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Our annual Best of Portland Issue is both a celebration and a reflection—a moment when we can’t help but think about the city’s current state.
Maybe your mind is tallying Portland’s pros and cons, circling around the last few hairy years. And those thoughts might lead you to expect a few words about resiliency—chin up and all that—or something about how we’re finally getting back to a version of the city we love. But what did that Portland look like? Who decides which years rank as the city’s golden ones? One stretch of good ol’ days for some was oftentimes an oppressive era for another community.
Forget about deciding where Portland stands in the following pages. That’s not the point of this edition. This is about where we’re going (regarding the national political landscape, let’s not open that can of worms here). Portland’s not just persevering or bouncing back, it’s growing. Every day, the city evolves through the hands of people who care for it—who give it their best.
Maybe that growth comes through new ventures in bloom, like Portland Fruit Tree Project’s recently launched text advice hotline or AHMA Healing Soup made with Cantonese medicinal ingredients. Or maybe it’s through tending passions that’ve been cultivated over years, like Theotis Cason’s life in butchery, or Sweethome Teacup’s ongoing commitment to animal equity and well-being.
And what about the United Hockey League being a hub for female, trans, and gender-expansive players, or Mission Theater’s role as an all-ages venue nurturing the young rock scene? You can hear those rockers on your web browser through Liz Gabriel’s NearHear, an audio-linked concert calendar made purely out of love for local music.
Here we are—the best we’ve got. May we sow the seeds for even better years ahead.
—Robin Bacior, Arts & Culture Editor
