Paradise in Smoke

Two years after the 2020 West Coast wildfires, Mike recounts the traumatic events he faced mere months after moving to Portland, Oregon. Bearing such emotional weight has been a lonely journey, as I was reminded while trying to share this with loved ones who would find themselves overwhelmed.

Mike vents about a relentless stream of hardships and trauma that have followed him since leaving Portland, Oregon, during a period of hell that includes being a victim of rape and theft by an ex-partner, an illegal eviction spurred by friends of the ex, and precipitously losing his job after a mental health crisis sparked by the wildfires that besieged the state of Oregon in summer 2020.

Mike provides a raw and personal update on his life in Portland. He openly discusses his recent experience with homelessness, his bipolar diagnosis, and the challenges of being unemployed during the pandemic. Despite his hardships, Mike remains focused on the future of his nonprofit Crimson Rouge Studios and his long-term goal of opening a community-focused queer space.

Mike hosts from Crimson House PDX, sharing personal reflections and music, as well as a map-based crowd-sourcing platform that collects and documents LGBTQ+ experiences and memories tied to specific geographic locations.

Mike facilitates a casual gathering, providing a personal update on his work and domestic life, and interacting with viewers in conversation.

Mike provides a tour of downtown Portland, Oregon, discussing his tenuous housing situation and his frustrations finding an apartment. Passing by Powell’s Books and turning onto Harvey Milk Street, Mike reflects on the challenges of being homeless, including the loss of his personal belongings.

Now unhoused, Mike discusses his financial woes associated with delayed unemployment benefits, as well as his astonishment at the vast numbers of Queer people living on the streets.

Reporting from the streets of Portland, Mike grapples with a sense of isolation and homelessness, from which he tries numerous times to escape through music and socializing with others he meets on the streets.

In the peaceful pre-dawn hours, Mike outlines the personal turmoil faced in Portland during the Oregon wildfires.

Mike enjoys a beer and some tomfoolery on the patio of Eagle PDX, chatting with nearby patrons and soliciting the audience to help “choose his adventure” by suggesting who he should vie to swoon.

Mike hosts an interactive livestream from Portland, experimenting with simultaenous livestreaming and teleconference tools following a board game night. He welcomes friends from Montreal and Florida into the broadcast to catch up on life, travel, and mutual acquaintances.

Mike shares career updates as he starts work at Portland General Electric as a transmission operations engineer overseeing the Pacific Northwest power grid.