LitPDX seeks to amplify marginalized voices, and welcomes all, their ideas, their events, and their words.

For details regarding specific events please contact the organizers or venues. If you are an organizer or venue and would like to reach out to us please feel free to contact us or submit an event using our submission form. We’d love to hear from you!

Wild Love: An Introduction to Nature Writing

Online N/A, Portland

“I love you, love you, love you / sad as you are, O world.” — Adelia Prado This class will offer an introduction to nature writing that is celebratory, joyful, loving, even sexy. While there is much to lament or critique in our current ecological moment, there is also much to honor and embrace. When we fall in love with a place, we can be receptive to its vital complexity through that lens of love. You will receive weekly prompts, contemporary and historical readings, and the opportunity to share your own work in a supportive workshop environment. Class time will also offer guided writing exercises that will help you revel in summer’s bounty and wildness wherever you find it. Access Program We want our writing…

$195

Brandon Taylor in Conversation With Phil Klay

Online N/A, Portland

In the series of linked stories at the heart of Filthy Animals (Riverhead), set among young creatives in the American Midwest, a young man treads delicate emotional waters as he navigates a series of sexually fraught encounters with two dancers in an open relationship, forcing him to weigh his vulnerabilities against his loneliness. In other stories, a young woman battles with the cancers draining her body and her family; menacing undercurrents among a group of teenagers explode in violence on a winter night; a little girl tears through a house like a tornado, driving her babysitter to the brink; and couples feel out the jagged edges of connection, comfort, and cruelty. One of the breakout literary stars of 2020, Brandon Taylor has been hailed by…

Free

Amy Mason Doan in Conversation with Julie Clark

Online N/A, Portland

We are excited to host (virtually) Amy Mason Doan for the Portland launch of her new novel Lady Sunshine, in conversation with Julie Clark on Wednesday, June 30th, at 5:30 PM PST. This event is free but does require pregistration at this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OKwKLb_DQYeqLe4VDWHX8A Amy Mason Doan is the author of two previous novels: The Summer List and Summer Hours. Amy grew up in Danville, California and now lives in Portland. She’s written for The Oregonian, The San Francisco Chronicle, Wired, Forbes, and other publications. She has an M.A. in Journalism from Stanford University and a B.A. in English from U.C. Berkeley. Her latest novel offers family drama, secrets, and the dazzling spirit of 1970s California. Here's what one reviewer had to say: "With a…

Free

Live on Crowdcast! Rachel Griffin, The Nature of Witches, in conversation with Adrienne Tooley, Sweet & Bitter Magic

Online N/A, Portland

Live on Crowdcast! Rachel Griffin, The Nature of Witches, in conversation with Adrienne Tooley, Sweet & Bitter Magic. CROWDCAST LINK WILL BE SENT OUT CLOSER TO THE EVENT. PURCHASE OF ONE OR BOTH OF THESE BOOKS IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND. IF YOU WANT TO ATTEND AND REQUIRE SHIPPING PLEASE EMAIL US AND WE'LL EXPLAIN THE PROCESS. ORDER AND PREORDER ON OUR WEBSITE NOW! THE NATURE OF WITCHES For centuries, witches have maintained the climate, their power from the sun peaking in the season of their birth. But now their control is faltering as the atmosphere becomes more erratic. All hope lies with Clara, an Everwitch whose rare magic is tied to every season. In Autumn, Clara wants nothing to do with her power. It's wild…

$17.99 – $37.98

Other than Human Love: Cats, Colors, Gardens and More

Online N/A, Portland

We fall joyfully in love with the other-than-human elements of our world all the time: pets, places, flowers, ideas… Doing so opens us, makes our hearts more receptive by presenting different versions of reciprocity and humility. This class will focus on writers who have embraced other-than-human love, allowing themselves to fall in love with a color, a cat, a river, a garden, and the world. Works we’ll look at will include (but not be limited to) Maggie Nelson’s Bluets, Takashi Hiraide’s The Guest Cat, Barry Lopez’s River Notes, and Aimee Nezhukumatathil’s and Ross Gay’s Lace and Pyrite. You will receive weekly prompts, readings, and the opportunity to share your own work in a supportive workshop environment. Class time will also offer guided writing exercises that…

$195

June BIPOC Craft Series: Setting

Online N/A, Portland

This monthly craft series for BIPOC writers invites you to stretch into new forms of written expression. In June, we will breathe life into the setting of your stories. Using beloved and renowned BIPOC writers as models for captivating narratives that draw us into place, we will notice, play, practice, share and grow as writers. Access Program We want our writing classes to be accessible to everyone, regardless of income and background. We understand that our tuition structure can present obstacles for some people. Our Access Program offers writing class registrations at a reduced rate. The access program for writing classes covers 60% of the class tuition. Most writing classses have at least one access spot available. Contact Susan Moore at susan@literary-arts.org if you would…

$50

HOCUS Creative Writing Workshop: Writing the Tarot

Online N/A, Portland

Destroy writer's block using a deck of Tarot cards as prompts! Participants in this online class complete a short story draft two hours. $15.00 Scholarships available if you contact us at itshocus@gmail.com

$15