Home can be a place you love and a palace of mixed feelings. But at its best, home is the place where you can be seen and feel understood. As we kick back in the folding chair with a frosty glass and some porch music, we’re thinking about all the comforts of home. Writers Jesmyn Ward and Mitchell S. Jackson trade stories about recreating the places they grew up. A dozen nonprofits make a home away from home. And some beloved assets of Portland’s parks system — its arts resources — get ready to t...
Jun 01, 2019•51 min
As a parent, you’ve buried your ambitions, your social life and your dignity. You’ve put your own health and well-being on the back burner. But hey, once a year you might get brunch. Parent-child relationships are a complicated matter for us all. This week, artists talk about the things parents do. It’s all worth it. (Isn’t it???)
May 25, 2019•50 min
Lest you thought the Blazers were the only action in town, we’ve got some updates. Oregon claims the only Northwest artist selected for this year’s Whitney Biennial. A much-beloved film center makes a dream match with a new incoming director. But the story of the week (and possibly the year) is the end of a 112-year-old institution, close to the heart of Oregon’s creative identity. We mark the occasion with a look into why craft still matters and always will.
May 18, 2019•50 min
We're revisiting one of our favorite shows from last year. The jobs that make art possible, and the ones threatening to take over everything. We’re talking with artists about the work they do for love, for money, or some mix of the two.
May 09, 2019•51 min
It's almost impossible not to view everything around us — whether it’s music, books, movies, or films — in the context of the political turmoil washing over the U.S. right now. Some artists get pushed into tackling the times, and some go there by choice. This week,three kinds of response, in music, words, and more.
May 03, 2019•37 min
Who doesn’t love music? You’re not going to believe this, but we actually found someone. Still, music remains — for most of us — one of the most intuitive tools to work out our feelings. This episode is a music intensive that dives right into those emotions. Music haters, you have been warned.
Apr 27, 2019•53 min
Maybe things in our lives haven’t actually changed, but we can see them differently. This week, artists hitting the reset buttons for us through their work: composer Raven Chacon, sketch comedians the 1491s, Shy Girls, and more...
Apr 19, 2019•51 min
As often as Native and Native-influenced imagery turns up in apparel, graphic design, product design, and elsewhere, there’s a chronic dearth of Native designers or influencers involved in the creation. Adia Victoria kicks off the show with a very candid and quote-worthy filled interview about what led to hew emotionally raw — and at times unsettling — new collection of songs.
Apr 12, 2019•50 min
Don’t trust your textbooks. This week — artists and writers whose work is illuminating the histories that have been pushed to the margins. We might not always get it right, but it’s important we try.
Apr 05, 2019•50 min
People say, there’s no place like home. But what if “home” is more than one place, or it doesn’t exist anymore, or it hurts to revisit? This week, three incredible writers share how the concept of home influences their work. From migration to gentrification, these stories explore the relationship between identity and location.
Mar 29, 2019•50 min
This week, we’re trading in the familiar narratives for some new, previously-unheard ones: a plus-sized coming-of-age story, a pair of young poets of color and a lost classic of black female film making. Plus, a tribute to the late Dick Dale and a new weekly segment, replete with ideas for how to spend your weekend.
Mar 23, 2019•50 min
Sometimes, it’s easy to feel like we’re lacking in heroes. This week, we’ve got a collection of tales to prove valor is anything but dead. Meet the comic book writers investing in the tenacity of teens, an all-female string quartet playing the classics on their own terms, and a London-based musician keeping the demons at bay.
Mar 15, 2019•51 min
If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that art can be a powerful, trailblazing force. Art is so much more than an oil painting hung on a gallery wall. We use art as a tool for imagining new possibilities, forging better lives. This week, we’re talking with folks who are expanding the boundaries of their field, from comics to radio to civic works.
Mar 09, 2019•50 min
This episode originally aired on November 3, 2018. If you’ve been feeling like the lines are blurring between the America you imagined and the America we all live with, take a listen. We found some incredible artists and writers addressing the magical thinking and fantasies that shaped our world.
