nonfiction
 Brett Oppegaard's multimedia experience includes video. |
 Unusual opportunities just seem to find him. |
journalism
Brett Oppegaard has written thousands of nonfiction stories for newspapers and other types of periodicals. This sampling of his work is intended to show the broad range of the writing as well as some of the highlights. Pieces can be viewed as pdfs, which display the work as printed. Most of these samples also are available in text-only versions. The reference lines include the headline, publication, date and a brief comment from Oppegaard about each selection:
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2000s: A discovery of voice, style and depth |
narrative style
This stuntman knew how to take a punch.
- “The Sunshine Boys,” The Columbian, July 17, 2005: “Want a reason to feel positive and inspired about life?” text only
- “Mystery of the Maestro,” The Columbian, Feb. 19, 2006: “A Spanish conductor commutes from Barcelona to perform with the Vancouver Symphony, creating a curiosity about just what motivates such a man.”
text only
- “Jesus Christ: Rock Star,” The Columbian, Feb. 10, 2008: “About casting the role of the Messiah and trying to live up to the part.”
- “Twists of Fate, Turn of Figure,” The Columbian, Feb,. 23, 2007: “Spirituality mixes with abstract sculpture in this multimedia profile that features slideshows, video and an interactive timeline.” text only / multimedia
- “Water Boy,” The Columbian, Sept. 23, 2007: “Wanting to contribute to his high school somehow, this young man joins the football team, only not as a player.”
enterprise
Immersion journalism means wrestling steers, if needed.
- “The Family that Games Together,” The Columbian, July 2, 2006: “Cultural and societal issues arise as video games take over the entertainment world.” text only
- “Days of Darkness,” The Columbian, May 1, 2005: “How Clark County's 18,000-seat amphitheater has become a cultural albatross. Plus complementary analysis piece, “Sound Decisions?” And follow-up, “Another Season of Discontent."
- “Lifting the Veil,” The Columbian, Sept. 18, 2007: “One American woman challenges this nation's rhetoric about Islam and Iran.
- “Public Art in Clark County,” The Columbian, Aug. 13-14, 2000: “That strange abstract sculpture next to the school? Who paid how much for it? And why?” text only
- “When the Cash Heads Out of Town,” The Columbian, Dec. 8, 2002: “Another example of how suburbs get sucked dry by a metropolis.”
text only
graphical storytelling
Or taking a swing at old-time "base ball."
- “Secrets of 90,” The Columbian, Dec. 18, 2005: “What we can learn from asking 90-year-olds profound questions.”
- “Inspiring Minds,” The Columbian, Dec. 15, 2006: “I simply wanted to talk to artists about creativity and inspiration. This is what they told me.”
- “Real Page Turners,” The Columbian, Aug. 4, 2006: "Why libraries are just about the greatest places on the planet."
travel
- “A Howlin' Good Time,” The Columbian, July 22, 2008: “All-inclusive indoor water parks, like this new $100 million lodge, offer attractive family destinations that don't require airfare.”
- “Falling in Love with Falls,” The Columbian, July 23, 2006: “Multnomah Falls isn't the only spectacular waterfall in the Columbia River Gorge.”
- “Catching Farewell Tour,” The Columbian, Oct. 13, 2006: “The annual Columbia River salmon runs are amazing to watch.”
- “Plan for the Happiest Vacation on Earth,” The
Columbian, Dec. 30, 2007: “Reasons why winter is the best time of year to book a trip to Disneyland.”
- “Weird Washington,” The Columbian, May 29, 2008: “Another nod to the strange people, places and stories from this state.”
1990s:
A retrospective
of the early
journalism
These pieces were picked from the pre-graduate school years of Brett Oppegaard's journalism career to represent the highlights, oddities and quirks of that time period:- “Courage in the Canyon,” The Columbian, April 9, 1995: “Follow along as a brave (and blind) diabetic with prosthetic legs traverses one of the most challenging trails in the Grand Canyon.” text only
- “Rimshot Radio,” The Columbian, July 11, 1999: “How corporate interests have taken over public intent for radio airwaves.” text only
- “Rooted in Vancouver,” The Columbian, April 6, 1997: “Sprawl meets lettuce farm, where a Japanese owner who lived through internment during World War II encounters a new obstacle in his pursuit of the American Dream.” text only
- “A Fowl for a Friend,” The Columbian, April 11, 1996: “A gentle story of a man and a goose ... and the love between them.” text only
- “The Outer Limits of Washington,” March 17, 1996: “This project,
which eventually became my first book, shows the quirky people and places of the state.”
arts criticism
From Pearl Jam to Pagliacci to Picasso, Brett Oppegaard has been immersed in the arts world for more than a decade. The National Endowment for the Arts honored Oppegaard by choosing him to be one of the first critics in the country to go through its arts journalism fellowship. Oppegaard has written about a variety of forms of expression, including professional theater, dance, visual art, film, music and opera. That includes hundreds of reviews, featuring critiques of extravagant Las Vegas productions, touring Broadway and Cirque du Soleil shows and the offerings of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (one of the top regional theaters on the West Coast).Here is a partial list of his repertoire as a professional critic, in alphabetical order:
theater / dance / opera
"A Christmas Carol"
"A New Brain"
"Aida"
"Always, Patsy Cline"
"Anna in the Tropics"
"Annie"
"Annie Get Your Gun"
"Appalachian Ebeneezer"more arts criticism, including show titles starting with B through Z ...
podcast samples:
newsletters
Commercially, Brett Oppegaard specializes in writing and editing for corporate and organizational newsletters.This homeowner's association example shows what he was given to start with (a single page of black-and-white text) ... and what he created with just a few hours of work per quarter (four-page full-color newsletters filled with paid ads, Example A, Example B).
- “Courage in the Canyon,” The Columbian, April 9, 1995: “Follow along as a brave (and blind) diabetic with prosthetic legs traverses one of the most challenging trails in the Grand Canyon.” text only