Think Out Loud

REBROADCAST: Patrick Radden Keefe discusses his new book “London Falling” at Lincoln High School in Portland

tkIn 2019, a 19-year-old man named Zac Brettler died after jumping off the balcony of a luxury apartment in London near the River Thames. Police never came to a conclusion about what led to Brettler’s death. But soon after, it was revealed that Brettler was living a double-life, filled with lies and organized crime in a city changed by extreme wealth. Patrick Radden Keefe dives into this story in his newest book, “London Falling,” focused on Brettler’s death and the people around him. He joined us in front of a live audience of students at Portland's Lincoln High School in Portland on April 23, 2026 to share more on his newest book.

Washington’s primary election results

ONE OF THE MOST WATCHED CONGRESSIONAL RACES IN THE COUNTRY IS IN SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON, AND YESTERDAY’S PRIMARY YIELDED FEW SURPRISES. WASHINGTON’S 3RD CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT WILL BE CRITICAL FOR BOTH DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS HOPING TO CONTROL THE U.S. HOUSE. OUT OF 435 HOUSE SEATS ON THE BALLOT THIS YEAR, IT’S ONE OF ONLY A HANDFUL OF RACES POLITICAL EXPERTS SAY WILL BE A TOSS-UP. REPUBLICAN STATE SEN. JOHN BRAUN AND DEMOCRATIC U.S. REP. MARIE GLUESENKAMP PEREZ WILL FACE EACH OTHER IN THE NOVEMBER ELECTION. WE GET AN UPDATE ON THAT RACE FROM OPB REPORTER ERIK NEUMANN, AND ALSO HEAR ABOUT THE WASHINGTON SUPREME COURT, CLARK COUNTY COUNCIL AND SEVERAL SHERIFF ELECTIONS FROM OPB REPORTER ELENA NEALE-SACKS. Washington’s primary election results

Classical guitarist and composer kicks off two months of concert performances at Oregon state parks

TYE AUSTIN IS A CLASSICAL GUITARIST AND COMPOSER FROM SOUTHERN OREGON AND ALSO THE FOUNDER AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF WILDER FRETS: CLASSICAL GUITAR IN THE WILDERNESS [https://wilderfrets.org/tour/].     The two-month-long concert tour that kicked off on Aug. 1 features Austin performing original and traditional classical guitar compositions at 15 state parks and other outdoor locations, from the Central Oregon high desert to the Portland metro area, the Rogue Valley and the rugged Oregon coast. Austin is making tickets available for free or at discounted prices for people facing financial difficulties, and he’s also giving away free classical guitars and music instruction to at-risk youth.    He joins us to share how the pandemic inspired this concert series, his vision for its future growth and to perform works audiences can expect to hear.

‘Seeds of Peace’ tells story of Hiroshima survivor and trees planted from seeds of those that survived after the blast

On August 6, 1945, the U.S. dropped the first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima [https://visit.archives.gov/whats-on/explore-exhibits/atomic-bombing-hiroshima-and-nagasaki], killing an estimated 140,000 thousand people. Hideko Tamura Snider was 10 years old at the time of the devastating blast and suffered unspeakable loss. She tells her story and her work for peace and reconciliation in the new documentary “Seeds of Peace [https://www.outdoorhistoryconsulting.com/seedsofpeace].” She recently revised and updated her 1998 memoir  “One Sunny Day [https://osupress.oregonstate.edu/book/one-sunny-day]” to include this work.   The film documents her involvement in the years-long effort taking the seeds of trees that survived the atomic bomb to grow dozens of trees in Oregon. The communities chosen have ties to “World War II memory, Japanese American incarceration, veterans’ experience, and reconciliation.” We talk with the historian David-Paul B. Hedberg, producer and director of “Seeds of Peace." The film is screening around the state, including on the August 6 anniversary [https://tomorrowtheater.org/movies/seeds-of-peace/] at Portland’s Tomorrow Theater.

REBROADCAST: Revisiting ‘The Burned Piano Project: Creating Music Amidst the Noise of Hate’

Four years ago, a Portland Jewish family’s home was destroyed in an arson. As they got rid of all their burned belongings, the one thing they couldn’t bear to do was toss out with the rest of the burned remains a 100 year-old Steinway grand piano that had belonged to “Grandma Bess.” Much of it was intact, though not restorable. They reached out to musicians and artists and ultimately found their way to Jennifer Wright. She’s a classical pianist by training, a composer and a sound artist who works with found instruments and other objects.    The family, who wants to keep their identity private, worked with Wright over the following two  years on turning the grand piano into a mixed media exhibit, including a newly formed glass piano and textile art made with the burned strings. In a statement that is included in the exhibit, the family wrote: “Seeing the piano transformed from a burned and destroyed object into the foundations of new instruments, furniture, art, beauty, and community awareness is a balm for the wounds of waste and loss. … Finding connectedness is an antidote to hate.”   We listen back to our visit to the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education to see the mixed media exhibit and talk with artist Jennifer Wright and OJMCHE director Rebekha Sobel. This segment originally aired on May 31, 2024.