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!

Premise Course: How do we carry borders with us even as we cross them? Anzaldúa’s Borderlands/La Frontera, Luiselli’s Tell Me How it Ends, Castillo’s The Mixquiahuala Letters

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

Beautiful question: How do we carry borders with us even as we cross them? (Learn about Premise classes here: https://www.premiseinstitute.com/premisefaq) Texts: Gloria Anzaldúa’s Borderlands/La Frontera; Ana Castillo’s The Mixquiahuala Letters, and Valeria Luiselli’s Tell Me How it Ends Since its conception in 1848, the US-Mexico border has been a site of conflict, contradiction, and beauty. Although the border continues to feature heavily in our news and politics, it is often described through narratives of violence, national security, and human rights abuses.  In this course, we will delve into works that complicate these narratives by embracing the beauty and possibility of the borderlands. We will begin with Gloria Anzaldúa’s landmark work Borderlands/La Frontera, in which she describes the border as “una herida abierta,” an open wound,…

$200

Telltale Presents: What Did You Expect?

Chapel Theatre 4107 SE Harrison St, Milwaukie, OR, United States

Hey, champ! Thanks for checking out Telltale. We are a monthly curated storytelling event for people that like to get vulnerable and take no shit. We are keen on connection, laughter, heartbreak, poignant moments, and community building. We are in our fifth season now, which is wild. After a number of zoom shows.... WE ARE BACK, PAL! With an all vaccinated staff, we will be doing a series of summer shows outside of our old venue, Chapel Theatre. I said we'd do these shows until things stopped making me mad.... and well.... apparently there's an endless series of things to be angry at in this country. At Telltale, you can expect about 7-10 performers sharing something with you, in the way that feels right to…

Free – $10

Live Wire: Sarah Marshall, Dino Archie, Omar El Akkad, MAITA

Alberta Rose Theatre 3000 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR, United States

SARAH MARSHALL Sarah Marshall is a writer, podcaster, and media critic focused on setting straight our collective memory—or at least getting to the bottom of why we believe and in turn define ourselves by popular narrative and myth. Why is the maligned woman a staple of our news media? Why do we believe that serial killers are brilliant? How do we keep stumbling into all these moral panics? These are some of the questions that propel Sarah forward. She is the co-host of the popular modern history podcast You’re Wrong About, which has been highlighted in the New Yorker, the Guardian and Time Magazine. Website • Twitter DINO ARCHIE Dino Archie is a stand-up comedian who has been featured on Comedy Central’s Adam Devine’s House…

$30 – $45

An Evening with David Sedaris

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall 1037 SW Broadway, Portland, OR, United States

UPDATED COVID-19 ATTENDANCE POLICY All ticket holders, regardless of age, are required to show proof of full COVID vaccination or a negative test result (within 48 hours) from a healthcare provider for entry into the theatre. “Fully vaccinated” means that ticket holders have received their final vaccination dose of either the two-dose regimen of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or one dose of Johnson & Johnson at least 14 days before your performance date. Also, in accordance with state and local guidelines, face masks are required for entry. Masks must completely cover nose and mouth. Gaiters and bandanas are not acceptable. If wearing a face mask that does not comply with Metro policy, Portland’5 will provide a face mask for patrons. Masks must be worn at all times except…

$32.50 – $57.50

ART & BACKFENCE PRESENT: CAMPFIRE STORIES

Old Moody Barge Building @ Zidell Yards 3121 S Moody Ave, Portland, OR, United States

Hosted by Frayn Masters & Mindy Nettifee In collaboration with BackFence PDX, ART presents CAMPFIRE STORIES, a live, outdoor* storytelling event you won’t want to miss! Spend a fall evening around a campfire** enjoying your favorite outdoor treats while your favorite Portland storytellers spin tales of wonder.  Parking is $5 per vehicle. There are only 60 tickets available per show. Regular Tickets are $20 and gets you into the show. VIP tickets are $50 and comes with parking, a goodie bag, and a drink ticket (VIP tickets are limited to 10 per show). Masks and proof of vaccination are required to attend.*** When the leaves are in their glorious orange and red prime, and a hint of crispness is in the air, it’s the perfect time for ghost,…

$20 – $50

Delve Readers Seminar: Hilary Mantel: Beyond the Booker

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

Hilary Mantel is best known for her Thomas Cromwell trilogy, the first two volumes of which (Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies) won the Booker Prize (in 2009 and 2012). The third and final volume, The Mirror and the Light, was published to acclaim in 2020. These books are modern masterpieces, yet Mantel’s earlier novels are equally worthy of attention and admiration. Mantel’s books are so original, and so different from one another, that it’s often difficult to believe they were written by the same novelist. In this seminar, we will read two of Mantel’s novels and her memoir. Beyond Black is the tragi-comic story of Alison, a modern-day medium scraping out a living among an assortment of cranks, true believers, and charlatans. Haunted…

$240

Writing Beyond Stereotypes of Disability

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

Characters with disabilities have been around as long as there have been stories, but often those characters are based on stereotypes that serve as plot shortcuts and end up being harmful to real people with disabilities. Disability is one of humanity’s most shared traits. It is inevitable that to write characters you will write disability. This class will use model texts and generative writing exercises to explore how to go beyond stereotypes such as the one-handed villain, the pitiable cripple, and the inspirational athlete, to write nuanced characters that honor human diversity on the page. Because we live in an able world, discussions and exercises will also touch on writing disabled worlds and how to reveal the often invisible expectations of ablism in our current…

$95

Portland Storytellers’ Guild: MORE THAN FOOD: Stories that Have Sustained Us Through the Pandemic

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

Sometimes you need a story more than food. Let a retired librarian, a favorite grandpa, and a homeschooling mom entertain you with tales that are seeing them through these difficult times. From fantastic lore and witchcraft to personal fables and faux pas, it's an evening sure to sustain you...at least for the night! Pam Maben believes that our stories tell us who we are and offer us wisdom as we navigate our lives. As a school librarian she was introduced to a wide variety of stories especially folklore and mythology that has been an inexhaustible source of possible ways of looking at the world. She is a member of the Guild of Sacred Storytellers and a part of The Crones storytelling group. Patrick Gannon is…

$10

The Moth: StorySLAM: Legends

The Old Church Concert Hall 1422 SW 11th Ave, Portland, OR, United States

*PLEASE NOTE THAT PROOF OF VACCINATION WILL BE REQUIRED FOR ENTRY.* Your last dose must be administered at least 14 days prior to date of arrival. Proof of a negative COVID test taken within 48 hours of the event will also be accepted in lieu of proof of vaccination.  LEGENDS: Prepare a five-minute story about lore. Hometown heroes or larger than life icons. Spending the night in a haunted house, family secrets uncovered, senior pranks that went down in history. Deep-seated superstitions that fly in the face of reality checks. Every myth has to start somewhere. We will not be selling any tickets at the door. This venue is 16+ *Seating is not guaranteed and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please be sure to arrive at least 10…

$15

Drop-in Writing Workshop for BIPOC Writers with Anya Pearson

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

This is one of four online workshops for BIPOC writers designed to help you generate new material, refine an existing draft, or simply discover the permission to call yourself a writer. We will gather on Zoom on the first Tuesday of each month (September-December) and hold space for each other, creating a community with other BIPOC writers. Think of this as a playpen and creative incubator to support you as you generate writing and navigate building a creative practice and life in the arts. We will write together using specific prompts. We’ll bounce ideas off each other, share our work in progress, and hold space for the fullness of who we are. Sign up for one, two, three, or all four sessions. Additional sessions are listed below or on…

$5 – $30