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Posted inDo This, Do That

The Mercury’s Do This, Do That: Your Top Events for January 12-18

This week: Ghibli favorites, medieval books, and Steve Gunn’s ambient guitar.
Avatar photoAvatar photo Lindsay Costello and Mercury Staff

The news is bleak, the nights are long. Yet somehow… the calendar is still stacked. January is when culture gets weird in the best way; this week, medieval manuscripts emerge from the vault, and camp horror and queer literature come out to play. Plus, artist Elizabeth Knight presents her dog embroideries, and local hardcore shows […]

Posted inBooks

Terry Dactyl Traces Queer Survival From the AIDS Crisis to 2020 Seattle

Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore’s signature style rolls and whirls with long sentences—descriptions as artfully enduring as her characters.
Avatar photo Katie Lee Ellison

[This profile originally appeared in our sister pub The Stranger. -eds] Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore takes long and meandering walks through Capitol Hill most days. From the height of summer to the depths of winter, if the sun is out, she’s soaking in it. On these walks during the pandemic lockdown, Terry Dactyl came to her. She […]

Posted inThe Trash Report

The Trash Report: Ashley Tisdale and the New World Order—Plus Mermaids!

It’s time to take out the trash! (AKA the hottest new gossip of 2026!)
Avatar photo Elinor Jones

Hi babies! Welcome to the first new Trash Report for 2026. As always, I am your best friend, Elinor Jones. I don’t know about you, but I am not bothering with Dryuary this year. I learned from the events of January 6, 2021 that January is always going to give us a reason to toss a […]

Posted inEverOut

The Best Bang for Your Buck Events in Portland This Weekend: Jan 9–11, 2026

N/A Fest, Into the Night: A Twin Peaks Prom, and More Cheap & Easy Events Under $20
Avatar photo EverOut Staff

It’s been an insane week, y’all. If you’re looking for some escapism this weekend, find community at events from the First Ever Gigantic Hot Dish & Casserole Competition to an N/A Fest at John’s Marketplace and from Into the Night: A Twin Peaks Prom to the Radical Harvest Craft Faire and Clothing Swap. For more suggestions, […]

Posted inMovies & TV

Second Run Portland: Rich People Behaving Badly

Peter Greenaway’s gourmet art film and Frederick Wiseman’s snowy documentary show vastly different approaches to class critique.
Avatar photo Lindsay Costello

Some claim that January is a cultural dead zone for events, and on days when the sun seems to clock out at noon, it’s hard to argue. But while much of the city hibernates, one institution keeps the lights on. Thanks, independent movie theaters!! This month’s screenings come through with interesting takes on class critique […]

Posted inEverOut

Ticket Alert: Nikki Glaser, Soundscape Northwest, and More Portland Events Going On Sale This Week

Plus, Chris Stapleton and More Event Updates for January 8
Avatar photo EverOut Staff

New year, new events to add to the calendar! Golden Globes Award host and shock humorist Nikki Glaser stops by Ilani for a two-night stint on her Stunning tour this fall. Passes are available for the inaugural Soundscape Northwest, a multi-venue music festival and conference. Plus, country star Chris Stapleton brings his All-American Road Show […]

Posted inFree Tickets!

FREE TICKETS THURSDAY: Enter to Win Free Tix to Welcome To Night Vale, Fan Expo, Steve Gunn, and MORE!

Avatar photo Mercury Promotions

Who’s ready to have some fun? Well, the Mercury is here to help with FREE TICKETS to see some of Portland’s best concerts and events; our way of saying thanks to our great readers and spread the word about some fantastic upcoming performances! (Psst… if you want to say thanks to the Mercury, please consider […]

Posted inCulture

Literary Portland for Palestine Plans Readings, Still Asks Literary Arts To Divest

A call for Portland Book Festival to reject corporate bank funding coalesced into a collective that seeks to raise awareness with the written word.
Avatar photo Suzette Smith

At Portland Book Festival, in November, you may have noticed an icon on t-shirts, posters, and social media of Literary Arts’ red umbrella dropping bombs. The graphic read “Drop Wells Fargo” and “Literary Portland for Palestine.” The shirts were a next step in a call to action, which grew loud in late summer and shows […]

Posted inMovies & TV

Bi Gan’s Resurrection Revives 100 Years of Movie-Making for One Long Dream

Dream logic takes over in the Chinese writer-director’s latest technical marvel.
Avatar photo Dom Sinacola

Chinese writer-director Bi Gan believes that filmmaking can capture his wildest dreams. Resurrection is his attempt to convince you that it can capture yours too. It’s ambitious to make a movie about how making movies is like harvesting dreams, projecting viewers’ inner lives back at them, often to visceral, abstract, and sometimes tummy-hurting ends. This is […]

Posted inMercury 2025 Recap

Best Bites of 2025: The Savory, the Sweet, and the Road Trips

Mercury food critic Andrea Damewood on the ten best things she tasted this year.
Avatar photo Andrea Damewood

I’m always conflicted about how to feel at the end of the year. Like, things were shitty (and for, like, at least the sixth year running). But within that, there are also moments of sweetness.  I think that’s where we owe Portland’s restaurants a big debt of gratitude. It’s tough out there, but our chefs […]

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