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City Cast Portland

 is an annual celebration of writers. It’s the perfect occasion for all of us to pick out what to read next. Amanda Bullock, senior artistic director with the nonprofit Literary Arts, has 

recommendations for a book to read right now

 and for other author events to check out this weekend.

“ I think the one book everyone on the planet should be reading is Omar El Akkad’s ‘One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This,’ which did come out this year, and 

“The title is from a tweet that he made that went viral about Gaza. A lot of it is about someone who chose to live in this country reckoning with the false promises of so much of what we think America means. It's really well written. It's really smart. It's a tough read, but it should be.”

⭐ Portland Book Festival Events to Check Out

Bullock also shared some of her favorite events happening this weekend:

The exhibits are open. There'll be drinks and ice cream and the Tamale Boy food truck outside. Plus, Ramona and other book-themed flash (real ink) tattoos will be available, starting at Readers Night.

Always a favorite event for kids and adults, the drawing competition features picture-book and middle-grade illustrators who compete for glory — though there’s no official winner.

It’s “the first biography to really fully include Baldwin's queerness as part of his story,” says Bullock. “And Nicholas will be interviewed by Mitchell S. Jackson, who is one of my favorite interviewers on the planet.”

Abrams, a political organizer and former Georgia politician, is also a romance novelist and the author of a series of thrillers, the latest of which she will discuss at this event.

An explorer in residence at National Geographic, Roberts has written about scuba diving at the sites of sunken slave ships. “She's the first black woman explorer to be on the cover of Nat Geo,” says Bullock. "She is so cool.”

Noodles & Scoops: Tyler Malek & Joshua McFadden

Two notable Portlanders from our food scene, Tyler Malek (of Salt and Straw) and Joshua McFadden (best known for Ava Jeans and Tusk) have new cookbooks out about their respective specialties.

 Bullock recommends wandering through the Portland Art Museum to catch some of the pop-up events, including with local authors. (

What’s one book Portlanders should read right now? If you have a recommendation, please respond to this email or 

 I’ll share your suggestions in an upcoming newsletter.

More on the Portland Book Festival  

Saturday’s Portland Book Festival is an annual celebration of writers. It’s the perfect occasion for all of us to pick out what to read next. Amanda Bullock, senior artistic director with the nonprofit Literary Arts, has recommendations for a book to read right now and for other author events to check out this weekend.

The Best Books To Read Right Now in Portland

Find the best of everything that Portland has to offer.

Portland’s Best

Portland's Best

Much of Portland’s cultural identity today is owed to a generation of independent artists making music in the 2010s. From metal to moody soundscapes, this is some of the music that defined the decade.

The term “neo italo disco” might not mean anything to you, but I bet you can immediately recognize the style in the theme music of the show “Stranger Things.” Bands like Chromatics, and this era of PNW music in general, have served as an inspiration to so many of the electronic soundscapes that have filtered into other areas of pop culture.

“All that [electronic music] came from Portland being obsessed with Suspiria soundtracks,” says City Cast Portland podcast host Claudia Meza.

The metal fan contingency is rarely the largest, but it’s probably the strongest. Om was among the top bands fueling west coast metalheads during the aughts, with heavy sounds worthy of even meditation. Some of the band members rotate, but it is anchored by Portland drummer Emil Amos and Al Cisneros, formerly of the legendary California doom metal band Sleep.

Rarely can an R&B classic be translated into an indie rock arrangement, but that’s exactly what English artist Emma Niblet does with “No Scrubs,” her 2012 rendition of the iconic TLC song. Niblet has been calcified into the lore of Portland music since she moved here in 2005.

This trio relocated from their home in Arkansas to Olympia in 1999 and launched a sound that doesn’t quite fit neatly into a genre, but is certainly unmistakable. Led by Beth Ditto’s stunning vocals, with instrumentalist “Brace Paine” and Kathy Mendonça behind the kit, the band’s bluesy queer-punk sound is probably best captured in their 2009 album “Music for Men” — produced by none other than Rick Rubin.

I still occasionally fire up “Dimestore Diamond” and pretend I’m dancing in a 2010 grimy club downtown, except now I’m probably just cleaning my living room.

There was a time when you couldn’t go anywhere in Portland without hearing Grouper, Liz Harris’ solo project. Harris combines instrumentals and field recordings into ambient sounds reminiscent of an overcast Portland day. She’s also an accomplished visual artist and helped shepherd the artists influx into Astoria.

The “Cascadian black metal” band out of Olympia brought cinematic and cathartic weight to a time when people only thought of Seattle when referencing Pacific Northwest music. Even if you’re not a metalhead, the crashing crescendos in their 2011 album “Celestial Lineage” will make you feel like you’re floating.

As the saying goes, what’s old is new again. Listen to our conversation with Nolan Parker to hear 

the bands injecting our ears with Millennial nostalgia

 and bringing back the sounds of yesteryear. And 

 featuring a song by each of these artists.

From metal to moody soundscapes, this is some of the music that defined the 2010s in Portland.

The Music That Defined Portland in the 2010s

What Portlanders have been wondering. We break down why things in Portland are the way they are and how they work.

Portland, Explained

[UPDATE 5/1] All the contestant slots for the costume contest have been filled

By now, you've most likely heard all about 503 Day. It's the 

 we dreamed up to celebrate everything we love about Portland.

Perhaps you've already signed up to attend

 And now you're looking for a way to get even more involved. Well, guess what... 

The Portland Icons Costume Contest will be held live on stage as part of our 503 Day block party on Saturday, May 3. It's simple. 

