Think Out Loud

Rebroadcast: Portland painter Arvie Smith on his Guggenheim Fellowship work

Portland artist Arvie Smith is known for colorful, larger-than-life oil paintings that explore oppression and injustice against Black Americans through symbolism and visual tropes. He’s also a professor emeritus at Pacific Northwest College of Art after a 35-year tenure. His murals can be seen on buildings in North Portland and at the Donald E. Long Juvenile Center, where he spent time teaching art to incarcerated youth. Despite being in his mid-80s, Smith is far from retired — just last year, he received a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship. The work he created during that fellowship is currently on display in Chicago. Titled “Crossing Clear Creek,” the exhibit explores Smith’s childhood memories and experience of race in rural Texas and Los Angeles. We spoke with Smith in March 2025 about his life and work.

Rebroadcast: Hanford-area native and former Washington Poet Laureate on how the ‘Atomic City’ shaped her life

Seattle poet Kathleen Flenniken grew up in Richland and worked as a civil engineer at Hanford in the 1980s. She served as Washington State Poet Laureate from 2012-2014. In her first year as poet laureate, she published a collection called Plume, which deals directly with how her Hanford area upbringing influenced her.  The book explores the history of the site, the death of her best friend's father from a radiation illness, and her childhood in "Atomic City.” Flenniken sits down with us from the campus of Washington State University Tri-Cities.

Warm Springs seat on the Jefferson County Soil & Water Conservation District board filled for the first time in decades

The Jefferson County Soil & Water Conservation District [https://www.jeffswcd.org/] helps manage irrigation, soil erosion, water quality and other factors that impact the health of the county’s watersheds. It’s supposed to be overseen by a seven-member board [https://www.jeffswcd.org/our-board], but until recently, one seat had remained vacant for more than 30 years.      Alysia Klick’ump was recently appointed to the board as an associate director for Zone 1, which covers the Warm Springs reservation. She joins us to talk about her role and the perspective she adds to the board as a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs and fly fishing guide [https://littleleafguides.com/littleleaf-guides].

Licensing fees could double for Oregon’s psilocybin service centers and facilitators

The Oregon Health Authority is considering doubling license fees [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/06/oregon-psilocybin-annual-fee-hike-proposal/] for the state’s psilocybin service providers. The draft rules [https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/PREVENTIONWELLNESS/Pages/Psilocybin-Administrative-Rules.aspx?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery] would also eliminate discounts for nonprofit service centers and facilitators who are veterans or qualify as low-income. A third of Oregon’s psilocybin service centers have already closed [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/01/22/think-out-loud-oregon-licensed-psilocybin/] since OHA began issuing licenses in 2023.   Cathy Jonas, the founder and CEO of EPIC Healing Eugene [https://www.epichealingeugene.com/], joins us to share what the proposed changes could mean for her center. We’ll also check in with Angie Allbee, manager of the Psilocybin Services Section [https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ph/preventionwellness/pages/oregon-psilocybin-services.aspx] at OHA, about the future of Oregon’s first-in-the-nation program.

Astoria City Council’s new camping proposal goes into effect at the same time it's downtown shelter may close

People experiencing homelessness in Astoria will have to abide by new camping codes going into effect Wednesday, July 15. The changes to the camping codes make it illegal for people to camp knowingly on public property if they have access to “reasonable shelter,” which will be determined on a case-by-case basis. The code also provides exemptions depending on someone’s circumstances. At the same time, Clatsop County budget and funding formula changes  mean one of the city’s low-barrier shelters, LiFEBoat, will be seeing major cuts that could lead to a reduction in services and even closure. Osarch Orak is the executive director of the shelter. He joins us to share more on what these camping code changes mean for the nonprofit and the people they serve.