Ana Sofia Knauf

Ana Sofia Knauf is a multimedia journalist whose mission is to write about people whose stories go untold. She is a Los Angeles transplant who decided to grow some roots in Seattle after graduating from University of Washington. Her stories on food, workers' rights, refugees, and climate change have been published by Grist, Crosscut, Puget Sound Business Journal, The Seattle Times, and more.
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The psychedelic effects of ayahuasca tea actually result from the combination of the ayahuasca vine with other plants that contain DMT. (Photo from Flickr by Jairo Galvis Henao)

Legal Ayahuasca? Pierce County church offers Peruvian psychedelic ceremony

by Ana Sofia Knauf
Is it any surprise that the first church in the U.S. to publicly advertise ayahuasca ceremonies is right here in Washington state?
Jan 25, 2016
Taxi drivers Getachew Mersha (left) and Dawit Tesfaye lead a group of drivers and community members on their way to deliver a petition to Mayor Ed Murray's Office requesting rideshare drivers be allowed to unionize. (Photo by Jovelle Tamayo)

Seattle council allows Uber and Lyft drivers to form unions

by Ana Sofia Knauf
Seattle City Council members unanimously passed the first ordinance in the nation to allow for-hire drivers for app-based services to form unions.
Dec 14, 2015
Supporters celebrate as they watch official results from the election in front of the National League for Democracy Party (NLD) head office in Yangon. (Photo by REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun)

Why Seattle refugees aren’t all thrilled about the historic election in Burma

by Ana Sofia Knauf
What does Seattle’s Burmese refugee population think about dramatic election results last week?
Nov 15, 2015

Seattle incumbents Sawant and Harrell lead in early results, Initiative 122 passing

by Ana Sofia Knauf
Initiative 122, a campaign finance reform initiative that would set contribution limits in Seattle and also create a voucher system for public campaign financing, appeared to be leading easily in early returns Tuesday night. More than 100 people celebrated the early returns at an Honest Elections event at Grim’s, with Seattle Councilmember Nick Licata and State Rep. […]
Nov 3, 2015
More than 20 percent of the Colville Reservation burned in two major fires this summer. (Photo by Colton Miller)

When firefighting resources are thin, reservations are left to burn

by Ana Sofia Knauf
As Washington raced to save million dollar homes from wildfires this summer, tribal land went up in flames.
Oct 27, 2015
The Uber logo on a vehicle in San Francisco. (Photo by REUTERS / Robert Galbraith)

Should I stop using Uber?

by Ana Sofia Knauf
With Uber drivers complaining of dismal hourly earnings, how should a well-meaning Seattleite get across town?
Sep 20, 2015
Artist Keith Salmon hikes in the Scottish countryside, a key part of his process for creating impressionistic landscape paintings. The painter is profiled in the upcoming film Glen Rosa, by Seattle filmmaker Dan Thornton. (Courtesy photo)

Local doc “Glen Rosa” showcases Scottish artist’s creative vision

by Ana Sofia Knauf
Seattle filmmaker Dan Thornton illuminates a visually impaired landscape painter's process in the new film Glen Rosa.
Aug 24, 2015
Chef Shota Nakajima makes a 30-minute, daikon festooned masterpiece at Seattle’s inaugural “Itadakimasu” Day celebration in Pioneer Square. (Photo by Suzi Pratt)

Seattle top chef throwdown sends winner to Washoku World Challenge

by Ana Sofia Knauf
Seattle chefs Shota Nakajima of Kappo Kitchen and Aaron Pate of Shiro’s Sushi went head-to-head at a cook-off on Dec. 11 at The Kitchen by Delicatus in Pioneer Square.
Dec 15, 2014
Detainees left their marks on the walls of the building’s outdoor recreation courtyard using melted roofing tar. Many left their names and from where they emigrated. (Photo by Ana Sofia Knauf)

Detainees memorialized at old INS building

by Ana Sofia Knauf
Walking into the Inscape Arts and Cultural Center didn’t feel quite like I thought it would. The building looks more like a school or a train station than the former home of United States Immigrant Station and Assay Office. But that’s exactly what it is. This past Sunday, Dec. 7, Inscape opened “Voices of the […]
Dec 10, 2014
During his visit to Seattle, South African comics artist Jean de Wet (front, with local collaborator James Stanton) is painting a mural on the Cappy's Boxing Gym building in the Central District. (Photo by Ana Sofia Knauf)

Short Run comics fest a global draw for indie artists

by Ana Sofia Knauf
Memoirs, social commentary and counter-culture movements have elevated comics beyond superheroes and three panel humor. And the movement is catching on around the world.
Nov 12, 2014

These motivational speakers from Singapore want you to follow your dreams

by Ana Sofia Knauf
By the time I was in sixth grade, I had amassed binders full of drawings and dreamt of becoming an animator. My dad even designed me a business card that read “Ana S. Knauf – Artist” under a border of purple clipart flowers. But before long, my lola (that’s grandma to you) thought it was […]
Oct 21, 2014
Belltown sushi restaruant "Shiro's" namesake and former chef Shiro Kashiba (third from left), with the restaurant's current chefs staff. (Photo by Ana Sofia Knauf)

Skip the Seattle rolls and embrace sushi’s traditions

by Ana Sofia Knauf
For sushi to have a future, chefs will have to look to the past
Oct 10, 2014

Globie Awards ceremony raises $12K for global storytelling

by Ana Sofia Knauf
Thanks to our amazing community, the 2014 Globie Awards was a great success.
Oct 3, 2014

Join us Saturday for the 2014 Globie Awards

by Ana Sofia Knauf
The Seattle Globalist's second-annual Globie Awards fundraiser is this Saturday, September 27, from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m at Washington Hall.
Sep 22, 2014
Roll OK Please founder Shama Joshi (center) flanked by helpers Seema Pai and Mani Singh. (Photo by Ana Sofia Knauf)

Fledgling food truck rolls out authentic Indian street cuisine

by Ana Sofia Knauf
Food truck entrepreneur Shama Joshi wants to show Seattleites what real Indian street food is all about.
Aug 14, 2014
Double-decker sausage in Freiburg. (Photo by Jeremy Keith via Flickr).

Real German food is more than just a sausage fest

by Ana Sofia Knauf
A culinary tour of Germany reveals a delicious and diverse cuisine, with plenty of opportunities to partake right here in Seattle.
Aug 27, 2013

Burmese reforms haven’t stemmed flow of refugees to Washington

by Ana Sofia Knauf
President Obama is on his way to Burma (aka Myanmar) on Monday for a six hour visit that will be the first by any sitting US president in history. According to Reuters, in advance of the visit the Burmese government plans to release some 452 prisoners, some of them political prisoners who will be granted […]
Nov 17, 2012