AS Review - May 19, 2014

Why that catcall isn’t a compliment: An in-depth look at slut shaming, p. 6 Artist Lenny Moore invites you to [Insert Text Here], p. 8 Inside the 2014 GNAC track championship, p. 10 Onyx coffee bar: The best coffee shop in Bellingham?, p. 12

Vol. 29 #28 5.19.14

2 • as.wwu.edu/asreview

Edwin Martinez, founder of Onyx Coffee Bar, makes pour-over devices coffee. Photo

by Isaac Martin // AS Review

making your life better, one page at a time Viking Union 411 516 High St. Bellingham, WA 98225 Phone: 360.650.6126 Fax: 360.650.6507 Email: as.review@wwu.edu as.wwu.edu/asreview @TheASReview facebook.com/theasreview © 2014. Published most Mondays during the school year by the Associated Students of Western Washington University.

The AS Review is an alternative weekly that provides coverage of student interests such as the AS government, activities and student life. The Review seeks to enhance the student experience by shedding light on under-represented issues, inclusive coverage, informing readers and promoting dialogue.

IN THIS ISSUE NEWS 4 Beyond Borders New exhibit at VU Gallery features diverse pieces from all over the West Coast

9 Erotic Poetry Night

Erotic Poetry allows for a night of sexual expression

COLUMNS 10 Western track Andrew Wise describes his experience at the GNAC track championship

12 Onyx Bar Dominic D’Angelo falls in love with his new favorite coffee shop

FEATURES 6 Slut Shaming Find out why catcalling isn’t the compliment it might seem to be

8 Lenny Moore We sit down with Lenny More, the artist behind [Insert Text Here]

We welcome reader submissions, including news articles, literary pieces, photography, artwork or anything else physically printable. Email submissions to as.review@wwu.edu.

We welcome letters to the editor. Please limit your letter to 300 words, include your name, phone number and year in school, if you’re a student.

Send them to as.review@wwu.edu. Published letters may have minor edits made to their length or grammar.

THE AS

REVIEW Kylie Wade Kelly Mason Isaac Martin Trevor Grimm Andrew Wise C Hayley Halstead Dominic D’Angelo Designer Keghouhi Bedoyan Adviser Jeff Bates

Editor in Chief Assistant Editor Lead Photographer Photographer Writers

Students intently listen to one of Red Square’s regular visitors, Brother Jed, in an attempt to complete “Brother Jed Bingo.” Photo by Trevor Grimm // AS Review

May 19, 2014 • 3

EVENTS Jazz Jams Mondays

Seas at Risk

Let’s Start A Conversation

May 19 // 7 p.m. // UGCH // Free

May 20 // 6:30 p.m. // VU 552 // Free

May 21 // 5-6 p.m. // CF 231 // Free

Enjoy this free screening of “The Last Ocean,” a documentary about the race to protect the Ross Sea in Antarctica.

Hosted by the AS Environmental Center.

What could we sacrifice to repair the world? Discuss this question and more at Let’s Start A Conversation, an open discussion where there are no right or wrong answers.

Get jazzy with it! Come watch or join in on this jazz jam which happens every other Monday night. Bring your own instruments.

Tenants Speak Up For Rental Safety May 19 // 6:30-9 p.m. // Bellingham City Hall 210 Lottie St. // Free Join Bellinghome: Campaign for Tenant Safety and WWU Youth in Government as they show support for an ordinance being debated by City Council which would require properties to be registered with the city in order to protect tenants from unsafe conditions.

Patriot Week May 19 // 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. // Red Square // Free The AS Veteran’s Outreach Center will be handing out black memorial ribbons for people to wear throughout Patriot Week in remembrance.

May 22 // 6-9 p.m. // VU 552 // Free Check out this free showing of “Lone Survivor,” a movie based on actual events with SEAL team 10 in Afghanistan.

May 19-23 // All day // Old Main Lawn The VOC will be placing 146 flags on Old Main Lawn to commemorate the 146 Washington residents who were killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

May 22 // 6 p.m. // MH 131 // Free Learn about ocean acidification, coral reefs and coral reef degradation and watch a screening of “The Ultimate Wave,” hosted by WWU Surfriders.

Asexuality, Aromantic May 21 // 6-8 p.m. // VU 462 A // Free Discover the identities that fall under asexuality through a workshop discussing the differences between romantic orientation and sexual orientation.

