.
The 24/7 Library Kiosk functions like a high-capacity book vending machine, allowing library customers to check out and return materials anytime, and route holds to the kiosk to pick up with their library cards. The greenhouse, community garden, and geodesic dome classroom act as a learning and gathering hub for residents and neighbors. These features aim
to enhance refugee integration and foster community cohesion through gardening workshops, language classes, and social programming run by the library and Thrive partners.
Spokane Public Library is in early conversations with potential partners to activate the space for the community and has some exciting ideas in the works.
The innovative partnership between Spokane Public Library and Thrive International will transform a long-vacant 1.6acre library-owned parcel into a mixed-use development. Thrive purchased the land for $10 in exchange for building a public event and learning space that the library will lease for $10 annually over the next 50 years. As Thrive moves toward constructing over 45 affordable housing units—about half reserved for immigrant and refugee families— the completion of its first phase lays the foundation for a deeper collaboration in affordable housing and public services in Spokane.
The geodesic dome classroom is a signature design element inspired in part by a project in Aarhus, Denmark that emphasizes community connection and learning, seen here.
Caption, top to bottom: Exterior of greenhouse, exterior of geodesic dome, 24/7 Library Kiosk, interior of geodesic dome.
Together Spokane
By Garrett Jones, Director of City of Spokane Parks & Recreation & Dr. Adam Swinyard, Superintendent of Spokane Public Schools
A Partnership to Upgrade Parks and Schools in Every Neighborhood
Parks and schools are the heart of every neighborhood.
Spokane Parks & Recreation and Spokane Public Schools (SPS) have many of the same goals and vision for a healthy, active, vibrant, and safe community.
Together Spokane is an alignment of two separate, November 4, 2025, ballot initiatives – a Parks levy and a School bond. They would fund about 200 projects touching every park and public school across every neighborhood in our city.
If both initiatives pass, 30+ additional projects (all-weather fields, a field house, and an indoor pool, for example) would be completed through the cost-savings of combining resources.
A MODEL FOR PARTNERSHIP
Spokane Public Library has been an important partner over the years.
As part of the 2018 bond, SPS and Spokane Public Library (SPL) built the Hillyard Library inside of Shaw Middle School. A secure wall is up during the school day to allow students access to a portion of the library and the public the other. After school, the partition comes down and the full library becomes public space. There were significant cost savings to build a library inside of a school, and SPL has expanded student access to resources.
Parks, meanwhile, partnered with SPL to build a library on underutilized land at Liberty Park, adjacent to a pool, new playground,
disc golf course, picnic shelter, ball fields, and trails – creating a vibrant neighborhood hub. These are proven examples of using tax payer funds efficiently for the benefit of the community.
BUILDING ON COLLABORATION
This new initiative uses cooperation to meet community needs. By working together, Spokane Parks and SPS can share resources and coordinate programming to stretch taxpayer investments and deliver more.
About the Ballot Measures
Together Spokane is two separate but aligned ballot initiatives for November 4, 2025: a School bond and Park levy. If both initiatives pass, 30+ more projects will be completed than if we did this alone. Visit TogetherSpokane.org to view what’s proposed for your neighborhood.
SPS and Parks started working together in the 1940’s, when Parks provided funds to build a larger gym at an SPS school so they could open it to evening community recreation. This simple concept has proven wildly beneficial.
Together Spokane expands upon this 80+ year collaboration by streamlining what we build and how we operate. It means:
• Exchanging and sharing land for development to reduce costs
• Funding projects jointly to
increase scope and serve more people
• Coordinating programming for better access
• Sharing facilities to serve different audiences
• Coordinating investments to avoid duplication
WHAT WOULD THE PROPOSAL DO?
If approved by voters, Together Spokane would upgrade every public school and park with a focus on safety, access, maintenance, and modernization. While you can see all 200+ projects at TogetherSpokane.org, some key components include:
1. Enhanced Park Safety and Maintenance: By increasing the size of the special commission Park Ranger team four-fold, Rangers would serve all neighborhood parks and, after school hours, patrol school grounds that operate as parks. The initiative would also add 50% more Park Maintenance staff for caretaking and faster vandalism repair.
2. Trades School: In response to student interest and workforce demands, SPS would establish a new, full-time trades high school. Students could graduate with their high school diploma and a degree or certificate in a technical field through Spokane Community College.
3. Modernizing Park Restrooms
and Playgrounds: Every playground would either be repaired or replaced, with design input from neighborhood kids. All restrooms would be upgraded to reduce vandalism opportunities and modernize plumbing to keep them open and functioning.
