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!

Pitch Practice

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

"Pitching is part writing, part strategy, part performance … but above all, it’s storytelling." Curious what goes into a great pitch? Want to know how to grab the attention of agents and publishers? Struggling to convey a novel's worth of information into one pithy sentence? Join David Poulshock as he shares the essentials of effective pitching. David will draw from his experience running the Conference Pitch Practice Room and from his "A TALE IN TWO MINUTES” workshop he co-developed with Nancy Froeschle, presented at the 2019 Conference and at the NW Film Center. There will be a chance for some people to receive feedback, so be sure to bring along your current pitch. This will be a perfect warm up to the Willamette Writer's Conference…

Free

How to Pitch Electric Lit

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

For freelancers, writing an essay, feature, or opinion piece doesn’t start when you type the first line. It starts with the pitch. Having a topic and a talent isn’t enough; you also have to be able to package your idea in a way that catches an editor’s eye. But how do you get started writing a pitch? How long is too long—and how short is too short? What does a good pitch look like—and a bad one? And why does Electric Lit ask people to write a pitch, anyway? Electric Literature editor-in-chief Jess Zimmerman and contributing editor Jennifer Baker fill you in on everything you need to know when proposing nonfiction work to Electric Lit and other publications. Q&A to follow. This event is part…

$10

Oregon BIPOC Writers Publishing Event

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

Literary Arts, Ooligan Press, and Portland State University’s English Department partner to present the Oregon BIPOC Writers Publishing Event. This event is designed to connect Oregon’s most talented, diverse writers to the publishers and authors seeking to hear their voices. Pitching a Book 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM (PST) Distilling the important elements of a book into a concise and gripping pitch is a true art. In this presentation, seasoned literary agent Fiona Kenshole lays out the fundamentals of good pitching. This webinar is intended to aid writers in preparing for a pitching session with a publisher or agent later on in the day. Demystifying Book Publishing Panel 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM (PST) So much of the process of getting published, finding an agent,…

Free

How to Pitch and Edit an Anthology, an Electric Literature virtual salon presented by Mount Saint Mary’s University

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

tHave you ever dreamed of editing your own anthology? Even if you haven’t, should you? Join our panel of veteran anthology editors to learn how to develop an idea for an anthology, pitch it to publishers, solicit and edit work from writers, and pull together a finished book that unites a range of talented voices, all digging deep into a topic you are passionate about. We’ll also address how writers can get their work included in such anthologies. Whether you already have an idea for an anthology or you’re wondering if this publishing pathway might be right for you, bring your curiosity and your questions to this event. Audience Q&A to follow. Sari Botton, editor of Goodbye To All That: Writers on Loving and Leaving…

$10

How to Pitch Electric Lit: Updated with Our New Editors!

Online N/A, Portland, OR, United States

FEATURING: Denne Michele Norris Michelle Chikaonda Sponsored by GrubStreet's Muse & the Marketplace conference Writing an essay, opinion piece, or feature doesn’t start with the first sentence. You have talent and a compelling idea, but how can you get an editor to pay attention? A pitch is the writer’s chance to package their work so that it catches an editor’s eye. In this conversation, Denne Michele Norris, Electric Literature's editor-in-chief, and Michelle Chikaonda, contributing editor, will answer some key questions so you can take your idea from successful pitch to published piece. We’ll discuss things like what makes a good pitch, common mistakes and misconceptions, and why Electric Lit even asks for pitches in the first place. This event is an update to our previous…

$10