Think Out Loud

The new novel from Oregon author Lidia Yuknavitch is anything but straightforward. The story - or collection of stories - travels through time, exploring different moments on the edges of America's history. There is no main character, but a turtle and an aquatic young girl do play a role in guiding the reader from one scene to the next. The book is very much a response to the crises of the present moment - e.g., climate change, the rise of white supremacy - but is grounded in the injustices of the past. Lidia Yuknavitch joins us to talk about her new novel, “Thrust.”

On the night of August 21, 1945, Portland police officers arrived at the home of Ervin Jones, a Black man who had moved with his wife and two young children from Louisiana to work in the nearby shipyards during World War II. According to witness testimony, the plainclothes officers never identified themselves while demanding to be let in, mistakenly believing that a murder suspect was sheltering inside the home. Jones was shot by one of the officers through a bedroom window and died a short while later. Now, a new investigative report reveals the tragic aftermath of the killing, and how one family's quest for answers has led to a call for justice and official acknowledgment of Jones' innocence decades later. Joining us to talk about her reporting on this story is Melanie Henshaw, a staff reporter at Street Roots.

There are no certified sexual assault nurse examiners who are based on Oregon's North Coast. Currently, there is one certified nurse who is based in Portland and works intermittently in Astoria. This means for those who choose to report their assault, they will likely need to travel to Portland for an examination when this nurse is unavailable. Survivors are often told to wait for several hours until a certified nurse is available and are also instructed not to shower or change clothes during this waiting period, discouraging many from continuing the process. Abbey McDonald is a reporter for the Astorian. She joins us to share more on her reporting and how the lack of these specialized nurses are affecting the North coast.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service awarded Oregon nearly $7 million to help landowners protect working farmland. Farmers work with regional land trusts to conserve land from development. Sarahlee Lawrence is the founder of Rainshadow Organics, a “full diet” farm that offers certified organic fruits, vegetables, grains and meats. Lawrence has applied to have land that she works on protected with the Deschutes Land Trust. She tells us more about the importance of protecting Oregon's farmland.

The Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade was not a surprise after a draft opinion eliminating the right to abortion was leaked in early May. Even before the the 50-year-old decision protecting federal rights of those seeking abortions was overturned, access to the procedure had been dwindling for years in many states. In recent years, the Oregon legislature created a fund to help those in-state and out-of-state with expenses needed to access abortion care here. Our guests include Lois Anderson with Oregon Right to Life, Christel Allen with Pro-Choice Oregon, Mary Stark who provides abortions and helps lead Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Oregon, as well as Lewis & Clark contitutional law scholar Jim Oleske We'll also be taking your calls live on the air about your personal experience with abortion. How access to abortion has affected you?

We spoke to poet Claudia Rankine in front of a live audience at Literary Arts in downtown Portland in 2018. Rankine is the author of five collections of poetry, including National Book Award finalist "Citizen: An American Lyric." Rankine was awarded the MacArthur "genius" grant in 2016 and founded the Racial Imaginary Institute to explore whiteness in American culture. We listen back to that interview today.

In her new novel, Portland writer Karen Thompson Walker explores the terrifying possibility of a world altered by a highly contagious disease. The disease causes people to fall into a seemingly endless sleep. We'll talk to Thompson Walker about her book, The Dreamers.

Portland writer Leni Zumas joins us to talk about her new book “Red Clocks.” The novel centers around the lives of four women in a small coastal town in Oregon, in an America under an administration that has taken away most reproductive rights and reserved adoption for married, opposite sex couples only.

