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Fall 2019: Grief and the Lyric Essay

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

It can be a challenge to access grief, not to mention represent it in word and forms, yet writers like Claudia Rankine, Ann Carson, and Maggie Nelson pull it off beautifully and in wildly different ways. We will try different ways into the conversation with grief, first through reading other writers, then in our notebooks. Writing exercises will allow you to explore memory, specifically as it can be accessed through the body. You will leave with a solid start into a new piece of writing or a fresh take on an older draft. About the instructor:Wendy Noonan’s poetry has been featured in 2River View, Poor Claudia, Muzzle, Painted Bride, and Crazy Horse. Recently, her creative nonfiction was shortlisted for PRISM international’s writing contest. Wendy is…

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$135

Wendy Ortiz – The Nonfictional Body: Sept. 14

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

When: Saturday September 14th, 2019:: 10:00 - 4:00 Where: The Corporeal Center; 510 SW 3rd Ave, Portland, OR 97210 Cost: $300 This workshop will explore the potential of creative nonfiction as a vehicle for experimentation, meaning, and change at various strata of the social fabric. Using the metaphor of the body when it comes into contact with these strata—be it personal relationship, relationship to structures, streets, cities and natural settings, states, territory, and ultimately, the earth as a whole—we will investigate how creative nonfiction “works,” vis-a-vis the genre/body’s response. A variety of forms will be used as examples on our investigation, including brief excerpts from select blogs, chapbooks, journals, storytelling in legal scholarship, and more. Wendy C. Ortiz is the author of Excavation: A Memoir, Hollywood Notebook, and the dreamoir Bruja. In…

Continue readingWendy Ortiz – The Nonfictional Body: Sept. 14
$300

Fall 2019: Writing the Memoir 9 month Intensive

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

This class for experienced and dedicated writers meets 28 times over the course of 9 months. The class begins in September, with the goal of finishing a complete draft of a memoir by June. Participants do not need to be published writers; however, they should have some experience with elements of memoir, including character, setting, dialogue and scene, and have a clear project in mind that they will devote nine months to. They should also be comfortable in a workshop setting, giving and receiving criticism on works in progress. Students who have taken Memoir Boot Camp one or more times at Literary Arts should find this class an appropriate next step. Memoir Boot Camp is not a pre-requisite. This class is specifically designed for writers…

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$1200

Longreads: How Saudi Arabia Makes Dissidents Disappear

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

READ THE ARTICLE: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/07/how-saudi-arabia-makes-dissidents-disappear The assassination of Jamal Khashoggi was no aberration. A Vanity Fair investigation reveals how Saudi Arabia attempts to abduct, repatriate—and sometimes murder—citizens it regards as enemies of the state. 5,218 words. Est. reading time: 25 min. If you prefer to listen to the article, you can create a Text-To-Speech mp3 here: http://www.fromtexttospeech.com. The TTS is a robotic voice, but many people get used to it fairly quickly. The Longreads Club gets together every other week to discuss a long-form article focused on global topics. Rather than skim the headlines, we are trying to dive deep and learn from each other to gain a better understanding of world events. Just read the article, show up, and join the discussion!

Free

Fall 2019: Memoir Boot Camp

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

Complete the first draft of a memoir in just eight weeks. This class is for writers who are ready to commit to an aggressive writing schedule and explore aspects of memory-based writing in a supportive environment. You should have some prior experience in writing nonfiction, as well as a specific project to which you will devote these eight weeks. Participants will present their work to the class for discussion three to four times. Natalie Serber is the author of the story collection Shout Her Lovely Name (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) a New York Times Notable Book of 2012 and a summer reading pick from O, the Oprah Magazine, and an Oregonian Top 10 Books of the Pacific Northwest and an Indie Next Pick. Her memoir, Community Chest, was…

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$455

Grace Paley’s Life Stories with Judith Arcana

Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education 724 NW Davis Street, Portland, OR, United States

To ensure that you are able to join us for the event, please rsvp for all guests. Guests who are walk in on the day of the event are not guaranteed seats. On September 15, please join Judith Arcana, author of Grace Paley's Life Stories, for a conversation with poet and publisher Carl Adamshick, and for readings by both writers from the book. Grace Paley's Life Stories is the only biography of renowned author and activist Grace Paley and explores the roots of her political consciousness and traces her work as an activist as it grew into her work as a storyteller. It was recently reprinted in a glowing 2nd edition by Eberhardt Press in Portland. Arcana and Adamschick will discuss the importance of this…

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$8

Ian Brennan in Conversation With Larry Crane

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

In Silenced by Sound (PM Press), Grammy-winning music producer Ian Brennan delves into his personal story to address the inequity of distribution in the arts and demonstrates that there are millions of talented people more gifted than the superstars for whom billions of dollars are spent to promote the delusion that they have been blessed with unique genius. Brennan will be joined in conversation by Larry Crane, founder of Tape Op magazine and owner of Jackpot! Recording Studio.

Free

An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People

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

Spanning more than 400 years, An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People (Beacon) is a bottom-up history examining the legacy of Indigenous peoples' resistance, resilience, and steadfast fight against imperialism. Written by Indigenous human rights advocate Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and adapted by renowned curriculum expert Jean Medoza (and Debbie Reese), the book encourages general readers to think critically about their own place in history.

Free

What It Means to Be Moral

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

In What It Means to Be Moral (Counterpoint), Phil Zuckerman argues that morality does not come from God. Rather, it comes from us: our brains, our evolutionary past, our ongoing cultural development, our social experiences, and our ability to reason, reflect, and be sensitive to the suffering of others. By deconstructing religious arguments for God-based morality and guiding readers through the premises and promises of secular morality, Zuckerman argues that the major challenges facing the world today are best approached from a nonreligious ethical framework.

Free

Intro to Flash Nonfiction w Brian Benson

Attic Institute 4232 SE Hawthorne, Portland, OR, United States

Flash nonfiction, simply put, is true-to-life writing defined by extreme compression: it's saying what you've got to say using as few words, and as much beauty, as possible. An endlessly accessible, playful, potent form, flash nonfiction is evermore popular; from Brevity to River Teeth, The Rumpus to The Sun, legions of great journals are eager to publish great flash. In this prompt-driven workshop, we'll read masters of the flash nonfiction form, including Anna Vodicka, Ross Gay, Brenda Miller, Ira Sukrungruang, Abigail Thomas, and more; we'll talk about what stories are suited for flash, how to tell them well, and where to publish them; and most of all, we'll write, and write, and write, via in-class exercises and take-home prompts. Students will leave the class with reams of new writing and ideas for where to…

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$210 – $237
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