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

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The Mystery Box Show – 7 Year Anniversary!

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

From vanilla to kinky, queer to straight, and everything in between, a night at The Mystery Box Show brings you tales of one-night stands, explorations into fetish, awkward first times, dark fantasies come true, and much much more. Storytellers have included bestselling authors, nationally touring comedians, adult film industry veterans, theatre professionals, sex toy experts, members from the kink community, students and people from all walks of life. Nothing here is too raw, too sweet, too strange, or too deep; it's all about the sex, and all about the story. 21+ Show Doors open at 6:00 $22 Advance $27 Day of Show $57 VIP (includes preferred seating, sponsor gifts valued at $450, and post-show reception - available in advance only) The Mystery Box Show is…

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$22 – $57

An Evening of Poetry with Rob Schlegel and Katie Peterson

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

Join us Saturday, April 20 at 7 pm to hear Rob Schlegel and Katie Peterson read from their new collections of poetry. Rob Schlegel is the author of The Lesser Fields (Center for Literary Publishing 2009), selected by James Longenbach for the Colorado Prize for Poetry, and January Machine (Four Way Books 2014), selected by Stephanie Burt for the Grub Street National Book Prize. His third collection is In the Tree Where the Double Sex Sleeps (University of Iowa Press 2019), selected by Brenda Shaughnessy for the Iowa Poetry Prize. With the poets Daniel Poppick and Rawaan Alkhatib, he co-edits The Catenary Press. Most recently, he has taught at Whitman College, and in the MFA Program at Portland State University. With calm abandon, Rob Schlegel stands among…

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Free

Poetry Slam and Open Mic feat. Wayne Henry

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

Join us for another amazing poetry slam and open mic!!! There is a 5 dollar suggested donation for this event but no one is turned away. We will have a feature from Wayne Henry! More about Wayne: Wayne Henry was raised in South Central Los Angeles, exposed to a melting pot of different cultures which allows for him to have a broad canvas for his work. He moved to Dallas TX in 2008 and has become a passionate poet who writes each line to watch it come alive through poetry. He is dedicated to bringing awareness to issue such as mental health, oppression, depression and concepts of spiritual growth. A poet, teacher, father and P.O.C enthusiast. Passion with purpose pushes life to new heights. He…

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Free – $5

Corporeal Writing Online – Queer Bodies/Queer Forms: Leaving Behind the Retrograde

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

An 8-week online workshop STARTS: April 22, 2019 COST: $350 (scholarships available - preference to queer/trans POC writers - click here to apply) Cooper Lee Bombardier says: “To me, queer is expansive, queer is hybrid, queer is taking what works and leaves behind the retrograde.” Yes, for many queer is also an identity but you don’t have to identify as queer to benefit from a look at queer forms, or attempting to queer your own work. We’ll look at work that might be considered queer in content as well as form, and will embark on multiple generative writing “experiments” where we try on the forms and constraints studied, enter into conversation with them, become inspired by them, apply them to our own creative voices, and invent our own…

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$350

Poem-a-Day: How to Write a Connected Series

Another Read Through 3932 N Mississippi Ave, Portland, OR, United States

A Chapbook in a Month – POEM-A-DAY: HOW TO WRITE A CONNECTED SERIES with Penelope Scambly Schott In this workshop we will discuss how to create an extended body of work that goes together, whether by topic or tone or sequence.  Poet Penelope Scambly Schott (author of NOVEMBER QUILT and other books) will briefly describe her process and results. Then we as a group will brainstorm topics and approaches. We will each experiment with an organizing idea and make notes toward a first poem in our own possible new series. If participants are interested, we can plan to meet again in about a month to see what we’ve done. Group limit: 15. Cost: $28. Prerequisites: none. To sign up email Penelope: penelopeschott@comcast.net

$28

The Trial of Lizzie Borden

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

Cara Robertson’s The Trial of Lizzie Borden (Simon & Schuster) tells the true story of one of the most sensational murder trials in American history. When Andrew and Abby Borden were brutally hacked to death in Fall River, Massachusetts, in August 1892, the arrest of the couple’s younger daughter, Lizzie, turned the case into international news and her trial into a spectacle unparalleled in American history. The Trial of Lizzie Borden offers a window into America in the Gilded Age, showcasing its most deeply held convictions and its most troubling social anxieties.

Free

Tell Me A Story # 4

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

Tell Me a Story is a free, semi-regular reading series making it's debut at Rose City Book Pub! Our lineup features readings from Shloimy Notik, Caryn Brooks, Kristen Diederich, Natalie Jane Edson, and Rebecca Smolen, and is hosted by Jessica Wadleigh.

Free

2019 Oregon Book Awards Ceremony

Portland Center Stage 128 NW 11th Avenue, Portland, OR, United States

The 2019 Oregon Book Awards celebrates the state’s most accomplished writers in the genres of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, young readers, and drama. Click here to see the list of this year’s finalists! The winners will be announced live at the Ceremony on April 22. Don’t miss your chance to be part of this community moment. Get your tickets today. Cheryl Strayed is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, winner of the 2013 Oregon Book Award; Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar; and Torch, her debut novel. Her books have been translated into forty languages, and her essays and other writings have appeared in numerous publications. Join Literary Arts' annual celebration of the…

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$12 – $65

The Coffeehouse Resistance: Book Reading/Q&A with Sarina Prabasi

Guilder Cafe 2393 NE Fremont St., Portland, OR, United States

"Coffee-shop owners and workers know that it’s about so much more than the coffee. What keeps people coming back are the relationships, the human connections." Fresh Cup Magazine, in partnership with Guilder, is pleased to welcome Buunni Coffee co-founder and author Sarina Prabasi to Portland in celebration of her new book, The Coffeehouse Resistance: Brewing Hope in Desperate Times. Part coming-to-America story, part lyrical memoir, and yet another part activist’s call to action, The Coffeehouse Resistance is timely, funny, and poignant. Writing as a mother, immigrant, new American, coffeehouse owner, and international nonprofit leader, Prabasi’s story weaves between Nepal, Ethiopia, and the United States. When Prabasi and her husband move from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to New York City with their young daughter in 2011, they…

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Free

The Poet’s Toolkit Part 2: Shape – Kate Gray

Another Read Through 3932 N Mississippi Ave, Portland, OR, United States

During poetry month, honor your tender and fierce heart. Add tools to your poetry toolkit. You’ll start with sound, how your words can change your reader’s body. No experience necessary. You’ll write and share in a tremendously safe environment, using the Gateless Method. This workshop will give you practical ways to distinguish this writing form from others, practice in applying the tool, and the light to show you how brilliantly you shine. Part 1 of 3: Sound (Monday, April 15th, 6-8pm) Part 2 of 3: Shape Part 3 of 3: Sense (Wednesday, May 1, 6-8pm) All sessions will be held in the loft at Another Read Through. Register for each part a la carte on a sliding scale ($60-80), or for all three at a…

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Free
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