Turns out, you can still connect with the supernatural on Capitol Hill. Author Neal Stephenson found inspiration for his latest novel attending concerts in St. Mark’s cathedral:

When he started writing “Anathem,” Stephenson would attend concerts of renaissance and medieval chorus music by Stutz at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral on Seattle’s Capitol Hill.

“There’s something about St. Mark’s – it fits perfectly with the story of ‘Anathem’ because it’s ancient and modern at the same time,” Stephenson said.

“It has the general shape and style of a medieval church, but you get inside and you can see that the walls are poured concrete and the altarpiece is kind of a high-tech thing.

“I don’t know the right way to describe it, but it’s exactly the right mix – that, combined with the music, just got me in the right frame of mind to work on the book.”