Wednesday Night Concert Series: Robert Sarazin Blake w/ Lorelei May 21 // 8 p.m. // UGCH // Free Experience the folk sounds of Robert Sarazin Blake at this free show, part of the Wednesday Night Concert Series at the Underground Coffeehouse.

KVIK Presents You Would!

Crime Episodes May 21 // 7-9 p.m. // Old Main Theater // Free Enjoy filmed and live sketches centered around the theme of crime. Also catch performances by The Dead Parrots Society and a live band.

Marij-What-Now? May 22 // 6-8 p.m. // AW 210 // Free Learn about I-502 and how legalizing marijuana in Washington has real impacts on your life. There will be a discussion about marijuana law with city officials and a Q&A. This event is co-sponsored by the AS Legal Information Center and the Campus Community Coalition.

Third Annual Green Tie Gala May 22 // 6-8 p.m. // VU MPR // $10 w/ Western ID & $12 general Celebrate with the environmental clubs of Western at this formal gala. There will be live jazz, a local and organic dinner catered by Students for Sustainable Food and community and student speakers.

Medicinal Herb Workshop May 22 // 2 p.m. // Outback Farm // Free Learn how to grow, harvest and use medicinal herbs in this workshop taught

by Linda Quintana from Wonderland Teas.

This event includes hands-on practice and is sponsored by AS Environmental and Sustainability Programs.

4 • as.wwu.edu/asreview

Beyond Borders: International art competition to take over the VU Gallery

By Andrew Wise The battle for over $1,000 in prize money that will take place over the next few weeks in the Viking Union Gallery will be a quiet one, involving plenty of careful, pensive squinting. Beginning May 19, the gallery will host the Beyond Borders International Art Competition.

Now in its 19th year, the competition highlights artwork created by Fine Arts students from across the Northwest.

“The diversity of students and the places that these different students are coming from is way larger than a typical show that we put on at Western,” said VU Gallery Coordinator Caitlin Scott. “Because of that, we get a lot of different mediums, a lot of different styles, just a lot of different modes of expression that aren’t necessarily what our students are working with or doing.”

The competition is open to students in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, northern California and British Columbia.

There will be 15 total artists featured in the exhibition, all vying for the prize money. The winners will be decided by a panel of judges

Poster design by Amelia Barlow // AS Publicity Center

assembled by Scott. She wanted to find judges with a variety of expertise in art, so she brought in Rebecca L. Hutchins of the Whatcom Museum, Western assistant professor in interdisciplinary studio arts foundations Pierre Gour and Western associate professor of art history Julia Sapin.

“All of these judges have a really rich background in art,” Scott said.

The artists in the show work in a variety of mediums, with everything from photography to wood block print to plaster sculpture.

Camila Frey-Booth used coffee, wine and cigarette ash to create images on a piece of wool, while Evan Rumble’s work involves pouring paint over three dimensional pyramids jutting from the canvas.

The competition will conclude on June 4 with a closing reception from 6-8 p.m. during which winners will be announced and attendees will be able to meet the artists.

“It’s a really awesome way to come support emerging artists and to come see what your peers are creating, not just at Western, but across the whole northwest,” Scott said.

May 19, 2014 • 5

This week at the Underground Coffeehouse

Left: Out of the Ashes peforms at the Underground Coffeehouse on Monday, May 12 for Disability Awareness Week. Right: Benjamin Crabill cracks himself up at Open Mic Night on Tuesday, May 13. Photos by Trevor Grimm // AS Review

Left: Brianna Ellis performs at Open Mic Night in the Underground Coffeehouse on Tuesday, May 13. Right: Ricky Wilson performs stand-up comedy at Open Mic Night. Photos by Trevor Grimm // AS Review

6 • as.wwu.edu/asreview

Why that catcall isn’t a harmless comp

By Kelly Mason // Art Keghouhi Bedoyan

by

As the weather heats up, the rain coats get stashed away and everybody rushes to dig out those summer clothes. Suddenly there are T-shirts, sun dresses, bro tanks, jorts (jean shorts) and flip flops as far as the eye can see. However, since people have a tendency to judge others by the way they dress, as the temperature increases so does the judgment.

Slut shaming is the act of criticizing someone’s sexuality, particularly female-identified individuals, based on their behavior or the way they dress.

The word “slut” is used to describe someone who is sexually promiscuous. The word itself is not necessarily negative, but it can have a negative connotation.

