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Kim Johnson & Ibi Zoboi

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

Every week, 17-year-old Tracy Beaumont writes letters to Innocence X, asking the organization to help her father, an innocent Black man on death row. After seven years, Tracy is running out of time — her dad has only 267 days left. Then the unthinkable happens. The police arrive in the night, and Tracy’s older brother, Jamal, goes from being a bright, promising track star to a “thug” on the run, accused of killing a white girl. Determined to save her brother, Tracy investigates what really happened between Jamal and Angela down at the Pike. But will Tracy and her family survive the uncovering of the skeletons of their Texas town’s racist history that still haunt the present? Kim Johnson’s This Is My America (Random House)…

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Free

FALL Online: The Speed of Language: Introduction to Fiction Workshop w Thea Chacamaty

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

The mechanics of a great short story work in lockstep with exciting, vivid language. How often have we immersed ourselves in a gorgeously rendered landscape while reading, the description igniting each of our five senses? Or in the opening of a scene found ourselves moving from a subway platform into the heart of a forest, all in the space of one paragraph? In this generative workshop we will introduce ourselves to the short-short story, with a focus on sharpening our use of language. The end goal is to write your own piece of very short fiction by the end of the class, or even just the beginning of that story you’ve always wanted to tell. NOTE: To protect everyone during the COVID-19 pandemic, we're offering our…

Continue readingFALL Online: The Speed of Language: Introduction to Fiction Workshop w Thea Chacamaty
$65 – $83

Natalie Bakopoulos with Valerie Laken – A Virtual Event

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

Bakopolous chats about her captivating, transporting novel that's been named a Best Summer Read by The Daily Beast and Alma, which calls it "A novel where you can practically taste summer on its pages... a magnetic story." Bakopolous will be in conversation with Valerie Laken, Associate Professor of English at UWM. Register for this Zoom event here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAvde-trjMrGde8lD8tmGlAB1a16pmEaBJU And purchase you copy of Scorpionfish for 10% off list price here: https://www.boswellbooks.com/book/9781947793750

Free

Delve Readers Seminar Online Fall 2020: Fairytales Retold

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

When exactly is “once upon a time,” what does it mean to live “happily ever after,” and how do these tropes from childhood storybooks find their way into so much contemporary literature and film? These traditional frames for fairytales are just one of the aspects we’ll study in this Delve; we will examine other aspects of structure, characters, and motifs of folktales, both in collected oral tales and literary retellings of those same tales over time, into the current day. We will analyze these stories in various contexts to discover their shifting messages, paying close attention to how they have been used for enculturation, and how their historical values linger today. We will explore the roles of teller and audience, asking how societal norms are…

Continue readingDelve Readers Seminar Online Fall 2020: Fairytales Retold
$230

Kim Johnson in Conversation with Black Cultural Library Advocates

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

Kim Johnson's debut novel, This Is My America, has been described as a cross between The Hate U Give and Just Mercy. Join Carla Davis and Ebonee Bell, members of Multnomah County Library’s Black Cultural Library Advocates team, as they chat with Ms. Johnson about first novels, love triangles, and how teens and young adults can advance antiracism and social justice. More about the book: This Is My America tells the story of 17-year-old Tracy Beaumont, who is in a race against time to prove her imprisoned father's innocence and save him from death row. Then the unthinkable happens and the police accuse Tracy's talented older brother, Jamal, of a horrible crime. Register for event via Zoom: https://multco-us.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwrceyupzsuHtPs75wBd5COqAEidcutsXms

Free

FALL Online: Bizarre Encounters: Fiction Workshop with Elinam Agbo

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

A student finds a man living in her closet. A couple receives a package of pig fetus in the mail. Tiger King. Bad Tinder dates. More and more, reality feels like fiction. In this class, students will be asked to think about the extremes of bizarre reality: from experiences that are commonplace (and still elicit doubt) to those we witness but cannot accept ourselves. We will use generative prompts to mine our experiences for the strangest encounters. Through these narratives, we will discuss perspective, power, and deniability in fiction. We will then conclude the class by exploring how these ideas can grow into longer projects. NOTE: To protect everyone during the COVID-19 pandemic, we're offering our workshops via Zoom. All students must first sign up for a free Zoom…

Continue readingFALL Online: Bizarre Encounters: Fiction Workshop with Elinam Agbo
$65 – $83

Horror Book Club (Remote)

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

The Books Around the Corner Horror Book Club is led by the owner/librarian, Stephanie Rose, and meets monthly on the fourth Thursday of every month at 6PM. We would like to extend an invitation to all of our horror loving customers (RSVP is not required). Our book discussions aim to bring people together to talk about books in a safe and inviting atmosphere. Our meetings are lovely and inclusive; we invite you to attend. Come and enjoy a lively discussion about the chosen book with other readers. Our September pick is The Living Dead by George A. Romero and Daniel Kraus and we will meet on September 24th. About the book: Set in the present day, The Living Dead is an entirely new tale, the…

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Free

Teen Author Q&A and Writing Workshop with Aiden Thomas

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

Teens, join Aiden Thomas, author of Cemetery Boys, for a Q&A and scary story writing workshop. Register/join via Zoom: https://multco-us.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUpcu-urj8sHN28CgjrXNpTTRKtEj3s8uuJ Aiden Thomas is a YA author with an MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College. Originally from Oakland, California, they now make their home in Portland, OR. As a queer, trans Latinx, Aiden advocates strongly for diverse representation in all media. Aiden’s special talents include: quoting The Office, useless trivia, Jenga, finishing sentences with “is my FAVORITE”, and killing spiders. Aiden is notorious for not being able to guess the endings of books and movies, and organizes their bookshelves by color. Aiden's debut novel, CEMETERY BOYS, is a Dia de Muertos paranormal romance about Yadriel (a gay, trans brujo) who accidentally summons the wrong ghost…

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Free

Livestream Reading: Catherine Hamilton: Victoria’s War

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

Annie Bloom's welcomes Portland author Catherine Hamilton for a livestream reading from her novel, Victoria's War. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwoc-uopjMqEtUnHOG9XUVMLsccFrsmkDLM Victoria's War is a work of historical fiction about 19-year-old Victoria Darski, a Polish Catholic woman sold into slavery during the Nazi occupation of Europe, and Etta Tod, the 20-year-old deaf daughter of a German baker who buys Victoria. Poland, 1939: Eager to study literature at the University of Warsaw, Victoria waits with bags packed. But Hitler invades Poland and classes are canceled. German officers burst into her family's home, and Victoria's world is turned upside down. She is ordered to work in a Nazi sewing factory. Making military shirts, Victoria sews a straight pin inside the collar in defiance. At a secret resistance meeting with…

Continue readingLivestream Reading: Catherine Hamilton: Victoria’s War
Free

Kids’ Storytime with Ryan T. Higgins

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

Author and illustrator Ryan T. Higgins joins us to read from his new picture book, We Will Rock Our Classmates (Disney-Hyperion), the headbanging companion to his bestseller, We Don't Eat Our Classmates. Penelope is a T. rex, and she's very good at it. She also likes to rock out on guitar! With the school talent show coming up, Penelope can't wait to perform for her classmates. But sharing who you are can be show-stoppingly scary, especially when it's not what people expect. Will Penelope get by with a little help from her friends? Register for the Zoom event  /  Buy the Book

Free
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