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
First Thursday at RACC (Regional Arts & Culture Commission)
Thursday, June 6, from 5:00–7:00 p.m. | 411 NW Park Ave, Suite #101, Portland, OR | FREE to attend (RSVP)
RACC is at the heart of Portland’s vibrant arts scene. They invite you to connect with their team, enjoy complimentary treats, and view works from the Public Art Collections in person. This is a wonderful opportunity to ask questions and get to know other artists in the community.
Rachel Khong in Conversation With Lydia Kiesling (Powell’s)
Sunday, June 9th, at 7:00 p.m. | Powell’s City of Books | FREE to attend
From Rachel Khong, author of Goodbye, Vitamin: How far would you go to shape your own destiny? An exhilarating novel of American identity that spans three generations in one family and asks: What makes us who we are? And how inevitable are our futures? Khong will be joined in conversation by Lydia Kiesling, Portland Book Festival author and Oregon Book Award finalist for Mobility.
Portland Book Week (Various partners)
Monday, June 10th–Sunday, June 16th | Various locations | Pricing varies
Spend a week exploring the independent bookstores in the Portland and Vancouver areas! Events include a bookstore crawl, Blind Date Book Swap, Trivia Night, readings, the Rose City Book and Paper Fair, raffles and giveaways, and more. See the full schedule and list of participating independent bookstores here.
The Bigfoot Poetry Festival (Bigfoot Regional Poetry Slam)
Thursday, June 13th–Saturday, June 15th, various times | Various locations | Pricing varies
The Bigfoot Poetry Festival is a three-day poetry event offering features such as poetry open mics, writing / performance workshops, poet showcases, an artists market, and a poetry slam tournament. See the full event schedule here!
Juneteenth Celebration (Oregon City Public Library)
Saturday, June 15th, from 2:00–5:00 p.m. | Oregon City Library Park & Pioneer Community Center, Oregon City, OR | FREE to attend
This is a community event celebrating Juneteenth. Event will be held outside in Library Park and will include speakers, music, poetry, vendors, community information, and more!
BACKFENCE Storytelling Party (BACKFENCE Storytelling)
Saturday, June 15th, at 7:00 p.m. | Powell’s City of Books, Pearl Room | $18 General admission
BACKFENCE Storytelling is taking over the Pearl Room in Powell’s downtown location to bring to a new storytelling show featuring six stellar Portlanders, along with drinks, music, prizes, and fun.
The 8-10 minute curated stories will be on the revealing theme, “Mistakes Were Made.” This theme brings with it a full spectrum of feels—from sexy to touching to devastating to gross to scary to hilarious —and some stories will be all those things at the same time.
One Page Wednesday (Literary Arts)
Wednesday, June 19th, from 7:00–9:00 p.m. | Literary Arts, 925 SW Washington St., Portland, OR | FREE to attend
Here is an opportunity to share or listen to one page of work in progress from talented writers from everywhere. Come with a single page of work and sign up to read – or come to listen and prepare to be inspired. Our host is the one and only, Emme Lund. Our featured reader for June is Charlie J. Stephens.
Revelry & Community Celebration (StreetBooks)
Thursday, June 20th, from 5:30–7:30 p.m. | SW Park Avenue between SW Madison & SW Jefferson | FREE to attend
Join StreetBooks’ community annual celebration. There will be free food, entertainment, and music! All are welcome.
The Rose City Pride Band Presents: Gay-la (The Rose City Pride Band, Patricia Reser Center for the Arts)
Sunday, June 23rd, at 3:00 p.m. | Patricia Reser Center for the Arts | $14-34
Join for a journey through time and emotion, where the notes of history and innovation harmonize to create an unforgettable musical tapestry. Celebrating anniversaries of timeless compositions and showcasing brilliant arrangements, this concert promises to be an immersive experience for all.
Renée Watson Presents: I See My Light Shining (Renée Watson, World Stage Theatre, Emerson Collective, and Baldwin for the Arts)
Sunday, June 23rd, at 2:30 p.m. | World Stage Theatre, Portland, OR
Established by award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson, the Baldwin-Emerson Elders Project captures and celebrates the untold stories of activists, storytellers, and community builders who have witnessed and shaped monumental change in American public life. In partnership with World Stage Theatre, Emerson Collective, and Baldwin for the Arts and under the leadership of acclaimed author Jacqueline Woodson, Renée Watson will celebrate the elders she interviewed as part of this project on Sunday, June 23, 2024 at World Stage Theatre, founded by Portland’s own Shalanda Sims, a playwright and actress who also participated in the project. The event will feature listening stations with excerpts from the digital collection of oral testimonies Watson collected and short remarks from local leaders.
An Afternoon of Queer Storytelling (Our Bold Voices)
Sunday, June 23rd, from 2:00–4:00 p.m. | Hidden Creek Community Center, Hillsboro, OR | FREE to attend
Defining Moments authors will be reading excerpts from their recently published short stories, followed by Q&A and book signing at the Hidden Creek Community Center.
Pride Reading (Oregon Humanities & Incite: Queer Writers Read)
Wednesday, June 26th, from 7:00–9:00 p.m. | Bishop & Wilde, 2601 NW Thurman St., Portland, OR | FREE to attend
Join Oregon Humanities and Incite: Queer Writers Read for a celebration of queer and trans pride. This reading will feature writers Bobby Jo Valentine, Emily Moon, Zoë Gamell Brown, Aakash Kishore, Rowan Bay, and Heather Wiedenhoft, who will share essays, stories, and poems. This is a free, all-ages event. No tickets or advance registration required.
