Blog
Join us in conversation on the topics we believe matter...to our industry, our city and our society.
Women’s rights are gaining focus in the media. Stories including Emma Watson’s United Nation speech, the #yesallwomen Twitter handle and the contraception debate in recent Supreme Court cases are drawing attention to the issue of equal rights for women. Adding to the touchy issue, Monday night’s Jeopardy episode included a questionable category that stirred up […]
Read MoreWith the enormous amount of buzz surrounding the new iPhone, it’s worth the time to think about what life would be like if we weren’t so consumed with the newest technology, social media and the world online. Sometimes we spend too much time on our technological devices that we decide to create apps like Moment, […]
Read MoreAre you ready for Design Week Portland? It’s coming, and it has something to offer everyone, designer or not. From October 4-11, a series of events, open houses, installations, talks, and parties will take over spaces throughout Portland, all in celebration of design. As the website states, “Design Week Portland is a weeklong series of […]
Read MoreDoes the old adage that there’s no such thing as bad publicity still hold true? Urban Outfitters is in the hot seat over a “vintage” Kent State sweatshirt that appeared as though it had blood splatters across it. The apology The company posted an apology on twitter shortly after the first media stories about backlash […]
Read MoreLast week marked the opening day of the NFL season and within a few days the national spotlight was shining an ugly beam on one of the league’s star players. On Monday the world was seeing the horrific altercation between Baltimore Raven’s star Ray Rice and his wife Janay in a casino elevator where he […]
Read MoreHave you seen all the beautiful new murals around Portland? During the week of August 18-23, the not-for-profit public mural project Forest for the Trees brought together 20 international artists to make their mark on our fair city. According to their site, “The mural project promotes public visual expression; collaboration; and community engagement with contemporary […]
Read MoreUnless you live under a rock, the ALS #icebucketchallenge has probably taken over your newsfeed at some point in the last few weeks. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. To #strikeoutALS, people post a […]
Read MoreThe death of Robin Williams has consumed our media feeds and our minds the last few days. While tragic, the conversations it has spurred around mental health are powerful and important. The state of mental health in the United States is deplorable. Despite the uptick in school shootings and high profile suicides and addiction-related deaths, […]
Read MoreIf I may, with another preparedness post (as you can tell, we’re planners here at A. Wordsmith)… While most Californians have long been familiar with big earthquake risks and emergency preparedness plans, some Oregonians have been slow to acknowledge our state’s potential to experience “the big one.” There has been an increased effort […]
Read MoreBasic steps for your crisis communications plan The recent water contamination in Toledo, Ohio underscores the need for all types of organizations to have a plan for how they will handle communications in a crisis. Most of us won’t be facing a life-or-death situation, as the city of Toledo did, but nevertheless a bit of advance […]
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