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
Burn After Reading: Oswego Love Letters (A Fuse Theater Production)
Thursday, March 26, 7:00 p.m. | Museum of the Oregon Territory 211 Tumwater DriveOregon City, OR, 97045 | FREE
In 2020, a collection of love letters was discovered in the attic of a historic house in Lake Oswego. They revealed the story of a local man freshly back from World War I and the 306 love letters sent to him by multiple young women. Discover the voices of these women, the hardships they faced, and the love they shared, all the way from a Washington logging camp to a Portland hotel to an Oregon schoolhouse in a present-day ghost town. In this lecture by Kathryn Sinor, delve into the lives and perspectives that often get washed away to history, all through the eyes of an Oswego heartbreaker.
Burn After Reading: Oswego Love Letters (A Fuse Theater Production)
Thursday, March 26, 7:00 p.m. | Museum of the Oregon Territory 211 Tumwater DriveOregon City, OR, 97045 | FREE
In 2020, a collection of love letters was discovered in the attic of a historic house in Lake Oswego. They revealed the story of a local man freshly back from World War I and the 306 love letters sent to him by multiple young women. Discover the voices of these women, the hardships they faced, and the love they shared, all the way from a Washington logging camp to a Portland hotel to an Oregon schoolhouse in a present-day ghost town. In this lecture by Kathryn Sinor, delve into the lives and perspectives that often get washed away to history, all through the eyes of an Oswego heartbreaker.
Mama’s Emoji (Hand2Mouth Theatre’s 2026 New2You Festival)
Saturday, March 28 and Sunday, March 29 | Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA), 15 NE Hancock Street, Portland Oregon, 97212. | $15-40
“Mama’s Emoji” blends dark comedy with quiet devastation to examine the family relationships maintained across literal and emotional oceans. The show is created by queer migrant artist Rui Dun and brought to life with design and direction by Rachel Zimmerman. Running two shows only at Hand2Mouth Theatre’s inaugural New2You Festival. “Mama’s Emoji” is programmed with “Assessment Tools” by Maia McCarthy, whose main character is on a journey to “do menopause right.”
Two Rivers Book Club: Drive You Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk (Weird Sisters)
Tuesday, March 31, 6:30–8:30 p.m. | Two Rivers Books, 8836 N. Lombard St. Portland, OR 97203 | FREE
Two Rivers Book Club is a friendly community gathering of friends and neighbors to who come together to talk books, share snacks, and be in community.
Consider This: The Changing Roles of Religious Spaces in Oregon (Oregon Humanities)
Tuesday, March 31, 7:00 p.m. | hq, 112 Depot St, La Grande, OR 97850
This conversation will explore how denominations around the state are finding creative ways to serve their communities and their missions.
Consider This: What Democracy Needs with Hélène Landemore (Oregon Humanities)
Tuesday, April 7, 7:00 p.m. | Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St, Portland, OR 97211 | Various prices
Join Oregon Humanities for a conversation with Hélène Landemore, author of Politics Without Politicians, on what democracy must become to meet the complexity, speed, and scale of today’s world. Landemore will be joined in conversation by Adam Davis, executive director of Oregon Humanities.
CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS
Muslim Storytellers Collective (Niyyah Ruscher-Haqq)
Application deadline: March 1
The Muslim Storytellers Collective will meet monthly through 2026. This is a RACC funded project which includes a writer’s retreat May 15-17, and a publishing opportunity. We meet monthly on Zoom to polish our stories and build community. This collective is open to anyone who identifies as Muslim. Fill out the form!
Corporeal Oracles Salon with Gerri Ravyn Stanfield (Corporeal Writing)
March 9, 4:00–9:00 p.m. | Online via Zoom
Celebrate the Corporeal Writing Oracles Deck! Each month in 2026, a different facilitator will host a two-hour Oracles Salon, diving deep into one randomly drawn card from the deck. Each salon will include a mix of group discussion about the oracle at hand (what does it bring up for each of us? what resonances or resistances do we feel?), an exploration of the card’s entry in the Oracles guidebook, and opportunities to write into different portals together, and then to share work. We’re excited to find out what different cards evoke in different writers in our community, and to hear what synchronicities and divergences emerge.
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
Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships (Poetry Foundation)
Deadline: March 2, 2026
Entry fee: $0
Award: $27,000
The Poetry Foundation awards five Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships annually. Among the largest awards offered to young poets in the US, the $27,000 prize is intended to support exceptional US poets between 21 and 31 years of age. The fellowships were established in 1989 by the Indianapolis philanthropist Ruth Lilly and expanded in 2013 with a gift from the Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Memorial Fund.
Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships (Poetry Foundation)
Deadline: March 2, 2026
Entry fee: $0
Award: $27,000
The Poetry Foundation awards five Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships annually. Among the largest awards offered to young poets in the US, the $27,000 prize is intended to support exceptional US poets between 21 and 31 years of age. The fellowships were established in 1989 by the Indianapolis philanthropist Ruth Lilly and expanded in 2013 with a gift from the Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Memorial Fund.
Portland In Color Residency at Sika Center (Portland In Color)
Deadline: March 25, 2026
Award: $1,000
In 2026-2027, The Sitka Center for Art and Ecology will offer 2 residency spots for a Portland in Color collaboration, with the opportunity for 2 artists of color to be in residence at Sitka Center for up to a month. Applications are open February 25 – March 25, 2026. More info about the residency:
- Notifications: All applicants will be notified by email by May 1, 2026
- Residency Period: October 1, 2026 – April 30, 2027
- Duration: 2-4 weeks (length and dates to be determined by your availability)
- Eligibility: Open to BIPOC artists over 18 years old residing in Oregon who have not previously participated in a Sitka artist residency.
- Location: Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, 56605 Sitka Dr, Otis, OR 97368
- Funding availability: $1000 stipend flat fee
- Application Deadline: Wednesday, March 25, 2026 by 11:59 PM PT
Spring YA Workshop (McCormack Writing Center)
Duration: May 29-June 1, 2026
Cost: $1,100
This Spring YA Workshop takes place over a long weekend, featuring curated, intimate workshops (no more than six participants per class), craft lectures, generative exercises, and readings. There will also be plenty of opportunities for mingling, sightseeing in Portland, and, of course, karaoke.
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!
Native Family: Native Friends and Family Storytime (Multnomah County Library)
Friday, March 3, 6:30 p.m. | Holgate Library, 7905 SE Holgate Boulevard, Portland, OR 97206 | FREE
Children ages birth to six, along with their families and friends, are welcome to enjoy Native culture through singing, movement, crafts, and stories. Everyone is welcome! Presented by Native library staff. Attendance is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Weekly Bubbles + Books Storytime and Play (Literacy Kids)
Wednesday, March 4, 3:30–4:30 p.m. | Literacy Kid Lounge + Bookshop, 2200 SE Oak Grove Blvd, Oak Grove, OR 97267 | $14+
Join Literacy Kids Lounge + Bookshop for story, music and movement and play at the Literacy Kid Lounge + Bookshop. This is a weekly drop in event with tickets required. If you have ever wanted to be part of a playgroup, but cant commit, this is for you!
Queer Teens Book Club (Always Here Bookstore)
Thursday, March 5, 5:30 p.m. | Always Here Bookstore, 4555 N Williams Ave, Portland, OR 97217 | FREE
This teen book club is led by a local YA author’s teen and supervised by AH staff! Meetings will take place monthly, on first Thursdays @5:30 p.m. These book clubs are meant to be a place to find community and it’s totally okay if you just want to come hang out with other queer folks 🙂
Which Guide Lied?: A Murder Mystery Party for Teens (Lake Oswego Library)
Saturday, March 7, 2:30 p.m. | LLake Oswego Public Library, 706 4th St Lake Oswego, OR 97034 | FREE
Every Teen Guide promises to do their best and the members of the Griffin Patrol are certainly no exception. The patrol is famous for their fun activities and camaraderie. This weekend is one of the highlights of the calendar – a weekend away camping. Everyone was thoroughly enjoying themselves until Peg Puller didn’t show up when the dinner bell sounded. Where could she be? When was she last seen? It seems that something here is not quite right…
IN THE NEWS
The Arts Community Has a Head Cheerleader (Willamette Week)
Literary Arts Announces 2026 Oregon Book Award Finalists (Portland Mercury)
Portland’s Renée Watson wins Newbery Medal for ‘All the Blues in the Sky’ (Oregon ArtsWatch)
RECOMMENDED READING
Everybody Reads 2026: Lovely One by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson | (Multnomah County Library)
Women authors, 50+ | (Multnomah County Library)
Discover Northwest Children’s Theater: Alice in Wonderland | (Multnomah County Library)
Staff Picks | (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!
