Opb's State Of Wonder

If you’re sitting in a dark room with a cattle rancher, a fish biologist and an English professor, watching a sci-fi film shot on a $200,000 budget, chances are good you're at the Eastern Oregon Film Festival.Filmmakers come from all over the country to share their work, listen to Northwest bands, and learn to throw hatchets at artists' brunches — a combination that has landed it on the list of the world's coolest film fests in "MovieMaker Magazine" multiple times.The little fest is playing out for its eighth successive year in theaters and pop-up venues around La Grande, Oregon, and "State of Wonder" is broadcasting live this week from the festival headquarters.The Little Fest That Could: Christopher Jennings And Ian ClarkFrom the minute we arrived, festival co-founders Christopher Jennings and Ian Clark have been running around nonstop, greeting guests, trouble-shooting projectors, setting up bands, serving as walking answer boxes, and more. We get them to sit still long enough to talk about how the festiva

On the eve of a grand literary celebration, we remember the life, writing, and transformative thinking of an Oregon literary titan.

Tanya Barfield grew up in Portland and first caught the theater bug from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. But even though her plays have been performed around the country and got her nominated for a Pulitzer, they had never been staged in Portland until 2016. That year, we spent an hour getting to know Barfield’s work and exploring her ideas. Dive in with us!

Pulitzer Prize winning writer Viet Thanh Nguyen on refugee families and walking in his mom and dad’s shoes. We’ve also got reading recommendations from people whose professional lives let them spend long, uninterrupted, stretches of time between the covers. And we hear an acoustic set with a London-based singer-songwriter who slows down to really look life with a Dylanesque clarity.

This week we turn our face toward the void with one of Oregon's great painters, the band Typhoon, a mother and son who share a unique creative language, and a new play that explores a new dimension to urban displacement.

Do we sound a little verklempt this week? Our show is full of fond farewells, from Paul Simon's goodbye tour to our own producer Aaron Scott's departure for green Field Guide pastures. But it's not all tears. Before Aaron goes, he'll tell what he’s learned reporting on arts for the better part of a decade. We also chirp with the writer who followed Paul Simon’s life story, and mix it up with one of the top practitioners of pop criticism working today.Reconsidered: Johnny Cash's "At Folsom Prison" Album at 50 - 1:08In May 1968, Johnny Cash made a record that opened America’s eyes to life behind bars. But are those songs still relevant today? A group of Oregon musicians and artists, under the name Luther’s Boots, are re-staging the concert at prisons around the state to find out.To help fund their Folsom50 tour, they’re putting on a concert for those on the outside at Portland’s Polaris Hall May 20.Pop Culture Talk with Chuck Klosterman - 8:33If the first eighteen years of the century have left you gasping for

Had enough of the status quo? This week’s wonders are shaking it up: the greatest modern artist who ever called Portland home, a director who set the bar higher, two friends turning fan-favorite songs upside down, and ladies calling time’s up on tech.Painfully Honest Job Descriptions for Women in Tech — 1:15Backfence PDX is about to welcome some storytellers from the tech world to the MainStage for an evening of home truths on May 12. #MeToo isn’t just limited to Silicon Valley. We heard about this in 2016 when we welcomed one of the Backfence storytellers, Megan Bigelow, to our studio. Along with friends Kasey Jones and Amanda Brooks, they helped us rewrite job descriptions for women in the industry. All three say they’re in good places with their current employers, but some of their past experiences at other firms, from start-ups to big players, were truly hair-raising.Rothko in Portland — 10:08This week, Oregon Art Beat premiers a new documentary about a painter who was, arguably, the greatest modern arti