4. Upgrading School Facilities: Many Spokane schools need critical repairs and upgrades, from fixing aging roofs and heating/cooling systems to complete rebuilds.
5. Recreational Facilities: Together Spokane would expand capacity by upgrading and building more all-weather lighted fields, sport courts, an indoor pool, and an indoor recreation center at Madison Elementary/Franklin Park.
6. And more: Use the interactive map at TogetherSpokane. org to view projects in your neighborhood. You can also learn about partners who have committed private funds to expand the scope of joint projects.
WHY NOW?
Spokane’s population has grown and shifted over the years, and a renewed emphasis on engagement has increased the use
of aging school facilities and park infrastructure. Many neighborhoods have parks and schools that have not been updated in decades, with outdated equipment, limited accessibility, and insufficient space. Over 45% of neighborhood parks have received $0 in capital investments over the past 20 years. Some neighborhoods have no park at all.
Meanwhile, schools like Madison and Adams – the oldest elementary buildings in the city – need upgrades to provide ADA access, enhanced preschool options, and a safer environment for students.
Together Spokane is about making these investments within all neighborhoods, where it’s needed most.
VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY
Together Spokane was formed through community feedback. The vision reflects listening to the top requested priorities.
After SPS failed its first bond initiative in decades in Feb. 2024, the district heard clearly that voters wanted a greater value proposition in exchange for their tax dollar. The plan proposed by Together Spokane would result in upgrades or new facilities for dozens of aging
schools, as well as recreational and arts-centered enhancements for families.
The recent Parks & Recreation master plan gathered feedback from 5,000+ community members. The Parks levy focuses on those community-identified priorities, and by partnering with SPS, stretches the investment even further.
WHAT IS THE COST?
For a property owner with a $330,000 home (median assessed value in Spokane County), the bond and levy would cost an additional $7.98 per month in 2026 – $7.43 to Parks and 55 cents to Schools. Homeowners are encouraged to calculate their property tax impact at TogetherSpokane.org/cost.
LOOKING AHEAD
As community leaders, our job is to listen to community input and provide voters options. Together Spokane represents the top shared priorities, delivered in a way that is efficient and collaborative.
It’s a unique opportunity to reimagine and renew Spokane’s public spaces and schools that shape our neighborhoods for generations to come. Please learn about the proposal and decide for yourself if Together Spokane brings value to you and our community.
Q&A
WITH AUTHOR TANANARIVE DUE
Tananarive Due’s award-winning horror novel The Reformatory is this year’s selection for Spokane Is Reading. In great anticipation of her October 23rd events, Writing Education Specialist Sharma Shields asked Tananarive Due a few questions over email, and following are Due’s wonderful responses:
QThe Reformatory exposes the crimes against children that happened at the Dozier School for Boys in the mid-1900s. Your great uncle Robert Stephens was one of the many victims at this school, and you honor him by name in this visionary and moving story. How did you first hear of your great uncle and how did you begin to transfer it with such imaginative power to the page?
Tananarive Due (TD): In 2013, only months after we buried my late mother—and losing her remains the biggest personal horror of my life—I got a call from the Florida State Attorney’s office: for the first time, I learned that my mother had an uncle named Robert Stephens who died in 1937, at the age of 15, at the Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, Florida. The true-life Robert Stephens, I’m sad to say, was stabbed to death by another inmate at Dozier. (I pay homage to this in the novel.)
I had never heard of the Dozier School for Boys, the horrific facility operating between 1900 and 2011, where countless boys were traumatized, sexually assaulted and sometimes—far too often—buried by other children in unmarked graves in the cemetery dubbed Boot
Hill. I had never known that my mother had lost an uncle there— she may not have known herself. Another relative who is a namesake of Robert Stephens did not know for whom he had been named. After the tragedy and trauma of losing a child to incarceration, it was as if Robert Stephens had been erased from the world.
Soon after the call, my family was invited to Marianna to take part in the start of exhumations by University of South Florida forensic anthropologist Erin Kimmerle, who used the same imaging systems she used to find mass graves in war zones like Kosovo to try to find the buried boys of the Dozier School. (Last year, she also published her own book called We Carry These Bones.) My husband, Steven Barnes, was there—along with our son, Jason, who was about nine at the time. My father, “Freedom Lawyer” John Dorsey Due, Jr., also came along—as he would on several research trips with me over the years, a way we could turn our mourning of my mother into an ACT rather than simply an emotional state.
