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

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Talks & Discussions

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Michael Pollan in Conversation With Dave Miller / TICKETED EVENT

Newmark Theatre 1111 SW Broadway Ave., Portland, OR, United States

From Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and How to Change Your Mind, comes a radical challenge to how we think about drugs, and an exploration into the powerful human attraction to psychoactive plants — and the equally powerful taboos. Of all the things humans rely on plants for — sustenance, beauty, medicine, fragrance, flavor, fiber — surely the most curious is our use of them to change consciousness: to stimulate or calm, fiddle with or completely alter, the qualities of our mental experience. Take coffee and tea: People around the world rely on caffeine to sharpen their minds. But we do not usually think of caffeine as a drug, or our daily use as an addiction, because it is legal and socially acceptable.…

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$28

Oregon Literary Fellowships Information Session

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

Questions about applying to this year’s Oregon Literary Fellowships? Join us at this information session! Drop-in anytime between 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Register in advance for this meeting here. Please contact Susan Moore (susan@literary-arts.org) or Jessica Meza-Torres (jessica@literary-arts.org) if you have any questions.  

Free

Tillie Walden in Conversation With Terry Blas

Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd, Beaverton, OR, United States

From the world of Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead… Clementine lives! In Tillie Walden’s Clementine Book One (Image), Clementine is back on the road, looking to put her traumatic past behind her and forge a new path all her own. But when she comes across an Amish teenager named Amos with his head in the clouds, the unlikely pair journeys North to an abandoned ski resort in Vermont, where they meet up with a small group of teenagers attempting to build a new, walker-free settlement. As friendship, rivalry, and romance begin to blossom amongst the group, the harsh winter soon reveals that the biggest threat to their survival… might be each other. Walden will be joined in conversation by writer-illustrator Terry Blas, author of Dead…

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Free

The Unique Art of Autofiction

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

This is a three-hour, one-day intensive discussion on the unique genre of autofiction. This course will provide insight into the many nuances of autofiction, or autobiographical fiction. This “genre” involves writing that is based on real life experiences, but also utilizes fictional literary devices, makingit  a very unique form. I will provide craft essays and novel excerpts to read ahead of time from contemporary autofiction writers like Ayah Akhtar, Brandon Taylor, Edouard Louis, Chris Kraus, and Ocean Vuong, which we will discuss as a group. During our time together, we will also explore writing in this form; although, this will not be a typical workshop format. Writers of all genres and experience levels are welcome. Access Program We want our writing classes and Delves to…

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$75

Claude Johnson in Conversation With Keith Houlemard

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

From the introduction of the game of basketball to Black communities on a wide scale in 1904 to the racial integration of the NBA in 1950, dozens of African American teams were founded and flourished. This period, known as the Black Fives Era (teams at the time were often called “fives”), was a time of pioneering players and managers. They battled discrimination and marginalization and created culturally rich, socially meaningful events. But despite headline-making rivalries between big-city clubs, the savvy moves of innovative businessmen, and the undeniable talent of star players, this period is almost entirely unknown to basketball fans. Claude Johnson has made it his mission to change that. An advocate fiercely committed to our history, for more than two decades Johnson has conducted…

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Free

AUTHOR TALK: Stephen Altschuler on Beating Insomnia

Birdhouse Books 1001 Main Street, Vancouver, WA, United States

Seven-time author Stephen Altschuler will be reading from his brand new book “BEATING INSOMNIA: A No-Nonsense Way to Natural Sleep.” Find out more about Stephen in his new Columbian article: https://www.columbian.com/news/2022/aug/02/vancouver-author-best-way-to-get-good-nights-sleep-is-to-live-well-during-day/.

Free

Adam White & Justin Taylor: In-Conversation

Literary Arts 925 SW Washington Street, Portland, OR, United States

Join us for a conversation with Adam White and Justin Taylor, moderated by Steve Nelson of the Northwest Review. This event is in-person at Literary Arts. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination required for entry. Please see our guidelines here. Adam White Adam White grew up in Damariscotta, Maine, and now lives with his wife and son in Boston, where he teaches writing and coaches lacrosse. He holds an MFA from Columbia University. The Midcoast is his first novel. Justin Taylor Justin Taylor is the author of the memoir Riding with the Ghost, which was published by Random House in 2020. He is also the author of three books of fiction, all published by HarperColllins: Everything Here Is the Best Thing Ever (2010), The Gospel of Anarchy (2011), and Flings (2014). His work has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s, Bomb, and Bookforum, among other…

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Free

Lidia Yuknavitch in Conversation with Omar El Akkad

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

What a thrill to be hosting two multiple-time Oregon Book Award winners, Lidia Yuknavitch and Omar El Akkad, in conversation about the new novel from Yuknavitch, Thrust, recently published by Riverhead Books/PRH. Lidia Yuknavitch is the National Bestselling author of the novels The Book of Joan and The Small Backs of Children, winner of the 2016 Oregon Book Award's Ken Kesey Award for Fiction as well as the Reader's Choice Award, the novel Dora: A Headcase, and a critical book on war and narrative, Allegories Of Violence (Routledge). Her widely acclaimed memoir The Chronology of Water, published by Hawthorne Books, was a finalist for a PEN Center USA award for creative nonfiction and winner of Pacific Northwest Booksellers' Award and the Oregon Book Award Reader's…

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Free

Consider This: Black Political Power in Oregon

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

Join Oregon Humanities on Wednesday, September 14, for a conversation on the state of Black political power in Oregon with Joy Alise Davis, executive director at Imagine Black; Keith Jenkins, director of Southern Oregon Black Leaders, Activists, & Community Coalition; and Marcus LeGrand, vice-chair of Bend-La Pine Schools. Journalist Bruce Poinsette will facilitate the conversation. The event will take place in-person at the Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St., in Portland. Doors will open at 6:00 p.m, and the event will begin at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $15, and no-cost tickets are available by request. Joy Alise Davis is a Cincinnati native who graduated from Miami University with a bachelor of arts in political science and from Parsons School of Design with a master…

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Free – $15

A Conversation with Kate Birdsall

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

A conversation with Kate Birdsall live at the library. Seating limited to 50. Kate is the author of the memoir In Between and stars in the 2022 film Strictly for the Birds. The film is based on Kate’s memoir about her claiming her identity, finding love, and transitioning at age 65. Room Location: Community Room

Free
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