“In my perspective slut shaming is the social vilification of female sexuality and punishing primarily women for representing themselves, their bodies and their sexuality in a certain way,” said AS Women’s Center Assistant Coordinator Emily Hanna.

Slut shaming comes in many different forms.

“Unfortunately slut shaming comes from both male-identified folks and female-identified folks,” Hanna said. “We have this idea that women have to be sexy in order to have value, but if they’re too sexy and they cross an invisible arbitrary line, then they get punished for that.”

Hanna said men sometimes

but both men and other women call women out on these activities or

devalue women for dressing or acting like a slut, being overly

“Slut shaming is the social vilification of female sexuality. [It’s] punishing primarily women for representing themselves, their bodies and their sexuality in a certain way.”

--EMILY HANNA forward or acting promiscuous.

“These are very arbitrary things,

choices in a way that men don’t get called out on,” she said.

Slut shaming sometimes isn’t done consciously, but it can still contribute to the effect of women’s behavior constantly being policed. One example is catcalling, which may seem like a harmless compliment, but implies judgment about the way women dress and act. Even if it is intended as a compliment, it is not always received that way.

As sophomore Summer Storholt was waiting for the bus one day in a dress, someone yelled “damn” out

May 19, 2014 • 7

pliment: An in-depth look at slut shaming

the window of a passing car. She, like many others, did not take it as a compliment.

“They don’t need to spend their time to do that, they don’t know who I am,” Storholt said. “It makes you feel like, ‘Oh, is my dress too short, should I change? Is this my fault?’ I wasn’t doing anything [to attract attention].”

Storholt and Hanna both believe that people catcall because they are taught that it’s okay. “[Catcalling] perpetuates the

idea that women are just there to decorate men’s world,” Hanna said.

“This assumes that she’s dressed to attract attention instead of just for herself. Dismissing it as a compliment really devalues the larger patriarchal structure that that is upholding.”

Storholt feels that women can often be the worst offenders of slut shaming. Slut shaming among women occurs because women are constantly conditioned to compete with each other, according to

Hanna.

“For people who are femaleidentified it’s really important to focus on building each other up instead of tearing each other down,” Hanna said. “I think, first and foremost, if you’re part of a marginalized community, that marginalized community needs to galvanize and support each other.”

Hanna does not blame individuals for slut shaming, but the oppressive system itself.

“We’re taught to oppress

ourselves from a very young age and if you’re always worried about what people are thinking of you and what you look like then it’s really hard to exit that mindset and think of the system as a whole that’s oppressing you,” Hanna said.

Western strives to create an environment where everyone has an equal opportunity for success. There are many offices and codes in place to ensure this, for example the AS Women’s Center is geared toward combating gender inequality and the Equal Opportunity Office focuses on all different types of inequality.

A common misconception of inequality at Western is Wade King Recreation Center’s dress code.

Although some may believe that the dress code polices how students should dress, Assistant Director of Marketing Bob Hofstetter assures that the dress code is only for sanitary and safety purposes.

Though there are reasons for dress codes other than policing, systems like these can teach people that it is okay to judge people for the way that they dress. However, according to Hanna, individuals have the choice to either perpetuate these systems or change these systems.

“One of my favorite quotes is from Alice Walker, she says ‘The easiest way to give up power is by thinking that you don’t have any,’” Hanna said. “If we just throw up our hands and say ‘Well this is just the way the world is,’ then we’re never going to be able to change the way the world is.”

8 • as.wwu.edu/asreview

Artist Lenny Moore invites you to [Insert Text Here]

By C Hayley Halstead If you’ve been in the Viking Union Gallery in the past three weeks, you may have been confused, intrigued or even, like several students, wondered if it was a still work in progress. The show [Insert Text Here] was a solo exhibition by Bachelor of Fine Arts student Lenny Moore. In [Insert Text Here], he incorporated installation, sculpture and painting and left the audience with many opportunities for interpretation. We had the pleasure to sit down with him to discuss his show and artwork.

Q: Tell me about your art in [Insert Text Here].

I was thinking about the gallery space as a surface. For a lot of it, I’m using the canvas as a metaphor and the physical material to build stuff on. It is like the gallery space becomes the canvas, in a way, because I’m building into the gallery space. That’s why a lot of things are just frames and have this relationship to the sculpture that’s in the space. This show I would consider mostly painting, sculpture, installation, but I like the term installation artist a lot. It’s a category. People are going to think one thing, when it’s not necessarily what I think.

