Playwright Tanya Barfield turns us onto research that puts the problem into painful detail.

One of Portland's top contemporary artists talks to us about new work on view at Elizabeth Leach Gallery in Portland and Marion Goodman Gallery in London, and her move back from New York.

Doing the hard work never sounded so good. We turn to some veteran creatives this week for the antidotes to antic times.

Drive-By Truckers' "American Band" Takes On A Mad World - 1:48

Ever since coming together in Athens, Georgia, in 1996, The Drive-By Truckers have reinvented southern rock and its assumptions about identity and tradition. While the band has seen plenty of personnel changes over the years, the heart of the Truckers' sound is the musical partnership between Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood. The band played their entire new album, "American Band," for a lucky audience in the OPB studio, and talked about some of the stories and recent events that drove the song-writing.

Contest Time: Flash Fiction From Tin House's Master Book Of Plots -14:54

Portland/New York publisher Tin House is re-publishing an astonishing writers’ tool from 1928, called “Plotto: The Master Book of All Plots.” Author William Wallace Cook detailed some 1,462 plots to help struggling writers. Tin House held a national contest a few years ago with the first re-publication, and they’re doing it again this month to celebrate the paperback. For five weeks, beginning October 19th, Tin House will post a new plot each Wednesday, and writers will have until the following Monday to write a 500-word story based on it. The five winners will read their stories on State of Wonder, and we'll announce the grand prize winner.

PAM's Big New Modern Building -20:40

The Portland Art Museum announced a splashy capital project to build the Mark Rothko Pavilion between its existing two buildings. This $75 million expansion and endowment will be dedicated to painter and one-time Portlander and art museum student Mark Rothko. Equally exciting: Rothko's children have offered to loan rotating major works by the modernist master over the next 20 years.

PNCA President Don Tuski on Challenges Facing the College - 21:52

The new President of PNCA had barely been on the job two months when the college announced the suspension of its Critical Theory and Creative Research MFA program. Think Out Loud spoke with Tuski about why the move was made just days before classes were scheduled to begin. Tuski also addresses the need to boost student enrollment, the benefits of an art education, and his approach to making the most of PNCA's new home at 511 Broadway.

Artist Malia Jensen on "Ground Effects" -27:31

It's been great having contemporary artist Malia Jensen back in town. Since her return from an eleven-year stint in New York, she's shown work at Reed College's Case Works, Wieden + Kennedy, and collaborated with the dance ensemble Body Vox. Jensen's practice crackles with ideas and wit, delivered with a high level of craftsmanship. We talk to her about her October exhibition, “Ground Effects,” on view at Elizabeth Leach Gallery in Portland.

Chloe Eudaly and Steve Novick Cross Swords On Housing -36:46

The race for Portland City Council is heating up. Steve Novick, previously an environmental lawyer and political advisor, is seeking another term. Challenger Chloe Eudaly is an owner and co-founder of the ‘zine and bookstore Reading Frenzy.

Ceramics Meets Rock & Roll at the LH Project -38:45

Located at the base of the spectacular Wallowa Mountains, the LH Project has been called the Shangri-la of ceramics. Jakob Hasslacher founded the residency to bring world-class artists to one of the West's most stunning landscapes, but one group that's especially close to his heart returns year-after-year: veterans.

Art Beat Serves Up Chris Antemann's Forbidden Fruit -48:17

Ceramicist Chris Antemann has developed a gorgeous, eye-popping style of porcelain figures that shatter the dainty, mannered image of Neoclassical porcelain. Her alliance with the legendary German porcelain manufacturer, Meissen, has pushed her onto...

Portland art glass manufacturer Uroboros just announced that the company plans to close the plant that it has operated on North Kerby Ave. in Portland for over 43 years.

This week’s show: curveballs and home runs. New developments are on deck in the saga of Oregon’s art glass makers, and for one act trying to get recognition for its entirely ironic band name. Plus we bring back a favorite from last year, to get you primed for Wordstock. Hope you’ve got your helmet on — all the best bombs are dropping! Thanks for helping us make this listener-supported show every week. Give a gift, before you do anything else this weekend.

