Portland downtown hotels are still struggling to recover from the pandemic

How should creative writers use AI?

As artificial intelligence becomes ubiquitous, artists and writers are creating their own guiding principles for where and how they use the technology in their creative practices and their work. Tracy Hoagland is the chair of the Portland chapter of Willamette Writers, and by day, she works in the tech industry with AI. She says she doesn’t use AI in her writing practice, but has to consciously separate the two areas of her life. Jessie Kwak is an author and ghost writer based in Portland, who uses AI to supplement her writing work. They both join us to discuss their own ethos around AI in the world of creative writing.

For first time, tribal representative joins Governor’s Fire Service Policy Council

In 1991, James Hall joined the Umatilla Tribal Fire Department [https://ctuir.org/departments/public-safety/fire-station/] as a volunteer firefighter on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Eastern Oregon. Today, Hall is the fire chief of the agency, leading its response to structural fires, wildland fires and calls for ambulance transportation services in a coverage area spanning hundreds of square miles.    In February, Hall was appointed by Governor Tina Kotek’s Office to serve a three-year term on the Governor’s Fire Service Policy Council [https://www.oregon.gov/osfm/about-us/Pages/Governors-Fire-Service-Policy-Council.aspx], making him the first tribal representative to serve on the council in its history. A bill [https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/SB860/Enrolled] passed by the Oregon Legislature last year made changes to the council’s membership, including a requirement that one of its members be a fire agency representative from one of Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes.    Hall shares his recent work on the council and efforts to advocate for all tribal fire agencies in the state.

Eugene Difficult Music Ensemble asks audiences to listen differently

With music so readily available on streaming platforms these days, it’s easy to put a playlist on in the background and go about the day. The Eugene Difficult Music Ensemble [https://www.edmensemble.org/] is asking audiences to put a little more thought into their listening.   The group aims to “expand the definition of what music can be and what music is capable of achieving, as well as who is capable of achieving it.” They commission and perform experimental works from underrepresented artists in showcases such as the New Music Festival [https://www.edmensemble.org/details] and Ambient Ecology [https://www.edmensemble.org/ambient-ecology], which is taking place over the next two weekends. Recent performances have included vocal meditations that ask for audience participation and an instrument petting zoo for children.   JP Lempke is the executive director of EDME, and Adrian Cervantes Mendez is the group’s secretary. They both join us to talk about difficult music in the age of easy listening.

New film documents life of West Ham, Timbers soccer legend Clyde Best

Clyde Best [https://clydebest.com/] became one of England’s first Black soccer superstars when he played for West Ham United from 1968 to 1976. Best scored 58 goals in his 218 appearances as a striker for West Ham. He later  went on to play for the Portland Timbers from 1977 to 1981, helping build the foundation for professional soccer in the U.S.    The documentary “Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story” showcases Best’s life and career, including the racism he had to contend with on and off the pitch. The film will play at the Aladdin Theater [https://www.aladdin-theater.com/#shows-feed] on June 4 and 5, followed by a Q&A with Best and other interviewees in the film.    Clyde Best joins us for a conversation ahead of those screenings.

Portland Book Week celebrates more than 80 independent bookstores in the region

For the third year in a row, the Cascade Booksellers Association [https://cascadebooksellers.com/] has thrown a kind of huge book party for book lovers in the Portland metro area. The idea is to highlight the huge variety of book shops [https://www.wweek.com/arts/books/2025/05/27/the-second-annual-portland-book-week-celebrates-independent-bookstores-of-all-stripes/] and get people out to visit as many of them as they can. More than 80 bookstores are participating in Portland Book Week this year [https://www.portlandbookweek.com/bookstores], including the White Rabbit Book Cafe [https://www.whiterabbit.gifts/] in Oregon City, Maggie Mae’s Bookshop [https://www.maggiemaesbooks.com/] in Gresham and Lost & Bound Books [https://lostandboundbooks.myshopify.com/collections], a mobile bookshop based in Portland. We sit down with owners Danielle Walsh, Sho Roberts and Desirai Vuylsteke to hear more about what led them to start their independent shops, how they see their role in their communities and their fondest hopes for the week.