From the editors

By Rob & Sara Bednark

The Portland Upside
July 2009

Rob and Sara Bednark, editors of ThePortland Upside with 10,000 copies of their first issue.

Years ago, we stopped following the news in all its forms—TV, radio, newspaper, internet—finding that it left us feeling discouraged, scared, and hopeless. Yet, among the onslaught of negative stories, there were always a few positive stories that lifted our spirits and gave us hope.

“Why can’t there be a newspaper that prints only positive stories?” we’d think.

Through the years, we have dreamt of working together. We didn’t know what shape or form it would take, but we knew we wanted to create a community that would bring people together and showcase their creative talents.

After a layoff, we took the opportunity to create The Portland Upside. We started eight months ago with small steps, motivated by our passion to create a publication that we had always wanted to see.

With no journalism or publishing experience of our own, we knew we needed help. We put the word out, and in the span of a few months, we gathered over 30 volunteers who shared our vision of a positive newspaper. These volunteers joined us with their talents of writing, photography, artwork, distribution, ad sales, editing, public relations, and more.

This is the third issue of The Portland Upside, and we hope the articles leave you feeling good about what is happening in Portland. All the feedback we’ve received has encouraged us to keep going, and we know the stories we’ve published so far are only the tip of the iceberg.

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We can use more help with distribution, writing, photography, advertising sales, and story leads, so if you want to help spread the positive stories of Portland, contact us at www.PortlandUpside.com, editors@portlandupside.com, or 503-663-1526.