Each week, Literary Arts staff will round up news, events, and more happening in the literary community. Let us know if you have any events or news to share.
COMMUNITY NEWS
Congratulations to Third Eye Books, Oregon’s only black-owned bookstore, for finding a new brick-and-mortar retail space! Follow them on Instagram for updates about their grand re-opening, which will happen in June.
In sadder news, Portland’s oldest bookstore, Cameron’s Books and Magazines, is closing their downtown store after 80 years.
Multnomah County Library will begin offering some in-building services at locations in different parts of the county, including Capitol Hill, Gresham, Holgate, Kenton, and Midland libraries beginning June 1.
EVENTS
Wordplay Festival: West x Midwest presents Cheryl Strayed in conversation with Alison Bechdel
Thursday, May 6
2:00–3:00 p.m. (Pacific)
Wordplay Festival: West x Midwest presents Intercontinental Series: Catherine Chung with Helen Oyeyemi
Friday, May 7
10:00–11:00 a.m. (Pacific)
RESOURCES & OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTS AND WRITERS
BIPOC mentorship program (Street Roots)
Street Roots is seeking an emerging writer of color who is interested in learning more about journalism for our 4- to 6-month mentorship program. The mentee would be mentored by a reporter or editor at Street Roots, who will help them develop several articles for publication.
There are no prerequisites required for this program other than a passion for writing about issues that matter to our community.
The mentee would get a crash course in reporting, as well as some published articles for their portfolio. When appropriate, Street Roots will retain graduates of the program as paid freelance writers, or assist them in finding their next internship or a job in journalism with one of our media partners.
While we hope to develop this program into an opportunity that pays a living wage, at this time writers will be compensated $300 to $400 for each of their published articles. However, time spent learning from and shadowing the mentor would be unpaid. The total number of hours and schedule for this program are flexible and will depend on the availability and needs of the mentee.
To apply, please send a writing sample and cover letter explaining a little about yourself and why you’re interested in this opportunity to Street Roots Managing Editor Emily Green at emily@streetroots.org. Please put “Mentorship Program” in the subject line of the email. Deadline to apply for the Summer 2021 mentorship position is April 30 at midnight.
More Writing Opportunities at Street Roots
Where It Rains, We Write: Stories of Place in the Pacific Northwest (Multnomah County Library Writers Project)
Multnomah County Library invites local writers to submit their original work to the Library Writers Project collection. And this year, we have a prompt to get you started!
Prompt: Share a story set in a place in the Pacific Northwest that sparks your imagination.
Genre: Any
Language: English or Spanish submissions accepted
Word count: Submissions of any length are accepted
Deadline: April 30, 2021
FOR KIDS/ TEENS
Bodecker Foundation Spring Workshops
Led by professional artists, writers, musicians, and educators, our FREE creative workshops for high school students include a mix of online group activities and offline individual and/or collaborative project work. Class size is generally limited to 12 students.
Virtual Genre-Based Writing Camps (Write the World)
In each session, up to 25 campers will explore new styles of writing and connect across continents as they create pieces they’re proud of. Writers of all levels are invited to participate in the following offerings (for full camp descriptions, please click here):
Sci-Fi/Fantasy — July 5-9
Screenwriting — July 12-16
Writing Poetry for Social Justice — July 19-23
Flash Fiction — July 26-30
Writing to Change the World — August 2-6
Humor Writing — August 9-13
Learning from Agents & Editors: Writing for Publication — August 16-20
Micro Memoirs — August 23-27
RECOMMENDED READING
A Lifetime of Reading Taught Min Jin Lee How to Write About Her Immigrant World (New York Times)
Literary Arts hosted Min Jin Lee as part of our 2019-20 season of Portland Arts & Lectures
Saying You Support Trans Rights Isn’t Enough (Time)
Article by Emme Lund, 2019 Oregon Literary Fellowship recipient
The Black Panther Party Has Never Been More Popular. But Actual Black Panthers Have Been Forgotten. (New Republic)
Article By Santi Elijah Holley, 2017 Oregon Literary Fellowship recipient
White people, black authors are not your medicine (The Guardian)
Article by Yaa Gyasi, upcoming Portland Arts & Lectures speaker (on May 18).
Blog cover image: Photo by Jaredd Craig on Unsplash
