One of our favorite guys. Nick Jaina on what he's reading and writing. Listen for him on this week's pilot.

Wordstock is a veritable Tour de Strayed this year. One of Portland's most celebrated writers, Cheryl Strayed, will share the stage with fellow book club rock star Ayana Mathis Thursday night for the festival opener, and she'll chair a noon Saturday panel about lyrics and literature. We dug into the Think Out Loud Archive for Dave Miller's conversations with Strayed. Here's a taste of what we're cooking up for this week's show. Watch for the full show Saturday.

Today's pilot kicks off with hat tips to Carrie Mae Weems and Trimpin. Also, remember the old Oregon Trail video game? We go to the live simulation staged in Salem last month.

2nd segment - we check out Portland Opera's CD release of a Phillip Glass work they staged last year. Also the Blow talks about their first record in 7 years.

Final segment of this week's pilot. The guy tasked with cleaning public art in Portland, Corvallis Artists' Call and Response exhibition, and Asian-American women in comedy.

Today's show starts with a check in on Portland's arts tax. Then we visit Jackson Middle School, where the arts are already a part of everything kids do. And we check out the Warhol exhibit on view at the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute.

Our second pilot, first half. We start with a quick chat with the new Artistic Director fo the Oregon Ballet Theatre. Then game developer Steve Gaynor checks in on his company's runaway hit, Gone Home. Also, we Honey-Badger-nasty with the founders of the Portland Film Festival.

FIrst pilot! First segment! A Roundtable of theater pros and critical types talk about the intersection worlds of what theaters can market, and what they decide to program. Also, kiwi pop phenom Aaradhna.