Jenn Chávez
Jenn Chávez is a radio host, announcer and producer with Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Jenn has been making radio in Portland for over a decade, as both a community media and public media journalist. In addition to being a voice on OPB's radio airwaves, her work for OPB has included stories about health, homelessness, immigrant communities, Oregon Latines, activism, equal access to community resources, literature and the arts, and more. Prior to joining OPB in 2017, she hosted and produced the local news radio show "The Five Quadrants of Portland" on XRAY-FM, reporting on marginalized communities and the local news and issues that affect their lives.
Jenn has a BA in literature and writing from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Before journalism, she worked as a film-nerdy video store clerk, and remains a source of unsolicited movie recommendations.
Latest Stories
Oregon libraries report record number of books challenged in past year
A new report from the state library’s Oregon Intellectual Freedom Clearinghouse shows that from July 2022 to June 2023 more book titles were challenged in Oregon than in any other year since tracking began in the 1980s.
3 years later, wildfire survivors in Southern Oregon are still recovering from trauma
Three years after the 2020 fires devastated communities in Southern Oregon, survivors are still recovering from the fires’ impact on their homes, their stability and their mental health. A local long-term recovery group is helping support residents who’ve experienced trauma.
First HONK! PDX brings joyful noise of brass, street bands to Portland neighborhoods
This weekend, HONK! PDX will present a global brass and street band musical festival to Portland for the first time. The two-day festival is focused on reclaiming public space, providing free access to music and encouraging Portlanders to participate themselves.
Building castles made of sand at the long-running Cannon Beach Sandcastle Contest
Cannon Beach on Oregon's North Coast has held an annual sandcastle contest, now an Oregon heritage tradition, since 1964. The city celebrated its 59th annual contest on Saturday, June 10th, 2023, drawing competitors of all ages and levels from around the country to dazzle crowds with elaborate castles, sand sculptures and more.
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When the foods they grew up with can’t be found, refugees in Oregon are growing their own
When refugees migrate to the United States, important cultural foods from their countries of origin often become harder to find. In Oregon, refugee growers are getting help accessing land and resources to grow their own.
US Sen. Ron Wyden on court rulings and the battle over access to abortion drug mifepristone
On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked lower court rulings that would have limited access to the abortion drug mifepristone. The drug will remain available in the U.S. for now, while appeals in the lower courts continue to play out. U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon has been advocating for protecting access to mifepristone for Americans, and gives his perspective on the latest decision.
The Archive Project - Boys & Girls in America: Melissa Febos & Hua Hsu
Essayist Melissa Febos & memoirist Hua Hsu discuss coming-of-age, identity, art-making, & community in these discussions from 2022 Portland Book Festival #PDXBookFest.
Portland’s Mississippi Records celebrates 20th anniversary with song-poems
The Portland record store and label Mississippi Records turns 20 this year. To help mark its anniversary, it teamed up with the Hollywood Theatre to hold a local song-poem writing contest. Community members submitted poems, which were interpreted and performed live by local musicians.
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Northwest students join efforts to keep books and libraries accessible to young people
Reflecting a national trend, communities in the Northwest are seeing a wave of proposed bans or limits on books in schools or local libraries. Two students in the region share their perspectives on the importance of literary access, libraries as community spaces for everyone, and more.
Disease expert tells us what might be next in Oregon’s battle against COVID, flu
Over 9,000 Oregonians have died from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. Hospitals are currently crowded with patients suffering from the "tripledemic" of RSV, flu and COVID. And a new variant of COVID known as “kraken” has come to the forefront. What should we expect from the global pandemic in 2023?