All events and classes take place at Literary Arts, 716 SE Grand Ave., Portland, OR, unless otherwise noted.
Paige Thomas in conversation with Blair Thomas [FREE]
Tuesday, March 3, 6:30–7:30 p.m.
The Literary Arts Bookstore is excited to welcome our colleague and friend Paige Thomas to celebrate her debut poetry collection, Person Under! Paige will be in conversation with her sister, Blair Thomas.
One Page Wednesday – March [FREE]
Wednesday, March 4, 7:00–9:00 p.m.
Here is an opportunity to share or listen to one page of work in progress from talented writers from everywhere. Come with a single page of work and sign up to read – or come to listen and prepare to be inspired. Our host is the one and only Emme Lund. March’s featured reader is kim thompson.
Kim Fu in conversation with Emma Pattee [FREE]
Thursday, March 5, 6:30–7:30 p.m.
The Literary Arts Bookstore is excited to welcome Kim Fu to celebrate her latest book, The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts. Fu will be joined in conversation by local author Emma Pattee.
Learn to Build a D&D Character [FREE]
Saturday, March 7, 12:00–3:00 p.m.
Join us at Literary Arts Bookstore & Cafe for a D&D character building workshop. We will go over races, classes, and pose questions and prompts to help you flesh out exactly who you want your character to be. An experienced Dungeon Master will be here to answer questions about the game.
Scott Broker in conversation with Peter Rock [FREE]
Tuesday, March 10, 6:30–7:30 p.m.
The Literary Arts Bookstore is excited to welcome Scott Broker to celebrate their debut book, The Disappointment. Broker will be joined in conversation by Peter Rock.
2026 Oregon Book Award Finalists Reading I [FREE]
Wednesday, March 11, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Join us for an evening of celebration and readings from this year’s Oregon Book Award finalists in Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Graphic Literature. This is the first of two finalist readings hosted at the Literary Arts Bookstore, with the second taking place on Tuesday, March 17.
March Hand-Sewing Social with SCRAP PDX [TICKETED EVENT]
Thursday, March 12, 4:00–6:00 p.m.
Join us to hand-sew decorative plush to welcome the new leaves with our friends from SCRAP PDX! Sew spring flowers, birds, raindrops, and more.
2026 Oregon Book Award Finalists Reading II [FREE]
Tuesday, March 17, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Join us for an evening of celebration and readings from this year’s Oregon Book Award finalists in Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Graphic Literature. This event is the second of two finalist readings hosted at the Literary Arts Bookstore and is free and open to the public.
March Write-In: Beware the Ides of March [FREE]
Wednesday, March 18, 5:30–8:00 p.m.
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend us your pens—and join us for our monthly write-in! We’ll be listening to some instrumental music inspired by the Ancient Romans as we lock-in for two hours of focused writing time. Stop by the cafe for the special, Brutus’ Kiss—an iced matcha layered with a cranberry orange float, beware, this delicious drink will have you considering betraying your best friend just for a sip. Et tu?
Slamlandia [FREE]
Thursday, March 19, 7:00–9:00 p.m.
Slamlandia is a poetry open mic and slam that meets every month at Literary Arts, on the third Thursday. This mic provides a creative, fun, and welcoming space for all literary communities in Portland. We encourage poets, new and old, to share their work. We strive towards a safe space for poets to read their own poetry, witness others, and participate in community. Hosted by Julia Gaskill. March’s featured poet will be announced soon!
BIPOC Reading Series [FREE]
Wednesday, March 25, 7:00–9:00 p.m.
Hosted by Kyle Yoshioka and Jessica Meza-Torres, this monthly reading series is intended to prioritize the safety, creativity, and stories of Black people, Indigenous people, and People of Color.
Maggie Smith in Conversation with Joy Sullivan [SOLD OUT]
Thursday, March 26, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
The Literary Arts Bookstore is thrilled to welcome poet Maggie Smith to celebrate her latest collection of poetry, A Suit Or a Suitcase: Poems! Smith will be joined in conversation by Joy Sullivan.
