Minimalism is hard. Writing a torrent of words, overpowering the reader with gushes of adverbs and metaphors, and generally drowning one’s writing in purple extravagance is easy to do. (Exhibit A: that last sentence.) But paring down prose to its most basic elements takes far more skill, and The Boatmaker, the debut novel from John […]
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 inBooks
Spare and True
John Benditt Out-Minimalizes Minimalism in The Boatmaker
John Benditt out-minimalizes minimalism in The Boatmaker.
Posted inSports
The University of Oregon’s Lost Mascot: RoboDuck
The Oregon Ducks are taking on Ohio State Buckeyes tonight (what the hell is a Buckeye?) and my various social media feeds are awash in football-ian enthusiasm. The ducks, of course, have one of the most amiable and jolly of all college mascots: Rather than having something pointy, ferocious, or clichéd like a wildcat or […]
Posted inPodcast
Best Buy and Mail Chimp: The Serial Finale… Reviewed!
Serial, This American Life’s teen drama murder mystery for NPR people, ended its first season today. The podcast has been the Most Popular Thing Ever for the past thirteen weeks, and has gotten a population of Morning Edition fans who would never in their lives pick up an embossed cover true crime book deeply interested […]
Posted inArt
Ruined Refuge
Rose Bond Shines a Light on the Society Hotel
Animator and media artist Rose Bond shines a light on the Society Hotel.
Posted inTV
Some Thoughts on Marco Polo, Netflix’s New Series For People Who Like Boobs and Swords
Netflix released Marco Polo, a new, ten-episode original series on Friday. I’m pretty sure that I’m the target audience. I listen to approximately seven billion different history podcasts, for instance. I fenced in college. [AHAHAHAAHAHAAAAAAA!!!!—editors] I own multiple editions of the Monster Manual. I will watch basically anything with Kung Fu in it. I am […]
Posted inGeneral
A Hollow Icon
The Past and Future of Portland’s Most Controversial Building
The past and future of Portland’s most controversial building.
Posted inGeneral
The Forgotten Portland
How East Portland Was Born… and Ignored
How East Portland was born… and ignored.
Posted inPortland
How East Portland Was Born… and Ignored
FAIRLY OR NOT, many Portlanders consider 82nd Avenue a boundary line. A wall between Portland and something else. “I have this joke about Portland and East Portland,” says Jamaal Green, a Ph.D. student at Portland State University studying urban planning, East Portland in particular. “If you were to make a map of the city, it […]
Posted inBooks
Out of the Refrigerator
Gail Simone’s Comics Put Women in the Action
Gail Simone’s comics put women in the action.
Posted inFeature
Floating in Space
When Illustration Pays the Bills
When kids’ books, illustration, and design pay the bills.
Posted inFeature
Balancing the Books
Writer Kevin Sampsell Opens His Wallet
Ever wondered how much writers get paid? Kevin Sampsell opens up about the contents of his wallet.