Let’s Give a Warm Blogtown Welcome To…

I know it’s not customary to introduce new Blogtown bloggers—it’s generally just more fun to just shove ’em onto the interledge and see what happens. I’m going to make an exception in this case, though, because I’m just so darn excited to welcome Stephen Marc Beaudoin as our newest contributing arts writer. Formerly of Just Out (and before that, Whatsit Week), Stephen is handily one of the best arts writers in town, and I’ve long been both a personal and professional fan. It’s an absolutely crucial moment to bolster our arts coverage—local papers are losing staffers at a time when arts organizations are suffering unprecedented budget shortfalls, and the more folks that are talking and writing about things like the possible closure of the IFCC or the Oregon Legislature’s pillaging of the Cultural Trust, the better. Plus, Stephen tends to like things that I think are boring—ie opera, SORRY—so those of you who also like things that I think are boring will finally get to see your interests represented on Blogtown. Hooray. Look for Stephen’s byline starting on Monday.