Lenny Moore explains the processes and metaphors behind his exhibit [Insert Text Here]. Photo by Trevor Grimm // AS Review

May 19, 2014 • 9

Q: How did you come up with the title of this exhibit?

You come into a space like this and each person will have their own idea of what this stuff means. [Insert Text Here] is for the viewer to go in and project their own ideas onto the surface, to think about the show in their own way and to be able to see what they want to see. Everything is blank, so it’s really up to the viewer to also think and wonder why is it like this? What does it mean? They are able to insert their own ideas.

Q: What meaning does your artwork have to you?

It’s not really a meaning; it’s more of a story. I’m not trying to define something. I’m more trying to present questions: what is the relationship between the plaster, canvases and frames on the wall? How is this made? A lot of people talk about painting and sculpture in art classes, and when we study, we’re told to choose a concentration. Are you going into paint? Are you going into sculpture? Are you going into mixed media? Do you want to do installation? We’re taught to categorize and to separate painting from sculpture and this and that. I don’t necessarily agree with that. When people ask what my concentration is, it’s hard for me to answer with sculpture because even though everything is pretty much a sculpture, I am talking a lot about painting. The whole thing is an installation. That is one thing that I am addressing in my work: this whole concept of what group or should there even be a group? Can groups co-exist?

Q: How long did it take you to create artwork for this show?

What was the creative process like for you?

That’s a tough question because the creative process involves learn-

ing. We’re studying art in school, so all of the classes I’ve taken in the last years have contributed to my work here. That can be considered part of it. Actually, physically doing the work that’s in here without the knowledge part of it, probably took me an accumulation of two quarters. The majority of it was finished within three weeks of the show.

Q: What is gratifying about creating art?

I feel like it’s a way of producing ideas physically and I have a lot of ideas. It’s just a way of me getting my ideas out in the world Q: What was the process like getting into the VU Gallery?

I applied for BFA, an extended senior program. It’s an extended year of study. I got in last year around May. By July, I was speaking with the director of the gallery. Right when the director started work, I got in touch and asked when a good time near the end of the year would be for a show. I was setting this show up even before I started class. It’s really competitive trying to find a place because of everyone wanting to get their show at the end of the year. There are a lot of people having shows right now. It’s required for a BFA student to have a solo show. This was a really good space for that.

Q: What do you hope people take away from your show?

I want people to come out with an interesting experience. Thought provoking, I want them to think. I want it to be fun, I don’t want things to be too serious.

If you would like to see Moore’s work, visit www.lennyfmoore.com.

Transforming the taboo: Erotic Poetry Night

By C Hayley Halstead While Open Mic Night at the Underground Coffeehouse is a welcomed outlet of expression for Western students, Erotic Poetry Night allows students to express art of a different kind. What has traditionally been a taboo subject has now been transformed into an annual event with large student turnouts.

Erotic Poetry Night, hosted by the AS Sexual Awareness Center, AS Women’s Center and the Voices for Planned Parenthood Club, creates a safe space for sexual expression. The event, occurring on Tuesday, May 27 from 7-9 p.m. in the Old Main Theatre, costs only $2 for students and $3 for non-students.

This traditionally off-limits genre is making its way towards a more accepting and inclusive community, including Western, with its positive attitude towards embracing an outlet for sexual expressions.

One Western student, Ana Epstein, is excited to share her work at Erotic Poetry Night.

“I just feel like it’s a great opportunity to get my writing out there,” Epstein said. “A lot of the poetry I write has erotic undertones, and I’m really excited for a chance to share it with fellow erotic writers.”

Erotic Poetry Night is open for performers to showcase any type of artistic form of expression regarding sexuality and

has been one of Western’s most popular events. This may include anything from poetry to dance to song.

While the deadline for submissions ended on May 17, the SAC hosts an event or cosponsors an event almost every month that explores sexuality and sex-related topics.

The SAC is part of the AS Resource and Outreach Programs and offers a safe and nonjudgmental space for anyone seeking information or in need of resources.

If after attending the event, you would like to learn more or explore the resources available, visit the SAC in VU 518 or e-mail the coordinator, Aleesha Alston at as.sac. wwu.edu.