Today on "State of Wonder," we talk finalists for the Oregon Book Awards in fiction, poetry, graphic literature, and more."Strange the Dreamer" with Laini Taylor — 1:42Laini Taylor possesses an epic imagination. In her best-selling “Daughter of Smoke and Bone” series, she dreamed up a world where a girl who has a monster as a foster parent gets caught up in an epic war with not-so-benevolent angels. And now she is starting a new series with “Strange the Dreamer,” the story of a day-dreaming librarian who journeys to a fabled land living in the shadow of a war it has yet to recover from. The book received Michael L. Printz Honors for Young Adult lit and is a finalist for the YA Oregon Book Award."American War" with Omar El Akkad — 11:46Journalist Omar El Akkad has spent his career covering the Arab Spring in Egypt, military trials at Guantanamo Bay, refugee camps in Afghanistan and the Black Lives Matter movement in Ferguson, MO. Now he’s poured all of his experiences into his new novel “American War,” a story

We went live this week for Design Week Portland at the hottest new event space in Northeast Portland: the Nightwood. And we invited some exciting people in architecture and development to talk about homes and work spaces designed by women. Sit back for a deep-dive at the big-picture issues shaping the built environment.[slideshow: design-week-at-the-nightwood-society,left,5ada733e9245030158d5cd95]Cultivating Creative Space at the Nightwood - 1:55Michelle Battista is the founder of the Nightwood Society, the collective of women creating a safe space for artists and designers to come together to learn and share their skills. Their unique event space, the Nightwood, is hosting parties of every kind and offering ways to widen your foodie skill set. Some of the events the Nightwood Society have put on include tastings for Oregon-grown olive oil, top-drawer chefs cooking to raise money for Puerto Rico, wine tastings that spill over into secret locations — even classes on how to butcher a hog or chicken. Battista t

This week on "State of Wonder," Soul'd Out sues Cochella, three native playwrights soar at Oregon's biggest theaters, poet Shayla Lawson's love letter to Frank Ocean, and the quiet heartache of Black Belt Eagle Scout.Soul'd Out Festival Sues CoachellaA David and Goliath showdown might soon come to a federal courtroom near you. This week, Portland’s homegrown Soul’d Out Music Festival filed a suit against one of the west coast’s giants: the Coachella Festival in Indio California and its affiliates. Soul’d Out alleged the big guy is violating anti-trust law through anti-competitive practices by barring any bands playing Coachella from playing another concert within 1300 miles for five months — basically ruling out any other West Coast shows — unless it's with one of Coachella's affiliate promoters. Shayla Lawson's Love Poem to Frank Ocean - 4:23Some artists move us, and some artists move us to make new things of our own. Frank Ocean was already one of the hottest names in music for his effortlessly brilliant

Stories often emerge from scribblings in notebooks. But we also find them tumbling out of pantries, rolled amid rumpled shirts in suitcases and spewing forth from text messages with friends. This week we feast on offerings from brilliant writers and one man who’s spent 50 years honing his songwriting craft.Mohsin Hamid’s Mystical Exits —1:35We knew author Mohsin Hamid’s novel, “Exit West,” was going to be a good read. His prior best-sellers create emotionally rich worlds that create pathways between global events and personal revelation. But when we realized “Exit West” has been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, and chosen as this year’s Multnomah County Library Everybody Reads selection, we went running for the bookstore. A graceful love story about two refugees traveling the world through magical portals, it unpacks some crushing realities of the global refugee crisis, without losing sight of the personal losses of his characters. We’re listening this week to an excerpt of Think Out Loud’s full intervie

We’ve got one hot read for you imagining an alternative future for American women, plus news from Portland and Central Oregon. Shuck off those gardening gloves and sit a spell!

Just in time for the last excruciatingly gray days of March, we’ve found a slew of artists making wonderfully reflective work, directing our energy toward each other. Dive in for restorative thinking from Laura Veirs, a blast of curative chlorophyll in a pop-up installation, and a long-awaited local staging of the hottest ticket on Broadway.

