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!

Creative Nonfiction II

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

Creative nonfiction utilizes non-linear structures to “think” into complex or ambiguous subjects. In this class, we will explore the relationship between form and content in memoir, deepening our practice by working with a draft of a story or essay. Outside reading assignments and in-class writing and revision exercises will encourage experimentation and writing play. We will examine lyrical essays, braided forms and collage pieces. Writing prompts and drafting techniques will allow students to experiment with organization and voice, considering when silence works to make meaning. There will be scene writing and figurative language practice. Students will have an opportunity to discuss and workshop short excerpts of their drafts in an inspired, supportive setting. This class will build upon some of the topics covered in Creative Nonfiction…

$245

Epitaph: Write a Memorial for Someone You Love with Lisa Loving

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

"Whatever stories in your community most need to be told, the best person to tell them is you." Join wordsmith and writing radical Lisa Loving for an hour of tips and chat about giving wings to grief, in the form of words. Rose City Book Pub is extremely thrilled to host Lisa Loving's second of three writing workshops: "Epitaph: Write a Memorial for Someone You Love." Bring a pen and paper, or be ready to voice dictate thoughts into your device of choice, and try crafting a tribute on the spot. Pack your hanky. Tickets are 25$ and include a copy of Street Journalist: Understand and Report the News in Your Community as well as a drink and some phenomenal shared appetizers. Get tickets here:…

$25

Claude Johnson in Conversation With Keith Houlemard

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

From the introduction of the game of basketball to Black communities on a wide scale in 1904 to the racial integration of the NBA in 1950, dozens of African American teams were founded and flourished. This period, known as the Black Fives Era (teams at the time were often called “fives”), was a time of pioneering players and managers. They battled discrimination and marginalization and created culturally rich, socially meaningful events. But despite headline-making rivalries between big-city clubs, the savvy moves of innovative businessmen, and the undeniable talent of star players, this period is almost entirely unknown to basketball fans. Claude Johnson has made it his mission to change that. An advocate fiercely committed to our history, for more than two decades Johnson has conducted…

Free

In-Store Reading: Karen Eva Carr

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

Annie Bloom's welcomes Portland author Karen Eva Carr for a reading from her new book, Shifting Currents: A World History of Swimming. This in-store reading is first come, first served. Please be mindful of any store health policies that might be in effect on the night of the reading. Signed and personalized copies are available for pre-order! Please, please, please include the name for personalization in the order notes; all orders without a name specified in the order notes will be signed only. About Shifting Currents: A deep dive into the history of aquatics that exposes centuries-old tensions of race, gender, and power at the root of many contemporary swimming controversies. Shifting Currents is an original and comprehensive history of swimming. It examines the tension…

Free

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

In-Store Reading: Jeff Fearnside with Kim Stafford

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

Annie Bloom's welcomes Oregon author Jeff Fearnside for the launch of his new book, Ships in the Desert. Jeff will be in conversation with Portland writer and Oregon poet laureate Kim Stafford. This in-store reading is first come, first served. Seating is limited. Please be mindful of any store health policies that might be in effect on the night of the reading. Signed and personalized copies are available for pre-order! Please, please, please include the name for personalization in the order notes; all orders without a name specified in the order notes will be signed only. About Ships in the Desert: In this linked essay collection, award-winning author Jeff Fearnside analyzes his four years as an educator on the Great Silk Road, primarily in Kazakhstan.…

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

Michelle Tea in Conversation With Nicole J. Georges

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

From PEN/America Award winner, 2021 Guggenheim fellow, and beloved literary and tarot icon Michelle Tea comes a hilarious, powerfully written, taboo-breaking story of her journey to pregnancy and motherhood as a 40-year-old, queer, uninsured woman. Written in intimate, gleefully TMI prose, Knocking Myself Up (Dey Street) is the irreverent account of Tea’s route to parenthood — with a group of ride-or-die friends, a generous drag queen, and a whole lot of can-do pluck. Along the way she falls in love with a wholesome genderqueer a decade her junior, attempts biohacking herself a baby with black market fertility meds (and magicking herself an offspring with witch-enchanted honey), learns her eggs are busted, and enters the Fertility Industrial Complex in order to carry her younger lover’s baby.…

Free

AUTHOR TALK: Stephen Altschuler on Beating Insomnia

Birdhouse Books 1001 Main Street, Vancouver, WA, United States

Seven-time author Stephen Altschuler will be reading from his brand new book “BEATING INSOMNIA: A No-Nonsense Way to Natural Sleep.” Find out more about Stephen in his new Columbian article: https://www.columbian.com/news/2022/aug/02/vancouver-author-best-way-to-get-good-nights-sleep-is-to-live-well-during-day/.

Free