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
Winter Wool & Paper Shop (Two Rivers & Weird Sisters)
Monday, November 3-December 31, 10:00 a.m. | Two Rivers Bookstore, 8836 N Lombard St., Portland OR 97203 | FREE
Shop a holiday selection of curated gift items, made right here in St. Johns, North Portland and beyond!
Witchy Watercolor (Jes Schrock)
Monday, November 3, 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. | Hinterland Carts, 2216 SE 50th Ave., Portland OR 97215 | $23+
Witchy Watercolor is an enchanting evening of painting and tarot! Let yourself go as you create your own mystical watercolor masterpiece and receive insights in a mini tarot reading. No experience necessary – all skill levels are welcome!
Class includes: mini tarot reading + watercolor supplies/instruction for two 4×6 tarot cards 🌙 Arrive early for tarot readings, drinks, dinner, and parking.
Oregon Jewish Voices – 26th Annual Reading (Oregon Jewish Museum & Center for Holocaust Education)
Wednesday, November 5, 7:00 p.m. | Oregon Jewish Museum & Center for Holocaust Education, 724 NW Davis St., Portland OR, 97209 | $10
Started in 1999 and organized by writer Willa Schneberg, this annual event features readings by prominent Oregon Jewish poets and writers. This year marks the 26th anniversary of showcasing Oregon Jewish writers. The writers in the 2025 program span a range of genres, and each will share selections from their work. The authors this year are memoirist Bonnie Comfort, inspirational speaker Dorice Horenstein, poets Daniela Naomi Molnar, Willa Schneberg and Brian Rohr.
Books & Brews: Book Swap and DIY Bookmarks (Amy Wike)
Wednesday, November 5, 6:00 p.m. | Baerlic Brewing Alberta, 2223 NE Alberta St., Portland OR 97211 | $5
Bring a book (or several!) to swap. We’ll have supplies to paint and craft your own bookmarks while you enjoy Baerlic beverages (available for purchase) and browse books as they arrive. Stop in for as long as you like between 6:00-8:00 p.m.; no rules on how many books you can bring or take, just be courteous of other swappers! $5 fee to cover crafting supplies. Learn more about your host, local illustrator Amy Wike, on instagram @amy_wike or her website at https://www.amywikeillustration.com/
Chrysanthemum Festival (Lan Su Chinese Garden)
Friday, November 7-November 23, 10:00 a.m. | Lan Su Chinese Garden, 239 NW Everett St., Portland, OR 97209 | Various prices
Step into autumn’s splendor as Lan Su Chinese Garden transforms with the colors and textures of chrysanthemums, honoring the flower’s central role in China’s Double Ninth Festival. Stroll among 100+ brilliant potted mums, cascading displays along the waterfall, and sweeping floral sculptures that transform the garden into a living gallery.
Portland Zine Symposium (Portland Zine Symposium)
Saturday, November 8 and Sunday November 9, 11:00 a.m. | Smith Memorial Student Union (PSU), 1825 SW Browadway, Portland OR 97201 | FREE
The Portland Zine Symposium is a zine fair that has celebrated independent publishing and DIY culture since 2001. Its mission is to strengthen community connections and foster creative expression in the Portland zine scene. Attendees can expect to see a variety of self-published works on a wide array of themes, from pop culture to disability justice to autobio comics.
Community Art Day (Rose City Book Pub)
Sunday, November 9, 12:30 p.m. | Rose City Book Pub, 1329 NE Fremont St., Portland OR 97212 | FREE
A great community art day with lots of supplies and opportunities. There is usually an individual project, a group project, and a children’s corner. Child friendly but not child centered.
BrewLights (Oregon Zoo)
Friday and Saturday, November 14 and 15, 5:30 p.m. | Oregon Zoo, 4001 SW Canyon Rd., Portland OR 97221 | $40+
Brighten the season at BrewLights.This ZooLights beer festival experience is for folks 21+. Cut loose without kids or daytime crowds and enjoy 50 of the Northwest’s best breweries and cideries, plus live music, food carts and more.
