Zach Powers

Zach Powers is a nonfiction writer who tells stories about advocacy, culture, and history in the Pacific Northwest. His first book, titled “Absolutely Somebody: Searching for an Uncle, a Dead Politician, and a Generation Lost to AIDS,” is under contract with University of Washington Press. “Absolutely Somebody” is a contemporary cultural history about a young politico and the AIDS epidemic in Seattle. It is a coming-of-age story, political adventure, and vivid AIDS narrative crafted around one of the most unconventional political candidates in Pacific Northwest history. Zach’s writing background is primarily in journalism. He is a frequent contributor to The Seattle Times’ Pacific NW Magazine and has also written for The Tacoma News Tribune, The Weekly Volcano, The Anchorage Daily News, and many others. He served as the senior editor and feature writer for Pacific Lutheran University’s Resolute magazine from 2019-2024.

Zach is a recent graduate of the Rainier Writing Workshop, the creative writing MFA program at Pacific Lutheran University. He also holds a Master of Public Administration from The Evergreen State College. Zach lives in Tacoma where he works as the director of communications at a health equity and access nonprofit. He is an active member of the Pierce County community, having served on the board of directors of the YWCA Pierce County and the Tacoma Parks Foundation and as a member of the Tacoma Arts Commission and the Parks Tacoma Arts & Heritage Council.