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
McMenamins Great Northwest Author Tour Willy Vlautin with the Delines (McMenamins)
Thursday, May 21, 8:00 p.m. | McMenamins Mission Theater, 1624 Northwest Glisan Street Portland, OR | $24
A night of stories and music with Willy Vlautin and The Delines. Vlautin reads from his latest novel The Left and the Lucky with music performed by The Delines from the soundtracks for The Left and the Lucky and The Night Always Comes.
“Labor” Issue Release Party (Oregon Humanities)
Friday, May 1, 4:00–6:00 p.m. | Rosenstadt Brewery 2117 NE Oregon St., Portland, OR 97232 | FREE
Join the editors of Oregon Humanities magazine to celebrate the release of our Spring 2026 issue, “Labor.” We will gather at Rosentstadt Brewery in Northeast Portland for a May Day happy hour. Meet contributors, pick up an extra copy for your neighbor, and stay for a drink!
Molly Crabapple in Conversation With Omar El Akkad (Powell’s City of Books)
Sunday, May 3, 7:00 p.m. | Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St. Portland, OR 97209 | FREE
Crabapple will be joined in conversation by Omar El Akkad, author of One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This.
Judicial History Makers (Oregon Historical Society)
Monday, May 4, 6:30–7:30 p.m. | Oregon Historical Society, 1200 SW Park Ave, Portland, Oregon 97205 | FREE
Join the Multnomah Bar Association for a panel of trailblazing judges featuring Chief U.S. District Judge Michael McShane (the first out gay federal judge in Oregon), Oregon Court of Appeals Judge Steven Powers (the first Filipino American appellate judge in Oregon), and Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Rima Ghandour(the first Arab American Muslim woman to join the bench in Oregon).
What Does It Mean to Be American? (Oregon Humanities)
Wednesday, May 6, 6:00 p.m. | Cedar Mill Community Library, 1080 NW Saltzman Rd, Portland, OR 97229 | FREE
This conversation will explore when and how we define ourselves as an “American.” Does knowing the Constitution make us American? Does living on land controlled by the United States of America make us American? Through conversation and nonverbal exploration, we will share what “American” means to us individually and within the communities we belong to or came from, and what perspectives shaped our understanding of American identity and who is included in “We the People.”
Free First Thursday (Portland Art Museum)
Thursday, May 7, 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 Free First Thursday event, offering free admission to the museum for all, plus DJs and Look With Me tours. This unique day includes a chance to explore the special exhibition David Hockney: Works from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation and the 2026 HeART of Portland exhibition, as well as PAM’s transformed campus and reinstalled permanent collection galleries.
The Great BOLD Write-Off (BOLD Coffee & Books)
Saturday, May 9, 7:00 p.m. | BOLD Coffee & Books, 1755 SW Jefferson St, Portland, OR 97205 | FREE
In this snappy writing contest, we give the writers four writing prompts and set the timer for 30 minutes. When the time is up, they read their stories and the judges select a winner—all right there on the spot. There’s no time to hesitate, second-guess, or hold back. Then the winner takes home prizes! All writers are welcome, from published professionals to newborn novelists.
Mark O. Hatfield Lecture Series: Rick Atkinson (Oregon Historical Society)
Tuesday, May 12, 7:00–8:30 p.m. | Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97205
Rick Atkinson is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of eight narrative histories about five American wars, including The Long Gray Line, the Liberation Trilogy (An Army at Dawn, The Day of Battle, and The Guns at Last Light), and The British Are Coming, the first volume of the Revolution Trilogy. He has won numerous awards, including Pulitzer Prizes for history and journalism.
Otherness as a Gateway to Empowerment and Empathy (Oregon Humanities)
Wednesday, May 14, 6:00 p.m. | Happy Valley Library 13793 SE Sieben Park Way, Happy Valley, OR 97015 | FREE
Otherness is the state of being different from the members of a group. Whether we are talking about us mammals, us Oregonians, or us bird-watchers, anyone who is not part of us is part of the other. How does otherness shape our sense of identity and our perception of others? This conversation will reflect on our personal experiences of belonging to uncover the universality of otherness and examine how we can use empathy to bridge the divides in isolated communities and foster the acceptance of diverse voices. This exploration of otherness aims to cultivate empathy for both ourselves and others, leading to a more inclusive understanding of our identities and those around us as well as exploring otherness as a form of strength and our own uniqueness. RSVP for this free event. This conversation is part of One Book, One Coast programming related to George Takei’s memoir They Called Us Enemy.