This week on "State of Wonder," we get live music from Helio Sequence and Kelli Schaefer, travel the country with photographer Holly Andres, look at the design of prosthetic limbs, and harness the powers of karaoke to learn a language. Karaoke Has A New Role: Teaching Tool - 1:33What’s the best way to learn a language? Some people might take a class or read a book, but our vote goes towards music, which is exactly what Salish teachers are using to introduce their Native American language to new speakers. Every year, a conference that celebrates Salish, a language spoken by many tribes across the Northwest, culminates in an annual Karaoke Contest in Spokane, WA. Contestants have to translate a song and perform it in front of judges. Our correspondent Emily Schwing was backstage at the contest this year.Museums Are Displaying Native Artifacts To Tell A More Complete Story - 6:01Language isn’t the only facet of Northwest indigenous culture that’s getting focused attention right now. The region’s museum curators

This week on "State of Wonder," we’re going to dive deep with "The Walking Dead" creator Robert Kirkman into the worlds of zombies and caped crusaders; immerse ourselves in the music of Portland's newest breakout star, Haley Hendrickx; and take one last trip to Una Gallery for its final show.Accusers of Sherman Alexie Go On Record - 1:15The #MeToo movement continues to hit the literary world. Writer Sherman Alexie issued a statement this week responding to allegations of sexual harassment circulating online. “There are women telling the truth,” he wrote. “To those whom I have hurt I genuinely apologize." NPRs Lynn Neary spoke with some of the women who have accused Alexie of predatory behavior.This revelation is stirring some tough conversations within literary and native communities, as reported by KUOW's Liz Jones in Seattle.opbmusic Session with Haley Heynderickx - 11:55Songwriter Haley Heynderickx has received plenty of high-profile praise in the wake of her first full-length album, “I Need To Start A Gar

This week on "State of Wonder," we talk to the creators of "Everything Sucks" and Allison Janney about her Oscar-nominated turn in "I, Tonya," and meet Portland's new creative laureate.

A spectacular live show from the 21st annual Fisher Poets Gathering in Astoria, where a unique way of life gives rise to truly unique poems, songs, and stories. One writer describes Fisher Poets as "stories of immigration, indigenous oppression, indigenous wisdom, horrific sexism, of wanton cruelty to creatures of earth, of balance and respect for all life/ Fishing stories are abortion stories, life stories, love stories, hate stories, death stories. They are funny, sad, and stupid. They are timeless stories of the human experience, played out on the ancient backdrop of pulling sustenance from the bountiful sea."

The squeeze on Portland's real estate market has sent artists scampering for affordable space. On Feb. 28, Portland city leaders will bring a year's worth of research to bear with two dozen recommendations aimed at preserving the arts spaces that remain and clearing a path for the studios, galleries and venues of tomorrow. We’re going to spend this hour looking at those recommendations and getting some innovative ideas that are not in the plan.Towne Storage - Where Are They Now?There are many artists and arts groups that have been priced out of their space. But one of the stories that stayed with us was Towne Storage. A 100-year-old warehouse in the Central Eastside, its brick walls and wood floors housed hundreds of creative businesses for decades — artists, photographers, musicians, booksellers and much more. We caught up with a few artists who used to work there.The Vision: Commissioners Nick Fish and Chloe Eudaly - 5:48City Commissioners Nick Fish and Chloe Eudaly, working in concert with Mayor Ted Wheele

Our valentine to you, dear members, this week includes musical inversions with The Shins' James Mercer, who remixed one great Shins album to make another. We also hear from veteran actor Joe Morton of "Scandal", check out fun fiction with illustrator-turned-author Keith Rosson, and hear about the epic new 5.5-hour play at Artists Rep.

This week on "State of Wonder," we remember the life and legacy of the ground-breaking writer Ursula K. Le Guin, and then we talk with Oregon's three Grammy nominees: Portugal. The Man, The Decemberists' side project Offa Rex, and Randy Porter and Nancy King.Remembering Ursula K Le GuinPortland lost a living legend this week. Ursula K. Le Guin passed away on Monday at the age of 88 in her Northwest home. Her writing not only spanned genres, it tore down the barriers that separated them, helping to elevate science fiction and fantasy into "literature" — to say nothing of opening up fiction to women writers and women protagonists. The worlds Le Guin created were places of refuge for those who felt like outsiders and places that challenged readers to think differently and expand their imaginations.In this segment, we listen to: 2:04 - A remembrance from April Baer 5:50 - A conversation with Le Guin at Wordstock in 2015, shortly after the release of a new version of her guide to writing, “Steering the Craft