🎭 The A-List Encore 06/19/26

When I tell strangers what I do for a living, I’m often met with a curious question: “Do you use AI in your writing?” In 2026, it’s a reasonable inquiry. People rely on ChatGPT to make grocery lists; why wouldn’t an A&E journalist sneakily employ it to write an event listing?

For the record, though: I do not use a robot to write or edit stories, and I cannot envision a future in which that will change (see: CDN’s policy on artificial-intelligence). In an already-isolating time, the suspicion around AI use is disheartening. How can writers and artists establish trust that their creations — and by extension, their humanity — are truly their own?

In my observation, creatives seem to be leaning into tactile, community-based projects that only real humans can pull off. A recent example is children’s book author Phoebe Wahl and her stage version of “Little Witch Hazel,” which opens this weekend at BAAY.

Wahl and co-director Sarah Schermer designed the show’s sets, costumes and puppets to be as DIY and imperfect as possible. Wahl believes the intrigue around generative AI in the arts will fade; in her words, “It’s much more remarkable that humans can make incredible works of art that hours and hours of time go into.”

Last year, I also interviewed Luciana Navarro Powell, a children’s book illustrator whose work you might recognize from her chalk art project (@lucianachalking). She uses layering and found objects to create intimate, mixed-media illustrations, a far cry from the “digitally slick” images AI seems to prefer.

Beyond artists, the desire for palpable humanity is evident among community leaders like Pastor Emma Donohew of Echoes Bellingham (the most recent subject of CDN’s In Real Life series). For a recent fundraiser poster, Donohew asked an artist to create the kind of ultra-DIY poster that “AI could never make” — partly because it was drawn with crayons.

I’m curious to hear readers’ views on the intersection of artificial intelligence and creativity, and if you know someone locally whose work exemplifies the “DIY humanist” ethos Wahl aims for with “Little Witch Hazel.”

Have an idea for a future story or subject? Email me at [email protected] with suggestions.

Today is Juneteenth, and Connect Ferndale is honoring the milestone with a community cookout from 1–4 p.m. Bellingham’s biggest Juneteenth event happens the following day at Maritime Heritage Park.

June is also Pride Month, so you can expect a wealth of events for the LGBTQ+ community and allies before Pride in Bellingham from July 10–12. I’m particularly excited for the Pickford’s New Trans Cinema series, curated by author and critic Willow Maclay.

Other weekend events include the 80th annual Lummi Stommish Water Festival, as well as a Father’s Day car show at Bellewood Farms this Sunday. The Bellingham Holi Festival happens the following weekend on Sunday, June 28; you can refresh your memory of last year’s event here.

The Northwest Tune-Up Festival is bringing another weekend of bikes and music to the Bellingham waterfront from July 10–12. This year’s headliners are Hippie Sabotage and Souls of Mischief.

Also in the realm of live performances, Fairhaven Summer Repertory Theatre runs at the FireHouse Arts and Event Center through July 19. Make sure to check CDN’s monthly Performing Arts Calendar for a full rundown of local plays, musicals, dance performances and other productions.

Lastly, make sure to check back for a round-up of what to do on July 4. I’m particularly excited for a performance by the Bellingham Symphony Orchestra during the People’s Fourth of July Spectacular kickoff celebration.

Reporter Julia Tellman finally “succumbed to the ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ madness,” though she’s not entirely thrilled about it. The book “felt gluttonous and a little sickening, like eating a full pint of ice cream in one sitting” — even if its ending left her wanting more.

Meanwhile, Reporter Owen Racer is a fan of The Wall Street Journal's two-part podcast about the “scandal-plagued nonprofit behind the World Cup.”

Editor Jaya Flanary has been listening to the new Serafima & the Shakedowns album, “Ride Easy,” on vinyl pretty much nonstop. Flanary describes the album as “quirky and fun, great for sunny skies.”

Reporter Annie Todd recently caught “The Sheep Detectives” at the Pickford, and rated it a 10 out of 10. The film — which is quite literally about a herd of crime-solving sheep — made her laugh, cry and think deeply about death and grief.

Editor Jon Bauer is reading Jill Lepore's “We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution.” Lepore’s sweeping narrative “finds stories that illuminate each other”; for example, during the drafting of the Constitution, a Boston watchmaker also built a piano-sized orrery (mechanical solar system model).

And in honor of Pride Month, I’m delighting in all the sapphic media I can get my hands on. This week my partner and I had friends over to watch ‘90s cult classic “But I’m A Cheerleader,” which feels uncomfortably relevant in 2026. In a similar spirit, I’m halfway through Sonia Feldman’s coming-of-age novel, “Girl’s Girl,” and listening to an embarrassing amount of Chappell Roan.