Radical Meditation: a practice of interbeing in times of crisis (Corporeal Writing)
Wednesday, June 26th, from 5:30–6:30 p.m. (Pacific) | Online via Zoom | Sliding scale
Join for a monthly meditation and conversation on the practice of sitting or lying in meditation in a time of political, environmental, and personal crisis, especially drawing upon practices and teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village. This series is facilitated by Touk Keo and Janice Lee. All experience levels, backgrounds, ages are welcome.
Portland Indie Book + Art Fair (Portland Indie)
Saturday, June 29th, from 12:00–5:00 p.m. | Honey Latte Cafe, 1033 SE Main St., Portland, OR | FREE to attend
Portland’s premier publishers and artists offer their works directly to the public. The Portland Independent Book Fair ensures that the participating indie publishers receive 100% of the sale, and are not charged any fee for exhibition space. Furthermore, as a FREE event open to the public, the Book Fair hopes to broaden small press readership.
RESOURCES & OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTS AND WRITERS
Hedgebrook 2025 Writer-in-Residence (Hedgebrook)
Deadline to apply: June 12th, 2024 | $55 application fee
Hedgebrook’s Writer-in-Residence Program supports writers from all over the world for residencies of two to three weeks. Hedgebrook’s mission is to support visionary women-identified writers, 18 and older, whose stories and ideas shape our culture now and for generations to come. Writers must be women, which is inclusive of transgender women and female-identified individuals.
Blessing the Boats Selections (BOA Editions)
Deadline to submit: July 14th, 2024 | No submission fee
BOA Editions, Ltd. is pleased to announce that submissions are now open for Blessing the Boats Selections, an initiative that spotlights poetry collections by women of color. This selection of books, named in honor of Lucille Clifton’s National Book Award-winning collection, Blessing the Boats: New and Selected Poems, seeks to celebrate and amplify the poetic voices of women of color. Submissions are thus open to all women poets of color in the U.S., including poets who identify as cis, trans, and non-binary people who are comfortable in a space that centers on women’s experiences, regardless of citizenship and publication history.
Benjamin Saltman Poetry Award (Red Hen Press)
Deadline to submit: October 31st, 2024 | $25 entry fee
Established in 1998, in honor of the poet Benjamin Saltman (1927–1999), this award is for a previously unpublished original collection of poetry. The awarded collection is selected through an annual competition that is open to all poets. Winner awarded $3000 and $3000 book publication by Red Hen Press.
Call for Writers: International Dublin Writers’ Festival (International Dublin Writers’ Festival)
Friday, September 20th–Sunday, September 22nd | $45–$149
This event is an opportunity for all writers, everywhere, to connect with the literary culture of Dublin and to learn from experts and peers. Their mission is to help writers excel and to provide opportunities for writers to learn from key industry professionals, aiming to provide community, inspiration, and learning opportunities for authors in all genres. Their program includes sessions on editing, (self)publishing, and marketing for authors, and includes a varied panel of renowned authors and industry experts. The featured speakers this year include Doug Richardson (Screenwriter, Author, & Literary Consultant) and A. Keith Carrero (Award-winning Author & Educator).
FOR KIDS / TEENS
Emily Arrow Camp (Emily Arrow & NW Children’s Theater)
July 8th–August 9th | The Judy, 1000 SW Broadway St., & Rose City Park Methodist, 5830 NE Alameda St., Portland, OR | Scholarships available through June 14th
Join Emily Arrow for a series of week long camps for 4–8 year olds beginning July 8th. Themes are “Books! Books! Books!” and “Nature Sings!”. Camp registration includes four tickets to a special concert with Emily Arrow at The Judy on Sunday, August 11 at 1pm. During the concert, campers will have a chance to get on stage and perform one of the songs they learned in camp!
Toddler Storytime & Play (Sunrise Books)
Thursdays, at 10:00 a.m. | In person at Sunrise Books | FREE to attend
Join Sunrise Books every Thursday at 10:00 a.m. for toddler storytime! They’ll sing, dance, do a read aloud, and have a rockin’ good time. Perfect for ages 18 months–4 years. This storytime is free; however, they accept donations to keep it going.
Kids’ Story & Art Class at Awake Coffee & Art!
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 10:00 a.m. | In person at Awake Coffee & Art | $8
Bring your little ones Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at 10:00 a.m. for a storybook reading and art session! They’ll have a hands-on art project after the reading. It could be watercolor painting, making and playing with play dough, or another creative project to engage the young artists’ talents! All materials included!
Kids’ Storytime (Powell’s)
Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. | Powell’s City of Books | FREE
Join Powell’s every Saturday for kids’ storytime.
IN THE NEWS
You Could Write in Ursula K. Le Guin’s Former Portland Home Studio (Smithsonian Magazine)
Mark Pomeroy’s New Novel, “The Tigers of Lents,” Was Inspired by Marshall High School Students (Willamette Week)
In ‘skin & bones,’ Renée Watson Writes for Her Devout Readers’ Parents (Portland Monthly)
Embracing intimacy and uncertainty: At work with Oregon’s poet laureate (OPB)
Portland nonprofit expanding with new Central Eastside headquarters (Portland Business Journal)
New Literary Arts headquarters will include bookstore and café in Southeast Portland (Oregon Live)
2024 Oregon Book Award Winners Announced (Willamette Week)
RECOMMENDED READING
A Booklover’s Guide to Portland (Travel Portland)
10 New Books From Around the World (Powell’s)
Local Resources for Writers (Multnomah County Library)
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!
