City & Community

IRL

22 Free Ways to Connect with Your Fellow Portlanders

Dance lessons, movie clubs, sea shanty singalongs, and more no-cost ways to be where the people are.

11:00am By Rebecca Jacobson

Lace Up

A Guide to Portland Run Clubs

The scene is booming, and there's a group for every speed.

02/03/2026 By Alice Wolfe

Love Letters

An Illustrated Ode to Birdhers

“We're not just looking at the bird, but thinking: Where are we?”

01/29/2026 Illustrations by Shay Mirk

Room for More

Potlucks Are the Feasts That Meet the Moment

They ask for our participation twice: first as cooks, then as diners.

12/22/2025 By Lola Milholland

History

To Know Old Town's Past Is to Hope for Its Future

My grandmother’s Old Town was a vibrant, bustling place for all. Despite what handwringers say, it still is.

04/07/2025 By Lauren Yoshiko

Q&A

Ripping the City with Zyah Belle, Portland’s Rihanna-Approved R&B Vocalist

The singer dishes on spring, simplicity, and Akadi’s suya wings.

03/10/2025 By Dalila Brent Illustrations by Betty Turbo

Sketch Comedy

Hasaan Hates Portland Casts an Uncomfortably Funny Light

In the series of web shorts, a Black Portlander’s day-to-day experience unravels the stories the city tells about itself.

01/08/2025 By Matthew Trueherz

Q&A

Ripping the City with Ryan Daniel, Portland’s Viral Portrait Photographer

‘The people of Portland and the reaction to the project I’m doing has been amazing.’

12/03/2024 By Dalila Brent Illustrations by Betty Turbo

Photobook

Protest City Photographer Rian Dundon’s Next Project Is a Quieter Ride

Post-divorce and post-COVID, the intimate photos in Dundon’s Passenger distill Portland’s normalized strife.

09/25/2024 By Matthew Trueherz Photography by Rian Dundon

In the Gym

All Bodies Strong Is Leading Portland’s Size-Inclusive Fitness Movement

It’s the city’s only gym explicitly designed for fat liberation.

09/23/2024 By Alice Wolfe Photography by Jason Hill

Q&A

Ripping the City with Maha Alharbi

The owner of Queen Mama’s Kitchen dishes on her Portland favorites.

04/23/2024 By Dalila Brent Illustrations by Betty Turbo

Oil Crisis

How Many Oregonians Does It Take to Fill a Tank?

The city’s thousands of gas station attendants are still puzzled by the new pump law, but not as puzzled as customers.

02/26/2024 By Matthew Trueherz Illustrations by Ryan Garcia