HAWTHORNE ASYLUM PHOTO COURTESY OREG. HIST. SOC. RESEARCH LIBRARY, 38379 One of the oldest mental hospitals in the US is the still-standing Friends Hospital in Philadelphia. Founded in 1813 by Quakers, the institution did not always have such a brief name. It was originally the Asylum for Persons Deprived of the Use of Their Reason, […]
Joe Streckert
Joe Streckert is the author of Storied & Scandalous Portland, Oregon: A History of Gambling, Vice, Wits, and Wagers. He writes about books, history, and comics.
Posted inHistory
Beyond the Cuckoo’s Nest
How Portland and Oregon Have Historically Dealt with Mental Illness—and What It Means for Us Today
How Portland and Oregon Have Historically Dealt with Mental Illness—and What It Means for Us Today.
Posted inFeature
Mass Transit: Reviewed
Succinct Critiques of the City’s More Popular Mass Transit Routes
Succinct reviews of the city’s more popular mass transit routes.
Posted inFeature
What Is the Deal with the Portland Streetcar?
Here’s What the Deal Is.
Here’s the deal with the Portland Streetcar
Posted inArtsy
Portland’s Claymation King, Will Vinton, on a Career of Filmmaking, Innovation, and Singing Raisins
IN THE WANING YEARS of the ’80s, one of the biggest (and most surprising) pop culture phenomena was stop-motion clay animation, or “claymation.” Dinosaurs, singing California raisins, and a weirdly popular pizza mascot called the Noid—all made of clay—dominated the cultural landscape. Michael Jackson provided the voice for one of the singing clay raisins. A […]
Posted inMovies & TV
A Magical World of Clay
Portland’s Claymation King, Will Vinton, on a Career of Filmmaking, Innovation, and Singing Raisins
Portland’s claymation king, Will Vinton, on a career of filmmaking, innovation, and singing raisins.
Posted inRace
Today in History: The Vanport Flood Destroys a City, Reveals Oregon Racism
Zack Soto THE HOUSES are gone. The theater, the recreation center, and the churches have all been destroyed. Walking through Delta Park, you’d never guess that the second largest city in Oregon once stood there. Most accounts of Vanport emphasize the flood of 1948—and in fairness, an entire city wiped out by a flood in […]
Posted inArtsy
Portland Veterans Speak Up in a New Storytelling Series
“Inevitably, everyone in the military has experienced some sort of trauma,” says Ryan Stroud. “In military life, all the rules of society are turned upside down.” It’s a world that’s hierarchical, structured, demanding, and sometimes violent—and for three years, Stroud has been encouraging PSU student veterans to talk about it in a storytelling night called […]
Posted inTheater & Performance
#FUBAR’s War Stories
Portland Veterans Speak Up in a New Storytelling Series
Portland veterans speak up in a new storytelling series.
Posted inBuild Out
The Central Eastside’s Vanishing Borders
Diving into the Future of One of Portland’s Most Rapidly Changing Areas
Diving into the future of one of Portland’s most rapidly changing areas.
Posted inFeature
Portland(s) of Tomorrow in Futurelandia
What Will the City Look Like in 50, 100, 200 Years?
What will the city look like in 50, 100, 200 years?
Posted inPizza Week
Pizza Week Preview: Pizzicato Fremont’s “Mama’s Lil’ Secret”
Sarah Giffrow The good people who make, serve, deliver, and manage pizza places eat plenty of pizza. But they don’t just scarf down what’s leftover—they make special pizzas for themselves. Secret pizzas. Professional-grade pizzas that you are not told about. Until now. Pizzicato’s Fremont location is finally selling the pepper and arugula pie that their […]