Mac Barnett in Conversation With Carson Ellis (Powell’s City of Books)
Friday, May 15, 7:00 p.m. | Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St. Portland, OR 97209| FREE
Barnett will be joined in conversation by Carson Ellis, author and illustrator of One Week in January and illustrator of Barnett’s What Is Love?
WonderLab: Petals & Postcards // A David Hockney-Inspired Family Art Workshop (Portland Art Museum)
Saturday, May 16, 10:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m. | PAM CUT, 934 SW Salmon St., Portland, OR | FREE
Join teaching artist and pattern-maker Julz Clementine for a creative, hands-on family workshop inspired by David Hockney and his vibrant digital flower drawings.
Reading: Squall by Brett Aube (Rose City Book Pub)
Saturday, May 16, 2:00–3:00 p.m. | Rose City Book Pub, 1329 Northeast Fremont StreetPortland, OR, 97212 | FREE
Squall is a cozy, silent picture book that captures the profound bond between a man and his dog amidst the vastness of the open sea, weaving a quiet tale of love, resilience, and healing for readers of all ages.
Art in ASL + Look With Me (Portland Art Museum)
Sunday, May 17, 12:00–5:00 p.m. | Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR | FREE
Portland Art Museum celebrates the Deaf Community with Art in ASL on the 3rd Sunday of every month. Deaf Community members and their companions enjoy complimentary admission all day and are invited to participate in guided Look with Me sessions in the galleries between 12-3pm. Visitors of all ages are welcome.
Nā Hanauna: Stories of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (Oregon Historical Society)
Monday, May 18, 7:00–8:30 p.m. | McMenamins Kennedy School, 5736 N.E. 33rd Ave, Portland, Oregon 97211 | $5-6
A conversation with Nohea Waiwaiole, Louise Wilmes, and Toni Iwalani Fujiwara, moderated by Leialoha Kaula
Oregon Connections: Race, Citizenship, and Labor (Oregon Historical Society)
Thursday, May 21, 12:00–1:00 p.m. | Online via Zoom | FREE
A conversation with Jennifer Fang and Johanna Ogden. OHS presents “Oregon Connections: A Conversation Series on the Right to be Free,” an all-virtual program series featuring conversations among experts and with audience members.
Lisa Jarrett Book Release and Artist Talk (Portland Art Museum)
Thursday, May 21, 6:30–9:00 p.m. | Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR | FREE
Lisa Jarrett joins Dr. Kiara Hill and exhibition co-curator Jaleesa Johnston in conversation about the exhibition Tenderhead and themes of migration, family, and care examined through the lens of Beauty Supply and Black hair rituals. The seated program takes place within the exhibition, surrounded by Lisa’s richly layered artworks.
Monuments and Memorials: Who, What, Where, When, and Why? (Oregon Humanities)
Saturday, May 23, 3:00 p.m. | Oregon City Public Library, 606 John Adams St., Oregon City OR 97045 | FREE
As long as humans have sought to honor the present and remember times past, we have built monuments and memorials. Our traditions around monuments and memorials have changed over time. Today, each monument prompts many questions: What should be remembered, and why? How should it be remembered? Where should a monument or memorial be built, and when? And who gets to decide? Most of us rarely get a say in how people and events are memorialized. What monuments or memorials would you like to see in your personal life, home, or local community? How can communities celebrate the ideas and values that are important to them together?
PSU History Slam (Oregon Historical Society)
Thursday, May 28, 7:00–8:30 p.m. | McMenamins Kennedy School, 5736 N.E. 33rd Ave, Portland, Oregon 97211| FREE
Don’t miss the 8th annual PSU History Slam, a fast-paced history competition where Portland State University students have only three minutes to present their theses to a distinguished panel of judges for the ultimate prize as PSU History Slam winner! Be a part of the live audience, hear a wide variety of history research topics, and experience the excitement as PSU History majors battle it out for monetary prizes and eternal glory. Who wants to be a historian?