Whether you're caring for aging parents or disabled children, taking care of family members at home can be extremely challenging. Family caregivers work long hours, often unpaid. We will hear from a woman who cares for a disabled family member with developmental disabilities, an adult child caring for an aging parent, and a caregiver fighting for change at the Oregon legislature. We'll also meet people whose work it is to help these caregivers navigate the system and to get support

As the daughter of Korean immigrants, Cathy Park Hong found writing poetry to be freeing -- an empowering way of escaping the invisibility of Asian American identity. Then, as a professional poet, it became clear that the literary world expected Hong's identity to be both a part of, and a limitation to, her work. This cognitive dissonance is one of the “Minor Feelings” addressed in her book of essays of that name. Cathy Park Hong joins us in front of an audience of students at Portland's Leodis V. McDaniel High School.

In honor of Juneteenth, we listen back to two conversations filled with humor and joy today. We spoke to poet and writer Nikki Giovanni in 2014 when her book ‘Chasing Utopia' came out. And in the summer of 2020, in the beginning of the pandemic, and the middle of the racial justice uprising, we spoke to three local Black comedians about how writing jokes can be a way to process traumatic events, challenge social norms, and build community through laughter. We hear from comedians Christian Burke and Dahlia Belle, and Dirty Angel Entertainment executive producer Courtenay Collins.

Many of Oregon's beloved music festivals are coming back this summer after taking a hiatus during the worst of the pandemic. OPB Music Director Jerad Walker joins us to talk about some of the bands and artists he's most excited to hear live on stage as the weather gets warmer.

The Oregon Tribal Student Grant program aims to help members of the nine federally recognized Native American tribes in Oregon who are attending eligible colleges or universities in the state. The grant will cover the costs of attendance beyond additional federal and state financial aid and can be used for tuition, housing, books and other expenses. The Oregon Legislature approved the program for one year. It's unclear if it will continue after the 2022-2023 school year. At least 531 people have started applications, according to HECC. We hear from Sandy Henry, education director for the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians and Ben Cannon, executive director of Oregon's Higher Education Coordinating Commission, which administers the grant.

The Vanport Mosaic has a unique mission. It's all about “memory-activism.” Co-founder Damaris Webb says that means the organization is a platform to surface silenced histories to understand the present and create an inclusive future. To that end, The Vanport Mosaic and Confrontation Theatre are presenting a solo play called, “Walking Through Portland with a Panther: The Life of Mr. Kent Ford. All Power!” Ford co-founded the Black Panther Party's Portland chapter in the 1960s and continues to be a civil rights activist. He still gives walking tours of NE Portland, and shares his memories of activism and community service. We talk with The Vanport Mosaic Director Damaris Webb, who also directed the play about Ford's life and legacy.

This month marks the 50th Anniversary of Title IX, the federal law which prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs and activities. A new special from NPR marks the anniversary by telling the story of former UO women's basketball coach Jody Runge, who pushed to make that promise of equity a reality for the university's women's basketball team. Jody Runge leaned on Title IX to turn a losing team into a Pac-Ten powerhouse and to close a pay gap with the men's coach, but she paid a price for her determination. Journalist Emily Harris teamed with producer Ida Hardin and NPR's Enterprise Storytelling Unit to report and produce this documentary, featuring the progress that Title IX brought for women in college athletics, as well as costs of that progress and challenges that remain. OPB TV will air “Benching the Patriarchy - 50 Years of Title IX” on Sunday, June 19th at 9pm. We talk to producer Ida Hardin about the work.

BikePortland recently reported that a property owner in downtown Portland had erected a row of more than two dozen bike racks along a public sidewalk. Around the same time, Willamette Week reported that a group of residents in Portland's Laurelhurst neighborhood set up planter boxes along a street next to Laurelhurst Park, where people had been camping before a recent sweep. Both appear to be examples of hostile architecture, also known as defensive architecture, meant to deter people experiencing homelessness from camping on the sidewalk. Michael Mehaffy is a researcher and architect who focuses on public space. He says he sees hostile architecture as the end result of systemic failures. We hear from Mehaffy about how the accessibility of public space can reflect a city's values.

