Crosscut Festival 2023

Title Sponsor

Thank you to our sponsors

Virtual Access:

Click HERE to access all virtual sessions. 

Speaking in person only:

Photo of Michael Barbaro

Michael Barbaro

Political journalist with The New York Times and host of the podcast, The Daily
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Michael Cohen

Host of the Mea Culpa Podcast & NYT bestselling author of Revenge
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Marc Summers

Host, "Double Dare" on Nickelodeon and "Unwrapped" on Food Network
Photo of Oren Etzioni

Oren Etzioni

Professor Emeritus, University of Washington & founding CEO of the Allen Institute for AI
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Danni Askini

Executive director, Gender Justice League & Trans Pride Seattle
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Angela Jones

Director, Washington State Initiative, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Speakers appearing virtually:

Photo of Jennifer Doudna

Jennifer Doudna

Li Ka Shing Chancellor’s Chair and Professor at the University of California, Berkeley
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Darcy Jaffe

Senior Vice President, Safety and Quality, Washington State Hospital Association
Judith Arcana

Judith Arcana

Writer, member of Chicago's pre-Roe underground abortion service
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Carl Zimmer

New York Times columnist & author of 14 books on science

About the Festival

The Crosscut Ideas Festival is a celebration of big ideas and a gathering for bold thinkers. Newsmakers, changemakers and innovators come together to take a fresh look at the biggest issues of our time. Over one week, the Crosscut Ideas Festival hosts fireside conversations and panels, meetups, art installations, workshops, and interactive experiences.

Frequently Asked Questions

Attend the Festival

The Crosscut Ideas Festival includes a full day of festival programming in-person. Speakers from across the nation and around the region joined us to consider issues in politics, equity, the economy, science, the environment, innovation and much, much more.

Join us May 4, 2024 at the Amazon Meeting Center and quench your curiosity!

headliners gala

Celebrate the best of PNW community and culture while supporting public media. Enjoy a night of entertainment with a culinary tour of the region curated by premier chefs and restaurateurs, Hear from The Daily host Michael Barbaro, and bid on a unique items in a PBS and Northwest-themed auction.

More about the Gala

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Highlights

Macklemore and Seahawks' Doug Baldwin talk to Deray McKesson at the Crosscut Ideas Festival
Macklemore appears at Crosscut Ideas Festival
letters that spell out crosscut outside
Nikole Hannah-Jones talks about The 1619 Project
Nikole Hannah-Jones talks about the 1619 Project
Audie Cornish with Ibram X. Kendi
Audie Cornish interviews Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
A heated panel on the possibility of a new civil war
A heated panel on the possibility of a new civil war
Slate's David Plotz leads conversation about the future of the Democratic Party
Slate's David Plotz leads conversation about the future of the Democratic Party
Dahiia Lithwick
Dahiia Lithwick on the future of the Supreme Court

Festival Programming


The Crosscut Ideas Festival aims to foster open and respectful dialogue about important issues. It’s the mission of the Crosscut Festival to offer a program that provides a wide spectrum of viewpoints, experiences, and affiliations, and welcomes members of many communities. We are sensitive to the fact that some opinions and conversations may make audience members feel uncomfortable. As a public media organization, we are responsible to act as a neutral mediator. We do not endorse the policies or opinions of our guests. However, we believe that the best way to bridge our divides is to hear from people with whom we might disagree, even vehemently, and to ask each other hard questions. When participating in these events, we require that our guests and our audience do so according to our code of conduct.