Lakeside grad and Harvard-trained medical resident ALEXA ALBERT, M.D. could be the next Pepper Schwartz. Her new book, Brothel—due in early May from Random House—is a case study and argument for legalized prostitution. After living among the ladies of the evening at Nevada’s notorious Mustang Ranch, she came away with even more fuel to add to her fire. A smart, savvy, and articulate woman who now makes Seattle her home, she could become one of the most outspoken people on the subject of sex and public health of her generation. (Emily Baillargeon Russin)

Local boy and Garfield High School alum MICHAEL BYERS is one of the most promising young writers today; his brilliant 1998 collection of short stories The Coast of Good Intentions bodes extremely well in terms of what we may expect from his future work. C’mon, Mike, we’re waiting! (Bethany Clement)

You think the dot-com bloodbath is over? Think again. It’s just begun—and soon the courts will be clogged with formerly proud, high-flying tech barons desperately seeking to hold on to their three-car Sammamish Plateau chateaus and Hummers. After the dust of the Long Boom has settled, expect to see years of humiliation, atonement, and outright begging, much of it presided over by U.S. Bankruptcy Court Chief Judge THOMAS T. GLOVER. Let’s hope they sell tickets. (Brian Miller)

Everyone’s favorite Pike/Pine “stuff store,” Lipstick Traces not only peddles locally made pop culture, but also indie art prestige and valuable gallery experience. When 29-year-old owner/operator JENN GALLUCCI set up shop, she knew she wanted to sell great stuff to great people, but she also wanted to provide her fellow Hill denizens with what she calls an “idea place.” And—understanding that an artist’s initial exhibit experience can be intimidating and scary—she set aside one wall to display the work of her creative and talented friends. What’s evolved over the year and a half since Lipstick Traces’ inception is a veritable breaking ground for our city’s groundbreaking artists. An idea place, indeed. (Laura Learmonth)

OK, so selling patio furniture, mouthwash, and celery sticks over the Internet didn’t work out so well. But there’s one computer-based business that has a devoted group of addicted consumers who can’t get enough. No, not porn—games. And 27-year-old JASON HALL heads one of the hottest companies, Monolith Productions, whose 3-D technology is being embraced by Microsoft and RealNetworks and is poised to score plenty more points as gaming explodes. (Mark D. Fefer)

The dancers who call themselves 33 Fainting Spells already occupy a modest place in the history of American dance. Who knows where time will take them? But be assured that, collectively or separately, Spells founders GAELEN AND DAYNA HANSON and creative collaborator PEGGY PIACENZA will continue to take us with them. (Roger Downey)

The traditional drag queen is dead. She was deposited in a coffin, her Revlon-enhanced face framed by a glittery blonde wig, her Spandex-clad booty resting upon her Judy Garland records, her meaty feet tucked inside sparkling platform boots. But as the coffin descended into the earth, something—someone!—arose. She’s JACKIE HELL, and she’s scarier than fuck! Clad in black, peering out at her minions through donut-rings of mascara, Jackie has reigned as Queen of the Night for over a year. Mixing horror-movie schlock with vaudeville tradition, she cohosted the legendary—and recently defunct—Pho Bang at Foxes. If she could domineer a rowdy crowd of mostly hetero punk-rockers, who knows what she can do with the rest of Seattle? Beware. (Dave Massengill)

If Seattle’s progressives really want to advance this city’s politics, they have to get out of their ghettos. Labor activists, housing rowdies, enviros, and neighborhood defenders are all too often stuck in their own issue area, aware of the big picture but not working together—and, therefore, not realizing their true potential. SARAH JAYNES, an organizer with Washington Conservation Voters (WCV), has—like others—verbally grappled with this problem for years. In the last year, she’s also made significant progress on the ground, first throwing WCV’s weight behind the neighborhood-led battle to make Northgate more environmentally friendly, and then working with the SAGE coalition to use skyscrapers to promote livable wages. Her efforts mark her as a rising star in leadership for a more just future. (George Howland)

