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!

The Moth: StorySLAM: Happy

The Old Church Concert Hall 1422 SW 11th Ave, Portland, OR, United States

HAPPY: Prepare a five-minute story about smiles and sunshine. Think unbridled joy—landing the dream job, winning the talent show, or bowling a perfect game. The quest for your soul mate or for the perfect cup of coffee. The Midas touch. The good old days. Tales of finding happiness or letting it slip through your fingers. COVID Requirements: See The Old Church's COVID Policy for details. We will not be selling any tickets at the door. This venue is 16+ *Seating is not guaranteed and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please be sure to arrive at least 10 minutes before the show. Admission is not guaranteed for late arrivals. All sales final. Media Sponsors: OPB and Literary Arts

$15

Emiko Jean in Conversation With Kristina McMorris

Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd, Beaverton, OR, United States

One phone call changes everything. At 35, Mika Suzuki’s life is a mess. Her last relationship ended in flames. Her roommate-slash-best friend might be a hoarder. She’s a perpetual disappointment to her traditional Japanese parents. And, most recently, she’s been fired from her latest dead-end job. Mika is at her lowest point when she receives a phone call from Penny — the daughter she placed for adoption 16 years ago. Penny is determined to forge a relationship with her birth mother, and in turn, Mika longs to be someone Penny is proud of. Faced with her own inadequacies, Mika embellishes a fact about her life. What starts as a tiny white lie slowly snowballs into a fully-fledged fake life, one where Mika is mature, put-together,…

Free

Reading: Andrew Farkas

Rose City Book Pub 1329 NE Fremont, Portland, OR, United States
Free

Oregon Literary Fellowship Application Deadline

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

Apply online for 2023 Oregon Literary Fellowships. Deadline to apply is Friday, August 5, 2022. Literary Arts will award 12 fellowships in the amount of $3,500. One of these fellowships is specifically for a writer of color. Three of these fellowships are funded by the Oregon Arts Commission. Applicants submit an application form, any addendums for specifically named fellowships, and a writing sample, as outlined in the guidelines. Literary Arts will also award two Career fellowships of $10,000 each. One of the career fellowships is specifically for a writer of color  

Free

The Punch-Up: Unleashing Your Humor on the Page

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

You have a sense of humor, but find it hard to translate that humor into your writing? You know what you’re going for, but feel like it’s falling flat? Explore methods and get tips on finding the funny in this “writers’ room” session. Bring your essays, stories, monologues, and screenplays to share. Access Program We want our writing classes and Delves 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 and Delve tuitions at a reduced rate. The access program for writing classes covers 60% of the class tuition. Most writing classes have at least one access spot available. Please apply here for access rate tuition. Contact Susan…

$80

What is Love? Writing Queer Love Stories

Literary Arts 925 SW Washington Street, Portland, OR, United States

In this workshop, we’ll discuss the craft components that make a compelling, contemporary, queer love story, examine excerpts from examples, and do a few writing exercises. We’ll deconstruct the love stories that move us and inform our lives, in an attempt to open up more expansive ways for our stories to twist, turn, and transform. We’ll talk about character development, narrative arc, form, perspective, and the kinds of love that don’t get enough attention. Access Program We want our writing classes and Delves 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 and Delve tuitions at a reduced rate. The access program for writing classes covers 60%…

$80

Literary Arts at Pickathon 2022

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

Literary Arts has partnered with Pickathon to feature author readings and a live recording of our radio show and podcast, The Archive Project. Authors featured on the Windmill Stage, Sunday, August 7 from 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Omar El Akkad WHAT STRANGE PARADISE Santi Elijah Holley MURDER BALLADS Michelle Ruiz Keil SUMMER IN THE CITY Jules Ohman BODY GRAMMAR Jon Raymond DENIAL Justin Taylor RIDING WITH THE GHOST Cecily Wong KALEIDOSCOPE 12:00 p.m. in The Lucky Barn: Jon Raymond and Dao Strom in conversation with Anis Mojgani for The Archive Project. When artists explore different genres or mediums for themself, what does that process look like? Are the differing explorations in conflict with one another, or in conversation? Do they aid and abet each other? Hinder? Or perhaps…

$45

Adam White & Justin Taylor: In-Conversation

Literary Arts 925 SW Washington Street, Portland, OR, United States

Join us for a conversation with Adam White and Justin Taylor, moderated by Steve Nelson of the Northwest Review. This event is in-person at Literary Arts. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination required for entry. Please see our guidelines here. Adam White Adam White grew up in Damariscotta, Maine, and now lives with his wife and son in Boston, where he teaches writing and coaches lacrosse. He holds an MFA from Columbia University. The Midcoast is his first novel. Justin Taylor Justin Taylor is the author of the memoir Riding with the Ghost, which was published by Random House in 2020. He is also the author of three books of fiction, all published by HarperColllins: Everything Here Is the Best Thing Ever (2010), The Gospel of Anarchy (2011), and Flings (2014). His work has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s, Bomb, and Bookforum, among other…

Free

Delve Readers Seminar: Etgar Keret: Short Fiction as Social Commentary

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

Etgar Keret is one of the most important Israeli authors alive today. He has mastered the genre of short fiction with a witticism that uses humor and farce to make readers step outside of their comfort zone and view things from the perspective of the absurd. In doing that, Keret brings a fresh, comical, and many times unsettling view of our family and social relationships. His view is a keen critique of the human condition in general and of the paradoxes of the everyday reality in Israel. In this 3-session Delve seminar we’ll discuss his book Suddenly a Knock on the Door (2012). Access Program We want our writing classes and Delves to be accessible to everyone, regardless of income and background. We understand that…

$125

WRITING & THE BODY w/ Lidia Yuknavitch and Jen Pastiloff: August 11-14, 2022

The Corporeal Writing Center 510 SW 3rd Ave #101, Portland, OR, United States

Jennifer Pastiloff and Lidia Yuknavitch were running their infamous workshop four times a year before the pandemic hit. Covid-19 led to the cancellation of three of these in 2021…Lucky for us, we’re back! Jen & Lidia are both renowned in their fields in their own right, and both of them are known for their inventive, non-traditional methods. Together they lead you to your most creative place by tapping into your body first, and then picking up the pen. But don't worry! You do not have to be a published or experienced writer or yogi—we are looking for people who have heart. You have a desire to write? You have a body? Then this weekend is for you. Check out all the details below, and please…

$995