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Our Portland Story Featured in The Oregonian

Put your love for our burg in words, images

by Laura Oppenheimer /The Oregonian
Thursday October 09, 2008, 3:00 AM

Perhaps you want to broadcast your passion for the Rose Festival, thank a stranger who made your day or describe your favorite bus driver. Melissa Delzio wants to hear from you.

The 26-year-old graphic designer is creating “Our Portland Story,” a collection of words and images that pay homage to the City of Roses. Delzio describes the project as part coffee-table book, part yearbook, part guidebook. Here’s the scoop.

Her Portland story: As a student at Northern Arizona University, Delzio toured Portland’s design community with a professional group. “I just fell in love,” she says, so she returned in 2004 to start her career. She’s now at Staccato Design.

The PDX appeal: “It felt neighborly. It’s very green. It had a certain charm, a relaxed atmosphere.”

Staying put: On a recent trip to New York, Delzio’s boyfriend wondered if they’d fall in love with the city enough to move. Nope, their hearts were home in Portland. “As cool a city as it is and as much as it has going on, it just doesn’t compare,” Delzio says.

An idea takes root: An online magazine picked Delzio’s six-word memoir for publication (Smith magazine; “Put whole self in, shook about.”) “It got me excited about the idea of a book generated by all these people,” she says. So she researched local travel guides, found a niche and launched “Our Portland Story.” Delzio says she’s looking for a broad range of people and ideas.

How to apply: You’ve got until Oct. 17. Write a paragraph or so describing why you love Portland, be it a place, a person, an incident or a general quality. Create an image to go with your entry. And submit them both to Delzio by e-mail: melissa@ourportlandstory.com. For more details, go to www.ourportlandstory.com.

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