Gender-affirming medical care is often determined by doctors and researchers who are not transgender. The Transgender and Non-Binary Allied Research Collective (TRANS-ARC) aims to change that. OHSU urologist Geolani Dy co-founded the collective to incorporate trans and nonbinary patient perspectives in research about gender-affirming surgeries. Since the collective started in 2019, trans and nonbinary patients have been shaping the ways that providers care for people in their community, including choosing research topics to focus on and influencing the ways that surgical outcomes are measured. We hear from Dy and TRANS-ARC Project Co-Lead Jae Downing, who is an assistant professor of health policy at the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health.

Prices at the grocery store are rising. According to the Consumer Price Index, the cost of food has increased by 10% since last year. As the cost of a meal is going up, how does this affect those already facing food insecurity? To answer this question and more we'll hear from leaders at two food banks. Susannah Morgan, CEO of the Oregon Food Bank, and Niki Sampson, executive director of Klamath-Lake Counties Food Bank, join us to share what they're seeing now.

In February, a shooter opened fire into a group of people who had gathered for a racial justice protest at Normandale Park in Northeast Portland, killing one person and wounding four others. Benjamin Jeffrey Smith was arrested and later charged with the murder of Brandy “June” Knightly in the shooting, and also faces multiple counts of attempted murder and assault with a firearm. Now, an OPB investigation has revealed that the FBI had received multiple tips dating back to 2006 about Smith's history of violent and threatening behaviors, and that the agency had contacted Smith months before the fatal shooting. Joining us to talk about their investigation are Jonathan Levinson, a multimedia reporter who covers policing for OPB, and Conrad Wilson, a reporter and producer who covers criminal justice and legal affairs for OPB.

Climate change is affecting the well-being and mental health of young people, according to a new study from the Oregon Health Authority. Researchers conducted focus groups to understand how more extreme weather events and climate-related disasters are affecting 14 to 24-year-olds. Feelings of anger, grief and despair are just a few of the emotions young people are experiencing. Julie Sifuentes is the climate and mental health lead for OHA as well as the lead author of this new study. Meg Cary is a child adolescent psychiatrist and senior advisor for OHA. Ukiah Halloran-Steiner is a 17-year-old climate justice organizer with Sunrise Rural Oregon. They join us with details.Oregon youth are feeling the effects of climate change on their mental health

The Treasure Valley Reload Center would make shipping onions and other produce easier and cheaper for Malheur County growers. The project was supposed to be completed by the end of August, but officials now say they don't have enough funds to finish construction. In 2017, Oregon lawmakers invested $26 million for the project. Now, the Malheur County Economic Development office has said this funding will cover the costs of everything but the main building. Les Zaitz is the publisher of the Malheur Enterprise. He joins us to share more on what's next for the county.

Oregon has the seond highest rate of substance use disorder in the US. And at the same time, the state ranks last in the nation for its access to addiction treatment options. And the inability for people to get treatment when they need it fuels the addiction crisis itself. We hear how this is personally affecting Kelly Hernandez, the mother of a son struggling with substance use disorder. And we talk with Fernando Pena, the executive director of NW Instituto Latino, which offers culturally specific addiction recovery support services.

The Catalyst program at Basic Rights Oregon aims to increase leadership capacity and champion transgender social justice equity across the state. The program puts together a cohort of transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming Oregonians to gain skills and build community together. Jo Doyle, the Leadership Development and Training Program Manager for Basic Rights Oregon, coordinates the Catalyst program. Ari Rain is a participant this year. They both join us to share the goals of this program.

The Bristow 24/12 Run is happening Saturday at the Elijah Bristow State Park near Eugene. Participants can run for 12 or 24 hours straight around a one-mile loop. Runners test themselves on how many laps they can get through before time runs out. We learn more about the race from Renee Janssen, a race director and Charley Boynton, a participant in this year's race.

