Tag Archives: Portland

Former Portland mayoral candidate talks about hitting woman in college

Posted on by December 12, 2013

Portlanders at a storytelling event last night got quite the surprise when former mayoral candidate Jefferson Smith took the stage and told a story about the time in college when he hit a woman at a party.

Smith, who lost to Charlie Hales in last year’s election, was a Democratic state representative who was considered a rising star in Oregon politics.

It's not a great picture, I know, but it's what I got. Jefferson Smith on stage talking about how he hit a girl.

It’s not a great picture, I know, but it’s what I got. Jefferson Smith on stage talking about how he hit a girl.

Then … Read more ...

A Night At The Moth in Portland

Posted on by December 7, 2013

I knew that my night at The Moth was going to be an extra good one when the woman in the seat next to mine sternly warned me not to spill her scotch.

I assured her I did not condone such abuse of alcohol. She chuckled. We were fast friends.

Outside the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland.

Outside the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland.

The Moth is a not-for-profit group that supports storytelling. What is storytelling? It’s what we do everyday. Sharing true stories from our lives with others. However at … Read more ...

How My Night Went From a Freelance Writing Panel to a Stripping Chipmunk

Posted on by April 25, 2014

Walking back to my car in Portland after a freelance writing panel, I could hear the people whooping it up from the sidewalk. I peered through the windowed door to see a coffeehouse with an eclectic crowd applauding a clown.

Well, she was kind of a clown. She was more of a clown before a clown dons on the red nose, curly wig and big shoes. There wasn’t even a billowy polkadotted jumper for this maven. Instead, she was rockin’ some black fishnets and glitter.… Read more ...

Truthful tales behind the eyeroll-inducing parenting cliches

Posted on by October 17, 2013

Being a parent you live out all the tiresome cliches in truth:

  • The days are long, but the years are short.
  • They’re only this age once.
  • You wear your heart on your sleeve.

Usually cliches do nothing but make my eyes roll in the back of my head a la Linda Blair, but the one about the heart on your sleeve recently hit me in spades.

As most of you know, we left Chicago for Portland this summer. And since we didn’t know many folks … Read more ...