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!

Grief Rites Readers Series ~ November 4

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

A monthly storytelling showcase about grief, loss and love. Gather in community with others who share grief in all forms and manifestations. Come ready to cry, laugh, listen and hold space for yourself and others. *Trigger warning, because Grief. Content not edited for language or topic. Mature audience. *Venue is accessible; gender-neutral restrooms on premises. ***This month's event will include an open mic, in addition to our curated readers. If you have words to share about your grief, we welcome you.*** Open mic signups begin at 7pm; readings at 7:30pm. You'll have roughly 4 minutes. If you have any questions about the open mic please message here on FB, or email us at info@griefritesfoundation.org Curated Storytellers... Kelly Wilson Amy Findling Sarah Shaoul Adrian Mirror Andrea…

Free

Brave New Medicine

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

In her revelatory memoir, Brave New Medicine (Reveal), Dr. Cynthia Li shares the truth about her disabling autoimmune illness, the limitations of Western medicine, and her hard-won lessons on healing – mind, body, and spirit. Drawing on cutting-edge science, ancient healing arts, and the power of intuition, Li offers support, validation, and a new perspective for doctors and patients alike. Through her story, you can find the wisdom and heart to start your own healing journey, too.

Free

Lilly Dancyger With Reema Zaman, Marissa Korbel & Dani Boss Wilson

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

Women are furious, and we're not keeping it to ourselves any longer. We're expected to be composed and compliant, but in a world that would strip us of our rights, disparage our contributions, and deny us a seat at the table of authority, we're no longer willing to quietly seethe behind tight smiles. We're ready to burn it all down. In Burn It Down (Seal), a ferocious new collection of essays, 22 writers explore how anger has shaped their lives. Burn It Down editor Lilly Dancyger will be joined in conversation by contributors Reema Zaman, Marissa Korbel, and Dani Boss Wilson.

Free

Nicole Chung in Conversation with Meaghan O’Connell and Lydia Kiesling

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

We are delighted to welcome Nicole Chung to discuss her book, All You Can Ever Know (just released in paperback by Catapult) with Portland authors Meaghan O’Connell and Lydia Kiesling on Tuesday, November 5th, at 7 pm. The thread of motherhood connects these three authors and their books, a jump-off point for conversation about parenting, race, identity, and family. Nicole Chung was placed for adoption by her Korean parents and raised by a white family in a rural Oregon town. From childhood, she heard the story of her adoption as a comforting, prepackaged myth. She believed that her biological parents had made the ultimate sacrifice in the hope of giving her a better life. With warmth, candor, and startling insight, Nicole Chung tells of her…

Free

Reading: Dorice Horenstein: Moments of the Heart

Annie Bloom's Books 7834 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland, OR, United States

Annie Bloom's welcomes Portland author Dorice Horenstein to read from her book Moments of the Heart. There are many paths to Jewish ideals, and Moments of the Heart takes readers by the hand in a non-intimidating way to explore Jewish thoughts, choose a kinder life, and be empowered. Our heart has a tremendous influence on how we view life, how we act, and how we build relationships. Just as the heart has four chambers, Moments of the Heart lays out four different types of relationships: with oneself, with others, with the Creator, and once-in-a-life time moments that define people. Each chamber contains several entries introducing topics that stem from Jewish thought and practice that inspire readers to live their best lives, utilizing Hebrew knowledge, wisdom,…

Free

Reading: Jackie Shannon Hollis: This Particular Happiness

Annie Bloom's Books 7834 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland, OR, United States

Annie Bloom's welcomes local author Jackie Shannon Hollis to read from her memoir, This Particular Happiness: A Childless Love Story. She'll be joined in conversation with her husband, Bill Hollis. Knowing where your scars come from doesn't make them go away. When Jackie Shannon Hollis marries Bill, a man who does not want children, she joyfully commits to a childless life. But soon after the wedding, she returns to the family ranch in rural Oregon and holds her newborn niece. Jackie falls deep into baby love and longing and begins to question her decision. As she navigates the overlapping roles of wife, daughter, aunt, sister, survivor, counselor, and friend, she explores what it really means to choose a different path. This Particular Happiness delves into…

Free

Nathan Langston: I Need You to Tell Me Everything

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

What Even is This? It’s a book. Or similar to a book. Johannes Gutenberg would have tripped out that this is what counts for a book now. A synopsis: This is a pseudo-surrealistic autobiography about childhood sexual abuse in a spiritual setting and a new therapeutic approach that puts the broken pieces back in place. Neuroscience, religion, philosophy, time distortion, shape-shifting, rock & roll, legal proceedings, the hope of achieving transcendence. About the Author Nathan Langston is a software designer living in Seattle. Once, he dressed up as a bar of soap to pass out coupons in Union Square, Manhattan. Once, he composed scores for an indie ballet company. Once, he wandered the passageways of the Alhambra in Spain and the Ellora Caves in India.…

Free

Heather Christle in Conversation With Zachary Schomburg

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

Heather Christle has just lost a dear friend to suicide and now must reckon with her own depression and the birth of her first child. As she faces her grief and impending parenthood, she decides to research the act of crying: what it is and why people do it, even if they rarely talk about it. Honest, intelligent, rapturous, and surprising, Christle’s investigations look through a mosaic of science, history, and her own lived experience to find new ways of understanding life, loss, and mental illness. The Crying Book (Catapult) is a deeply personal tribute to the fascinating strangeness of tears and the unexpected resilience of joy. Christle will be joined in conversation by Zachary Schomburg, Octopus Books publisher and author of Pulver Maar.

Free

Liz Prato

Mt. Hood Community College Theatre 26000 SE Stark Street, Gresham, OR, United States

The Mouths of Others presents author Liz Prato. Prato is the author of Volcanoes, Palm Trees & Privilege: Essays on Hawaii. Her essays combine lyricism, research and humor to explore the colonization of Hawaii and her role as a white tourist in a land that has been formed and destroyed by white outsiders. She discusses Hawaiian history, pop culture and contemporary affairs. Her work has been listed as a Notable selection in Best American Essays and Best American Sports Writing, and has been widely published in dozens of literary journals and magazines. WHEN: Thursday, Nov. 7 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. WHERE: Visual Arts Theatre, MHCC Gresham campus For more information, please email: Michele.Hampton@mhcc.edu or Andy.Gurevich@mhcc.edu

Free

The Selah Series

Taborspace 5441 SE Belmont St, Portland, OR, United States

This storytelling series is a space to call forward our ancestors who have histories of creation, healing, and resistance and to remember their stories and the hope that is inherent in our communal continued existence. Stories of Creation November 7 Storytellers will share stories of the creation of the Earth and the universe that come from indigenous cultural histories. This event is about reclaiming how the world was made. Stories of Resistance November 14 Storytellers will share stories of protest, organizing, collective bargaining, and community care. What can we learn from those that came before us? The road map to social uplift has been written, and written well. Stories of Healing November 21 Storytellers will share stories that focus on the holistic, indigenous, decolonized wellness…

Free