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Chelsea Biondolillo in conversation with Justin Hocking

Broadway Books 1714 NE Broadway, Portland, OR, United States

Chelsea Biondolillo joins us to read from her new collection of essays, The Skinned Bird, published by Kernpunkt Press. Chelsea will be joined in conversation this evening by Justin Hocking, author of (most recently) The Great Floodgates of the Wonderworld. The Skinned Bird is about all the ways we break our own hearts. In lyric, fragmented essays -- full of geological, ornithological and photographic interventions, with landscapes, loss, and longing -- Biondolillo travels the terrain of leaving and finding home while keeping her sights fixed firm on the natural world around her. The collection includes "How to Skin a Bird," winner of the Carter Prize for the Essay, and the Best American Essays 2014 notable essay, "Phrenology." Lidia Yuknavitch describes the collection as "nothing short…

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Free

Westside Writing Group

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

A group for anyone writing nonfiction or memoir who would like company, support, and, most of all, accountability. Whether you’ve never written a word or you’re a published author, join us!

Free

The Widmer Way – Jeff Alworth

Another Read Through 3932 N Mississippi Ave, Portland, OR, United States

Portland, Oregon, didn’t always have a wildly successful craft brew scene. Someone had to be daring enough to innovate, and the Widmer brothers were just the men for the job. Written by Portland beer guru Jeff Alworth (The Beer Bible, Beer Tasting Tool Kit), The Widmer Way: How Two Brothers Led Portland’s Craft Beer Revolution chronicles Kurt and Rob Widmer’s journey from humble homebrewers to craft beer pioneers and purveyors of the iconic Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen. Alworth also dives deep into Portland’s history, setting the scene for Widmer’s rise in the city now known for its exquisite beer. Drawing from hours of interviews with Kurt and Rob, close family and friends, and big names in the beer industry, The Widmer Way offers an exclusive look…

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Free

Foucault in California

Powell's Books on Hawthorne 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR, United States

In 1975, iconic French philosopher Michel Foucault spent a weekend in Southern California at the invitation of Simeon Wade. Led by Wade and his partner, Michael Stoneman, Foucault experimented with psychotropic drugs for the first time; by morning he was crying and proclaiming that he knew Truth. Foucault in California (Heyday) is Wade's firsthand account of that long weekend. Presenting his late brother’s book is David Wade, as well as Heather Dundas, author of the book’s foreword.

Free

Julie M. Albright

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

In Left to Their Own Devices (Prometheus), digital sociologist Julie M. Albright looks at the many ways younger people, facilitated by technology, are coming “untethered” from traditional aspirations and ideals, and asks: What are the effects of being disconnected from traditional, stabilizing social structures like churches, marriage, political parties, and long-term employment? What does it mean to be human when one’s ties to people, places, jobs, and institutions are weakened or broken, displaced by digital hyperconnectivity?

Free

Guy McPherson on Climate Change

Mother Foucault's Bookshop 523 SE Morrison St, Portland, OR, United States

Join Dr. Guy McPherson on Friday, May 3 at 7 pm for a presentation and discussion on abrupt climate change. McPherson will be “connecting the dots” from the peer-reviewed literature regarding climate change and our response. He will elaborates on what to expect as a result of ongoing and projected impacts. Dr. McPherson is an energetic speaker and talented moderator. He has appeared before countless audiences to speak about the two primary consequences of our fossil-fuel addiction: global climate change and energy decline. Because these phenomena impact every aspect of life on Earth, his talks reach a wide variety of audiences such as universities, associations, nonprofits, and numerous educational and scientific symposia and conferences. McPherson is Professor Emeritus of Conservation Biology at the University of…

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Free

Bill McKibben in Conversation With Adriana Voss-Andreae

Powell's City of Books 1005 W Burnside Street, Portland, OR, United States

Bill McKibben’s groundbreaking book, The End of Nature, was the first to alert us to global warming. But the danger is broader than that: as climate change shrinks the space where our civilization can exist, new technologies like artificial intelligence and robotics threaten to bleach away the variety of human experience. In Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out? (Henry Holt), he tells of these converging trends and of the ideological fervor that keeps us from bringing them under control. McKibben will be joined in conversation by Adriana Voss-Andreae, cofounder of 350PDX.

Free

Grow Your Own Herbal Remedies

Powell's City of Books 1005 W Burnside Street, Portland, OR, United States

In Grow Your Own Herbal Remedies (Storey), expert herbalist Maria Noël Groves provides 23 garden plans specially tailored to address the most common health needs, along with simple recipes for using each group of herbs. Discover the three to six herbs that are most effective for what ails you, whether you’re seeking headache relief, immune support, stress relief, or a simple daily tonic.

Free

Salt and Straw Ice Cream Cookbook

Powell's City of Books 1005 W Burnside Street, Portland, OR, United States

Salt & Straw is the ice cream brainchild of two cousins, Tyler and Kim Malek, who had a vision but no recipes. But that’s what made them great. In Salt and Straw Ice Cream Cookbook (Clarkson Potter), Tyler Malek reveals what they’ve learned, how to tap your own creativity, and how to invent flavors of your own. Malek will be joined in conversation by Karen Brooks, food critic for Portland Monthly.

Free

Kiese Laymon

Powell's City of Books 1005 W Burnside Street, Portland, OR, United States

In his powerful and universally lauded memoir, genre-bending essayist and novelist Kiese Laymon “provocatively meditates on his trauma growing up as a black man, and in turn crafts an essential polemic against American moral rot” (Entertainment Weekly). Heavy (Scribner) is a “gorgeous, gutting…generous” (The New York Times) memoir that combines personal stories with piercing intellect to reflect both on the strife of American society and on Laymon’s experiences with abuse.

Free
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