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Community News

In the Community: Upcoming Events and News

Each month, Literary Arts staff will round up news, events, and more happening in Portland, and beyond. Let us know in the form below the blog if you have any events or news to share.


EVENTS

 True Story by E.M. Lewis (Artists Repertory Theatre)
May 6–June 4
A troubled writer, raw with grief from the death of his wife, is hired to ghostwrite the biography of a wealthy man accused of murdering his wife but acquitted on technical grounds. Drawing from the classic noir detective stories about the slipperiness of truth and blurring the lines of good and bad, True Story propulsively examines how facts, biases, and perceptions are manipulated – and asks if discovering the truth is worth the ultimate price? Written by Oregon Book Award finalist E.M. Lewis.

Mary Jane by Amy Herzog (Third Rail Repertory Theater)
May 19–June 4 | In-person at CoHo Theater, 2257 NW Raleigh St., Portland, OR
As Mary Jane navigates the mundane, the shattering, and the sublime realities of caring for Alex, her chronically ill young son, she finds herself building a community of women from many walks of life. Mary Jane is Pulitzer Prize finalist Amy Herzog’s remarkably powerful and compassionate portrait of a contemporary American woman striving for grace.

Reading: Laura Read and Emily Kendal Frey (Annie Bloom’s Books)
Thursday, May 25, at 7:00 p.m. | In-person at Annie Bloom’s Books, 7834 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland, OR | Free to attend
Annie Bloom’s welcomes Seattle poet Laura Read and local poet Emily Kendal Frey for readings from their latest collections. Laura Read is the author of the forthcoming But She Is Also Jane, served as poet laureate for Spokane, Washington from 2015-17, and teaches at Spokane Falls Community College and Eastern Washington University. Emily Kendal Frey lives in Portland, Oregon, and is an Oregon Book Award winner. Her latest collection, Lovability, is out from Fonograf Editions. She is a practicing psychotherapist.

Teva Oriata Polynesian Dance Troupe Presents: Stories Of The Pacific (Patricia Reser Center for the Arts)
Saturday, May 27, at 2:00 p.m. | In-person at Patricia Reser Center for the Arts, 12625 SW Crescent St., Beaverton, OR
Teva Oriata Polynesian Dance Troupe presents Stories of the Pacific, a celebration of Polynesian history, legends, and culture through music and dance. The all student showcase brings to the community a captivating spectacle through rhythmic sounds, vibrant costumes, and the passionate energy of dancers of all ages.

Jewish Poetry Book Club (Eastside Jewish Commons)
Wednesday, June 7, from 12:30–2:00 p.m.
In-person at Eastside Jewish Commons, 2420 NE Sandy Blvd., Portland, OR | $3–$10 donation requested

Love to read poetry? Drawn to Jewish poets writing in English, Hebrew, and Yiddish in translation? Let’s lift the poetry off the page with some communal meaning-making. Bring copies of two poems by your favorite Jewish poets to read together on June 7. From there the group will assemble and vote on which poets’ books to read for the year.

Poetry in Translation: Reading and Conversation with PEN Award Finalists (Literary Arts)
Saturday, June 10, from 4:00–5:30 p.m. | Online via Zoom | Free to attend | Register here
Join us virtually for a reading and conversation with the 2023 PEN Award for Poetry in Translation Winner and Finalists. PEN award poets from Chile, Haiti, Iran, the Slovenian-Austrian border, and Bolivia read by their US translators, followed by Q&A. Click here to register for this event.

RESOURCES & OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTS AND WRITERS

Creative (Writing) Drop-In Sessions (with Haldane King, MFA)
Every Wednesday, from 5:00–6:00 p.m.
In person at the Vintage Conference Room. Vida Coworking Space, 401 NE 19th Avenue Suite #200, Portland, OR and online via Google Meet
Email HaldaneKing@gmail.com to sign up
Haldane King is an author and facilitator currently working with the Why There Are Words Literary Organization. He has an MFA in Writing & Consciousness from the California Institute of Integral Studies. The Creative (Writing) Drop-in is open to everyone and all forms of creative expression, with an emphasis on the written form.

Field Artist Fellowship (Oregon Humanities and the Oregon Community Foundation)
Applications open May 2–June 15
Oregon Humanities and the Oregon Community Foundation are now accepting applications for the third round of the Fields Artist Fellowship program, a significant fellowship program to support Oregon-based artists who are in a pivotal moment or inflection point in their careers. Four artists will be awarded two-year fellowships to advance their artistic practice while honoring and sustaining their commitment to create social change within their community. Each fellow will receive $150,000 throughout the two-year term. Eight finalists will also receive a one-time award of $10,000. Fellows also receive robust professional development, networking, and community-building opportunities throughout the fellowship. 

