Lorrie Moore’s short stories couldn’t be anything else.
Alison Hallett
Alison Hallett served nobly as the Mercury's arts editor from 2008-2014. Her proud legacy lives on.
Posted inArts
Drawing Distinctions
Linework NW Shakes Up Portland’s Comics Scene
Linework NW shakes up Portland’s comics scene.
Posted inLuv
Weirdo Art Kids Need College Scholarships, Too
This is great: For the eighth year in a row, Seattle’s venerable Sub Pop Records is offering three scholarships—of three, five, and seven thousand dollars—to high school seniors in Oregon and Washington who are “involved and interested in music or the creative arts in some way.” Dubbed “The Loser Scholarship” (so grunge-era of you, Sub […]
Posted inComedy
Today’s Bridgetown Addition: Janet Varney’s JV Club Podcast, featuring Carrie Brownstein
The live taping of Janet Varney’s JV Club podcast at last year’s Bridgetown Comedy Fest was an absolute festival highlight. Varney is an actor, improviser, and co-founder of the SF Sketchfest; on her podcast, where she comes across as incredibly genuine and friendly, she talks to female comedians about their lives and work, with particular […]
Posted inEvents
It’s Happening Tonight!
MUSIC—Washington, DC’s Dead Meadow want to slip you something psychedelic. They’re pushers of the highest order of trippy stoner anthems, mixing the best of Sabbath, mind-melting spacescapes, and guitar-driven freedom rock. They’re touring their newest album, Warble Womb, so wobble on down to tune in and drop out. CFw/Grandparents, Billions and Billions, Still Caves; Hawthorne […]
Posted inEvents
It’s Happening Tonight!
SKATE-A-ROKE— Karaoke’s great, but sometimes it’s hard to slather a patina of retro authenticity on your “It’s Raining Men.” The Mercury gets it, so we’re helping the Rose City Rollers’ all-star team raise funds by sponsoring a return of our beloved Skate-a-Roke. Sing, skate, and succeed at the city’s finest roller rink, and ensure roller […]
Posted inPANIC!
Speaking of Climate Change
Seriously, two-thirds of you just… don’t worry that much about climate change? That’s insane. It’s like, the second con on my “SHOULD I HAVE A BABY” pros and cons list. (The first con is “don’t really like babies.”) Anyway, Zadie Smith has a lovely piece in in the New York Review of Books about what […]
Posted inComedy
More Bridgetown Comedy Fest Additions: Emo Philips and W. Kamau Bell
Okay, things are really getting good. In addition to Paul F Tompkins and Reggie Watts, announced last week, the Bridgetown Comedy festival has added a couple more comics to the lineup of next month’s festival: Emo Philips and W. Kamau Bell. Bell was just in town at the Doug Fir—he must’ve had a good time—and […]
Posted inEvents
What Are You Doing this Weekend?
Tedder at en.wikipedia NOT A CASTLE Wm. Steven Humphrey: “Thank you for asking! Tonight, I’m going to drink two long shots of bourbon, and if my mind doesn’t collapse, I’m going to the Stay Wild launch party (the bitchin’ new outdoor/adventure mag created by the Merc‘s own Scrappers!). On Sunday I’ll be smoking a lot […]
Posted inEvents
It’s Happening Tonight!
COMEDY—Not many comedians own the stage the way Christopher Titus does. He doesn’t so much do stand-up as he does pace-and-prowl-and-leap-and-whisper-and-shout-and-stand-up, which results in provocative, piercing sets that leave a laceration or two between laughs. BRHelium Comedy Club, 1510 SE 9th, Thurs 8 pm, Fri-Sat 7:30 & 10 pm, $18-32THEATER—Conflict of interest not withstanding (it’s […]
Posted inLuv
Two U of O Students Win a Peabody for their Anti-Rape PSA
Kids today: Not all terrible! Two U of O students made this short, effective anti-rape PSA in response to the Steubenville rape case: They won a 2013 Peabody for the video; the award recognizes excellence in electronic storytelling. (See more winners here; plenty of things you probably like are on the list.) The Daily Emerald […]
Posted inArtsy
Agenda: Portland’s Newest Arts & Performance Guide
The print edition of Agenda, the Mercury‘s new arts and performance magazine, came out last week—if you didn’t run across a copy tucked into an issue of the paper, you’ll certainly be seeing it around town at coffee shops and bars and bookstores. I think it’s better in print, personally—our art director Scrappers did an […]