Mar 01, 2019•47 min
In the age of ephemera, fleeting tastes and snapshots can leave the most indelible experiences. Artists reflect on what endures and what satisfies.
Feb 23, 2019•51 min
Luz Mendoza of the band Y La Bamba shares the inspiration for her new album, “Mujeres.” Portia Sabin talks to us about the KRS produced Bratmobile podcast series, "Girl Germs." Plus, some of the major players in the podcasting industry weigh in on their rapidly expanding medium.
Feb 16, 2019•51 min
It’s all about perspective. Does anything ever really change, or do we — the observers — merely shift our thinking? On this week’s show, we examine how Oregon’s artists, historians and public employees are rewriting our collective story. From pioneer history to contemporary arts policy, big changes are underway.
Feb 09, 2019•51 min
Ever found yourself in a room full of people, feeling totally and overwhelmingly alone? Don’t worry — there’s art for that. This week, we take a look at how local artists are exploring the meaning of longing and connection.
Feb 01, 2019•52 min
When the going gets tough (and we mean really, really tough) what pulls you back from the edge? For some folks, it’s revisiting a favorite poem; for others, it’s about finding something -- anything -- to laugh at, even when the circumstances are hardly humorous. From historic preservation to nuclear fallout, this week’s show proves there’s no one way to survive.
Jan 26, 2019•51 min
It may seem like the art world depends on gatekeeping: deciding what art goes in museums, which songs will get played, who gets the grants. But sometimes, the gates swing in ways we might not have expected. What seems like fringe turns out to be fundamental. This week, we take a look at the evolving standards of who and what is included in the world of art.
Jan 19, 2019•52 min
Don’t turn away. Sometimes even the most awkward situation can be spun into something wonderful. This week: cringe-worthy national events make for brilliant satire, a new play mines liberal guilt surrounding disability, and the story of the most bizarre art festival ever.
Jan 12, 2019•50 min
A soap opera in the string quartet. The #MeToo moment at the conservatory. And opera appreciation for the rest of us. This week, three tales both classical and modern.
Jan 05, 2019•50 min
We’re drilling down with the pros to find reads that challenge, reads that work in far-flung places, and reads that will stay in your head years after you put down the book.
Dec 28, 2018•51 min
As you contemplate the road ahead for 2019, listen to three amazing artists talk about their transformational journeys: some road trip medicine for heartbreak, a daughter emerging from a tightly-wound family cocoon, and a transatlantic odyssey involving more than one Ocean.
Dec 21, 2018•52 min
Interstellar intrigue on a Moroccan-inspired world? Strong female hero of color? Yes, please. We talk with one of the YA breakout stars of 2018 at the Portland Book Festival, Somaiya Daud. Also we meet one of Daud's early inspirations and catch up on the top publishing story of the week.
Dec 14, 2018•50 min
The year that was in jazz music, homegrown indie rock, comedy, and more. However 2018 has been treating you, we’ve got picks to help you celebrate the good things of the year.
Dec 07, 2018•50 min
The jobs that pay money. The jobs that pay out in other ways. The jobs that make art possible: Artist Jodi Darby talks about driving a big rig, comedian Amy Miller pierces the thin façade of success, Alicia Jo Rabins talks about deepening her spiritual practice through teaching, and drummer Ben Tyler, in search of fast cash, finds himself in some very fast company.
Dec 01, 2018•51 min
Tommy Orange’s breakthrough debut novel, titled, “There, There,” unites the stories of twelve Native people, brought together on one momentous day in Oakland. We meet Orange, and along with poet, Trevino Brings Plenty, discuss the depth and breadth of urban Native stories. This conversation was had live at the Portland Book Festival.
Nov 21, 2018•50 min
This week’s show takes us to Portland Book Festival, for conversations with three fascinating authors pondering birth, imminent environmental devastation, and...robots.
Nov 18, 2018•51 min
When we imagine artists at home over the holidays, it’s a pretty rosy picture: imagine musical clans like the Nevilles and the Wilsons singing around the table. (Why can’t our families be that awesome???) But let’s be real — life can be tough. This week, stories about how creative families do for each other, just in time for that seasonal visit with your kin.
Nov 10, 2018•51 min