🎤 Get judged by hilarious local personalities

People, places, or things that represent our city. Bridges. Authors. Buildings. Tonya Harding. Use your imagination! If you have to awkwardly get on mic and explain your costume, that's fine too.

All participants get an exclusive City Cast Portland tater tot plushie (yes, really)!

A special spot on stage during the official 503 Day proclamation at 5:03 p.m.

A Portland Timbers 50th Anniversary jersey

They'll score you on creativity, originality, and effort. 

Keep it family-friendly. There will be kids around.

Be downtown at Ankeny Alley and ready by 2:30 p.m.

Not dressing up? Come cheer! It's more fun with a crowd.

We need your name, email, and what you're planning to wear. 

Sign Up Here

Try these City Cast Portland podcast episodes:

Portland Tourist Traps Even Locals Will Like

The Surprising History of Our Local Exports, From Dutch Bros to Jacobsen Salt

 we dreamed up last year to celebrate everything we love about Portland.

Thank you to our Gold level sponsors, including 

: Ankeny Alley in downtown Portland (221 SW Ankeny St, Portland, OR 97204)

: May 3, from 1 - 6:03 p.m. (5 hours and 3 minutes to honor our holiday!)

You can expect live entertainment curated by the City Cast Portland team, food and drink, local luminaries, and much, much more. And, the city will officially declare it 503 Day at (you guessed it) 5:03 p.m.

How to Enter the Portland Icons Costume Contest

If Labor Day marks the end of summer (at least unofficially), we have one more month 

First, here’s a note on the downside of summer — at least in the Anthropocene: Oregon is having 

a far worse wildfire season than last year.

If you’re traveling anywhere near fires or into natural areas, you may want to 

. It’ll give you alerts on new fire warnings.

 wherever you’re going and adjust plans accordingly.

Portland has clear skies for now, but it doesn’t hurt to plan ahead. Here’s a suggestion: Build 

 — or at least gather supplies to tape one together if the smoke rolls in.

Aminé is back in town (or close by) at Edgefield next weekend for his music festival, The Best Day Ever Fest. Tickets, while spendy, 

. Saturday features Kaytranada, BADBADNOTGOOD, Ravyn Lenae, and 3Way Heff, and Aminé is performing Sunday.

Have you ever been to the Oregon State Fair? Besides elephant ears and livestock, 

Ludacris is performing this year on Aug. 29

Here’s your reminder to go out and get in a bike ride before the end of summer:

The World Naked Bike Ride was canceled this year, but Saturday brings a Bike Summer/Pedalpalooza event that offers the 

. If public nudity isn’t your thing, check out 

other bike rides still happening every day

Some of the best views in Portland are on our bridges. So join the annual 

Two of my favorite restaurants are finding ways to expand their offerings:

. Yum up their signature mini madeleines and small pasta plates (I recommend the rigatoni all’amatriciana). I personally want to try their take on a classic BLT.

And more good news: The Italian bakery and pizza destination 

. Ollini is set to open at some point before the end of summer.

More August Happenings

If Labor Day marks the end of summer (at least unofficially), we have one more month to revel in the season.

What To in Portland, Oregon, This August

What To Do in Portland This August

Among Portland’s many devotees of Halloween, Timmy Marino, 40, stands out. He has organized his neighbors along the blocks of Southeast Taylor Street between 76th and 80th Avenues to be a trick-or-treating destination. 

Last year, when he was running a haunted house of sorts, 1,200 visitors passed through over three nights, according his tally. Before vaccines were available for anyone, he and his neighbors figured out the logistics of passing out candy from a social distance and delivered joy in a joyless time. This year they’ll be no haunted house, but he and his neighbors are keeping the tradition going.

“It’s the one day of the year where it’s perfectly fine to scare children. It's not the pure joy of their shrieks. It's just the fun of pretend.“[As a kid, Halloween] was always my favorite. My mom would make costumes every year. I was always a monster. I was born in ‘82 and had no censorship, so I watched all the ‘80s horror movies. Freddy Krueger was my idol, which is creepy. I was him multiple times. I still have my original Freddie Krueger glove.”



How’d you start Nightmare on Taylor? 


“When I moved in, I dressed up and was ready to hand out candy to the kids and just got a small handful.“And then living right next to the [now-shuttered] Taylor Court market, [which had trick-or-treaters], just bought a bunch of those orange party paper bags and got those little plastic candles and made a little trail all the way from Taylor Court.“And there I was just sitting in a costume with a big bowl of candy, and the kids came, and I gave them a nice little scare when they went to grab it. I always had the best candy because I firmly believe with every trick you get a treat, and that's how they keep coming back. There’s always Blow Pops, Pixie Sticks, Nerds, Twix, KitKats. I always throw in some old school random ones too, like Fireballs and Lemonheads.”



What inspired you to get your neighbors together to make Halloween a thing?

 
“[The next year] I knocked on all my neighbor's doors for the four blocks from 80th to 76th. [In the end,] all the neighbors ran outta candy. “I kind of started the name Nightmare on Taylor Street because all of a sudden the kids started calling me the ‘scary house.'”

3 Questions With Timmy Marino, Montavilla’s Halloween Fan 

What Portland celebrities, public figures and key citizens have to say about living here.

entertainment

The Best Books To Read Right Now in Portland

The Music That Defined Portland in the 2010s

How to Enter the Portland Icons Costume Contest

Latest articles

The Best Books To Read Right Now in Portland

The Music That Defined Portland in the 2010s

How to Enter the Portland Icons Costume Contest

What To Do in Portland This August

3 Questions With Timmy Marino, Montavilla’s Halloween Fan

Latest articles

What To Do in Portland This August

3 Questions With Timmy Marino, Montavilla’s Halloween Fan