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
Free First Thursday (Portland Art Museum)
Thursday, July 3 from 10:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m | Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR | FREE
Portland Art Museum invites the community to join a special Free First Thursday event, offering free admission to the museum for all.
Queer Book Club (Two Rivers Bookstore)
Wednesday, July 9, from 6:30–8:00 p.m | Two Rivers Bookstore, 38836 N Lombard St, Portland, OR 97203 | FREE
Led by queer bookseller and local author Neil Cochrane, is open to everyone interested in reading and discussing books by and/or about queer people.
Bigfoot Poetry Festival Open Mics: Black Poets Open Mic (Multnomah County Library)
Friday, July 11, from 2:00–3:00 p.m | Central Library, 801 SW 10th Avenue Portland, OR 97205 | FREE
The Bigfoot Poetry Festival is a three-day poetry event that happens in early summer in downtown Portland. Poetry open mics, writing and performance workshops, poet showcases, an artists market, and a poetry slam tournament.
A Garden of Doors: Storytelling Workshops with Rachel Attias (Heidi Duckler Dance Northwest)
Fridays, July 11-August 15, from 5:30–7:30 p.m | Las Adelitas, 6735 NE Killingsworth St, Portland, OR 97218 | FREE (Donations encouraged)
Join writer and storyteller Rachel Attias for a hands-on workshop designed to empower and uplift the voices of Las Adelitas residents and the community through storytelling and creative writing. If you are curious to express your inner voice, this inclusive and welcoming session is for you
Literary Lounge: Writing Power Hour (Multnomah County Library)
Sunday, July 13, from 1:00–2:30 p.m | Central Library, 801 SW 10th Avenue Portland, OR 97205 | FREE
Please join the library and Grand Gesture Books for a fun and chill writing session! Bring your notebook, pen, laptop, or whatever you use to write. All experience levels are welcome.
Comics Graduation Reading (IPRC)
Friday, July 18, from 7:00–9:00 p.m | IPRC Studios, 318 SE Main St #155, Portland, OR 97214 | FREE
Please join the IPRC Staff & Portfolio Program Faculty in celebrating the 9 artists graduating from the Portfolio Program in Comics! The reading will begin at 7:30 after a mingle, followed by cake* & refreshments. Zines and work made by the Comics Cohort will be on display.
Poetry: Her Dark Everything by Courtney LeBlanc with Shilo Niziolek, Brittney Corrigan, and Sara Quinn Rivara (Rose City Book Pub)
Saturday, July 19, from 7:00–9:00 p.m | Rose City Book Pub, 1329 Northeast Fremont Street Portland, OR, 97212 | FREE
Her Dark Everything is a collection that will pull you through the darkest depths until you feel the light against your skin. It will make you grieve for those who have lost the battle against the beast that is depression while simultaneously making you grateful for those who stay and fight. In equal measures dark and light, soft and sharp, Her Dark Everything will roost in your heart permanently.
Mystery Week: Sleuth Beret Knit Along (Two Rivers Bookstore)
Tuesday, July 22–Sunday, July 27 | Online via Zoom
Knit up the perfect hat for solving crimes and embrace your inner Nancy Drew! We’re partnering with indie dyer and designer, Catie Robbins of Fiction Fiber for kits and a fun knit along. We’ll also be meeting up twice to knit our berets. Cast on in-person and investigate the genre with local mystery author, Emmeline Duncan then with designer Catie on Zoom to get all your knitting mysteries solved!
Reading: MM Desch with Kathleen Rhodes (Annie Bloom’s)
Thursday, July 24, from 7:00–8:00 p.m | Annie Bloom’s Books 7834 SW Capitol Hwy Portland, OR 97219 | FREE
Annie Bloom’s Books welcomes Portland author MM Desch for a reading from her debut thriller, Tangled Darkness. Desch will be in conversation with fellow local thriller writer Kathleen Rhodes, author of The Dark Road.
BOOKLOVER’S BURLESQUE: Banned Books Edition 2025 (Book Lover’s Burlesque)
Friday, July 25, at 6:00 p.m | The Alberta Rose Thearter, 3000 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR 97211 | $37 – $52
FIGHT CENSORSHIP! Join the BOOKLOVER’S BURLESQUE: Banned Books Edition at The Alberta Rose Theatre!
Procrastinators’ Club (Rose City Book Pub)
Sunday, July 27, from 2:00–5:00 p.m | Rose City Book Pub, 1329 Northeast Fremont Street Portland, OR, 97212 | FREE
Join writers at Rose City Book Pub to finish the writing or other projects you keep putting off, and maybe find a new accountability buddy.