Starting next month in Marion county, scientists at Oregon State University will release a parasitic species of wasp to control an invasive pest that infests fruits as they ripen, costing half a billion dollars worth of crop damage each year in the U.S. The spotted wing drosophila, a fruit fly native to Southeast Asia, was first detected in Oregon in 2009 and costs the state's blueberry industry alone more than $10 million in losses annually. It took scientists more than a decade to gain approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to release the parasitic wasp, which is also native to Southeast Asia, in Oregon and other sites along the West coast this summer. Vaughn Walton, a horticultural entomologist in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Oregon State University, joins us to explain the latest efforts to control this invasive pest in Oregon and the West coast.

Jackie Linton was born and raised in Hermiston. She wasn't particularly involved in civic life until recently, but has became a vocal advocate for a variety of issues in the last few years. Linton ran for city council previously, before winning the city council seat last month. She joins us to share more of her story and what her priorities will be when she takes office next year.

On Saturday, law enforcement arrested 31 members of the white supremacist group Patriot Front in Idaho. The men were packed into a U-Haul and were traveling to a Pride event held in Coeur d'Alene which they had plans to riot, according to local law enforcement. Daniel Walters, an investigative reporter at the Inlander, has been covering the story and he joins us to fill us in on the latest.

Visual artist Mike Bennett delighted his one-and-a-half million followers on TikTok when he announced in March his latest and most ambitious art project to date: a dinosaur museum in downtown Portland. Three months later, Dinolandia has now opened its doors inside a 22,000 square-foot space previously occupied by a department store. The interactive museum features 67 whimsically painted plywood dinosaurs, including a 15-foot-tall Tyrannosaurus Rex, several velociraptors and a pair of stegosauruses popping out of a psychedelic-tinted prehistoric forest. A dash of time-traveling storytelling and dinosaur facts help keep adults and children engaged and entertained. Mike Bennett joins us to talk about Dinolandia and making art that sparks, as he calls it, “public joy.”

A top-ranked ultimate frisbee team from Eugene has traveled to Richmond, Virginia to compete in the High School National Invite tournament this weekend. More than half of the 30-member South Eugene Gender Diverse / Girls Ultimate team identifies as gender nonbinary or gender nonconforming, including Arenaria Cramer, a high school senior and one of four captains on the team. Head coach Rachelle Depner says this is the first time that a gender diverse team or girls team from Oregon is competing in the national tournament which was canceled for the past two years because of the pandemic. Depner and Cramer join us to talk about the team's achievement and their efforts to make ultimate frisbee more inclusive and accepting.

Last year, the Northwest baked through an unprecedented heat wave. At the time, The Office of the Corrections Ombuds, an independent agency in Washington within the governor's office, conducted a site visit at the Monroe Correctional Complex. The office found temperatures reached 107 degrees inside the facility, and listed recommendations the Department of Corrections should implement. High Country News recently published a report on how prisons in the state responded to the heat wave. It details grievances from people in prison that illustrate extreme conditions and a lack of emergency preparation. Sarah Sax, a freelance journalist and former climate Justice fellow at High Country News, reported the story. She joins us with details.

In 2019, the Port of Astoria began charging $300 to ocean-going vessels headed up the Columbia River. The port argues they offer a service, since they have the deepest berth for ships passing through during an emergency. In a recent lawsuit, federal courts ruled against the port since only a few ships have ever used the emergency service in the past 20 years. Ethan Myers, reporter for The Astorian, joins us to share details of the case and what this means for the future of the port.

Oregon has been working on rules that outline how to implement the psilocybin measure that passed in 2020. The Oregon Health Authority recently released one set of its final rules for the therapeutic use of psilocybin. And the agency began accepting applications this week for programs to train those who want to provide the service. Oregon is the first state to pass a law to provide the psychedelic in a supervised setting, but a handful of cities have decriminalized small amounts of the drug. Mason Marks was a member of the advisory board until a few months ago and also provides legal advice to businesses and cities around the country. He wrote the psilocybin ordinance Seattle city councilors passed last year. He joins us to give us an overview of the latest rules and update us on the timing of the rollout. He also explains how OHA's approved rules differ from some of the recommendations of the advisory board — and why it matters.

