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Some people like their local watering hole to have trivia or karaoke or live music. Others prefer to hear 15-minute PowerPoint presentations on the Norwegian prison system, the history of Dungeons & Dragons or how giant water bugs are great dads.
If the latter sounds like you, there is a place.
On the first Sunday of every month, the Atlantis Lounge portion of Mississippi Pizza Pub hosts Nerd Nite, billed as “TED Talks with alcohol.” Organizer Michael Rainey chooses three nerds to present on the topics of their choice.
“A nerd, to us, doesn’t necessarily mean they’re in a science field or play video games all day, but are you passionate about your topic and want to share? That’s what make you a nerd,” Rainey says.
(Rainey’s own personal nerd bona fides: playing D&D for 20 years, a tattoo based on Avatar: The Last Airbender, and plenty of video games, he says.)
Nerd Nite was founded in Boston in 2003 and is now in more than 100 cities internationally. Rainey was a frequent attendee of the Los Angeles Nerd Nite and missed it when he moved to Portland, so he asked Nerd Nite headquarters if he could start one in the Rose City. He has two co-hosts—Becca Wilson-Ounekeo and Emma Wallace—who produce Nerd Nite at Mississippi Pizza with him.
The presentations at the Sunday, Sept. 1, Nerd Nite will be on the history of telecommunication, fictional world-building, and “More Than One Way to Kill a Mosquito,” in which an entomologist examines the idea of eradicating mosquitoes worldwide.
Be there and be square.
DRINK: Nerd Nite at Atlantis Lounge at Mississippi Pizza Pub, 3552 N Mississippi Ave., 503-288-3231, facebook.com/groups/nerdnitepdx. 7-9 pm Sunday, Sept. 1, and the first Sunday of every month. Free.