A resource for the PDX literary community. Produced by Old Pal.
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!
Slamlandia is a poetry open mic and slam that meets on the second Thursday of each month. This mic provides a creative, fun, and welcoming space for all literary communities in Portland. We encourage poets new and old to come share their work. We strive towards a safer space for poets to read their own poetry, witness others, and participate in the community.
Ghost Town Poetry Open Mic Hosted by Christopher Luna and Toni Lumbrazo Luna of Printed Matter Vancouver Featuring John Burgess 7 pm Thursday, May 9, 2019 Open mic sign up begins at 6:30 and closes at 7 FREE Angst Gallery 1015 Main Street Vancouver, WA 98660 angstgallery.com Food and libation provided by Niche Wine Bar, 1013 Main Street Sound provided by Briz Loan & Guitar: http://briz.us/ LGBTQ+ FRIENDLY, ALL AGES, AND UNCENSORED SINCE 2004 John Burgess grew up in upstate New York, worked on a survey crew in Montana, taught English in Japan, and since 1985 has lived in Seattle, where he works for an insurance company. Past glories include: 2006 Jack Straw writer; co-founder of the original Burning Word Festival; 2008 Words' Worth curator…
Open mic showcasing Poets & Comedians!
Join Michael Collier — poet, teacher, essayist, former poet laureate of Maryland, and former director of the Bread Loaf Writers Conference Michael Collier — as he reads from his new book, My Bishop and Other Poems on Friday, May 10 at 7pm. Collier will be joined in conversation wtih Attic Institute founder David Biespiel. Michael Collier was born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1953. He studied with William Meredith as an undergraduate at Connecticut College, and earned his MFA at the University of Arizona. Poet laureate of Maryland from 2001-2004, His books of poetry include The Clasp and Other Poems (1986), The Folded Heart (1989), The Neighbor (1995), The Ledge (2000), which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and Dark Wild Realm (2006). Collier’s poems often reveal a fascination with objects and their significance;…
“Well, while I’m here I’ll do the work — and what’s the work? To ease the pain of living. Everything else, drunken dumbshow.” ― Allen Ginsberg, “Memory Gardens” (Fall of America, City Lights) Join us on Saturday, May 11 for The Work, a monthly poetry writing workshop at Niche Wine Bar led by Christopher Luna. Poetry encourages empathy and compassion, and sparks the shifts in consciousness which can lead to healing, personal growth, and an interest in fighting for progressive social change. I look forward to sharing my passion for poetry with you. The Work is a drop-in poetry writing workshop for beginners as well as more experienced writers. We will read and discuss poetry, and write several new poems together from 11:30-2:00. Doors open…
It's time for another Slamlandia house show - this time featuring the amazing Bassam! This show will be held at Pointy House (2930 SE Clay Street) on Saturday, May 11th. Door opens & signups at 5:30pm, show starts at 6:00pm. Some snacks and drinks will be provided (on a donation basis) - feel free to bring your own as well! ***There will be a $5 required entry fee at the door*** This show is set to take place inside, as Portland weather is unpredictable in May. That said, if on the day the weather happens to be flawless, show is subject to move to the house's backyard. This house show will have an open mic that you can sign up to read in, as well…
Wordlights Saturday poetry evenings presented by Nova PDX, Rocking Frog Cafe and hosted by Igor Brezhnev. On Saturday May 11th, we'll have a feature from Nastashia Minto, two mini features from Rachel Ancheta & Chris Gonzalez, and a short set poetry open mic! OUR FEATURE: Nastashia Minto is an African American woman who was born in South Georgia and raised there by her grandparents. She grew up in poverty and around drugs, alcohol, and family violence. Her life experiences led her to obtain an associate’s degree in occupational therapy and a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She has been writing since she was nine years old and has found that her writing offers her another way to help people. Currently residing in Portland, Oregon her debut…
Join us as the two Portland Slam teams battle it out! Portland Poetry Slam and Slamlandia will compete against each other for the title of Rose City Champion! There is a 5 dollar suggested donation for this event but no one is turned away. We will have a feature from bassam! More about bassam: bassam (they/them or xe/xim) is a spoken word poet, proud auntie, and settler currently residing on the unceded traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations (colonially “Vancouver, Canada”). they are currently serving as National Director for Spoken Word Canada, and are a member of the League of Canadian Poets. bassam earned title of national slam champion at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word (CFSW) in 2016 with the…
We welcome Oregon Poet Laureate Emerita Paulann Petersen to read from her new collection of poetry, One Small Sun, published by Salmon Poetry. The poems take readers from a fur shop in Oregon to a Hyderabadi shrine in India's subcontinent. Tapping deeply into memory, relying on poetry's ability to bring alive again what is coded into the blood, these poems ultimately form an arc of an aging woman's life. This collection tells the tales of what she has always realized, is ever learning, but -- only through poetry's vehicle -- can truly know. Petersen was born in Portland and graduated from Franklin High School. She attended college at Pomona College in California and Southern Oregon State College in Ashland, earning a master's degree in Humanities, Fine…
Literary Arts’ Youth Programs presents the first annual Verselandia! East Side Slam. Cheer on high school students in your community as they perform original poetry in front of a panel of judges. Students from participating East Multnomah County high schools will be competing at this event. Following the same rules as national poetry slams, students must perform original work without props, costumes, or music in front of a panel of judges and a live audience. Using a scale of one to ten, the judges will rate both the performance and the writing of each student. Please note that high school students may use adult language and explore adult themes. This event is free and open to the public. Please share with your community and join…