Opb's State Of Wonder

Ever find yourself lost in Shakespeare's flowery prose? A new project helps translate his writing into modern English. We also delve into a devastating scandal in the jazz community and take a trip across America on a bicycle with National Book Award–winning author Colum McCann.

The crocuses are popping up, and this week's show blossoms with new music, new technology, dazzling comics, and so much more!Artists Will Transform Your World with Virtual Reality - 1:20Imagine a gallery where you can step into a painting, fly through the ceiling to the heaven’s above, or learn a dance from a virtual flamingo. It’s not a world far off. Virtual and augmented reality stand to transform the art world, and the tech incubator Oregon Story Board is on the front lines. We scoped out a new artists residency they jump-started to give artists a chance to play with the newest cutting-edge technology.The Last Artful Dodgr Cranks Up the Volume on Portland Hip-Hop - 8:34The Last Artful Dodgr (nee Alana Chenevert) initially planned to be an anthropologist, perhaps unearthing fossils instead of rhymes. Instead she found her voice in singing and rapping about the realities of life as millennial, and left Los Angeles for Portland. Newly signed to startup local label Eyrst (a project of former Trail Blazer Mart

This week on "State of Wonder," the Blazer talks about his side-gig as a rapper, Portland's indie remix pioneer brings home the win, Portland Community Media gets an update and more.Eugene Opera Hits the Pause Button - 1:25This week the Eugene Opera faced the music with a public meeting about its finances. Taking into account staff and office costs, the Eugene Opera needs $230,000 to stay alive through the end of the fiscal year this summer and has suspended the rest of its season. Trail Blazer Damian Lillard on Rapping and Starting a Record Label - 6:57You may know Damian Lillard for his buzzer beating shots on the basketball court: He was the NBA Rookie of the Year in his first season with the Trail Blazers in 2012, and he just extended a 5 year contract to stay on in Rip City. But you may not know that Lillard is also a musician. Last year, he released his debut album, “The Letter O,” under the moniker Dame DOLLA and launched his own record label called Front Page Music. Portland's Remix Pioneer, RAC, Wins

Grab your rain coat and take a ride on the aerial tram, head out to the International Film Festival, support your art-loving neighborhood watering hole, or stay in and listen to Shy Girl's bedroom music — there's something for everyone this week.Marvel to Release New Luke Cage Series by Portland Writer David Walker - 1:23The Netflix series has thrust the unbreakable superhero Luke Cage into the national spotlight, although he's been around since the early ‘70s as Power Man. Portland writer David Walker grew up on Cage, one of the only black comic book characters at the time (despite the fact, Walker says, no black people talked anything like the comic characters). So it was a dream-come-true for Walker to resurrect the character in the Marvel series “Power Man and Iron Fist,” with art by Sanford Greene. Then news broke this week that Marvel will wrap up PMIF in April, and Walker will pen a stand-alone Luke Cage series to begin in May.opbmusic Session with Shy Girls - 10:11There’s music for dancing, there’s mu

This week on State of Wonder, immerse yourself in a sonic wonderland of Arvo Pärt's music, catch a short film at the airport and hear from local artists about their experience as refugees.Iraqi Artist Farooq Hassan On Painting and War - 1:06President Donald Trump’s new travel ban has implications for scores of artists, whether they’re doing a residency, in contention for an Oscar, or running from a war. For nearly 40 years, the painter Farooq Hassan showed work in museums all over the Middle East, including the National Museum of Iraq in Baghdad, and designed many Iraqi stamps. After the U.S. invasion in 2003, everything changed. Hassan's daughter Dalia Hussein worked for the U.S. military and the "Washington Post" for six years before she became such a target for anti-American forces that they sought safe harbor in the U.S. Incorporating vibrant colors and collage, Hassan’s work now focuses on Iraqi women afflicted with the wounds of war. Although they are now citizens, Hassan and Hussein are uncertain what

