Fallow Fields: Embracing Creative Downtime (and Some Books to Cultivate Curiosity)
The subject of creative downtime is a sticky one.
Biases and Blind Spots: The Role of Science in Gender Policing
The concept of gender policing is something that I wasn’t truly able to understand until adulthood. Discovering its influence on me was a bit like discovering that I have lived my whole life completely unaware that I had a “kick me” sign taped to my back.
God & Ghosts: Peeking Under the Sacred Canopy
I have always had a reverence for the unknowable. Perhaps I was a budding phenomenologist, but even when I was a child, I felt very strongly that whether we were talking about God, ghosts, or Heaven and Hell, those experiences were personal and intimate to the individual and transitory to experience.
Getting Uncomfortable: A Look at How Old Ideas are Still Holding Us Back
Gender differences (or lack thereof) are a hot topic these days, but we are a long way from equal rights and even further away from a genderless society.
Can Science and Religion Coexist?
I have long been fascinated by the relationship between religion and science.
Strong Enough to Survive: Bitch Planet and Embracing Intersectionality
Comic books and science fiction have long been at the forefront of creating social commentary, thanks in part to the play of space and time that is offered within each. Although both genres are frequently marginalized for a lack of complexity or seriousness, within the frames of the comic book or the pages of science fiction, there is a tremendous potential for communicating themes such as psychology, science, math, classic literature, technology, and political science.
A Brief History of Rum
Where we find rum, we find action, sometimes cruel, sometimes heroic, sometimes humorous, but always vigorous and interesting."
Charles William Taussig
Days of Wine and Roses
In 2004, the surprise-hit movie Sideways shined a long overdue spotlight on the wine industry; it also brought an unexpected nod to Oregon’s darling, the Pinot noir grape.
How to Travel Like a Local
Traveling to a new place can be unnerving, but Portlanders are usually quite welcoming of visitors to our fair state. However, if you want to blend in with the locals, there are a few things you can do to fit in.
Starting Over
As some of you know, last June PDX Magazine folded after just four and a half years. As the editor, I was disappointed, but not surprised. Instead of crying over the pretty but never-to-be-printed June issue, I simply orchestrated as graceful an exit as possible, packed up my belongings, and hit the proverbial streets. That was the easy part. The hard part? Figuring out where to go.
My Superhero Team: SLANGG
The Alter Egos Society is getting ready for the epic battle between good and evil that erupts every year in downtown Portland. Each year, I contemplate getting a grammar team together, but it seems we're always too busy with our novels, screenplays, and red pens to make it out. Maybe this year, gang? I’ve got some great ideas for heroes and villains.
Port in a Storm
Picture this: You’ve just finished a nice meal; maybe you even had a Manhattan or a glass of wine. As you soak in the ambiance of the candlelit dining room, the server comes around with the dessert menu and asks, “Can I bring you something to drink with that?” If you’re the sort of person who always orders coffee in this situation, it’s time you explored the world of port.
Crazy Enough: Storm Large Takes PCS by…well, Storm
Last week at Portland Center Stage, things were a bit bittersweet. Just as news leaked out that they had “let go” their entire literary department (including Literary Manager Mead Hunter), Storm Large’s one-woman autobiographical show Crazy Enough finally premiered in the Ellen Bye Studio. And while many within the Portland theatre scene were worried, angry, or frustrated about the former, the latter was an occasion that left many of us feeling like Christmas had come early.