10 • as.wwu.edu/asreview

Western men’s track team wins third straight title: Our writer takes you inside the 2014 GNAC track championship

Western track athletes compete in the 10,000 meter run at the GNAC Championships at Western Oregon University on May 9.

Story & Photo by Andrew Wise Track and field often makes very little sense to those who have never been a part of the sport. Actually, there are days when it doesn’t make much sense to those of us who have committed ourselves to it. It’s hard to say whether it is more ridiculous to be the guy who races 25 laps in the 10k or the guy who sticks a pole into a plastic pit and launches himself 20 feet in the air. But the most ridiculous is with-

out a doubt the steeplechaser, who runs just under two miles occasionally hurdling striped barriers and crashing through a small pool of water built into the track itself. I’m sure half of the people reading this are going to look up a YouTube video to clarify what steeplechase is.

You’ll find a whole bunch of videos of unfortunate athletes tripping over barriers or into the water pit, then getting trampled by their fellow competitors, all to the glee of viewers.

I am a steeplechaser. Granted, I’m new to

it. I ran my first workout involving steeple barriers about two months ago. On that first day, blood streaked down the front of my shin after I clipped a barrier. It was a long struggle but by some miracle, a lot of training and some love from above, I managed to run a steeple fast enough to qualify for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship meet, which took place May 9-10.

Thus, I found myself sitting in a packed coach bus rambling down the highway to-

May 19, 2014 • 11

wards Western Oregon University, located in Monmouth, Ore. After about thirty rounds of various card games, we arrived in Monmouth and I found myself lying in a hotel bed the night before one of the biggest races of my life.

Everyone can understand how it feels to lie awake the night before something big, something you’ve put your soul into, something that could be incredible or disastrous. That fluttery feeling comes in waves, you try to visualize things going perfectly and the image gets so real that your legs twitch and you wake yourself up from a near dream, heart pounding.

The steeplechase was the first running event of the meet, but there were some field

see him racing on TV in the future I can tell whoever might be sitting next to me that I raced against that guy in college.

The rain was coming down sideways as we crouched on the starting line waiting for the gun, muscles tensed. That moment always feels incredibly long, but this time it dragged on.

And on. And then the starter realized he had no bullets in his gun, so we all sprinted fifty meters or so and slapped our quads to try and stay warm. I felt the heat draining fast.

By the time the starter finally came stumbling back with his gun loaded, I was cold and the weather was no better. This time, the explosion from the gun came quickly, and the

“Before long, you’re forced to make a choice between embracing the pain and making something special happen or surrendering to it, letting the guy in front of you build a bigger and bigger gap until you finally stumble through the finish line, defeated.”

events that started before us. One was the shot put and Western’s own Frank Catelli, nicknamed “Frank the Tank” because he’s about three times the size of a skinny distance runner like me, beat his own GNAC record. Basically, he threw a large metal ball weighing about as much as a puppy 59 feet and 7 inches. It was absurd. Frank’s strong start and the sunshine had me feeling good about my race. But a storm was brewing to the west.

The rain came on strong as the other Western steeplers and I warmed up for our race. What had been a glorious spring day quickly became a windy, wet mess. For me, the good vibes were fading, and the fear was rising.

I got on the line standing right next to Alaska Anchorage’s Micah Chilemo. He’s run a steeplechase a full minute faster than I have and has competed with - and beaten - some of the best Division One guys out there. I shook his hand before the race, just so that if I ever

race had begun.

The nerves usually dissipate about a hundred meters into the race and there’s this sweet spot of about two laps where the nerves are gone and your legs still feel good and for a moment this sport almost seems enjoyable.

Then the lactic acid starts to build and the fast guys start to drive off to the front of the pack and you find out just how good you actually feel and just how hard you’ve actually trained.

Before long, you’re forced to make a choice between embracing the pain and making something special happen or surrendering to it, letting the guy in front of you build a bigger and bigger gap until you finally stumble through the finish line, defeated.

For me, this race was one of surrender, which is a tough thing to come to terms with.

Every great race is a product of mental strength and I didn’t have it.

Several laps into the race, I found myself

leaping over not a barrier, but Micah Chilemo.

I didn’t see what happened, but would learn after the race that he had tripped on the water barrier.

When I called my parents after the race, they had already seen my time. My dad asked if I had fallen on a barrier, if that was why my time was so slow. Nope, I said, I just didn’t have it today.

