Hey beautiful Portland people!

Thanks so much for your EXTREMELY warm welcome to the Mercury's first print product since the pandemic—our "SAY NICE THINGS ABOUT PORTLAND" guide to the city! (Pick one up here.) If you're anything like us, you're getting increasingly annoyed by the constant negative rhetoric about Portland being spread by corrupt, money-hungry special interest groups. (Cough, cough... People for Portland... cough, cough.) But guess what? Our "SAY NICE THINGS" guide is the perfect antidote to that crap, because as it turns out, we can work on Portland's hard problems while also celebrating the people and projects that make our city the envy of folks around the globe!

In our guide, you'll discover tons of awesome Portland people doing amazing things in the areas of music, art, activism, comedy, pop culture, food, sports, comics, and quirky shit. But that's not all! You'll also learn about the creative folks making good stuff happen in the LGBTQ+ community, lots of super fun summer events to attend, and we've even thrown in some smart 'n' sweet pro-Portland essays, as well as stuff to make you laugh.

But it's time for some real talk: Putting out a print product is insanely expensive and takes a LOT of work on top of all the stories and fun we provide every single day at portlandmercury.com. And while we love giving you stuff for free, if you'd like to see more print products and more online stories that platform the Portlanders who don't often get a voice in our community, will you please consider making a small contribution or, even better, become a monthly donor to the Mercury? We'd love to keep kicking ass for a long time to come, and with your help, we can do it!

In short, we really do appreciate Portland and especially YOU. Our city is worth fighting for, you are worth fighting for, and the Mercury is here to take up that battle every damn day. Thanks so much for your help and support, and be sure to pick up a physical copy of our "SAY NICE THINGS ABOUT PORTLAND" guide (available in 500+ places around town) or read it online right here!

Together we can be the ambassadors Portland needs right now. So don't be shy—let's shout our love from the mountaintops and SAY NICE THINGS ABOUT PORTLAND!

Yer Portland pal,

Wm. Steven Humphrey

Editor-in-Chief

Portland Mercury

(he/him)