Tickets include a souvenir cup and 10 three-ounce pours. Choose from more than 100 beer, seltzer and cider options from the finest Northwest craft beverage makers. Nondrinking tickets are available for those preferring to enjoy BrewLights alcohol-free.
Portland Holiday Market (Portland Holiday Market)
Friday–Sunday, November 14–16, 10:00 a.m. | Portland Expo Center, 2060 N Marine Dr., Portland, OR 97217 | $12
Shop outside the big box. The Portland Holiday Market is a holiday shopping experience and the one place to get all your holiday shopping done. More than 100,000 square feet of display space are filled with hundreds of exhibitors. Food items, gifts, artwork, jewelry, home décor, clothing, spirits, craft items, books, ornaments, leather goods, bath and body, and much more. This show has handcrafted, artisan and unique items you’ll never find in big box stores.
Booklover’s Burlesque: Culinary Classics Edition (Lacy Productions)
Saturday, November 15, 6:00 p.m. | Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St., Portland OR, 97211 | $30–45
It’s time to devour your favorite culinary literary works as Booklover’s Burlesque explores the books that fill our hearts, souls and stomachs. Booklover’s Burlesque is the world’s sexiest literary salon which matches titillating, inspiring, and empowering book readings with burlesque, boylesque, and draglesque performances all in one show! Professional readers, actors, and/or local authors & writers read aloud a three to five minute piece of poetry, fiction (from any genre), memoir, non-fiction, etc, which is then followed by a burlesque performance inspired by the piece. This event is 21 & over. ***ASL INTERPRETATION PROVIDED***
Holiday Book Chat (Broadway Books)
Sunday, November 16, 4:00 p.m. | Broadway Books, 1714 NE Broadway St., Portland, OR 97232 | $15
Join the Broadway Books team as they share the best books of the season for giving and getting. Each ticket comes with a voucher for $15 to use towards your purchases that night, snacks and beverages, and the chance to win many fun door prizes.
Barley & Birdie’s Book Swap (Barley & Birdie’s Library)
Tuesday, November 18, 7:00 p.m. | Spoke & Word Books, 10863 SE Main St., Milwaukie, OR 97222 | $10
A cozy book swap and blind date with a book event featuring exclusive giveaways and deals, drinks, and local vendors. It’ll be a cozy evening of fun!
Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony (The Square PDX)
Friday, November 28, 5:30 p.m. | Pioneer Courthouse Square, 701 SW 6th Ave., Portland, OR 97204 | FREE
A joyful community sing-along led by Portland’s own Thomas Lauderdale of Pink Martini, with many of Portland’s finest musical artists and chorale singers. Portland’s Tree Lighting Ceremony is the highlight of the holiday season in downtown. Join in this holiday tradition as Santa Claus ‘flips the switch’ to illuminate nearly 10,000 colorful lights on the City’s Tree that will shine bright throughout the holiday season.
2025 Wild Arts Festival (Bird Alliance of Oregon)
Saturday & Sunday, December 6 & 7, 10:00 a.m. | Wingspan Event Center @ Washington County Fairgrounds, 801 NE 34th Ave., Hillsboro, OR 97124 | $13 (18 & under free)
Explore beautiful artwork, nature-inspired books, an array of silent auction items, and much more. When you make a purchase at the Wild Arts Festival, you’ll be supporting Bird Alliance of Oregon’s mission to inspire all people to love and protect birds, wildlife, and the natural environment upon which life depends. Find that piece of art you truly connect with as a gift for yourself or a loved one.
CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS
Freewrite Writing Circle (Write Around Portland)
Thursday, November 6, 6:00–7:30 p.m. | Virtual on Zoom | $25
Freewrite is a 90-minute virtual writing session. No preparation or experience is required! Led by a Write Around Portland volunteer facilitator, Freewrite consists of writing, sharing, and giving strengths-based feedback to each other. It’s a great way to unlock your creativity, build or maintain a writing habit, and get some writing done!
