ISSUE 01
Portland INSIDE
Jedi Church in Spokane Cosplay Power Couple Pop Culture Hiking Guide and more
NW NERD MAGAZINE Editor-in-chief Dyer Oxley Writers Ted Alvarez Dyer Oxley Graphic Designer / Cover John Rodriguez Contributors Sean DeTore Brian Johnson Dyer Oxley Pixie Bomber Frank Shires Floydman Sumner Keith Tucker
W
hen NW NERD Podcast began in 2016, the goal was to create a podcast with the theme of a magazine reporting on various aspects of the region’s “geekonomy.” That effort has evolved into the magazine you hold right now. It started as a collaboration between myself and Nick Jarin while we were working at a Seattle radio station. I was a newspaper reporter at heart. Nick was a talk radio producer. In other words, we were quite different. But we were both geeks. And that set a tone for NW NERD — despite differences, we are all nerds. And it's been a great time to be a nerd. Marvel has risen to become a cinematic force. Geek culture has taken over sitcoms. There are now so many comic cons and pop culture events that we generally have them all year-round in the Northwest. Nerdy pastimes (computers, video games, etc.) have become some of the most highly coveted jobs. On top of all that, our Northwest region boasts some of the most brilliant DIY creators, churning out everything
nw-nerd.com nwnerdpodcast@gmail.com NW NERD's guerilla marketing.
from fandom bath bombs to teas, custom cosplay worthy of Hollywood, and original art. And now, they have their own magazine. We all may come at life from different angles. But this pop culture, nerd niche is a place we all come together. It can Be inclusive and supportive. I firmly believe there are no gatekeepers to our passions. That's been my main motivation producing this endeaver that is NW NERD. Since it began, NW NERD has covered the origin stories of Lilac City Comicon, Emerald City Comic Con, and various local artists. It has dove into the nerdlesque scene spanning Portland to Vancouver, BC.; Astoria’s film history; a Godzilla surf rock band from Boise; and much more. I call this clever collection of crafters, artists, musicians, and entreprenuers the "geekonomy." It is thriving in the Northwest and I feel it deserves a spotlight. As a result of shining a spotlight, two of my feature stories have won first place honors from the Society of
Professional Journalists. NW NERD has hosted afterparties and cosplay contests. We've been on local TV and radio. And a decent number of NW NERD stickers have gone up in coffee shop and dive bar bathrooms. And it continues to evolve, which brings me to this magazine. I’ve long wanted to extend NW NERD's coverage; further share all the fun, creativity, and passionate culture brewing throughout the Pacific Northwest. NW NERD Magazine aims to feature the stories that make us nerds and bring this community closer together. And also, honestly, I just thought it would be pretty cool to make a magazine.
NW NERD contributors Brandon and Kyra Haddix interview voice actor Jen Cohn at RenCon. (Dyer Oxley / NW NERD)
If you feel there is a story out there that deserves to be told, a cool shop or creator we should know about, you want NW NERD Magazine in your local hang out, or just want to offer some feedback, you
can reach me at nwnerdpodcast@gmail.com. Thank you for picking up this print edition of NW NERD. I hope you enjoy.
Dyer Oxley NW NERD