Caryn Brooks on Karen Brooks: "A Sad Day For Portland Journalism."

Caryn Brooks, right, former arts and culture editor for the Willamette Week and not to be confused with Karen Brooks, until this morning dining editor for the Oregonian, writes in to share her thoughts on Brooks' layoff.

I'd like to say for the record that couldn't be more proud to share my name with this amazing woman. Beyond my appreciation for her gutsy writing and studied analysis, she's always been completely generous with me as a person. A lot of journos would have been pissed off if some person moved to the town where they had long built their name and co-opted their byline, however innocently. Karen always had a sense of humor about it (laughingly calling me her "evil twin" when we crossed paths) and even took me under her wing.

She's bright, bad ass and irrefutably an important link to the evolution of Portland's food scene.

A sad day in Portland journalism, for sure.