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
The Bird Days of Summer: Words about Birds – Poetry Workshop & Birding @ Kelley Point Park (Bird Alliance of Oregon)
Saturday, August 1, 9:00 a.m. | Kelley Point Park, N Kelley Point Park Rd Portland, OR 97203 | FREE
Spend the morning reconnecting with your creative self and the birds around you!
Gathering with other creatives, we will take a laid-back bird walk to gather inspiration. After, we’ll write out our inspos, using a few prompts to help us. Those ready to fly can share out their birdy poems.We welcome everyone curious about birds, nature, and poetry to join in. New to writing poetry? New to Birding? All you need is a little inspiration. Total beginners are welcome. Bring binoculars, notebook/pen, sun protection, water and snack.
Free Admission for Oregon and Washington Educators to Local Cultural Attractions (Oregon Historical Society)
Saturday, August 1 – Sunday, August 16 | Various Locations | FREE
From August 1 – 16, Oregon and Washington educators receive free admission to the Oregon Historical Society and six other cultural attractions, plus access to educator-focused events and tours. Simply let admission staff know you are an educator — no school ID required. Discover classroom-ready resources, including state standards-aligned lesson plans, digital materials, and professional development opportunities, all designed to support teaching at no cost. Explore each institution’s unique offerings and take advantage of special programs created just for educators.
Collage Night (Rose City Book Pub)
Sunday, August 2, 5:00 p.m. | IPRC Studios, 318 SE Main St, #155 | FREE
Join us for the IPRC’s monthly Collage Night! Materials and glue sticks provided. Collage Night is free for Staple and Studio Members. There is a $5 suggested donation fee for non-members. No one turned away for lack of funds. No RSVP required.
Experiencing the Creator Role: Poetry, Music, and the Power of Creation (Rose City Book Pub)
Sunday, August 2, 4:00-7:00 p.m. | Rose City Book Pub, 1329 Northeast Fremont Street, Portland, OR, 97212 | FREE
Join author Kayla Banda for an afternoon celebrating the release of her book Experiencing the Creator Role: Creating Life with Intention. Featuring spoken word, music, visual art, film, and reflections on the power of creation, this community gathering invites artists, entrepreneurs, dreamers, and creators of all kinds to explore what it means to live with intention. Attendees will experience readings from the book, live performances, creative works from local artists, and conversation about the Creator Role.
The Moth Open-Mic StorySLAM: Schooled (The Moth)
Monday, August 3, 8:00 p.m. | The Old Church, Portland 1422 SW 11th Ave Portland, OR 97201 | FREE
SCHOOLED: Prepare a five-minute story about the lessons that shaped you. Wisdom passed down by elders, gurus, and sages. Textbooks, hard knocks, lucky breaks, triumphs and mistakes. From fortune cookies to astrology. Confucius to Brené Brown. The realest reality checks from teachers, siblings, bosses and bullies…
Free First Thursday at the Portland Art Museum (Portland Art Museum)
Thursday, August 6, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 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. The day will include opportunities for visitors to engage with A Brief History of Photography: the Portrait and An Honest Day’s Work exhibitions through “Look With Me” tours and gallery conversations centered on portraiture, storytelling, memory, and representation. There will also be screenings of the documentary The Photograph in the Whitsell Auditorium.
Drink & Draw at The Pub (Rose City Book Pub)
Thursday, August 6, 6:30-9:00 p.m. | Rose City Book Pub, 1329 Northeast Fremont Street, Portland, OR, 97212 | FREE
Our social events are welcoming to all levels: beginners starting a new hobby, or folks who have been drawing/animating for years. Join us every 1st and last Thursday prepared to sip, draw and learn with new friends. We ask that all attendees honor our code-of-conduct by showing respect to your peers and hosts. Please make sure to purschase food/drink, and tip well!
Monuments and Memorials: Who, What, Where, When, and Why? (Oregon Humanities)
Thursday, August 6, 2:30 p.m. | Lake Oswego Adult Community Center, 505 G Ave., Lake Oswego OR 97034 | 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?
The Bird Days of Summer: Crow to Crow Hike (Bird Alliance of Oregon)
Saturday, August 8, 8:30-11:00 a.m. | Bird Alliance of Oregon, 5151 NW Cornell Road, Portland, OR 97210 | FREE
Join Arianne and Chris on a family-friendly Wildwood hiking adventure as we follow the crow trail from the “Avian Principality” (Bird Alliance of Oregon Sanctuary) up to the “South Woods Seat of Power” (Pittock Mansion) and back down again! We will admire the beautiful crow art installations at both locations, talk about the real-life locations that inspired the novel (and soon-to-be-released film) Wildwood, and stop to appreciate all of the flora and fauna we encounter along the way!
Oregonians Experiencing Archaeology (Oregon Historical Society)
Monday, August 10, 5:30-8:00 p.m. | McMenamins Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan St Portland, Oregon 97209 | Sliding Scale
Come explore the remarkable stories held within some of Oregon’s most extraordinary trees, from ancient old-growth stands to trees whose seeds have traveled to the Moon. Across the state, these living landmarks serve as anchors to our shared history, connecting past and present in ways few other things can. For more than 30 years, both the State of Oregon and the City of Portland have stewarded heritage tree programs that honor and protect these trees while inviting the public into their stories.