Make Trouble, Make Art: A One-Page Zine Workshop on Defiant Creativity (Saint Violet Creative)
Sunday, November 9, 5:00 p.m. | Spoke & Word Books, 10863 SE Main St., Milwaukie, OR 97222 | FREE
As part of Portland Book Festival’s Cover to Cover series, Saint Violet Creative invites you to create your own one-page zine that folds into a small booklet. Using prompts from Sam Roberts’ book The Defiant Creative Process, participants will explore questions about voice, resistance, and what it means to make work that matters on their own terms. All materials provided (though you are free to bring your own as well!).
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.
RESOURCES & OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTS AND WRITERS
Quill Prose Award (Red Hen Press)
Submission deadline: November 30 | Fee: $10
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Red Hen Press is given annually for a story or essay collection, a novel, a memoir, or a hybrid work of prose by a queer writer. Andrew Lam will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of at least 150 pages with a $10 entry fee by November 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
100-Word Writing Contest (Tadpole Press)
Submission deadline: November 30 | Fee: $15
A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Tadpole Press website and in Tadpole Press Literary Magazine is given biannually for a work of flash poetry or prose. Angeline Boulley will judge. Submit a work of poetry, fiction, or nonfiction of no more than 100 words with a $15 entry fee by November 30. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.
The Moth Poetry Prize 2025 (The Moth)
Submission deadline: December 31 | Fee: $19
The Moth Poetry Prize is one of the biggest prizes in the world for individual unpublished poems. The prize is open to anyone over 16, and each year attracts thousands of entries from new and established poets from over 50 countries worldwide.
Virginia Woolf Award for Short Fiction (LitMag)
Submission deadline: December 31 | Fee: $20
Award winners receive a prize of $2,500, publication in LitMag, and agency review for exceptional short fiction between 3,000 and 8,000 words.
FOR KIDS & TEENS
Imagination Builders (Lakeshore Learning)
Saturdays, November 1 & 15, 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. | Lakeshore Learning, 16901 SW 65th Ave., Lake Oswego OR, 97035 | FREE
Calling all kids who love to design, construct and create! These two drop-in events feature a take-home craft, fun Magnetic Wonder Tiles activities, plus top-rated building faves children can explore! Parents and guardians, check in when you arrive for your chance to win a $100 Lakeshore E-Gift Card! If you spend $25 or more, you’ll get a free wooden fidget puzzle while supplies last! Nov. 1: Bridge making, Nov. 15: Sculpture Shaping
The Bunny Ballet and Too Early Release Party Storytime and Craft w/ Author Nora Ericson (Green Bean Books)
Tuesday, November 4, 11:00 a.m. | Green Bean Books, 1600 NE Alberta St., Portland OR, 97211 | FREE
Get enchanted as a brother and sister stumble upon The Bunny Ballet—a dreamy performance of adorable dancers. There will be a fun craft where kids can make their own tutus. There will also be a reading of Too Early, now available in board book!
Monsters of the Abyss: Aquatic Predators Past + Present (OMSI)
Ongoing | OMSI, 1945 SE Water Ave., Portland OR, 97214 | $15+
Dive back in time to explore what lurked beneath the surface at the newest exhibit in Portland—Monsters of the Abyss: Aquatic Predators Past + Present. Meet massive mosasaurs, a spine-chilling Spinosaurus, and bizarre creatures as you travel through millions of years, witnessing the rise and fall of Earth’s most awe-inspiring aquatic creatures as well as their present-day descendants. Highlighted by amazing fossils, daily educational programming, and some unbelievable live animals, this exhibit brings guests face-to-face with the real-life monsters who defy imagination and have inspired myths and legends. You’ll have to see them to believe them.
