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
Write Around Portland Winter Reading and Book Release (Write Around Portland)
Thursday, December 12th, at 5:30 p.m. | NW Natural, 250 SW Taylor St. Portland, OR 97204 | FREE | RSVP here
Write Around Portland is hosting its Winter Reading and Book Release. This free, public event celebrates the work of fall writing program participants and showcases powerful stories and reflections from writers across our community. The reading will feature powerful work from in-person fall writing program participants. This evening celebrates the writers, their work and their dedication to writing with their communities. Readers will include adults and veterans in recovery, youth in alternative school settings, adults living with developmental disabilities, youth experiencing homelessness, members of low-income housing and assisted living communities, and many others.
Two-Day Intro to Letterpress Printing (IPRC)
Saturday, December 14th, at 10:00 a.m., | IPRC, 318 SE Main St. 155, Portland, OR 97214
This introductory class covers the fundamentals of letterpress printing at the IPRC. This traditional craft is taught through demonstrations and hands-on experiences during an engaging two-day workshop. Students learn to set type by hand with IPRC’s collection of over 150 fonts of lead and wood type. Over the course of the weekend students will gain a basic understanding of the printing process and its powerful history. Materials are provided for students to create a small edition of prints. Successful completion of this 2 day class allows IPRC members access to open studio hours to keep on printing!
Big Cheese Poetry Slam (Hi-Lo Hotel)
Tuesday, September 10th–Sunday, December 15th | Hi-Lo Hotel, F320 SW Harvey Milk St, Portland, OR 97204 | $5–$15
Welcome to the Big Cheese Poetry Slam, a competition designed to earn these poets some cheddar. On the 2nd Tuesday of Every Month, up to 16 poets compete against each other for the Top Three of the Evening. The top three poets of each month’s Big Cheese Poetry Slam will have their poem PUBLISHED in an anthology series at the end of the season. In addition to publication, these Poets of the Evening will receive a CASH PRIZE for contributing to the anthology. 3rd place gets $50, 2nd place gets $75 and 1st place will receive $100, bragging rights AND a victory lap poem.
Matilda Reading Party Hosted by Books With Pictures (Portland Art Museum)
Sunday, January 5th, 4:00–6:00 p.m., | Portland Art Museum, 3530 SE Division St., Portland, OR | Tickets start at $5
Reading party before a movie about the power of reading! We can’t promise that you’ll be able to levitate objects after this session, but reading will certainly unlock new horizons. Doors and socializing from 3 – 3:30 p.m.; followed by 30 minutes of silent reading until 4 p.m. After the reading session, there will be a discussion about the reading and the film, Matilda (102 min).
Basic Tutor Training (Portland Literacy Council)
Saturdays, January 25th & February 1st , from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., | Portland Community College Southeast, 2305 SE 82nd Ave, Portland, OR 97216 | $50
For those interested in teaching/tutoring English to adult learners, this 2-part workshop provides essential tools to get started or to refresh your knowledge and skills.
Bard Bingo (Wonderwood Springs)
Tuesdays, 7:00–9:00 p.m. | Wonderwood Springs, 8811 N Lombard St, Portland, OR 97203 | FREE
Bard Bingo at Portland Artist Mike Bennett’s Wonderwood Springs is a lively bingo event hosted by a traveling bard’s musical musings. Held every Tuesday night, this event features four exciting rounds with cards priced at $5 each. It’s cash-only, offering chances to win various prizes such as original artwork, stickers, gift cards, lawn signs, and the coveted jackpot.
RESOURCES & OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTS AND WRITERS
Resonate: A BIPOC Writing Circle (Write Around Portland)
Friday, December 13th, 4:00-5:30 p.m. | Workshop hosted via Zoom | FREE | Register here
Led by a Write Around Portland facilitator of color, Resonate consists of writing, sharing, and giving strengths-based feedback to each other. No preparation or experience in writing is required! Resonate is a great way to unlock your creativity, build or maintain a writing practice, and get some writing done!
Experimentation in Memoir: Exercises to Get Unstuck with Grace Loh Prasad (Tin House)
Sunday, December 15th, 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. | Workshop hosted via Zoom | $75
Writing a memoir requires a level of self-examination and truth-telling that can be deeply uncomfortable, particularly for writers with marginalized backgrounds or those writing about trauma. When we write about experiences that are painful or overwhelming, it can be hard to tackle the subject head-on or know where to start. This class is designed to help those who are feeling stuck in the process of developing a book-length memoir by offering prompts that force us to see our stories in a new way. We will look at examples of innovative and hybrid memoirs/essays and do generative exercises that explore structure/constraints, changing POV, and speculative elements. These experiments will open up new avenues for expression that can be used as entry points in developing the memoir manuscript.This intensive is best suited for intermediate writers.
Sci-Fi / Fantasy Writers’ Group (Rose City Book Pub)
Friday, December 27th, 5:00–8:00 p.m. | Rose City Book Pub, 1329 Northeast Fremont Street, Portland, OR, 97212 | FREE
Connect with fellow writers. Do you write high adult fantasy, horror, children’s sci-fi video games, magical realism? Are you looking for a critique? Maybe you want to run your magic system by fellow storytellers, or build a DnD character.
FOR KIDS / TEENS
Bookworm Baby Playgroup (Literacy Kid Lounge)
Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 1:00-2:00 p.m. | Literacy Kid Lounge, 2200 SE Oak Grove Blvd
Oak Grove, OR 97267 | $10Â
Connect with other fantastic families and build lasting friendships in this Literacy Baby Playgroup! There is also a lot of crawling over each other and interactive play with toys and books.
Story Time with Kerilynn Wilson: One Foggy Christmas Eve (Green Bean Books)
Tuesday, December 17th, at 11:00 a.m. | Green Bean Books, 1600 NE Alberta Street Portland, OR 97211| FREE
Join local author/illustrator Kerilynn Wilson reads her festive picture book! Stick around as Bookseller Matilda will continue the Holiday themed Story Time!
BOLD Children’s Storytime (Bold Coffee and Books)
Saturdays, at 10:00 a.m. | Bold Coffee and Books, 1755 SW Jefferson St. Portland, OR 97201 | FREE to attend
Join Bold Coffee and Books every Saturday morning for children’s storytime! Whether an author is here to read their book or on of their staff members is reading a favorite, they will feature stories that spread compassion, awareness, and positivity. Children will get a coloring page or sticker to take home too!
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
1993: Julie Mancini Bibliophile burnished Portland’s literary star and shot it to the moon. (Willamette Week)
Everything you need to know about Orbital by Samantha Harvey, winner of the Booker Prize 2024 (The Booker Prizes)
Opinion: Portland’s monuments should include the writers who inspire us (The Oregonian)
Portland Book Festival: Environmental concerns loom large in appearances by Richard Powers, Cara Giaimo, Julie Beeler, and an owl named Hans (Oregon ArtsWatch)
Powell’s City of Books Is Reorganizing Its Space (Willamette Week)
Gift Guide for Bookworms (Willamette Week)
RECOMMENDED READING
Powell’s Picks of the Month (Powell’s)
25 Women Writers to Read Before You Die (Powell’s)
Finding Calm in Chaotic Times (Multnomah County Library)
Read with PRIDE: Two-spirit and Indigiqueer voices, for adults (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!
