Today’s Forecast

49º | Showers | 84% chance of rain | Sunrise 7:50 a.m. | Sunset 4:40 p.m.

A stack of books on a wooden porch swing.

Think you’ve got what it takes to turn this newsletter into a poem? | Photo by Karolina Grabowska via Pexels

Calling all readers: In honor of National Poetry Month, you’re officially invited to enter PDXtoday’s first poetry contest.

This contest is open to all, and the rules couldn’t be more simple: Turn today’s newsletter into a poem.

We’ll clarify. Using only the words that appear in this newsletter, craft an original poem of up to 75 words. Unlike an erasure poem, the words do not have to appear in the order they’re found — mix and match how you please. Any word appearing anywhere in today’s newsletter is fair game, including the ones you’re reading right now (we’ll throw some fun ones at you: Pink. Gusto. Enchilada.). If a word appears once, you can only use it once.

The rules:

Submit your poem here by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, April 16.
Include a title + author’s name in your submission. Titles are an exception to the rule, and do not need to pull words from the newsletter.
Poems, excluding title and author’s name, must be 75 words or less.

The fun stuff:

While we’ve placed a pretty big limitation on your poem’s words, the form + direction is up to you — and we can’t wait to see what you all come up with.
The Editorial team behind PDXtoday will narrow submissions down to a group of finalists based on style, originality, artistic quality, and creativity. Finalists will be announced in our Friday, April 21 newsletter and we’ll ask our readers to vote for their favorite poem. The winner’s poem will be featured in our Wednesday, April 26 newsletter.
Pro tip: To make the process easier on yourself, we recommend printing out today’s issue, highlighting the words you find most interesting, and crossing them out as you include them in your poem.
Don’t forget to keep track of your articles (words like “the” or “and”).

Happy writing, Portland!

Submit to our poetry contest

Events

Wednesday, April 5

Before the Revolution: Film & Poetry in Iran | Wednesday, Apr. 5 | 7-9 p.m. | Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton St., Portland | $8 | Enjoy a collection of poetic films from Iran’s first independent film studio that are credited for launching the Iranian New Wave cinema movement.

Thursday, April 6

Magnolia Tour with the Curator | Thursday, Apr. 6 | 12-1 p.m. | Hoyt Arboretum, 4000 SW Fairview Blvd., Portland | Free | Join the annual tour through the park’s collection of blooming magnolia trees and learn about the history of the ancient species.

Friday, April 7

“Firebird” | Friday, April 7-Saturday, April 15 | Times vary | Newmark Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway, Portland | $29-$109 | Oregon Ballet Theater presents Yuri Possokhov’s masterpiece based on the Russian folktale about a young prince, his two loves, and a sorcerer’s curse, along with two other spellbinding performances.
Ceremonials: A Florence + The Machine Drag Show | Friday, Apr. 7 | 8-10 p.m. | Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton St., Portland | $15 | Partake in the full spectrum of the English rock group’s cosmic love through the lens of queer performance artistry.

Saturday, April 8

What’s up at Whitaker? Free Standing Outing | Saturday, Apr. 8 | 9:30-11:30 a.m. | Whitaker Ponds, 7040 NE 47th Ave., Portland | Free | Join this beginner-friendly, laid-back bird walk where binoculars are provided to look for early spring migrants as you listen to nature’s seasonal songs.
Hop into Spring | Saturday, Apr. 8 | 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. | Oregon Zoo, 4001 SW Canyon Rd., Portland | $19-$24 | Meet some of the zoo’s ambassador animals, get tips from master gardeners and recyclers, play outdoor lawn games, watch magic shows, and, of course, explore the exhibits.

Put some spring in your step

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Opening

Two new restaurants from Olympia Provisions will open inside Hotel Grand Stark at the end of April. Grand Amari will be a cafe by day and a swanky Italian restaurant with handmade pasta by night, while Little Bitter Bar will serve Neapolitan pizzas baked in an imported Italian dome deck oven. (Eater Portland)

Award

Literary Arts has revealed its 2023 Oregon Book Awards recipients. The winning titles, which span several fiction and nonfiction genres, were written by locals like Casey Parks (“Diary of a Misfit: A Memoir and a Mystery”), Eric Tran (“Mouth, Sugar, and Smoke”), and Waka T. Brown (“Dream, Annie, Dream”).

Closing

Pleasure Burger is leaving the Pine Street Market food hall. The business, known for its smash burgers, hot dogs, and cheesy waffle fries, announced this week that it’s relocating to an undisclosed location. Its last day at Pine Street Market will be Sunday, April 16.

Today Is

Passover (or Pesach) begins at sundown today, starting with Passover Seder. The feast usually includes matzah, brisket or chicken, and potato kugel. Find meals at Jacob & Sons, Sweet Lorraine’s, Zupan’s, and more. (Eater Portland)

Outdoors

The first two California condor chicks of 2023 hatched last week at the Oregon Zoo’s Jonsson Center for Wildlife Conservation. The fluffy chicks are “lively and eating a lot,” according to condor keeper Kelli Walker. Each chick is a milestone in the recovery effort for the critically endangered species.

Traffic

From Thursday, June 1 through Tuesday, June 13, the Portland Bureau of Transportation will restrict all street, sidewalk, and parking lane closures on certain streets to help minimize traffic congestion during the Portland Rose Festival. An online map shows the streets that will be impacted by the moratorium.

Film

A movie about moviegoers who are stuck inside the worlds of the films they’ve just seen will start filming in May at Portland’s Clinton Street Theater — with the help of crowdfunding. The cast of Thom Hilton’s “Genre Flick” includes local drag queen Carla Rossi, Harrison Sheehan, Lauren Modica, and Hilton himself. (Portland Monthly)

Holiday

If you plan on celebrating Easter this Sunday, April 9 but don’t want to spend any time in the kitchen, you can make a reservation at one of several spots around Portland offering special holiday meals. There are also plenty of egg-tivities to hop to with the kids. (KOIN)

Edu

University of Western States, a Northeast Portland school known for its health science programs in fields like chiropractic and neuropathic medicine, has joined the TCS Education System. UWS said joining the national nonprofit will result in collaborative benefits, like solutions to shared challenges experienced by other smaller institutions. (Portland Business Journal)

Health

Oregon Health and Science University is the first hospital in Oregon to use no-cut brain surgery on patients suffering from a debilitating neurological condition called essential tremor. The operation uses ultrasound technology and offers instant results with less recovery than invasive surgery, changing lives for people like artist Carolyn Wilhelm. (KGW)

Travel

Trying to talk someone into an April vacation? Just show them these hotel deals on Expedia. We love: The Surf And Sand Resort on Laguna Beach.

Trivia

Can we jog your memory?

People enjoy the rooftop bar at KEX Hotel in Portland

August was hot off the press. | Photo by @kexportland

Okay, PDXtoday readers, let’s test your memory skills.

We bring you roughly seven news notes each day, which amounts to nearly 150 pieces of news every month. Can you remember the stories we shared in August?

If you...

☀️ melted in the heat

🎭 are plugged in to the theater scene

🍽️ have been looking for a reservation for months

... then we’re expecting high marks.

Show off your skills by taking our news quiz — we’ll give high-scorers a shoutout in an upcoming newsletter.

Ready, set, go

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Cambrie

From the editor

I took a little stroll this week on Vancouver’s Grant Street Pier which juts out over the Columbia River and noticed scores of dead fish in the shallow water near the shore. Apparently, this is the time of year when smelt return to the river to spawn and complete their natural life cycles — and it explains the large number of sea lions I saw playing in the water.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? We rounded up everything you need to know about Portland sports into one handy guide.

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