Kelly Hughes, a Seattleite of Icelandic descent, has launched a blog to share Nordic culture on a global level.

Promoted as “the world's most important source for the people, places and things that make Iceland so painfully relevant”, ice-town.com is a new and satirical Icelandic-themed blog intended to teach people about Icelandic culture.

Hughes is the facilitator of the Swedish Cultural Center Viking History series, the editor of Seattle's Icelandic Club’s newsletter and a singer in the Icelandic Male Choir.

“I’m immersed in icelandic-ness and What I hope to do with this, is create a compelling way to share culture with people,” Hughes said.

The blog has been up and running since late November but didn’t receive a proper launch party until last Friday when the Swedish Cultural Center hosted a celebrity-studded, flashy launch party with a performance by Icelandic pop artist Haffi Haff.

“Iceland is highly artistic,” Hughes said comparing Reykjavik to Seattle in the 90s with the Grunge movement.

“The view of icelandic culture is skewed and differs from other Scandinavian Cultures,” Hughes said.

“Because they’re isolated they’re fiercely independent. Iceland is always seen as the wild card. They’re risky and they try things - when it works it’s great, when it doesn’t you get things like the way the economic crisis.”

Hughes said that Iceland has been getting a lot of press because of negative events like the Volcano eruption and the financial crisis but there’s a side to Iceland people don’t generally get to see.

Hughes posts a new column every day and comments on everything from celebrity news to politics and the financial crisis.

"Commenting on Iceland from Seattle gives me a unique perspective," says Hughes. "Plus it puts an ocean between me and Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, which is good because I think she’s get a little upset with me.”

Hughes has taken to getting inside of the Prime Minister’s head and commenting in her place.

“I push it to the absurd. It’s my way of making politics and news entertaining,” Hughes said, likening his blog to The Onion or The Colbert Report.

Kristine Leander from the Swedish Cultural Center said she has great respect for Hughes and thinks Icelandic spirit is alive and well.

“The blog injects a sense of humor which is wonderful. It’s very light-hearted which is a nice feeling because people think Iceland and they think financial crisis,” Leander said.

“I think a lot of people are so humorless,” Hughes said. “And Icelanders kind of have a reputation of being a bit humorless. In a way I’m needling them in the side a little and saying, ‘Laugh at yourself a little bit’.”

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