SEATTLE — The Seattle waterfront holds a rich history.
One with countless stories, some well-known, others more obscure.
Owen Oliver loves Seattle and loves telling stories about Seattle.
“I want everyone to have such a strong sense of place in Seattle, and I want to do that through writing,” said Oliver.
The 27-year-old writer-artist and Quinault tribal member is doing that now with Friends of Waterfront Park and their new writer-in-residence program.
“I can’t think of Seattle without the waterfront. For me, the waterfront is this sense of welcoming,” said Oliver.
Over a year’s time, Oliver is writing monthly columns that will appear on the Friends’ newsletter and blog, diving into stories of the waterfront’s past, present and future.
“I started in June of 2026 and have been writing poems and short pieces documenting this living waterfront,” said Oliver.
The University of Washington grad’s love runs deep for the waterfront, which includes his creative fingerprints, working for several years as a tribal consultant.
“I helped do the artwork on top of the Overlook Walk. That’s what the work’s all about: getting community members out here and using these spaces,” said Oliver.
Owen hopes his work with Friends of Waterfront Park will help preserve the waterfront’s history through personal experiences.
“I hope there’s this surge of interest that there needs to be more literature about Seattle involving all genres of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, essays,” he said. “I really want us to think about how our city is so young still and what does it mean to continue to build that collective story together.”
Oliver says he’s also working on a novel documenting Seattle’s past through indigenous art and history.
Click here for more about his work and the program with Friends of Waterfront Park.