Tickets are required for this event and include a copy of A Suit Or a Suitcase.
An Evening of Readings and Conversation with Devon Walker-Figueroa, Lisa Wells, and Leni Zumas [FREE]
Friday, March 27, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
The Literary Arts Bookstore and Cafe are excited to welcome authors Devon Walker-Figueroa, Lisa Wells, and Leni Zumas for an evening of readings and conversation.
2026 Pacific Northwest Book Awards Celebration for Karen Russell [FREE]
Monday, March 30, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Join us to celebrate 2026 Pacific Northwest Book Awards Winner Karen Russell, and the paperback release of The Antidote.
Sign up for our dedicated bookstore and cafe email list to be the first to hear about events at Literary Arts, new book releases, food and drink specials, and more.
Writing Classes
A Repository of Prompts: Creating New Work
March 7 and March 14, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. | Online via Zoom
Finding and refining new story ideas is just as essential as developing intricate narratives. In this two-class intensive, students will do a deep dive in their creative process and return to the page with several delightful creative possibilities. Elements of craft and artful project design will be discussed and developed. Students can hope to take away 10-15 pages of prose and narrative ideas that will sustain and inspire their creative practice. Ideal for both the beginner and experienced writer.
Instructor: Radhika Sharma
Every Force Evolves a Form
Saturdays and Sundays, March 14-15 and March 21-22, 1:00–4:00 p.m.
A poem’s form is a poem’s body, the means by which it enacts its emotions and ideas. In this four part class, we will consider the what, why, who, and how of form: what form is, why we might choose to write in an inherited form, alter an inherited form, or write in a nonce (made-up) form, and how we might go about doing so. We’ll read examples of different forms from a wide range of historical and contemporary poets.
Instructor: Daniela Molnar
The Writers Compass
March 21, 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. | One session
explore the emotional and structural elements that drive your writing forward, from defining your story’s core question to creating a rhythm that supports consistent progress. Whether you’re mid-draft or just beginning, this class offers tools and inspiration to help you stay connected to your creative vision—and finish what you’ve started.
Instructor: Charlotte Chipperfield
Advanced Short Story Workshop
Saturdays, March 28 – May 16, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
This class is geared toward writers who already have two finished short stories they’d like to bring to a workshop environment. Each student will be workshopped twice. Please plan to submit two different short stories of up to roughly 20 pages each.
Instructor: Rachel Attias
With Abandon: Towards a Poetic of Absence
Saturdays,March 28, 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
This four-hour masterclass will explore geographies and poems inscribed by such disappearances and afterlives. In the first half, through close reading and discussion, we will turn to an eclectic array of poets, philosophers, and thinkers. The second half will shift to generative writing, with prompts applicable to both poetry and prose that invite participants to compose their own inquiries into what lingers, what transforms, and what new forms of life might emerge from sites of ending.
Instructor: Devon Walker-Figueroa
Writing the Emotional Truth
Tuesdays, March 31- April 21, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
This class invites nonfiction and memoir writers to uncover the emotional core of their experiences and transform insight into art. We’ll study techniques for balancing scene and reflection, emotion and restraint, truth and craft. Each week includes generative writing, shortreadings, and discussion to help you write with greater vulnerability and intention. You’ll learn how to convey emotion without sentimentality and how to shape personal truth into narrative meaning. By the end, you’ll leave with tools for deepening emotional resonance across your work.
Instructor: Charlotte Chipperfield
Novel Support: Weekly Check-In
Tuesdays, March 31- May 19, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
This course brings novel writers at all stages of the process together to support each other for 8 weeks. From first draft through revision, this course is a weekly check-in, a community gathering, a discussion group, an accountability buddy, a toolkit, a troubleshooting session, and a place for us to talk about our novels and writing processes as much as we need to without boring anyone. Each week, we’ll spend time checking in about our novels, discussing issues and breakthroughs, and providing feedback on each other’s work.
Instructor: Miranda Schmidt
Classes schedule are subject to change.
For the most up-to-date information, check out our full events calendar.
