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Michael Collier in Conversation with David Biespiel

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

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;…

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Free

The Work Poetry Workshop: Saturday Edition (New Starting Time)

Niche Wine Bar 1013 Main St, Vancouver, WA, United States

“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…

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Free – $20

Slamlandia House Show – ft. Bassam

Pointy House 2930 SE Clay St, Portland, OR, United States

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…

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$5

Wordlights: Saturday Poetry Evenings

Rocking Frog Cafe 2511 SE Belmont St, Portland, OR, United States

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…

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Free

Slam Team Battle feat. bassam

Tiny's Coffee - NE MLK Jr 2031 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR, United States

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…

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Free

Paulann Petersen

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

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…

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Free

Verselandia! East Side Slam

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

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…

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Free

QUEER PDXpression

Local Lounge 3536 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR, United States

Please join us Thursday May 16th at the Local lounge. Sign ups will start at 6:30pm and show is at 7:00 pm. We will have the lovely Andy Lee Anderson as our feature. With a mix authentic vulnerability, relevant truth, and humor, Andy Anderson writes poems that make you want to be their friend. They are author of Hello, My Name is Andy, and their work appears in Deep Overstock Journal. Buy their book at this link: https://www.blurb.com/b/9405616-hello-my-name-is-andy Books will also be available at event.

Free

Slamlandia May Picnic PDX Poetry Open Mic

Picnic PDX 1305 NW 23rd Ave, Portland, OR, United States

Join us on MAY 16TH for our third Thursday Poetry Open Mic! Doors and sign-ups are at 6:30 PM Get there on time to get a spot in the open mic! Show begins at 7:00 PM Picnic PDX 1305 NW 23rd Avenue Portland, OR 97210 This show is all ages. Please see our Accessibility and Safer Space info below. $5 suggested donation at door. This show will not have a poetry slam or a featured poet. We ask for just poetry on this mic, no music or stand up comedy. ★ •*´¨`*• O P E N • M I C •*´¨`*• ★ The open mic will start the show out. The open mic is a great way to share your wonderful poetry! You can share…

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Free – $5

Poets Rob Schlegel & Jessica Laser

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

Rob Schlegel stands among the genderless trees to shake notions of masculinity and fatherhood. Schlegel’s In the Tree Where the Double Sex Sleeps (University of Iowa) is a tender search for the mother in the father, the poet in the parent, the forest in the human. Sergei Kuzmich From All Sides (Letter Machine) is the debut collection from Jessica Laser, of which poet Margaret Ross says, "The visceral pleasure one experiences reading these poems corresponds to the depth of their ambition: to fathom human feeling – its contradictions, its infinite shifts – and 'see how full of changes change is.'"

Free
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