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Alongside our signature Best Restaurants story, which hones in on the most memorable meals of the year, you’ll find something totally new in the April issue of Seattle magazine: an experiment in collaboration.

We teamed up with the editors at Crosscut.com (one of our favorite local sources for thoughtful political coverage and analysis) to co-produce a feature story on the cultural evolution of the Eastside.

As always our aim is to participate more fully in the conversation about how social, political and environmental developments are shaping our community, culture and future. Working together with Crosscut, we can reach an even broader audience. Sharing resources also makes it possible for our staff to invest more time and care into an in-depth and timely story. Also, it was fun. We like mixing it up with smart, dedicated editors who report on this great region with passion and style (Hi, Berit!).

In reporting this story, writer Eric Scigliano, a regular contributor at Crosscut, discovered something refreshing about the Eastside: immigrants are finding an express lane to the American dream there. In the story he interviews several local residents and stakeholders who have established impressive lives, in spite of linguistic or financial barriers they faced when first arriving here. Moreover, he looks at why the cultural diversity that’s so easy to see at Crossroads Mall has yet to be reflected in the Eastside’s political representation.

Read the full story now on Crosscut.com. Or pick up a copy of the new Seattle magazine (cover shown below), arriving on newsstands and the Kindle store this week.

And coming soon: Seattle magazine and Crosstcut.com will host a happy hour and discussion on the Eastside immigrant experience. We’ll post more details here on the blog as soon as they’re finalized.