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!

Fall | Personal Essays w Lee Montgomery | Sep 17 – Nov 19 | Online

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

First Draft to Publication Leads Personal Essays and memoir represent some of the most adventurous writing today. Pushing narrative boundaries, utilizing traditional and nontraditional forms, this type of writing explores individuality and the minutiae of life unlike any other form. This workshop will help students explore the world of memoir and personal essay writing and understand both traditional and nontraditional narrative strategies available to them. Though the class will be run as a classic workshop, where students will submit their work to be reviewed in class, it will also combine craft lectures, outside reading, and in-class exercises. | Maximum: 12 writers Zoom link provided prior to start of workshop. Teacher: Lee MontgomeryTime: Saturdays, Sep 17 - Nov 19, 10am - 12:30pm Pacific TimeLocation: Online via ZoomTotal Fee: Discounted Early Registration…

$548 – $583

Portland Zine Symposium 2022

PSU - Smith Memorial Student Union 1825 SW Broadway, Portland, OR, United States

The 2022 Portland Zine Symposium will be September 17th and 18th! Tabling will be 11am-5pm with different tablers both days! We will also have virtual programming leading up to the fest: Monday 9/12 Zine librarian meetup 🔗 Wednesday 9/14 Zinefest organizer meetup 🔗 Friday 9/16 Zine distro meetup 🔗 All of the programming is from 6-7:30pm PST, and sign-ups are available at the 🔗s. More info on the in-person tabling event and virtual programming ! Be sure to check out our Safe Space and Covid Health and Safety Protocols as well. The 2022 Portland Zine Symposium will be at the Smith Memorial Student Union in the Ballroom at Portland State University (1825 SW Broadway). PZS will be free and open to the public from 11am…

Free

IPRC at Portland Zine Symposium 2022

IPRC (Independent Publishing Resource Center) 318 SE Main Street #175, Portland, OR, United States

The Portland Zine Symposium is happening this year as a hybrid event on Sept 17 & 18! The IPRC will be tabling in person both days at the Smith Ballroom at Portland State University. Remote programming will be taking place the same weekend. Visit https://www.instagram.com/pdx_zines/ for more info!

Free

Hanif Abdurraqib, Kaveh Akbar, and Leslie Jamison

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

The Alano Club of Portland’s Artists in Recovery series and Literary Arts are thrilled to welcome Hanif Abdurraqib, Kaveh Akbar, and Leslie Jamison to Portland for a reading and conversation about the intersections of mental health and substance use recovery, creativity, and building community. The discussion will be moderated by Kasey Anderson. This event is free and open to the public but space is limited so reserving a ticket on Eventbrite is recommended. This event is sponsored by Third Eye Books, Tin House, and the Willamette University/PNCA Low Residency Creative Writing MFA Program. In-Person Event Note: This event meets in-person at Literary Arts, 925 SW Washington. Literary Arts will require proof of full COVID-19 vaccination, or a negative test result (within 72 hours) from a…

Free

Submissions Open: Portland Review

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

A new season is upon us! We open for submissions on September 18th. For over sixty years, Portland Review has published the works of emerging writers and artists alongside the works of well-established authors. We warmly encourage previously unpublished writers and artists to submit, and we aim to support work by those often marginalized in the artistic conversation, including (though certainly not limited to) people of color, women, disabled people, LGBTQIA people, and people with intersectional identities. Please note Portland Review does not accept previously published material. Portland Review accepts simultaneous submissions, but please immediately withdraw your work via Submittable if it is accepted elsewhere. If one work out of a collection of poems or images needs to be withdrawn but the other works in the collection are still available, message us via…

Free

Hanif Abdurraqib

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

A reading with Hanif Abdurraqib, poet, essayist, and cultural critic. He is the author of the poetry The Crown Ain’t Worth Much and the essay collection They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us. This is an in-person event. Please review our Covid-19 guidelines. Be prepared to show proof of vaccination or a negative PCR Test at the door. Masks are not required but encouraged. If you have any questions, contact Jessica at jessica@literary-arts.org. Hanif Abdurraqib Hanif Abdurraqib is an American poet, essayist, and cultural critic. He is the author of 2016 poetry collection The Crown Ain't Worth Much, published by Button Poetry; the 2017 essay collection They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us, published by Two Dollar Radio; the 2019 non-fiction book, Go…

Free

FALL :: A (Virtual) Generative Creative Lab :: Exhausting Metaphor— begins September 18th

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

Fall :: A Generative Creative Lab :: Exhausting Metaphor Collaboration Leader: Domi Shoemaker, alongside weekly videos featuring Domi and Lidia Yuknavitch in conversation When: Begins September 18th Where: Videos are hosted on our site—you’ll receive a link to one each week on Sundays, and then have access to them always. Domi will host a Zoom meeting every Monday from 5:30-7:30PM PST. Meeting dates: September 19th, September 26th, October 3rd & October 10th Cost: $250—payment plans are available. Please contact Daniel at registration@corporealwriting.com. Scholarships are also available—Apply Here. Seven years ago (!!!) Corporeal Writing hosted its first ever seasonal lab—and we started with Fall. It’s an exciting time for us all as we cozy back into this beautiful season ripe with metaphors. Color. Changes in light,…

$250

The Moth: StorySLAM: Outlaws

Holocene 1001 SE Morrison St, Portland, OR, United States

OUTLAWS: Gangsters to double parkers, prepare a five-minute story about a lawless moment from your life. Rebels with a cause, readers of banned books, questioners of authority. Entering The Restricted Section or The Forbidden Forest. Trespassers welcome! COVID Requirements: See Holocene's COVID Policy for details. We will not be selling any tickets at the door. This venue is 21+ *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

Fall | Writers’ Lab: Life Stories w Lee Montgomery | Sep 20 – Oct 25 | Online

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

Frank Conroy, the longtime director of the Iowa Writers Workshop, once said that in good writing, you can feel a soul pressing up against the narrative. The question is how do writers access the “soul” that translates into good storytelling? We’ll first focus on finding the soul that’s pushing you to write by offering a true laboratory, a safe place to inspire and experiment with new ideas generated by in-class prompts and exercises. We will talk about the craft of narrative, as well. Students will be required to read assigned essays and memoir excerpts outside of class to get a sense of the forms and techniques of narrative. The hope is students will be well on their way with a map for a new project by…

$265 – $287

Fall | Introduction to Flash Nonfiction w Brian Benson | Sep 20 – Oct 18 | Online

Online N/A, 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 100 Word Story, The Forge to The Sun, legions of journals are eager to publish great flash. In this prompt-driven workshop, we'll read short nonfiction by masters of the form; 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 publish. Maximum | 16 students. Zoom link provided prior to start of workshop. Teacher: Brian BensonWorkshop Day: TuesdayTime: Tuesdays,…

$219 – $248