Pokémon Party (Cedar Mill Library)
Monday, November 10, 2:00–3:00 p.m. | Cedar Mill Library, 1080 NW Saltzman Rd., Portland OR, 97229 | FREE
Are you a Pokémon fan? Join the library for Pokémon-themed crafts and games on this no school day for the Beaverton School District. Ages 6-11.
Saturday Guided Nature Hike (Tryon Creek State Natural Area)
Saturday, November 15, 10:00 a.m. | Tryon Creek Nature Center, Portland OR | FREE
Meet at the Nature Center and join a Naturalist on a hike through Tryon Creek. Topic this week is a Fall Scavenger Hunt! Hikes are geared to ages 5 and up, but all ages are welcome. Parents must accompany kids on all hikes.
Rain Festival (Tillamook Forest Center)
Saturday & Sunday, November 15 & 16, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. | Tillamook Forest Center, 45500 Wilson River Hwy., Tillamook OR, 97141
Rain has come to the Tillamook State Forest, turning trickling streams into roaring rapids – but are you ready to go with the flow? Join the Tillamook Forest Center as we plunge into the world of surging rivers, spawning salmon, and the inner workings of watersheds to celebrate the ways in which rain transforms our forests.
Activities will feature:
- Mushroom Walks at 11:30 am each day
- Rain-related crafts, displays, and a special typewriter with a forest view.
- An outdoor salmon migration game. Can your fish make it safely to their spawning grounds?
- A rainy fashion photo booth to show off your rain gear and share on social media.
Get your rain boots ready because this is a precipitation party you won’t want to miss! Make sure to grab a passport in the lobby ($1 suggested donation) and get stamped at each activity to win a prize.
BOLD Children’s Storytime (BOLD Coffee & Books)
Saturdays, ongoing, 10:00 a.m. | BOLD Coffee & Books, 1755 SW Jefferson St., Portland OR, 97205 | FREE
Whether an author is there to read their book or the staff is reading a favorite, BOLD will feature stories that spread compassion, awareness, and positivity. Children will get a coloring page or sticker to take home too! The shop carries juice, snacks, and other items for kids, and adults can enjoy a delicious coffee or tea drink while your child is entertained.
Read to Clive the Therapy Dog! (Green Bean Books)
Sunday, November 23, 1:00 p.m. | Green Bean Books, 1600 NE Alberta St., Portland OR 97211 | FREE
Meet our new Read to a Dog team, Anna and therapy dog Clive! Clive loves all kinds of books and helping kids build confidence in their reading skills. Sign up for a 15-minute reading session from 1-2pm. Perfect for beginning readers who love dogs!
Holiday Express (Oregon Rail Heritage Center)
Friday, November 28, ongoing, times vary | Oregon Rail Heritage Center, 2250 SE Water Ave., Portland OR, 97214 | $25+
Experience the magic of the season at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center. The most highly anticipated event of the year is just around the corner — the beloved Holiday Express. Climb aboard with Santa Claus and his elves for a festive ride behind the historic 1912 Polson #2 steam locomotive. Relax in the warm, decorated cars as you travel along the Willamette River, then step into the cozy enginehouse for cocoa, treats, and holiday cheer.
IN THE NEWS
Oregon writers Karen Russell and Omar El Akkad among 2025 National Book Award finalists (Oregon ArtsWatch)
Malala Yousafzai will bring new memoir to Portland next month (OregonLive)
Portland Poetry Confluence brings poets working on the margins to center stage (Oregon ArtsWatch)
Everybody Has a Story: We’d like you to tell us a story (The Columbian)
RECOMMENDED READING
2025 Picture Books by Indigenous Authors & Illustrators | (Multnomah County Library)
Horror Anthologies for Teens | (Multnomah County Library)
2025 Oregon Challenged Books & Graphic Novels | (Multnomah County Library)
Librarian Picks | (Multnomah County Library)
Staff Picks | (The Literary Arts Bookstore)
Oregon Battle of the Books | (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!