After that first visit, I knew I had
to write about Dozier. I met former prisoners, Black and white, who told me stories of bloody beatings in a whipping shed called The White House. They were suffering lifelong trauma. So my father and I wanted to help tell the story of Robert Stephens and the Dozier School.
QOne of the many wonderful characters we closely follow in the novel is Robert’s sister, Gloria. Who did you look to and/ or research as you developed her story?
TD: I had a very clear model for Gloria’s character. My late mother’s middle name was Gloria —Patricia Gloria Stephens Due. Whenever I wondered what Gloria should do next, I just asked myself: “What would Mom have done?”
Mom laid down in front of garbage trucks to support striking sanitation workers in 1968–the cause for which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ultimately gave his life. In 1960, she and her sister, my Aunt Priscilla Stephens Kruize, were among eight Florida A&M University students who spent 49 days in jail rather than pay their fine after a sit-in at a Woolworth’s lunch counter. She wore dark
glasses her entire life after being teargassed for leading a peaceful demonstration in 1960–a police officer recognized her as one of the organizers and said, “I want you!” before he threw teargas into her face. As a result, she suffered lifelong sensitivity to light.
My mother was my first superhero.
I asked myself what my 17-yearold mother would have done if her brother had been imprisoned under these circumstances—so if my agent made a suggestion that Mom wouldn’t have done, I had great clarity in saying, “Nope.”
In addition to your fiction, you’re also a screenwriter and producer. Can you discuss some of your projects for the screen and what the challenges and rewards are working in this medium?
TD: I began writing screenplays after I married my husband, Steven Barnes, who already had several writing credits and taught me a great deal. Beyond that, I studied great scripts while I watched the films and read Story by Robert McKee, which is such a great book on story structure that I assign to writing students even if they don’t write screenplays.
Over the years, my husband and I have sold several television scripts and a few feature scripts together, most of which were adaptations of our own work. My first television credit was on Jordan Peele’s version of “The Twilight Zone,” a story called “A Small Town” that I cowrote with Steve. Then we wrote two adaptations for an anthology film called Horror Noire: “The Lake,” based on my solo short story, and “Fugue State,” a short story we co-wrote. I was also very lucky to be brought on as an executive
producer on Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror.
Steve and I currently are codirecting a short film adaptation of our feature script “The Keeper” with Blackmaled Productions and a Japanese producer called Samansa.
On the craft side, I love writing scripts! Scripts challenge a different part of my writer’s mind from a structural standpoint, and the emphasis on visual storytelling and dialogue really helps me sharpen those skills in my prose. On the business side, it’s very tough to sell scripts—so writing scripts is typically a much more frustrating undertaking for me than writing a short story or a novel, where at least I’m reasonably certain someone will see it one day!
QThere are people in our country who are actively trying to censor any discussion of the history of racism. Librarians in the Inland Northwest have been threatened for standing up for books that are deemed controversial. As an award-winning novelist and a co-author with your mother on a book about civil rights, what do you believe we lose when truthtelling stories are silenced, and what can we gain when they are narrated and uplifted?
TD: This is a lovely question! I often think of conversations with my late mother when I felt doubtful that I could make anything close to the kinds of contributions she had made to creating a better world because my true love was for writing. As an example of the power of the arts, she explained to me that during the height of the civil rights era in the 1960s, the NAACP made a strong commitment to trying to create representation in the arts because the arts matter. That’s why arts come under attack—
enlightenment and knowledge lead to progress.
Since the end of the Civil War, there have been constant efforts to romanticize earlier eras of servitude for Black people and minimize the terrorism and barbarity at the root of slavery and Jim Crow. My mother forever warned about the “clock turning back,” when she signed her books because she knew that power would not yield without a fight. Kudos to those brave teachers, parents, librarians and artists who are fighting back against silence and ignorance with each story they help to share.
QWhat are your favorite works in the horror genre at this time? What makes a great work of horror stand out for you?
TD: I appreciate horror more as I get older because I have a deeper understanding of how soothing it can be during horrific times. Whether it’s caregiving or watching democracy and human rights descend into shambles in the United States, horror enables us to use metaphors to express true-life dread through a looking glass that makes it feel less personal–and sometimes even redemptive. I love watching ordinary people stand up to forces that are seemingly greater than they are, which is how so many of us feel right now – and that journey was the joy of writing The Reformatory My favorite horror at the moment: Ryan Coogler’s Sinners. I’ve already seen it four times, so I’m trying to wait before I watch it again, but it’s the perfect blending of music, metaphor, history and horror.
In literature, I loved Model Home by Rivers Solomon and The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones.