Collage and Freewrite: In-Person Writing and Crafting Circle (Write Around Portland)
Saturday, May 16, 1:00–3:00 p.m. | BOLD Coffee & Books, 1755 SW Jefferson St, Portland, OR 97205 | $40–80
Create small collages from a collection of provided images, paper, and assorted media! Start each collage process with a moment of generative writing to get you thinking about the colors, textures, and scenes you’ll be handling for your artwork. Flex your skills in sensation and imagery by trying something tactile and new! This 2-hour session is balanced in both art and (literary) craft. Enter a creative flow (and stay in it!) as each activity you do seamlessly leads to the next. All supplies and materials are provided.
Sci-Fi / Fantasy Writers’ Group (Rose City Book Pub)
Friday, May 22, 5:00–8:00 p.m. | Rose City Book Pub, 1329 Northeast Fremont StreetPortland, OR, 97212 | FREE
Connect with fellow writers. Do you write high adult fantasy, horror, children’s sci-fi video games, magical realism? Are you looking for a critique? Maybe you want to run your magic system by fellow storytellers, or build a DnD character. Join us for a drink! (with or without alcohol) We’d love to meet you. We’ll be around every 2nd Friday at 5pm, till whenever.
Tributaries Writing Retreat (Write Around Portland)
May 28–May 31 | Menucha Retreat and Conference Center, Historic Columbia River Hwy, Corbett, OR 97019
We’re excited to announce a new partnership with Write Around Portland to offer a creative writing program at Menucha. This transformative experience taps the healing energy of our retreat setting, allowing participants to explore personal growth through writing in community. No writing experience required! Only a desire to put pen to paper, allowing the words to tell a story, describe the beauty of the surroundings, or process your thoughts. Write Around Portland’s skilled facilitator will help participants create a space in which you’ll be able to unlock your creativity, build or maintain a writing practice, and get some writing done. The retreat will consist of writing, sharing (as desired, not required), and giving strengths-based feedback to each other. You’ll also have time for walks, shorts hikes, observing nature. Menucha is home to lots of moss, birds, old-growth trees and views that let you take a long look down the Columbia River Gorge.
Profit Share for Cascade AIDS Project (Rose City Book Pub)
Thursday, May 28, 12:00–11:59 p.m. | Rose City Book Pub, 1329 Northeast Fremont StreetPortland, OR, 97212 | FREE
We’re excited to participate in Dining Out For Life®, an international community fundraiser where restaurants donate a portion of their sales for a day to help support those in our community living with or impacted by HIV & AIDS. We are donating 10% of our sales today to CAP.
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.
Prompt at Powell’s City of Books – Creative Writing Class (Write Around Portland)
Wednesdays, April 8–May 27, 6:00–8:00 p.m. | Powell’s City of Books 1005 W Burnside St, Portland, OR 97209 | $295
On May 22nd, join Janice Lee & Lidia Yuknavitch as they plunge into the dreamscape of Resurrection (2025; dir. Bi Gan), exploring its structure and consciousness through various generative writing portals.
Film Club: Bi Gan’s Resurrection with Janice Lee & Lidia Yuknavitch (Corporeal Writing)
May 22, 12:00–2:00 p.m. | Online via Zoom | $15
Join Janice Lee & Lidia Yuknavitch as they plunge into the dreamscape of Resurrection (2025; dir. Bi Gan), exploring its structure and consciousness through various generative writing portals.
Corporeal Writing Oracles Salon with Jun Maruyama (Corporeal Writing)
May 11, 4:00–6:00 p.m. | Online via Zoom | $20-130
Join us in celebrating 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.
What Burns Must Be Beautiful: Following Shame to the Page with Kimberly King Parsons (McCormack Writing Center)
May 30, 10:00–1:00 p.m. | Online via Zoom | $75
While shame often feels like something to avoid, this universal human experience can become a valuable creative tool when approached with care and intention. This virtual intensive explores the productive relationship between shame and literary craft, examining how writers can harness feelings of discomfort and vulnerability to create more authentic, resonant work.