As gun violence continues to affect Portlanders, what kind of trauma does that create for kids? How can losing a loved one to gun violence be different from other forms of loss? We learn more about grief, loss and gun violence from Alysha Lacey. She's the director of program services at the Dougy Center, a Portland-based organization that offers grief support for children, teens, young adults, and their families.

Portland's Star Bar has been operating in the city since its opening 12 years ago. Owner Josh Davis says he has seen the way drug use has changed in the city and wanted to do what he could to address it. As reported by PDX Eater, Davis began offering free fentanyl test strips to anyone who needs them. He also has started to carry naloxone behind the bar in the case of an opioid overdose. Davis joins us to share why he started providing this service to bar patrons and community members.

Nearly two dozen disability rights advocates from around the world are in Eugene right now. They're participating in a program that has trained more than 200 women from 89 countries since its launch 25 years ago to help lead efforts to achieve disability rights in their home countries. We hear from Aarthi Burtony, a blind activist from the island nation of Mauritius, and one of the participants in this year's Women's Institute on Leadership and Disability. We'll also hear from Susan Sygall, the CEO and co-founder of Mobility International USA, the Eugene-based nonprofit that created the program, about the impact its alumni are having around the world.

Mountain rescue doctors and volunteers have already undertaken eight alpine rescue missions this year, in a normal year they just have a few. Rescue Mountaineer Christopher Van Tilburg says that increasing crowds, inexperienced climbers and access to equipment have changed who is headed to Mt. Hood. A single mission can take all night or last multiple days. He wrote about his rescues for Outside magazine. Tilburg joins us to share his experience as a rescue doctor and what makes this year so different.

Portlanders who love biking can join Pedalpalooza rides nearly every day this summer. Are there any you're looking forward to? The rides are organized by volunteers and can be short, long, costumed, themed, fast or slow. Meghan Sinnot, a Pedalpalooza organizer, and Armando Luna, a cycling enthusiast, join us to talk about the three-month-long celebration.

Exploring the themes of sustainability, diversity and food innovation, OSU's Art about Agriculture exhibit aims to feature artists' work on the agriculture industry. The exhibit is currently on display at the Giustina Gallery in Corvallis, but will tour to Baker City and Newport. We'll hear from artists Deb Stoner and Tallmadge Doyle on their featured work.

In March, Ashland photographer Christopher Briscoe traveled with doctors on a humanitarian mission to Poland to help refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine. Ten days later, when the mission ended and the doctors departed, Briscoe decided to cross the border into Ukraine. With the help of an interpreter, Briscoe has been capturing portraits of people and stories of loss and resilience amid the sound of air raid sirens and bombardment by Russian artillery. He joins us from Lviv, Ukraine to talk about what he's been seeing and why he feels his professional journey has led him to this moment.

The idea behind Portland's safe rest villages was a response to the homeless crisis. The already large population of people living on the streets has only increased during the pandemic. City commissioner Dan Ryan is in charge of the housing bureau and has had plenty of challenges siting the villages and working with area residents and businesses to open them. A growing number of neighborhood associations and other groups are demanding the city implement background checks before people are allowed into the villages. We talk with freelance reporter Piper McDaniel who's been following the story.

Three new industrial chicken farms proposals in the Willamette Valley have drawn grave concerns from residents and smaller farmers in the region. They say the chicken operations on prime farmland pose a serious threat to already limited water supplies and the environment. Eric Simon grows chickens at Simon Range, a chicken farm in Brownsville, and is close to getting all the approvals he needs for a large scale operation in Scio. He says the new J-S Farm has environmental impact mitigation built into the planned facilities. Simon says he's helping provide affordable food, a much needed commodity. Kendra Kimbirauskas raises livestock in Scio on a smaller scale and is one of the organizers of Farmers Against Foster Farms. She and Simon join us to share their perspectives.

