All events and classes take place at Literary Arts, 716 SE Grand Ave., Portland, OR, unless otherwise noted.
One Page Wednesday – NEW TIME! [FREE]
Wednesday, July 1, 6:30–8:00 p.m.
One Page Wednesday will begin at 6:30 p.m., with open mic sign-ups opening at 6:00 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. July’s One Page Wednesday will be hosted by special guest host Alexa Winik. The featured reader for July is Tove Danovich.
Mike Copperman in conversation with Margaret Malone [FREE]
Wednesday, July 8, 6:30–8:00 p.m.
The Literary Arts Bookstore & Cafe is excited to welcome writer Michael Copperman to celebrate the launch of their book, Seeking Kenny.
Art in Authoritarian Times: Artistic Freedom as Democratic Infrastructure with Scot Nakagawa [FREE]
Tuesday, July 14, 6:30–8:00 p.m.
In this urgent presentation, strategist and democracy defender Scot Nakagawa, co-founder of the 22nd Century Initiative, makes the case that artistic freedom is not a cultural amenity but a democratic infrastructure. It is the most sensitive indicator we have of the health of a free society.
NOTE: RSVPs for this event are currently closed. If you would like to join the waitlist, please fill out this form.
Dan Werb: Our Wild Familiars [FREE]
Wednesday, June 15, 6:30–8:00 p.m.
The Literary Arts Bookstore & Cafe is excited to welcome author Dan Werb to celebrate the release of his latest book, Our Wild Familiars.
Slamlandia [FREE]
Thursday, July 16, 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.
Kaitlyn Teer in conversation with Chelsea Bieker [FREE]
Tuesday, July 21, 6:30–8:00 p.m.
The Literary Arts Bookstore & Cafe is excited to welcome author Kaitlyn Teer to celebrate her latest essay collection, Little Apocalypses.
Christine Hartman-Derr in conversation with Steph Littlebird [FREE]
Thursday, July 22, 6:30–8:00 p.m.
The Literary Arts Bookstore and NAYA are pleased to welcome author Christine Hartman-Derr to celebrate her latest middle-grade novel, Raven Rising. Hartam-Derr will be joined in conversation by Steph Littlebird.
Terria Smith in conversation with Ursula Pike [FREE]
Thursday, July 23, 6:30–8:00 p.m.
The Literary Arts Bookstore & Cafe is pleased to welcome author Terria Smith to celebrate her new memoir, I Love You So Many.
July Write-In: Beach Day [FREE]
Tuesday, July 28, 5:30–8:00 p.m.
Come on down to the Literary Arts Bookstore & Cafe for our monthly write-in. This month’s theme is Beach Day!
BIPOC Reading Series – NEW TIME! [FREE]
Wednesday, July 29, 6:30–8:30 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.
The Stafford Challenge 2025-26 Anthology Book Launch [FREE]
Thursday, July 30, 5:30–8:00 p.m.
The Literary Arts Bookstore & Cafe invites you to a night of readings with the authors of the 2025-26 Stafford Challenge Anthology.
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
Advanced Fiction Workshop
Tuesdays, July 7 through August 11, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
This six-week workshop will offer in-depth guidance to students on their fiction writing projects. We will follow the traditional workshop model with two modifications.
Instructor: Daniel Nieh
Performing Your Work: Practice for Public Readings
Saturdays, July 11 through July 18, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
In this course, we’ll practice reading our work aloud, incorporating theatrical techniques and exercises, and experimenting with performance styles to bring our words to life for an audience.
Instructor: Miranda Schmidt
Summer Flâneur: Strolling and Writing
Sunday, June 19, 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
In this generative writing workshop, we will explore a slice of Portland as flâneurs, or writers who walk and observe as part of their practice. After discussing literary excerpts from Charles Baudelaire, Olivia Laing, Yoko Ono, and/or Teju Cole, we will leave Literary Arts for about an hour and stroll and notice.
Instructor: Alex Behr
Writing the Hard Stuff: Navigating Vulnerability on the Page
Tuesdays, July 21 through August 25, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
This class is not about pushing you to disclose more; it’s about helping you make thoughtful, empowered choices on the page. Whether you’re working on a memoir, personal essays, or nonfiction that draws from lived experience, you’ll leave with practical tools to navigate fear, resistance, and self-censorship.
Instructor: Charlotte Chipperfield
Forms of Care: Writing the Mortal Body
Tuesdays, July 28 through September 1, 5:00–7:00 p.m.
In this three-hour session, we will read excerpts from authors belonging to underrepresented communities in this country. Together, we’ll discuss how they challenge and confront power and systems of oppression through their craft.
Instructor: Gabriela Denise Frank
Journalism for Every Writer
Thursdays, July 30 through August 27, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
Whether there’s a journalist character in your novel, a historical component to your memoir, a narrative aspect to your academic work, or a poem that provides a glimpse into an unknown world, this class will provide a basic understanding of journalism that any writer can apply to any project.
Instructor: Rebecca Grant
Novel Support: Weekly Check-In
Thursdays, July 30 through September 17, 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.
Instructor: Miranda Schmidt
Readers Seminar
Octavia Butler: Fledgling
Mondays, June 22 through July 13, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Octavia Butler’s final novel, Fledgling, is a powerful, disturbing book about humanity and Otherness that is also a vampire coming-of-age story. Set in the near-future Pacific Northwest, it pits a dark-skinned, amnesiac predator against ignorance and gangster-like families formed by the predator’s own kind–except that they’re white. Delve guide Nisi Shawl, a friend of Butler’s during her lifetime, adds unique perspective drawing on their personal experience of the author’s joys, struggles, triumphs, and frustrations.
Guide: Nisi Shawl
Classes and Readers Seminar schedules are subject to change.
For the most up-to-date information, check out our full events calendar.
