Paul Marshall

A poster of the 36th Annual Cascade Festival of African Films hosted by Portland Community College. Cascade Festival of African Films Portland Community College is hosting its 36th Annual Cascade Festival of African Films. The festival was founded by faculty members in the 1990s. It’s the longest-running African Film festival in the United States. It’s also a celebration of Black History Month at PCC.

Portland author Daniel H. Wilson’s new book, “Hole in the Sky,” is a thriller that combines Indigenous knowledge with science fiction. Set in the Great Plains of Oklahoma, in the heart of the Cherokee Nation, the book recounts a strange atmospheric disturbance observed by science experts and residents who soon face the challenge of making first contact. The book draws on Wilson’s own background as a threat forecaster for the US Air Force and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.

Pamela Slaughter led a group of a dozen hikers through the old growth forest at Oxbow Regional Park in Gresham last August, stopping alongside a large bush with red berries on it. “Do you notice the difference in the undergrowth?” she asked the group. “More huckleberries. ... Bears love these berries.” “Are they poisonous to us?” one hiker asked. ”No they’re yummy,” Slaughter answered. Another hiker grabbed a few to eat, pausing with a smile to joke that he’s already written his will.