Mid-winter blues got you down? We've got the remedy for that. Whether its getting outside in the darkest time of year for a European-style light festival, hearing music from one of Portland's premiere Americana stars, or meeting Portland's brand new city commissioner, Chloe Eudaly, this week's show is guaranteed to warm your soul.Chloe Eudaly on Her Big Step from Indie Bookstore Owner to City Commissioner - 1:23Chloe Eudaly started work as Portland’s newest commissioner amid a winter weather event that shut down city offices. In a town wracked by tumultuous gentrification, Eudaly is a single mom, a renter, and an eastsider who beat a much better-funded incumbent. In her first act as Commissioner, Eudaly has put up a proposal requiring landlords to pay relocation costs when tenants are evicted without cause that will go before council on Feb. 2. The Portland Winter Light Festival Shines Away the S.A.D. - 11:08You can stay in and be cozy at this time of year; no one would blame you. But the Portland Winter Lig

There’s been a huge transition on the national stage. The curtain has closed on one act and opened on another. There’s a whole new cast of players, and no one’s sure where this plotline is headed. Not to say that the audience is always sitting still to find out. This hour, we’re going to talk to artists who’re standing up with their art.Trump Inspires a New Era of Protest Music - 1:53Donald Trump's inauguration party featured musicians like Toby Keith playing the Lincoln Memorial. But alongside the celebrations and demonstrations across the country, there’s also signs that a new era of protest music is brewing in the Northwest, from Portland's Kyle Craft (who's usually more Bowie than Guthrie) to Seattle's Death Cab for Cutie, Wimps, and Tacocat.Margaret Jacobsen - On The Front Line - 5:43The Portland branch of the Womens’ March on Washington had a rocky start, with some group members feeling like the original organizers weren’t doing enough to make everyone feel welcome. Many group members perceived Margaret

State of Wonder will melt your winter blahs down to marshmallowy molten goodness with provocative dance projects, hot new fiction, and music for transformative times (with twirling rifles!).Tahni Holt’s Sensational Disorientation - 1:21When it comes to women, there are two things American culture doesn’t look so kindly on: age and weight. Portland choreographer Tahni Holt’s newest performance delights in both. “Sensation/Disorientation” runs at Reed College’s Diver Studio Theatre as part of White Bird’s Uncaged Series Jan. 18–22.Studio Session with Typhoon’s Kyle Morton - 7:19Kyle Morton is known for the soaring, lyrical songs he writes for his band, Typhoon. Now Morton has put out a solo record called “What Will Destroy You” that gives breath to his somber and contemplative style (not to mention incredible wit). David Byrne Taps Portlander Kelly Pratt For Star-Studded Color Guard Collaboration- 14:56Kelly Pratt, who has worked with everyone from Beirut to Cold Play, first collaborated with David Byrne when

2016 was packed — packed! — with big arts stories, both locally and nationally (we're still mourning you, Bowie and Prince, Cohen and Jones, and all the other dynamos). We decided to spend our first episode of 2017 looking back at some of them and updating them for the new year.Art Glass MeltdownWe should have known 2016 was going to be a doozy last January, when one modest Forest Service research project turned the Northwest’s storied art glass industry upside down. Oregon’s two major suppliers, Bullseye Glass Co. and Uroboros Glass, stopped most production while everyone tried to figure out what the studies meant. In May, Washington state’s Spectrum Glass became the first to announce its closure, and then in September, Uroboros announced it would close its doors after 44 years. A California company called Oceanside GlassTile has announced it will buy both and move their production to Mexico. We review a mid-year feature, and hear from Uroboros founder Eric Lovell, who's in the process of shelving his busine

We love talking to authors about their books, but do you know what’s almost more fun? Talking to them about other people's books. This year, at the book festival Wordstock, we rounded up some amazing writers and illustrators on the OPB Pop-Up Stage to ask them: was there a book that changed your life?Richard Russo - 1:24The books of Richard Russo are practically synonymous with small town American life. They tell stories of working-class folks in falling-down mill towns in upstate New York, but they could take place practically anywhere in the U.S. Russo’s 2001 novel, “Empire Falls,” won the Pulitzer prize and was made into a mini-series on HBO. His 1993 novel, “Nobody’s Fool,” was made into a movie starring Paul Newman and Philip Seymour Hoffman, and this year, Russo is back with the a sequel, “Everybody’s Fool.”Russo picked two volumes of short stories by Richard Yates: “Eleven Kinds of Loneliness” and “Liars in Love.” Best known for the novel "Revolutionary Road," Yates wrote about everyday people with sma

