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!

The Prose Poem

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

The Prose Poem: This workshop is in person: Masks + Proof of Vaccination Required Register here How can we create poems when we no longer rely upon (or when we free ourselves from) one of poetry’s most powerful tools: the line? In this class, we’ll dive into this question, drawing inspiration from a diverse array of writers as we investigate how to heighten language to create the intensity of a poem within the short space of a paragraph. We’ll also examine writing that defies conventional genre classification, straddling the lines between poetry, fiction and essay. Through in-class exercises, weekly prompts, and supportive discussion of one another’s work, we’ll immerse ourselves in our creative processes, generating our own prose poems and pieces of writing that push…

$65 – $185

HOCUS Open Submissions: October 21st Reading with Theme: “Spirits”

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

HOCUS has opened submissions for an October 21st reading at Rose City Book Pub, with a central theme of "Spirits." HOCUS is looking for prose and poems of up to 2,000 words related to hauntings, liquor, or states of mind! The submission deadline is September 23rd.

Free

BIPOC Reading Series – August

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

This bimonthly reading series is intended to prioritize the safety, creativity, and stories of Black people, Indigenous people, and People of Color. Come listen to our featured readers, or sign up to share your work in our open mic. Readings will be followed by a short community discussion. Click here to register for this event. This event is open to everyone, but only people who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color will be invited to read. If you have any questions, please contact our host Jessica at  jessica@literary-arts.org.  

Free

Joint Patio Reading: Dale Champlin and Marc Janssen

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

Rose City Book Pub is thrilled to host not one, but two joint readings on the patio on August 26th at 7pm. The star readers in question will be Dale Champlin reading excerpts from Callie Comes of Age and Marc Janssen reading excerpts from November Reconsidered. Show up to listen to some fantastic poetry and order some food if you’re feeling it. Praise for Callie Comes of Age Ringing with an exquisite lyricism, Dale Champlin’s amazing Callie Comes of Age—a novel in the form of poetry will hold you in thrall. Set in the harsh ranch country of the American West, which shapes her life, Callie’s story evolves from an early childhood filled with tenderness and a strong sense of belonging into a grim tale of…

Free

Book Sale

Ledding Library of Milwaukie 10660 SE 21st Avenue, Milwaukie, OR, United States

Sundays May through October (weather permitting) from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Friends of the Ledding Library will sell books you'll love next to the amphitheater at the north end of the Ledding Library building. Sales of donated books benefit library programs and purchase. From early readers to teens and adults, the library serves all our community. You can help by purchasing books and by joining the Friends and/or volunteering. Learn more at www.leddingfriends.org (link is external). Room Location: Next to the amphitheater

Free

Last Sundays Open Mic

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

John Carter hosts this very open mic. You’re welcome to share any of your talents from any field of art or other interest. Music and poetry, of course, but also comedy, magic, dance. You can give an art talk about a piece of visual art. You can read a chapter of your dissertation. Let’s share our creative endeavors so that we can all grow through shared inspiration. Starting in March, Wellspring will be on 2nd and 4th Sundays right after Community Art Day. Sign ups start at 6:00 or so.

Free

The Break with Kaveh Akbar

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

In partnership with Alano Club of Portland, “The Break is a monthly virtual gathering of writers and artists lead by Kaveh Akbar, celebrating amongness, collaboration, and interdisciplinary creative experimentation. Though many of the activities and discussions orbit or are inflected by recovery themes (Akbar has been in active recovery for eight years), participants are not required to self-identify as being in recovery to participate.” Register at: https://www.portlandalano.org/the-break Kaveh Akbar Kaveh Akbar is a poet, teacher and the poetry editor for The Nation. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, New York Times, Paris Review, Poetry, Best American Poetry, and elsewhere. His newest book, Pilgrim Bell, was published by Graywolf in 2021; he is also the author of Calling a Wolf a Wolf (Alice James,…

Free

In-Store Poetry Reading: A. Molotkov and Susan Leslie Moore

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

Annie Bloom's welcomes Portland poets A. Molotkov and Susan Leslie Moore for an in-store reading from their latest collections. 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 of both poets' books are available! 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 Future Symptoms: In this stirring collection of poetry, A. Molotkov considers a country on the brink of collapse, plagued by virus and violence, haunted by history, asking of himself––and us-––'How do I move / with my love / caught…

Free

Tech Support Group

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

Tech Support Group Register here Mondays, 7-8:30pm PST via Zoom August 29th – Sept. 19th $30 – $75 sliding scale 3 no-cost spots available (BIPOC & 2S Prioritized) In this four-part workshop meets peer support group, we will gather to cultivate community and creative consciousness around the complex presence that smartphones have in our lives. Each meeting will include space for sharing and exploring creative prompts aimed at inviting curiosity, embodiment, experimentation and play into our interactions with our phones. The monthlong group will conclude with a collaborative Tech Support zine, which may include drawings, writings, poems, prompts, experiments, photos, etc that are reflective of experiences from the course. Participants can expect weekly email offerings with questions, prompts and themes to support their processes. Instructor description…

$30 – $75

Notes and Motes: Improvised Jazz with Surreal Poetry

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

Rose City Book Pub is more than thrilled to host Notes and Motes: Improvised Jazz with Surreal Poetry on August 29th at 7:30 pm. Swing on by to catch some freeform tunes and listen to some poetry with an edge. Notes and Motes: The Vlatkovich Trio Plus One Michael Vlatkovich – trombone Chris Lee – percussion Shao Way Wu – bass Casey Bush – poetry Michael Vlatkovich has produced over 20 CDs as band leader and composer. He has collaborated with musicians, poets, and conceptual artists. He is an emotionally charged performer expressing raw power and beauty in a minimally structured format. He has worked with many poets including Lisa Gill, Dottie Grossman, Anna Holmer, Chuck Britt, Bill Roper and Mark Weber. Vlatkovich holds duel…

Free