Unclear policies, workplace discrimination and lack of benefits have fueled Portland-based childcare workers to unionize. Staff at Growing Seeds Learning Community, Fruit & Flower Child Care Center and Wild Lilac Child Development Community have successfully unionized within the last year. Workers at Joyful Noise Child Development Centers began their process a few months ago. We hear from union organizers Nat Glitsch with Growing Seeds, Em Holland with Wild Lilac and Amanda Nance with Joyful Noise.

Irrigators in Southern Oregon and Northern California are facing another year of drought. The Klamath Water Users Association, an organization that represents farmers and ranchers, has teamed up with Ducks Unlimited, an organization that works on wetland conservation, to handle water issues. The groups aim to recycle water in the region and envision pump stations that can manage water more efficiently. We hear more about the plan from Moss Driscoll, the Director of Water Policy for the Klamath Water Users Association, and Jeff McCreary, the Western Region director of operations for Ducks Unlimited.

Rancher Becky Hyde was less than two miles away when the Bootleg Fire roared through Southern Oregon last year. Her ranch was surrounded by fire resources and fire personnel were nearby to combat the flames. We get an update from Hyde on how her ranch has fared nearly a year after the fire and what drought in the region means for her.

In March, Gov. Kate Brown issued a state of drought emergency for Klamath County. Residents have faced wells that have gone dry and had limited access to water. Kelley Minty Morris is the chair of the Klamath County Board of Commissioners. She joins us with details on how another drought year has affected the region.

The Klamath Basin is facing another year of drought. The Klamath Tribes remain concerned about the survival of the C'waam and Koptu, also known as the Lost River and shortnose suckers. These fish are classified as endangered. The tribes are suing the federal government because they say agencies are not doing enough to legally protect the fish. Clayton Dumont is the chairman for the Klamath Tribes. He joins us with details.

Last year, the Yurok Tribe in Northern California faced a catastrophic fish kill. Dead fish were found throughout the Klamath River. This year, the tribe says salmon are faring much better, but concerns remain. We check in with Barry McCovey Jr., Fisheries Department director for the Yurok Tribe, to hear how the fish are doing.

Last year, the Yurok Tribe in Northern California faced a catastrophic fish kill. Dead fish were found throughout the Klamath River. This year, the tribe says salmon are faring much better, but concerns remain. We check in with Barry McCovey Jr., Fisheries Department director for the Yurok Tribe, to hear how the fish are doing.

Performance art is nothing without an audience. During the pandemic some concerts, theatre and other artistic expression pivoted to online performances, but there is no replacing an in-person audience. Luan Schooler, the interim artistic director for Artists Repertory Theatre, says before the curtain rises in a finished production, playwrights need an audience to develop their work. That's the idea behind the free public performances in the Mercury Festival, which runs through Sunday. Schooler says ART has been supported nearly 55 different projects and more than 240 artists in its Mercury program created in pandemic. She joins us to talk about this first in-person festival of new work, and why it's debuting in a public space free of charge.

This month, the Portland Chamber Orchestra will premiere a new work by composer Nancy Ives called “Celilo Falls: We Were There.” The piece features poems by Shoshone-Bannock poet Ed Edmo and projected photographic images by Cherokee photographer Joe Cantrell. The entire experience attempts to capture what it was like for Native Americans who lost their homes and livelihoods when the Dalles Dam flooded Celilo Falls in 1957. Ives, Edmo and Cantrell join us to talk about the new work.

Portland's Forest Park is one of the largest urban forests in the country. And like any other forest, it is susceptible to wildfires, especially as the summers get hotter and drier west of the Cascades. For homeowners near the park, a forest fire would be devastating. That's why some neighborhoods have begun to organize into what are called ‘firewise communities.' Shawn Looney and Ralph Brooks are volunteer organizers of their neighborhoods' firewise communities. Kim Kosmas works for the Portland Fire Department. They join us to talk about the work they are doing to educate homeowners and try to prevent a fire in Forest Park.