Because our mailboxes are flooding with requests for year-end giving, we're listening back to an episode we did last year with philanthropist, instigator, and friend to the arts, Dorie Vollum, who also kindly came aboard as our guest curator.This week, Vollum helps us explore what giving means — not just to the individual giving, but for the arts organizations on the receiving end, and how those relationships work. We look at her family’s deep history in the Portland economy and supporting institutions ranging from the Oregon Symphony to the Oregon College of Arts and Crafts. And we get personal with the people and institutions that Dorie personally has dedicated herself to, beginning with Menomena band member Justin Harris.The Tectonic Shift That Altered Oregon - 6:03How much of Oregon's arts and culture has been fueled with oscilloscope money? More than you think. The Vollum family made its money at Tektronix, a hugely successful maker of testing and measuring equipment founded by Howard Vollum and Jack Mur

This week we take you on a sleigh ride from operatic strippers to poetry by veterans. What Do You Get When You Mix Opera And Stripping?This month a subversive group of classical musicians called the Cult of Orpheus are staging a holiday performance like no other. Viva’s Holiday is a short opera based on the memoirs of Portland's most famous exotic dancer, Viva Las Vegas. Christopher Rothko on Sharing His Father's Art with the Portland Art Museum + The Museum Hires a New NW Curator - 5:38Mark Rothko is one of the 20th century’s most famous painters, and his formative years were spent in Portland: he immigrated here at age 10 from Latvia and took classes at the Museum School at the Portland Art Museum before graduating from Lincoln High School. In October, the museum announced plans for the Rothko Pavilion, a new multi-story glass structure. The art museum also announced a partnership with Rothko’s children to cycle his works through the museum on a rotating basis.opbmusic Session with Singer-Songwriter Sara Ja

Stories of reptile love, seeing your neighbors darkest secrets, a bizarre visit to the dentist — these are just some of the stories from the Plotto flash fiction contest we did with the publisher, Tin House. Plus, we hear some of the top picks of 2016 from KMHD's music director, we explore the art in Portland's eastward expansion, and we talk to one of Oregon's most celebrated writers about what it was like to finally win the Oregon Books Award after being the literary bridesmaid so many times.

What we noticed this week: people throwing off convention to remake a city, reinterpret symphonic music, inspire a new wave of activism, or just bang out a new beat. Take a break from holiday hurly-burly to hear all the latest.You (and You and You) Can Own a Slice of This Building - 1:10In the middle of one of Portland’s biggest real estate booms, one building stands out. It’s called the Fair-Haired Dumbbell, but it’s not just the name and psychedelic design that make it unique. It's also the first commercial building in Oregon and perhaps the first in the nation to raise money via online crowdfunding, and for as little as $3,000, you can own a piece of it.The Oregon Symphony Gets Animated - 8:39As the second in its collaborative SightSound trilogy, the Oregon Symphony invited animator Rose Bond to create visuals to accompany Messiaen's epic symphony "Turangalîla" from Dec. 3-5. Think "Fantasia," but live and in person as four projectors bring the walls of the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall to life in a sympho

What a week! Disjecta's founder gets shown the door, we remember the precocious writer Roger Hobbs, Hari Kondabolu returns to Portland to put some funny back in politics, and we hear about the importance of play, even as an adult. Upheaval at Disjecta - 1:10Disjecta Contemporary Arts Center is losing its founding executive director at the end of this year, and it’s not a happy split. The organization’s board took the unusual step of asking founding director Bryan Suereth to leave in what it calls a "leadership transition." Thing is, there's no new leadership named, leaving the nonprofit's future in flux. Portland Through Decades of Skanner Photography - 4:55Few Portland artists can claim deeper ties to the city than Julie Keefe. She’s shot for everyone from the Oregonian to the New York Times, but she might be best known, at least in Northeast Portland, as the primary photographer for the Skanner newspaper, where she’s documented Portland’s African American community since 1991. A selection of photos drawn