Recently elected interim executive director by Gay City Health Project’s board of directors, KURT KORS was handed the baton carried by the indefatigable John Leonard for six years. Kors has some obstacles ahead (criticism of Gay City’s often sexy but superficial forums, a national candidate that might take his position), but if he stays focused on the goal—to make Gay City an even more relevant and appreciated part of Seattle’s queer men’s community—he just might become a winner. (Dave Massengill)

ERROL KNIGHT is UW basketball coach Bob Bender’s biggest local recruit yet: an athletic 6-foot-5 shooting guard who took Chief Sealth High School to the 3A state tournament and was named the state’s Mr. Basketball for the 2000-2001 season. He’s expected to be the top performer of a fine recruiting class dominated by local players, so remember that name (by the way, it’s pronounced “Earl”). (James Bush)

CHRISTOPHER MARTIN is the founder and driving force behind the Pioneer Square-based CleanScapes, which employs the homeless to keep the city beautified. To some, his project smacks of Rudy Giuliani’s draconic code, but the results are hard to argue with. This Vassar grad, with a background in advertising, combines an opinionated brashness and charisma with a problem-solving know-how that could have a major impact on how Seattle marches into the next phase of being a so-called “big” city. Whatever he does, he’s not one to remain behind the scenes. (Emily Baillargeon Russin)

It all started with fighting clown racism. That’s what we’ll say when we look back on the career of local filmmaker BRIAN MCDONALD, whose pithy mockumentary White Face bagged the audience award for Best Short Film at Slamdance this year. But that’s only half right: Native son McDonald has been in the industry for over 20 years—when he hasn’t been busy writing comic books, doing standup, or teaching at 911. Watch for his first feature film, Mrs. Baker. (Paul Hughes)

ALISON NARVER, who returned to Seattle this spring with a master’s from Yale, is largely responsible for the reputation of adventurous irreverence that her former compadres at Annex Theatre have been living off since she left. As the new artistic director of The Empty Space, her fluid, canny imagination promises to completely transform not only an already vital company, but also the energies of any theater in the city smart enough to pay attention. (Steve Wiecking)

If you were out at Sand Point last weekend, you might have witnessed the latest extravagance from MARSHALL “STACK” REID: “The Sound and the Fury” combined live music with the biggest amateur skateboarding competition in the country. It was only the latest skate-rock project from “Stack,” whose dad is art impresario/culture maven Larry Reid. Marshall seems to have inherited Dad’s lust for life and P.T. Barnum-like skills. Clearly, the nut doesn’t fall too far from the tree. (Kerri Harrop)

In 25 years, when Wolfgang Puck is a chain of fast-food outlets out of Ensenada and Emeril Lagasse (of The Food Channel’s Emeril Live!) is the forgotten punchline of an off-color joke, JERRY TRAUNFELD, now chef of the Herbfarm in Woodinville, will be recognized as a veritable Mozart of culinary invention. . . . And he will not have to go on TV to do it. (Roger Downey)

CHRIS WALLA from Death Cab for Cutie, is gaining more and more recognition as a talented producer/engineer (overheard in the bathroom of an Austin club: Hipster #1: “Yeah, Chris Walla is producing their new record.” Hipster #2: “That’s the statement of the year!”) and will undoubtedly be the Scott McCaughey/Kim Warnick/Kurt Bloch (read: everlasting pop fixture) of 2026 and beyond. (Laura Learmonth)

Forget high-tech, dot-coms, and the wireless Web. The only real currency for the next 25 years—as it’s been for the past 25,000—will be real estate. Expect in-city residential values to double, then double again. The poor—anyone earning below six figures—will leave for Carnation, Kent, and Yelm. Meanwhile, Windermere Real Estate President GEOFF P. WOOD and legions of Seattle realtors will continue to rejoice and prosper. (Brian Miller)