Daniela Naomi Molnar in Conversation With Alicia Jo Rabins (Powell’s)
Monday, July 28, at 7:00 p.m | Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St. Portland, OR 97209 | FREE
Oregon Book Award-winning poet Daniela Naomi Molnar’s Protocols: An Erasure (Ayin Press) transforms the world’s most influential antisemitic document, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, into an erasure poem exploring essential questions of power, history, and language
Bard Bingo (Wonderwood Springs)
Tuesdays, 7:00–9:00 p.m. | Wonderwood Springs, 8811 N Lombard St, Portland, OR 97203 | $5
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.
CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS
The Art of Prose Poetry Workshop with Craig Brandis (Attic Institute)
July 10–August 14, from 6:30–8:00 p.m | Online Via Zoom | $249
Have you been wondering how to make exciting poems that combine the best elements of poetry and prose? The secret to prose poetry lies in layering cadences within narrative verse. Focus on building layers of rhythm, emotional resonance and imagery within storytelling. Apply those lessons to your own poems.
Resonate: A BIPOC Writing Circle (Write Around Portland)
2nd & 4th Thursdays of the month | 4:00–5:30 p.m. | Online via Zoom
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! REGISTER HERE.
Reading James Baldwin, Session 6: Rachel Cohen—Baldwin & Delaney (Author’s Guild)
Thursday, July 24, at 2:00 p.m (EST) | Online via Zoom | $10 – $40
In this class, you’ll will read the two key essays that Baldwin wrote about Delaney; we’ll learn something of the periods when they shared an apartment—first in the Village, later in Clamart, near Paris—and you’ll look closely at several of the huge number of portraits Delaney painted of Baldwin. This will allow you to delve into the complex reciprocity between their two visions of the world and of themselves.
RESOURCES & OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTS AND WRITERS
FSG Writer’s Fellowship (FSG)
Deadline: July 7, 2025 | Prize: $15,000
A prize of $15,000 will be given annually to an emerging poet, fiction writer, or creative nonfiction writer from an underrepresented community who has not published and is not under contract to publish a book in any genre.
Blessing the Boats Selections (BOA Editions)
Deadline: July 14, 2025 | Honorarium: $2,500
The Waterston Desert Writing Prize (the Prize) was established in 2014 and inspired by author and poet Ellen Waterston’s love of the High Desert, a region that has been her muse for more than 40 years. Waterston was named Oregon Poet Laureate in August 2024 for a two-year term. The Prize provides financial and other support to writers whose work reflects a similar connection to the desert, recognizing the vital role deserts play worldwide in the ecosystem and the human narrative.
FOR KIDS & TEENS
Bard Storytime (Wonderwood)
Every Saturday, 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. | Wonderwood Springs, 7410 N. Chicago Ave. Portland, OR | FREE
Join us every Saturday as Gerard Bardler (the bard of Wonderwood) reads stories and sings songs! Books generously donated by our neighbors Twin Rivers Books. Family friend, family fun, FREE!
Forest Storytime (World Forestry Center)
July 2, 2025, 11:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. | Discovery Museum, 4033 SW Canyon Road Portland, OR 97221 | FREE
On the first Wednesday of the month, join us in the Discovery Museum’s reading nook for Forest Storytime. A storytime dedicated to forests and forest-themed books that connect adults and children and engage the imagination. Coloring pages are also available.
Summer Reading: Red Yarn & the Critters: Game On! (Multnomah County Library)
Friday, July 11, 2025, 2:00–3:00 p.m. | Gresham Library, 385 NW Miller Avenue Gresham, OR 97030 | FREE
In this high-energy music & puppet show, acclaimed Portland family performer Red Yarn will perform classic “play-party” songs (folksongs with built-in games and dances) alongside engaging roots-rock originals. Meanwhile, in their puppet skits, Red Yarn & his Critters will explore themes of teamwork, friendship and leveling up our collaborations.
The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical (The Judy)
July 19–August 3 | The Judy, 1000 SW Broadway, T-100 Portland, OR | $20–$25
Zeus’s lightning bolt has been stolen and the prime suspect is 12-year-old Percy Jackson. With the Olympic gods on the verge of war, Percy and his friends must face danger, battle mythical beasts, and clear Percy’s name before it’s too late. Tickets to all shows at The Judy are General Admission.
Summer Camp: The Legend of Percy Jackson (The Northwest Children’s Theater)
July 28-August 8, 2025 | The Reser 12625 SW Crescent St, Beaverton OR 97005 | $999
Embark on an epic adventure this summer at Camp Half-Blood! Inspired by the adventures of Percy Jackson this performance camp lets young heroes step into the role of gods and monsters as they bring legends to life. Unleash your inner hero and make your summer worthy of myth!
IN THE NEWS
Op-ed: A case for art in urgent times
(Oregonian / Oregonlive)
RECOMMENDED READING
Space opera and epic science fiction | (Multnomah County Library)
A selection of new and forthcoming Indigenous Collection titles | (Multnomah County Library)
Staff Picks | (The Literary Arts Bookstore)
Powell’s Picks of the Month | (Powell’s)
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!
