On this episode we are talking with Ryan Henry Ward. If you live in Seattle and you don’t know Ryan, there is a good chance you do know his artful murals seen all over town!

Ryan’s murals, which are signed simply “henry”, have the power to bring out a smile, even on the grayest days. The scenes of his characters and the quiet story being told, leave you with a good feeling about living here in Seattle. Now, that alone would be reason to sit down with Ryan and share a good conversation, but, there is something more that you are going to want to hear. His views on community, specifically around the issue of homelessness, are beautiful, ones that are grounded in his personal journey of finding himself through his art.

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A while back we interviewed Casey for a 3-part series titled The Skipping Rock. It was one of our most popular stories shared! If you missed it, we highly recommend that you take the time to listen to Casey's story. I believe it will shift your understanding and feelings about the sex industry.

Casey was kind enough to come back into the studio for this 4th episode to have a follow up conversation, in part to answer some of the questions submitted to us from our listeners as well as share her own feelings about having told her story.

Casey’s sharing of her first hand experiences of falling into and then finding her way out of the sex industry gives us an opportunity to move past the debilitating and hurtful societal understanding we have of sex workers.

We can begin to change the narrative by seeing the individual, their beauty and their worth. Casey, and her team at Light Of Love, remind us that the limited choices brought by trauma have people living unintended lives, often ones with very little hope. She will tell you, through the loving light found in relationships, we can begin healing our community.

Casey and her team are tireless in their mission. If you would like to learn more about their work, or look into volunteer opportunities, please visit lightofloveseattle.org

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In every city and town across America, our libraries are loved. I know I smile to myself every time I come through the entry doors of the main branch in downtown Seattle or any one of the other neighborhood branches. I think it’s connected to knowing ahead of time that I’m entering into a special place, similar to walking into a church, or a museum.

Common to these spaces is that there are rules of conduct, ones that ask us to be respectful of others. I’m guessing a good many of our listeners, at one time or another when growing up and visiting the library, were told they were being too loud, that they were disturbing others. By the time we are adults, we know most of these rules of conduct without being told.

For people experiencing homelessness, libraries have always been sanctuaries. They provide shelter from inclement weather and access to water and a bathroom. More recently they offer use of the internet and a place to charge devices. For many, maybe most importantly, they are a safe place to be. A place where they are welcome. As the number of people struggling on our streets increases, this has put a strain on our library systems. We wanted to know how they were navigating the complexities of this issue. I think you are going to be surprised by what we found out!

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More can be found at https://www.youknowmenow.com/