Luckily, pretty much everyone else on the men’s team raced really well. In the 10,000 meter run, we had eight guys faster than our fastest runner a year ago. Alex Donigian cleaned up in the sprint events. On the girls’ side, Katelyn Steen won the steeplechase, the 5000 meter run and placed second in the 1500 meter run. By the end of the last event, the men’s side had won handily and the women, who were ranked fourth going in, missed the championship by only four points.

I used the frustration leftover from my race to fuel really loud yelling for everyone else. Every race provided a small catharsis and I think that’s why we love this sport. Every single race is a story, a chance to do something no one thought you were capable of, something you didn’t know you were capable of. As the men’s team ran our victory lap, brandishing the trophy and chanting “W-W-U” for the last hundred meters or so, I was already thinking about the season to come and how hard I would train to make sure I got back there and that next time I would make a substantial contribution to our victory.

I could see in the seniors’ eyes the bittersweet remembrance of their experiences on this track, some longing for one more shot to make something special happen. I don’t want to miss my opportunities, I don’t want to be at that meet in three years thinking about what might have been. But that’s the beauty and the beast of track: all it takes is all you’ve got.

Okay, I stole that from a T-shirt. But track teams always have the best T-shirts anyway. It’s a big part of the sport. And my 2014 GNAC Champions T-shirt will bear the memories of this weekend and this season, good and bad, for the rest of my life.

12 • as.wwu.edu/asreview

Onyx Coffee Bar: The best coffee shop in Bellingham?

By Dominic D’Angelo Located at 1015 Railroad Ave, placed in an area that one could only describe as a “hole in the wall,” lies Onyx Coffee Bar. My favorite kind of place in a town is the one that is located in a place that’s hard to find, that caters to a person who is not like another and that does things that you wouldn’t expect.

I’m talking your Harry Potter Platform nine and three quarters type of place. Onyx Coffee Bar is all of that, plus more.

Walking up to it you won’t expect much.

You’ll see a door, some foliage, a couple tables and a chair or two. Inside you’ve got a classy bar, a single barista, coffee tools and plenty of indie music. Is it something yet? The Spartan nature of Onyx’s setup makes your body crave for the secret to its deliberate simplicity.

Sitting down you’ll notice the conversation.

It’s not your pretentious hipster drivel. No, the conversation is rich, it’s about the coffee and it’s friendly! The barista obviously knows his coffee. He takes you through the blend and the farm it came from in East Africa. He isn’t

afraid to talk about life though, giving his own two cents of advice to the Western seniors in the room.

Onyx has a unique atmosphere that’s a combination of the people there and also the general aura of the entire building, its staff and its music. Edwin D. Martinez, the barista and founder of the shop, gave me some insight about what’s different about the place.

“I tried to get rid of all the things you would normally associate with a coffee shop,” he said.

“Couches and chairs for reading, I got rid of those. Pastries and sodas, I got rid of those. I made it so that it’s just about the coffee.”

And coffee it was. With a menu listing drinks and blends all across the world, the experience of choosing my order felt more like reading a connoisseur’s manual on fine blends rather than simply a pick-and-choose piece of paper. I felt dignified to have the choice, yet humble enough to say that I did not know the coffee, only that I enjoyed the experience and that I wanted to learn.

Ordered by country then coffee, each item has its own description that details the different

taste sensations and flavors that might be detected in each cup. For example, “Kenya; rich, tastes like chocolate, peaches and rosehip.”

When we had chosen our drinks Martinez elaborated on his shop. He ran a coffee stand in his youth and then he eventually traveled to Guatemala to visit one of his company’s farms.

In two suitcases he brought back his choice of Guatemalan coffee, started a business and eventually began distributing his coffee all around the area. Today, on weekends, you can visit Onyx to try these coffees and others that he distributes first hand. He weighs, percolates and pours them before your very eyes, all the while giving his own commentary of the flavor, origin and history of each.

I have been to many coffee shops in Washington and in California, but never before have I felt such a connection to a place like Onyx. It’s a place where you can easily find good coffee and conversation, peace and fun, all at the same time. Can it be the one? A shop without couches, pastries or a stage for live music. Dare I say it? Onyx is my vote for the best coffee shop in Bellingham.

Left: Edwin Martinez, founder of Onyx Coffee Bar, makes pour-over devices coffee. Martinez travels the world in order to find great coffee.

Right: Coffee drips into serving beakers at Onyx Coffee Bar. Photos by Isaac Martin // AS Review