Joe Streckert

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.

Recent Articles

Portland Center Stage and Portland Playhouse Team up To Serve Fat Ham

The Pulitzer Prize-winning play is a Black and queer spin on Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

Update: Portland Design Commission Accepts Master Plan for the Lloyd Center Mall

Portland Permitting and Development says this decision is about zoning code, not demolition.

Culture Mar 5 8:00 AM

Should Portland Try to Save Lloyd Center Mall?

A growing community taking hold in the mall wants to have some say in its future.

History Nov 5 1:05 PM

Let My Country Awake Puts the Pacific Northwest at the Center of an Anti-Colonial Struggle

A new nonfiction history from Scott Miller explores the complexity of Indian resistance against the British Empire during World War I.

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Fall Arts 2025 Sep 11 3:58 AM

Portland Art Museum's Rothko Pavilion Opens This Fall

The new addition finally links the museum's
two buildings and shifts the entrance to its center.

Inside the Original Mercury… Circa the Late 1800s

The lurid history of the “unspeakably offensive” Sunday Mercury.

Movies & TV Jun 4 11:00 AM

Ten Years of Terror With the Portland Horror Film Festival

The five-day weekend fest welcomes over 70 films from across the world to Hollywood Theatre and Clinton Street Theatre.

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Culture Feb 4 11:45 AM

Portland’s Next Top (Architectural) Model

New installation City of Possibility offers a big picture of the city's urban planning history via tiny buildings.

Culture Dec 30 1:00 PM

The Mercury's Favorite Culture Moments of 2024

Doing something stupid in Ladds, dressing up for the movies, and finding catharsis at live shows, et al.

Books Dec 24 7:00 AM

The Mercury's Favorite Books of 2024

On this list, revolutionary writings share space with Portland zombies and memories of the Barefoot Contessa

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What’s the “Holiday” in Holiday Beers?

Local brewers describe the secret ingredients that put their beers in the holiday spirit.

News Oct 24 9:55 AM

Commissioning Change

Why did Portland decide to adopt its unique commission form of government more than 100 years ago? You can blame a hurricane and lots of corruption.

Election Guide 2024 Oct 16 3:30 AM

Commissioning Change

How did Portland decide to adopt its unique commission form of government? You can blame a hurricane.

Fall Arts 2024 Sep 12 11:00 AM

You Can’t Capture Arlene
Schnitzer’s Vast Art Legacy

Fountain of Creativity tries to show how a growing city
and artistic scene developed and evolved.

Fall Arts 2024 Sep 5 3:50 AM

You Can’t Capture Arlene Schnitzer’s Vast Art Legacy

Fountain of Creativity tries to show how a growing city and artistic scene developed and evolved.

History Jul 2 10:00 AM

Tracing the History of Queer Spaces in Portland

Silverado was once Flossie's; Lowensdale Park was once a place to cruise—take a brief dive into a history of our city's queer spaces.

Queer Guide 2024 Jun 13 3:50 AM

Queer Bars in Portland, a History

Silverado was once Flossie's; Lowensdale Park was once a place to cruise—take a brief dive into a history of our city's queer spaces.