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
Ring in the New Chapter: A New Year’s Vision Building Evening (Bold Coffee & Books)
Saturday, December 27, 7:00-8:30 p.m. | Bold Coffee & Books, 1755 SW Jefferson St, Portland, OR 97205 | FREE
2026 is almost here! Join Bold Coffee & Books for an activity-based evening to dream into the new year. Bold co-owner Ali Shaw will lead this evening with guided journaling prompts, crafts to get in touch with our favorite book and life themes, and materials to build a vision board for the year ahead. Light snacks will be provided. Beer, wine, cider, tea, and coffee drinks available for purchase. Suggested donation $10 to cover supplies. RSVP required. Register at Meetup, Facebook, or at boldcoffeeandbooks@gmail.com.
Diaries, Notes, Sketches: A Film Screening & Journaling Event for the New Year (Portland Diary Summit)
Thursday, January 1, 6:00-9:00 p.m. | Stelo Arts, 412 NW 8th Avenue, Portland, OR | $10-25
The Portland Diary Summit returns with a special New Year’s Day film and journaling event. Partnering with Experimental Exposure, a film programming group presenting experimental films in their original analog format, and Stelo Arts, a community-oriented art space on Portland’s North Park Blocks, Diaries, Notes, Sketches offers Portlanders a rare opportunity to see 16mm and super8 diaristic films by Vivienne Dick, Holly Fisher, Isa Hesse-Rabinovich, and Edward Owens. During this relaxed screening event, we will savor these films together, taking breaks after each film to journal with prompts inspired by the films. Join us at Stelo to take a moment to reflect on and learn from 2025, and dream and fortify yourself for 2026. Bring your notebooks and we’ll provide the snacks and tea. Curated by Julie Perini and Cadie Godula.
The Stories We Tell About Our Nations with Colum McCann (Oregon Humanities)
Tuesday, February 3, 5:30 p.m. | Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta Street Portland, OR 97211 | $15 with free tickets available
Onstage with Adam Davis, McCann will explore where national myths originate and the power they carry, how a country’s self-narrative diverges from the stories told about it, and what it means to consider storytelling itself a democratic act.
Reading The Wall by Marlen Haushofer led by Tricia Snell (Soapstone: Celebrating Women Writers)
Saturdays, February 21-March 28, 10:00-12:00 p.m. | Online via Zoom | $75
What exactly is a feminist ethics of care? In this study group, you’ll attempt to answer that question among many others, while simply enjoying the rich, broadly evocative, strange beauty of this slim but powerful novel. Scholarships are available. To register send an email to soapstonewriting@gmail.com.
CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS
ArtWrite (Artist’s Rep)
First Sunday of the Month, 11:00 a.m. | Artists Rep, 1515 SW Morrison St. Portland, OR 97219 | FREE
Introducing a new monthly meet-up hosted by Artists Rep in partnership with the Dramatists Guild. Facilitated by E.M. Lewis and Sara Jean Accuardi. A little bit of writing, a little bit of sharing, a lot of connecting with other playwrights.
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
Short Fiction Contest for Emerging Writers (Boulevard)
Submission deadline: December 31 | Fee: $25
We are looking for a fresh and original story of fiction with a minimum of 150 pages. The awarded fiction manuscript is selected through an annual submission process, which is open to all authors.
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.
Cai Emmons Fiction Award (Red Hen Press)
Submission deadline: January 15 | Fee: $18
We are looking for a fresh and original story of fiction with a minimum of 150 pages. The awarded fiction manuscript is selected through an annual submission process, which is open to all authors. The prize winner is awarded $5,000. Name on cover sheet only, with a 25,000-word minimum (approximately 150 pages, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12pt font). Entries will be accepted via Submittable only.
Sign up for The Stafford Challenge (The Stafford Challenge)
Register by January 17
Join The Stafford Challenge, a transformative year-long poetry journey inspired by the daily practice of William Stafford. Beginning January 17, 2026 – Stafford’s birthday – you’ll commit to writing a poem a day alongside a global community of poets. Enjoy inspiring monthly events featuring renowned Guest Poets such as Kim Stafford, Emmett Wheatfall, Lauren Camp, Brad Aaron Modlin, CMarie Fuhrman, and more.
Participants receive biweekly emails, access to a supportive Facebook group, and the Guest Poet presentations to keep their creativity flowing. This challenge is pay-what-you-want and open to all, regardless of experience level.
Learn more and register at staffordchallenge.com.
FOR KIDS & TEENS
Children’s Storytime (Bold Coffee & Books)
Saturdays from 11:00-11:30 a.m. | Bold Coffee & Books, 1755 SW Jefferson St, Portland, OR 97205 | FREE
Whether an author is here to read their book or our staff is reading a favorite, we’ll feature stories that spread compassion, awareness, and positivity. Children will get a coloring page or sticker to take home too!
Kid’s Storytime: The Old Sleigh (Powell’s Books)
Saturday, December 27, 10:30 a.m. | Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., Portland, OR 97209 | FREE
Join Powell’s every Saturday for kids’ storytime. This day’s pick is The Old Sleigh by Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey.
IN THE NEWS
Portland Author Omar El Akkad Wins a National Book Award (Willamette Week)
Miller Foundation announces $500,000 in Spark Awards (Oregon ArtsWatch)
Kamala Harris Speaks in Portland as Part of ‘107 Days’ Tour (The Franklin Post)
‘A Larger Reality: Ursula K. Le Guin’ honors the work and the life of the iconic novelist (Oregon ArtsWatch)
Portland Book Festival: Stacey Abrams, Susan Orlean on the perils, pitfalls, and joys of writing (Oregon ArtsWatch)
Portland Book Festival: Reginald Dwayne Betts’ ‘Doggerel’ transforms his life into poetry (Oregon ArtsWatch)
RECOMMENDED READING
The Best Books by Oregon Authors in 2025 | (City Cast Portland)
Transgender Awareness & Remembrance | (Multnomah County Library)
Celebrate Native American Heritage Month 2025 | (Multnomah County Library)
Lambda Literary Award Winners 2025 | (Multnomah County Library)
Staff Picks | (The Literary Arts Bookstore)
Literary Arts 2025 Gift Guide | (The Literary Arts Bookstore)
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!