This week, we bring you the second of two shows we'd recorded live at Wordstock, Portland's book festival. It's sparkling hour with three witty truth-tellers. But first, we wanted to check in: how're you feeling after the election. Artists Respond to TrumpPortland hip-hop sensation Aminé hit the stage of "The Tonight Show" Tuesday, adding some politics to his viral song “Caroline”: "You can never make American great again / All you did is make this country hate again." His voice joined the chorus of artists protesting in the streets, making visual art about the election, and other kinds of work. In fact, many Oregon artists are rethinking what their work has to say in a divisive political season. We check in with a few of them.Maria Semple - 6:40The world of Maria Semple's imagination is a glowing place. Her characters rocket off on madcap adventures; they collide at high speed; they teeter on the edge of emotional cliffhangers. Some passages crackle with the comedic snap she honed writing for TV shows like “

The toast of the literary season is Portland’s book festival, Wordstock. This week we bring you the first of several shows we taped: a bang-up time with three exceptional authors, and one song that left us starry-eyed, recorded in front of a packed audience at the Winningstad Theater. Peter Ames Carlin on Paul Simon - 1:00Peter Ames Carlin has written about some of the most iconic musicians of the 20th century: Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson. His new book taps into one of the most complex characters in pop history. Paul Simon soundtracked the 1960s, together with his soul mate, frenemy, and long-time musical partner, Art Garfunkel. But as Carlin’s book, “Homeward Bound” shows, Simon’s path is piled with contradictions. The road to Graceland was strewn with misunderstandings, and the man who gave us some of the sweetest harmonies of the 20th century was not the guy you would want to cross over song royalties.We also invited Portland singer-songwriter Luz Elena Mendoza, the inc

Eugene is a surprising hotbed of video games. "Tribes," "Godzilla: Destroy All Monster's Melee," and "Red Baron" are just a few games to be developed in its local studios. While larger studios like Pipeworks tend to employee the most people, there's also an active indie scene that is nowhere more apparent than at the second annual Indie Game Con. Hundreds of people filled Lane Community College in early October to play new titles, from space shooters like "XO" and "Star Mazer" to fantasy games like "Villagers & Heroes" to the more unusual, like a game of dueling narwhals called "Fail Whale" and a game of dueling tongues called "Smooth Operator."On today's show we talk to developers about making games and getting game face on for taking their creations out into the world.Meet our guests: Ted Brown is the director of Eugene-based Indie Game Con. A veteran of Zynga and Buzz Monkey Software, Brown own and operates game studio Oreganik LLC, which developed the app games "Chess Heroes" and "Epic Skater." He

War Cartoonist Joe Sacco on How Portland's Housing Crisis Is Like a Refugee CrisisYou might find and unusual comic stuffed in your mailbox or slipped under the door in the coming weeks. Titled "Rent Crisis," it's by the award-winning Portland journalist and artist Joe Sacco. He’s spent his life creating wry black-and-white comics about people who live in war zones like Palestine, Bosnia, and Chechnya, but his latest project focuses on a conflict closer to home. Sacco’s friends with Chloe Eudaly, who owns the independent bookstore Reading Frenzy and is running for a seat on Portland’s city council, and this six-page comic came from a day they spent traveling around Portland interviewing people who are struggling to pay the rent.Physical Education Works Up a Sweat - 6:46Some issues have to be worked out on the dance floor. Which is one reason four Portland performers — keyon gaskin, Allie Hankins, Lu Yim, and Takahiro Yamamoto — came together to form Physical Education. What began as four friends getting togeth

Star Percussionist Colin Currie Plays Our Studio —The Oregon Symphony welcomes Colin Currie back to the stage Oct. 22–24. We talk with Curry about how he’s pushing the boundaries of contemporary classical music, as a soloist and through commissioning new works for percussion and orchestra. Then we give him an assortment of office goods (think recycling bin, bucket, vase, Dragon Boat oar) and ask him to play a tune.Bravo Youth Orchestra —Oregon Art Beat brings us this profile of the first Oregon program based on a world-famous Venezuelan method of music instruction. El Sistema is the program that has brought high-quality musical education to hundreds of thousands of kids in Venezuela. Bravo is replicating El Sistema in metro Portland’s underserved communities.Tin House Fiction Contest Plot Prompt #1 —Ready to grind out 500 words of flash fiction in Tin House’s Plotto: The Master Contest of All Plots? Without further ado, here is the first prompt:“Character A, proceeding about his business and caught in a crow