A resource for the PDX literary community. Produced by Old Pal.
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!
#thsw public conversation series continues with Danielle Evans and Asali Solomon discussing the narrative structure of writing friendship, the relationship between friendship and characterization, and the nuances of writing Black women’s friendships. 2 pm PST with ASL interpretation.
Today at 4:00pm PST, join Crystal Hana Kim and Nicole Chung for a wide-ranging conversation about teaching, writing, and carving out space for their work while balancing the demands of parenting and identities/experiences as Asian American writers.
Today at 2:30 pm PST, tune in with Laura van den Berg and ‘Pemi Aguda for their conversation How to Build a Universe in a Bottle: A discussion about stretching the boundaries of time and reality in the short form. Open to the public and with ASL interpretation.
Today at 4pm PST, join Dantiel W. Moniz and Leah Hampton for Unerasing the South: A conversation about busting open conventional perceptions of Florida, Appalachia, and “regional” fiction.
Three times per year, Tin House offers a two-day submission period for writers to submit their work. Eligible writers must not currently have an agent, and must not have previously published a book (chapbooks okay). Per our schedule below, we accept works of fiction, literary nonfiction, and poetry, both originally in English and in translation (please only submit translation projects which the translator has already been granted formal permission to translate), and ask that you do not send us a project unless you have a completed draft. In particular, we are looking to engage with work by writers from historically underrepresented communities, including—but not limited to—those who are Black, Indigenous, POC, disabled, neurodivergent, trans and LGBTQIA+, debuting after 40, and without an MFA. SUBMIT: From…
In this class, we’ll explore the potential and peril of writing creative nonfiction about caregiving. We’ll discuss the importance of representing the often beautiful and complex dynamic between caregiver and caretaker as well as ways in which caregivers have engaged in problematic representations of disability. We’ll discuss powerful portrayals of caregiving in creative nonfiction by Danielle Cadena Deulen and Heather Lanier and write compelling care narratives of our own through generative writing prompts. Participants will leave with new writing as well as a greater understanding of the powerful care dynamic. Tin House is proud to announce our latest virtual Craft Intensives Series. A series of 3-hour-long masterclasses lead by Tin House Residents and Tin House Books Authors, these Intensives combine close reading, discussion, and in-class…
*Saturday is sold out, join waitlist by emailing workshop@gmail.com or purchase Sunday below* Many of us get stuck writing; searching for that grandiose word rather than write words that we use every day and that reflect our lives. Sometimes, the magic of the word is in the mundane. This craft intensive is for writers who are feeling discouraged and unable to find the perfect word/and or words to convey the nuance and depth we want our readers to feel. We will be exploring excerpts from Heavy by Kiese Laymon and The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw. Participants will leave this intensive with a set of practical strategies on choosing a word that “fits” the ongoing themes of their work. We will do writing exercises in which I will push you to…
In the words of Harvey Pekar, from which this course draws its name, “Comics are just words and images. You can do anything with words and images.” This generative course is designed to spark inspiration by providing an exploration of the nearly endless ways text and image can be combined to create a symbiotic relationship that strengthens work as a whole. Created for writers and artists at every level, this course aims to eradicate self-doubt and the belief that one must embody a certain level of artistic skill to employ utilizing illustrated or visual elements in their own work. Through examining graphic narratives by creators such as Kristen Radtke, Yumi Sakugawa, Kevin Huizenga, Allie Brosh, and Theresa Wong, and participating in a series of generative…
*Saturday is sold out, join waitlist by emailing workshop@gmail.com or purchase Sunday below* Many of us get stuck writing; searching for that grandiose word rather than write words that we use every day and that reflect our lives. Sometimes, the magic of the word is in the mundane. This craft intensive is for writers who are feeling discouraged and unable to find the perfect word/and or words to convey the nuance and depth we want our readers to feel. We will be exploring excerpts from Heavy by Kiese Laymon and The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw. Participants will leave this intensive with a set of practical strategies on choosing a word that “fits” the ongoing themes of their work. We will do writing exercises in which I will push you to…
This craft intensive is informed by the observational curiosities and imperatives of seasonality and land. This course uses the concept of the map and its inherent limitations as a central metaphor for crafting new work and evoking place. The creation, crossing, and elimination of boundaries of language and narrative will underpin writing prompts and extension activities designed to encourage new work and invigorate the revision process. Writing place has a long history in poetry, but this course will look closely at the ways that worldview shapes, guides, and hinders. Readings will include Cedar Sigo, Camille Dungy, and Megan Bang. Writers will leave this course with a variety of observational strategies and suggestions for future projects and ways of learning from the land. Tin House is…