Supreme Court Will Hear The Slants Trademark Case — 1:18
The U.S. Supreme Court says it will hear a case pitting Portland-based all-Asian electro-rock band The Slants against the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The band has been fighting to trademark its name since 2011. The PTO denied the request on the grounds the name is racially disparaging. Bandleader Simon Tam says it’s unconstitutional for government to use offensive speech as a basis for rejecting trademarks. The high court refused to hear a similar case involving the Washington Redskins, but a ruling in the Slants’ favor could help the team.  

Listen Back: Ursula LeGuin at Wordstock 2015 — 3:15
The Library of America has just published some key early work by literary great Ursula K. Le Guin. “The Complete Orsinia” is a fascinating early lab in which Le Guin explored life under oppressive regimes. We thought it was a good time to listen back to our conversation with Le Guin at Wordstock 2015. Le Guin discusses her process, her guide to writing, “Steering the Craft”, and more. (You can find a longer version of our interview here.)

Uroboros To Close In Early 2017 — 13:52
Portland art glass manufacturer Uroboros just announced this week the company plans to close its plant on North Kerby Ave. early in 2017. Glass has been made there for more than 43 years. The company’s president Eric Lovell cited market conditions, the real estate value of the central location, and the cost of new environmental regulations. Lovell also said that his own impending retirement as a factor. Glass artists including San Diego’s Cathy Coverley called the loss of Uroboros “terrifying.”

Portland-born Writer Fighting To Save Harlem Landmark — 17:04
Portland native Renee Watson, now with the I, Too Collective in New York, was in town this week for some fundraising. Langston Hughes was the heart and soul of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and ‘30s. His brownstone on East 127th street in Harlem is a national landmark but it’s been mostly empty for decades. As Harlem’s real estate scene goes upscale, Watson is leading the effort to preserve the building. We listen back to an August conversation she had with NPR - Weekend Edition’s Scott Simon.

In Other Words, Portlandia No Longer Welcome — 22:14
The feminist bookstore In Other Words servers its ties with the IFC series, Portlandia. Looks like Candace and Toni will be looking for new digs. Any suggestions?

Pete Krebs’ Autumn Trifecta — 23:41
A huge month for singer, songwriter, and rock & roll survivor Pete Krebs: he’ll be inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame on October 8th, and is launching two new records at the same time — a career retrospective, called “Hey Pete Krebs” and a new Hazel live album, excavated from 1993 recordings. Krebs earned his chops in Portland’s 80’s punk rock scene, and has been a mainstay on country, jazz, and indie stages around town ever since.

(photo cred. Jeremy Balderson)

Pete Kreb’s career can be read as an index marker for Portland’s musical identity. He came up a scruffy kid when the city was a dark, dank proving ground for punk. He got his musical passport stamped at all the legendary clubs playing in bands like Thrillhammer and Hazel.

Pete Krebs has a big trifecta in October - he just released a career retrospective of songs called, “Hey Pete Krebs”. He’s also getting back together with Hazel bandmates to celebrate the release of a recently-unearthed 1993 live recording. And he’s about to be inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame.

Listen up as one of the city's great songwriters takes a victory lap.

(photo cred. Jeremy Balderson)

Podcaster extraordinaire Kahlief Adams of "Spawn On Me" gives us a preview of his upcoming talk at AffectConf — while playing, of course. He and his co-hosts hosted a Twitch session in January 2014 that raised $5000 in one weekend for Black Lives Matter and other causes.

Maria Bamford delivers the deets on her hit Netflix series, "Lady Dynamite", rebooting after a breakdown, and her magnificent range of voicings. Bamford headlines the All Jane Comedy Festival Oct 5-9.

The All Jane Comedy Festival scored big this year, landing Maria Bamford as headliner for the final night of the festival next month.

Bamford has carved out a space as one of the most innovative voices in comedy. Her stand-up is a master-class in subversion, with a mild-mannered wide-eyed midwestern-ness is a great foil for just about anything she wants to talk about. But Bamford’s kicked it into fifth gear with her marvelously goofy Netflix series, “Lady Dynamite”. In it, she plays a fictionalized version of herself, and tells stories about rebooting her career after a serious mental health crisis.

We talked with Bamford about the series, her stand-up, and the work that keeps her most engaged.