LitPDX seeks to amplify marginalized voices, and welcomes all, their ideas, their events, and their words.

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H. W. Brands

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

In Dreams of El Dorado (Basic), Pulitzer Prize finalist H. W. Brands tells the thrilling, panoramic story of the settling of the American West. He takes us from John Jacob Astor's fur trading outpost in Oregon to the Texas Revolution, from the California gold rush to the Oklahoma land rush. He shows how the migrants' dreams drove them to feats of courage and perseverance that put their stay-at-home cousins to shame – and how those same dreams also drove them to outrageous acts of violence against Indigenous peoples and one another. The West was where riches would reward the miner's persistence, the cattleman's courage, the railroad man's enterprise; but El Dorado was at least as elusive in the West as it ever was in the…

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Free

Art & Power: Centering the Voices of Black Artists

Louiza 2808 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Portland, OR, United States

Black and African American communities have always created and contributed to thriving arts and culture landscapes. Despite racist laws and oppressive systems’ attempt to erase and co-opt these contributions, the resiliency, advocacy, and creativity of Black artists continues to challenge the paradigm. Black artists are bringing art to life across the region, redefining art spaces, creating new systems, and reimagining new futures. Join us for the last Art & Power of 2019 and listen, learn and reflect with local artists Bethlehem Daniel, Carlos the Rollerblader, Christine Miller, and Mic Crenshaw as they discuss their experience as Black artists in Portland’s arts ecosystem, with moderation by S. Renee Mitchell. We strive to host inclusive and accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully. There will…

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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

Lindy West

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

From the moment powerful men started falling to the #MeToo movement, the lamentations began: this is feminism gone too far, this is injustice, this is a witch hunt. In The Witches Are Coming (Hachette), Lindy West, firebrand author of the bestselling memoir and now critically acclaimed Hulu TV series Shrill, turns that refrain on its head. You think this is a witch hunt? Fine. You've got one. In a laugh-out-loud, incisive cultural critique, West extolls the world-changing magic of truth, urging readers to reckon with the dark lies at the heart of the American mythos, and unpacking the complicated, and sometimes tragic, politics of not being a white man in the 21st century. She tracks the misogyny and propaganda hidden (or not so hidden) in…

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Free

Going Feral: Field Notes on Wonder and Wanderlust

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

In her deeply personal and intellectually curious essays, Heather Durham explores wild America, weaving the unique perspectives of a trained ecologist, inquisitive philosopher, and restless nomad, probing the intricacies of the natural world as profoundly as she does herself. She wanders from New England vernal pools to Pacific Northwest salmon runs, Rocky Mountain pine forests to Desert Southwest sage flats in search of adventure, solace, authenticity, and belonging in the more-than-human world. Part scientifically informed nature writing, part soul-searching memoir, Going Feral: Field Notes on Wonder and Wanderlust (Wandering Aengus) is the story of a human animal learning to belong to the earth.

Free

The Blackonteurs – November Edition!

Deep End Theater 211 SE 11th Ave, Portland, OR, United States

Story Telling show Thursday November 21st 7:30 p.m. / $12 The Blackonteurs are back at The Deep End Theater! Named one of “Six New Projects Shaking Up Portland’s Arts Scene” by Portland Monthly Magazine, The Blackonteurs is Portland's own storytelling show that features all black & African-American performers sharing their stories of triumph, struggle, laughter, love, joy, and pain. On Thursday, November 21st at 7:30pm, join us for performances by: - Emmett Wheatfall! - Nichole Robinson! - Willie Poinsette! ​- Carlos Kareem Windham! - Cookie Zvovushe! And hosted by the forever-effervescent Leann Johnson!

$12

Reading: How Your Story Sets You Free

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

Everyone has a story to tell. Sharing that story can change you, your community, or even the world. But how do you start? This inspirational guide invites you to unlock your truth and share it, whether in a TED talk, a blog post, or a conversation with their loved ones. Storytelling coaches Heather Box and Julian Mocine-McQueen reveal how to embrace the power of personal storytelling in a series of easy steps. Their practical and motivating advice fills this charming ebook and serves as a powerful reminder that stories matter.

Free

Keynote Lecture: Macarena Gomez-Barris

Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) 511 Northwest Broadway St, Portland, OR, United States

Macarena Gomez-Barris is a cultural critic, author and Chairperson of Social Science and Cultural Studies at Pratt Institute. She is founder and Director of the Global South Center, a hub for critical inquiry, aesthetic praxis, and experimental forms of social living. Macarena works on cultural memory, race, queer and decolonial theory, and rethinking the anthropocene. She is author of The Extractive Zone: Social Ecologies and Decolonial Perspectives, a book that theorizes social life through five extractive scenes of ruinous capitalism upon Indigenous territories (Duke University Press, 2017). She is also author of Beyond the Pink Tide: Art and Politics in the Américas (UC Press, 2018), Where Memory Dwells: Culture and State Violence in Chile (UC Press, 2009), and co-editor with Herman Gray of Towards a…

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Free

Portland Audubon’s Wild Arts Festival

Pure Space 1315 NW Overton Street, Portland, OR, United States

Join us at the 2019 Wild Arts Festival, the premier show that celebrates art and nature in the Pacific Northwest! With artists and authors presenting their work, plus more art, trips, outdoor gear and experiences available in our silent auction, Festival shopping is a delight. And, it's right in time for the holiday season. Proceeds benefit Portland Audubon’s work to inspire all people to love and protect the natural world. Get to know some of the best local and regional authors specializing in nature, birds, hiking, history, books for kids, and books that illuminate living in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest! You’ll have the chance to purchase books and get them signed by the author both days of the festival from noon to 4 p.m. Join…

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$10

American Spirit- a reading

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

Rob struggles to straddle his Japanese father’s religious traditions and the indulgent lifestyle of his new boarding school friends. Then his mind really explodes when upon marrying his Brazilian wife, Latin, Asian, and American cultures collide. This heartfelt, laugh-out-loud journey of self-discovery explores the challenge of expressing truth and love.

Free
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