Jean Godden

Jean Godden wrote columns first for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and late for the Seattle Times. In 2002, she quit to run for City Council where she served for 12 years. Since then she published a book of city stories titled “Citizen Jean.” She is now co-host of The Bridge aired on community station KMGP at 101.1 FM. You can email tips and comments to Jean at jgodden@blarg.net.

How I Came to Write a (Miniature) Book on Jimmy Carter

The pay certainly wasn’t tempting but the idea was just crazy enough to be intriguing. It also presented an interesting challenge: The need to plan on a limited number of words to a line and on fitting 12 lines onto a page.

Remembering Seattle’s Lost Characters and Free Spirits

Seattle continues to lose one-of-a-kind characters that would not have soared in more conventional cities.

Katharine White’s Iconic New Yorker

Katharine shaped The New Yorker, nurturing an astonishing array of literary talent. She edited a young John Updike, to whom she sent 17 rejections before his first acceptance.

Keeping Seattle’s 78 Neighborhoods Affordable and Distinctive

City Councilmembers have a duty to protect the distinct but fragile neighborhoods they represent.

Ashlands Gone By: ‘What Play Am I in?’

For me, the magic struck years ago when I began traveling to the Southern Oregon Festival, one of a group of eight women theater buffs intent on a Shakespeare fix.

Thankful for Heroes: Restoring Power after the Storm

For those of us in Seattle and adjacent suburban areas the star players have been the crews that worked day and night restoring power to customers.

What the Election Tells us About Who America Is

Trump may be better armed this time, but we must regroup, find strong leaders, and resolve to overcome.

Council Haggles over City Hall Budget

Mayor Bruce Harrell’s proposed 2025-2026 would close a shortfall by taking $287 million from an unexpected windfall of payroll tax receipts. He rejected calls for new taxes.

Bob Woodward’s War: Eavesdropping on History

The real story Woodward wanted to tell in War is how Biden dealt with Putin before and after the Ukraine invasion, and with Netanyahu following the Oct.7 Hamas attacks. The author focused on how Biden “has kept the homeland safe” through a chaotic three and a half years.

Seattle’s Waterfront Park: What Might Have Been

Seattle lucked out; it was not saddled with any of the bizarre schemes nor improbable solutions proposed for the waterfront.

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