RESOURCES & OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTS AND WRITERS
Poetry Contest for Emerging Poets (Boulevard)
Deadline: June 1, 2026
Entry fee: $18
Award: $1,000
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Boulevard is given annually for a group of poems by a poet who has not published a poetry collection. The winning poems will be first announced on the website and then published in the following issue of Boulevard.
The Story Prize (The Story)
Deadline: July 1, 2026
Entry fee: $75
Award: $20,000
A prize of $20,000 is given annually for a story or novella collection written in English and published in the United States in the current year. Two runners-up receive $5,000.
Autumn Online Workshop (McCormack Writing Center)
Deadline: June 3, 2026
Our Speculative Online Workshop features industry panels, craft lectures, generative writing sessions, agent meetings, affinity groups, social hours, and, of course, online 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!
Free Comic Book Day at Beaverton City Library (Beaverton City Library)
Saturday, May 2, 11:00–12:30 p.m. | Beaverton City Library, 12375 SW 5th St, Beaverton, OR 97005 | FREE
Stop by the library for a free comic for kids or teens. One book per person while supplies last. Ages 8-15.
Storytime at Maggie Mae’s Bookshop (Maggie Mae’s Bookshop)
Saturday, May 2, 11:30–12:30 p.m. | Maggie Mae’s Bookshop, 50 NW 1st St Gresham, 97030 | FREE
Every 1st and 3rd Saturday, children ages 1–6 and their favorite grown-ups are invited to a joyful morning of stories, songs, and crafts at the bookshop!
May the Fourth Be With You at Cedar Mill Library (Multnomah County Library)
Saturday, May 2, 11:30–12:30 p.m. | Cedar Mill Library, 1080 NW Saltzman Road ,Portland, OR | FREE
Join PBOT on a fun, family-friendly bike ride exploring neighborhood greenways connecting two Southeast libraries in celebration of May’s PBOT/MCL Bike to Books program! The ride starts at Woodstock Library and ends at Sellwood Library. After the ride, stay at Sellwood Library’s Community Room to complete your Bike to Books design sheet for a chance to see your art on a real street bike lane!
Bike to Books Family Ride (Multnomah County Library)
Saturday, May 9, 10:00–12:00 p.m. | Woodstock Library, 6008 SE 49th Avenue Portland, OR 97206 | FREE
Celebrate Star Wars Day with a craft and finding game. Ages 3+.
Rainbow Family Storytime with Special Guest Poison Waters (Multnomah County Library)
Saturday, May 9, 10:00–12:00 p.m. | Albina Library, 205 NE Russell Street, Portland, OR 97212 | FREE
Children from birth to age 6 (with a favorite adult) enjoy books highlighting LGBTQ+ families, along with songs, rhymes and movement activities building language, literacy, and community in an identity-supporting environment. This event features special guest drag performer Poison Waters.
AANHPI: The Orchid Trio Presents Music from Asia (Multnomah County Library)
Saturday, May 16, 2:00–3:00 p.m. | Central Library, 801 SW 10th Avenue, Portland, OR 97205 | FREE
Come enjoy music from around Asia! Presented by The Orchid Trio, a string trio with violinist Siying Ge, violist Deborah Shuster, and cellist Quinn Liu.
Kids’ Storyime: All the Ice Cream in the Land (Powell’s City of Books)
Saturday, May 30, 10:30 p.m. | Central Library, 801 SW 10th Avenue, Portland, OR 97205 | FREE
Join us every Saturday for kids’ storytime. Today we’re reading All the Ice Cream in the Land by Emme Kastner.
IN THE NEWS
Literary Arts Announces 2026 Oregon Book Awards (Willamette Week)
Oregon Book Awards: Winners include Judith Barrington, Jennifer Perrine, Ling Ling Huang, David F. Walker (Oregon ArtsWatch)
These 7 Portland authors just won the state’s top literary honors (The Oregonian)
RECOMMENDED READING
Staff Picks | (The Literary Arts Bookstore)
Celebrating Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month | (Multnomah County Library)
One Book One Coast: They Called Us Enemy | (Multnomah County Library)
2027 Oregon Battle of the Books, grades 3-5 | (Multnomah County Library)
2027 Oregon Battle of the Books, grades 6-8 | (Multnomah County Library)
2027 Oregon Battle of the Books, grades 9-12 | (Multnomah County Library)
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!
