Arthur Smid

Communications Specialist in Portland, Oregon

I work with individuals and organizations to improve their written and spoken communication. Whether you are an organization producing regular content or an individual sending out cover letters to land a job, I can help you achieve your goals. I moved to Portland in 2000 and have worked in graphic design, illustration, photography, video production, and journalism. But most of all, I am a listener. The discovery of ideas and insights, the experience of new perspectives is the foundation of my work.

In 2019, I published a novel about participatory political processes. The research and writing furthered my understanding of Oregon and my book received a number of endorsements, including one from Reed College professor and author Peter Rock. I went into this with the intention of writing a utopian book and found I could model economic systems in fictional software. So it’s about the tools used to either concentrate wealth or to distribute it—and the different worldviews and values that uphold those systems. My protagonists create a massively multi-player online game, and while promoting the book, I adapted it to a board game. Playing the game and talking about my book, I had the good fortune of receiving feedback from board game designers and publishers at the Stumptown Game Summit—shortly before the global pandemic. And upon the release of vaccines, beginning with an invite from a neighbor to play board games at his house and continuing with many game nights held in local venues, I have become enamored with the shared experience tabletop games provide.
 
I have long worked as an independent contractor and with a community of writers, listening to their advice and helping each other to improve. My experience convening writers groups helps in working with game designers and all manner of systems thinkers who must work within written and normative rules to accomplish their goals. Please contact me for a free consultation—we can schedule time for a call or to meet in person. Let's talk about your project and how I might be of service.