Call for Submissions: Wild Birds (Red Shoe Press)
Deadline: May 31
Red Shoe Press accepts submissions March 1, 2023 through May 31, 2023 for the 2024 Oregon Poetry Calendar. The glossy wall calendar pairs expressive poems with compelling photographs. This year’s theme is wild birds. Work is accepted only from poets currently living in Oregon. Responses sent by July 2023, publication in August 2023. Poets whose work is published in the calendar receive one free copy. Submit 1-5 poems in a single Word document. Limit poems to 30 lines max. in length (including title and blank lines), and 50 characters max. in width (including spaces, letters, and punctuation). Previously published and simultaneous submissions are okay. There is no submission fee.

Call for Submissions: Wild Birds (Red Shoe Press)
Deadline: May 31
Red Shoe Press accepts submissions March 1, 2023 through May 31, 2023 for the 2024 Oregon Poetry Calendar. The glossy wall calendar pairs expressive poems with compelling photographs. This year’s theme is wild birds. Work is accepted only from poets currently living in Oregon. Responses sent by July 2023, publication in August 2023. Poets whose work is published in the calendar receive one free copy. Submit 1-5 poems in a single Word document. Limit poems to 30 lines max. in length (including title and blank lines), and 50 characters max. in width (including spaces, letters, and punctuation). Previously published and simultaneous submissions are okay. There is no submission fee.

Pick Your Wilderness Writing Adventure (Fishtrap’s 2023 Outpost Programs)
June 19–24 and September 3–8
Give yourself the time to explore a remote, natural environment as a way to find solitude, connect to the landscape in a meaningful way, and write about your experience. Registration opens December 1, 2022. Each Outpost experience includes a week of discovery, writing instruction, meals, and camping in an inspiring and unforgettable setting.

FOR KIDS/ TEENS

Summer Reading at Multnomah County Library
June 16–August 31

Find Your Voice at Multnomah County Library. Play the Summer Reading Game! Read for fun and prizes this summer. Babies, kids and teens can play the Summer Reading game by starting a daily reading habit. In addition, the library will have fun interactive virtual performances, storytelling, and arts and crafts for kids and families. It all kicks off June 16! Kids of all ages can play online or on paper.  Summer Reading Volunteer applications will be available online and in libraries on April 15. Visit our volunteer page.

Scribes Summer Camps (Hugo House)
Online options available | June 27–August 25
Scribes Summer Camps provide young writers the opportunity to participate in week-long, all-day workshops, during which you can focus on, dig deep into, and nurture your inner writer. You’ll work alongside instructors who are published writers and educators themselves, as well as guest teaching artists. Every camp offers the option to pay at 30%, 60%, 90%, or 100% of the registration amount. Just click on the pay option you prefer when you register online! If you are having trouble, please contact us at 206.322.7030 or email welcome@hugohouse.org.

IN THE NEWS

A Voice Among the Stars: Poem by US Poet Laureate Ada Limón Will Ride to Europa on NASA Spacecraft
US Poet Laureate Ada Limón is writing an original poem dedicated to NASA’s Europa Clipper mission. The poem will be engraved on the spacecraft, as a way to connect two water worlds – Earth and Europa, a moon of Jupiter believed to contain a vast ocean. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech. We’re so excited for this!

US Poet Laureate Ada Limón Appointed for a Historic Two-Year Second Term (Library of Congress)
We’re so excited for US Poet Laureate Ada Limón, who spoke in our 22/23 Portland Arts & Lectures series!

Highlights Foundation Names Cottage in Honor of New York Times Bestselling Author Renée Watson
A huge congratulations to Literary Arts board member Renée Watson for this honor!

Thank you to the Oregon Arts Commission for including Literary Arts in the 53 organizations awarded $5,000 FY2023 Arts Build Communities grants!

RECOMMENDED READING

15 delightful books perfect for spring reading (Good Morning America)

APANO Recommends: 14 Books for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (Powell’s Books and APANO)

LGBTQ* Books for Jewish American Heritage Month (LGBTQReads)


Community News Submissions

Let us know if you have any events, news to share, or opportunities for writers for the In the Community blog and we will consider adding it to the next blog post!

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