To What Do We Pledge? (Oregon Humanities)
Thursday, August 13, 6:00 p.m. | Cedar Mill Community Library, 1080 NW Saltzman Rd, Portland OR 97229 | FREE
While the opening of the Declaration of Independence gets the fanfare and the fireworks—“When in the course of human events” and all that—the closing clause contains a quiet promise: “We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” When we talk about the founding, we often think of it as a severing from a distant power and a proclamation of individual rights. And yet, buried in that big individualistic origin story, there is a pledge of support, solidarity, and mutual aid. Today, as we witness political violence, hostility, and polarization, this conversation invites us to explore what it means for us to be bound to one another and to ask ourselves: Is there any idea, any value, any dream for the future that we care about enough to tie ourselves to one another to protect or pursue it? What would it mean to “mutually pledge” ourselves to one another today? What would it look like? Feel like? Is it even possible?
Wild: Celebrating Oregon’s Landscapes in Word and Image (PAM Cut)
Thursday, August 13, 7:00 p.m. | PAM CUT’s Tomorrow Theater, 3530 SE Division St., Portland, OR | $25
Join us for a very special discussion with author Cheryl Strayed, whose memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail inspired the feature film Wild; William L. Sullivan, author of 28 books and guides and hundreds of articles about the Pacific Northwest; and filmmaker Ime Etuk, whose feature Outdoor School follows a young urban teenager discovering peace and comfort in the natural splendor we call Oregon. The discussion will be lead by local producer and PCT hiker Morgan Raymond. This program is made possible with a grant from the America 250 Oregon Commission.
Molly Gloss on “The Jump-Off Creek” (Oregon Humanities)
Saturday, August 15, 2:00 p.m. | O’Brien Memorial Library, 51771 Blue River Dr., Blue River OR 97413 | FREE
Oregon author Molly Gloss will lead a discussion of her novel The Jump-Off Creek.
This event is supported by a Mini Grant for Rural Libraries from Oregon Humanities.
August Mixed-Media Collage Artist’s Guild Virtual Meeting (IPRC)
Saturday, August 15, 10:00 a.m. | Independent Publishing Resource Center, 318 SE Main St 145 & #155, Portland, OR 97214 | FREE
Join us for a virtual gathering of the Mixed-Media Collage Artist’s Guild. Register in advance here.
Letter Writing Social (Broadway Books)
Monday, August 24, 4:30 p.m. | Broadway Books, 1714 NE Broadway St Portland, OR 97232 | FREE
Join us for another letter writing social hosted by Emma Swartz of Squeezebox Press! Meet like-minded snail mail enthusiasts, write letters, and make some new friends. Bring your favorite stationary, markers, washi tape, and accoutrements, or just share what’s provided. It’s always fun and we love welcoming new people who want to join us!
Queer Poetry Takeover Open Mic (Always Here Bookstore)
Wednesday, August 26, 6:30 p.m. | Always Here Bookstore, 4555 N Williams Ave, Portland, OR 97217| $5 Suggested Donation
Sign-ups 6:30PM Mic w/ feature 7:00PM $5 suggested donation/ AF (Give As You’re Able, Friends!)
Heritage Trees, Living Landmarks (Oregon Historical Society)
Monday, August 31, 7:00-8:30 p.m. | McMenamins Kennedy School 5736 N.E. 33rd Ave. Portland, Oregon 97211 | $5 in advance / $6 at the door
In this special presentation, historical archaeologist Chelsea Rose, Oregon Experience executive producer Arya Surowidjojo, and OPB producer Christie Goshe share historical context and on-the-ground stories about how the documentaries are made — including new footage from the 2026 Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology (SOULA) summer field school. OAS representatives will be on hand to share information about how you can get involved.
CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS
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.
Poets Studio: Summer Session w David Biespiel Attic institute (Attic Institute)
Saturday, August 29 & Sunday, August 30 | Attic Institute, 1033 SW Yamhill, Suite 405 | $249.00
Whether you’re simply looking for a late summer poetry tuneup or want to check out the Poets Studio experience prior to applying by September 10, Poet Studio’s summer session is open to all poets. Poets Studio is based on the idea that focusing on goals is the key to lasting growth as a poet. It is designed to give form and focus to your poetry writing. Poets Studio Summer Session is a blast — you’ll get to write new poems, revise old ones, and learn ways of making poetry you can use for years.
Radical Meditation: a practice of interbeing in times of crisis (BIPOC only) w/ Touk Keo (Corporeal Writing)
Tuesday, August 4, 12:00 p.m. | Online via Zoom | Sliding Scale
Please join us for a monthly meditation and conversation on the practice of sitting or lying in meditation in a time of political, environmental, and personal crisis, especially drawing upon practices and teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village. This series is facilitated by Touk Keo and Janice Lee.
RESOURCES & OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTS AND WRITERS
The Harvard Radcliffe Institute Fellowship (Harvard)
Deadline: September 10, 2026
Award: $78,000
The Harvard Radcliffe Institute Fellowship Program offers scientists, writers, scholars, public intellectuals, and artists a rare chance to pursue ambitious projects for a full academic year in a vibrant interdisciplinary setting amid the resources of Harvard University.
Richard-Gabriel Rummonds Poetry Contest (Ex Ophidia Press)
Deadline: September 16, 2026
Award: $$2,000
The Richard-Gabriel Rummonds Poetry Prize awards $2,000 and publication by Ex Ophidia Press to the author of a collection of poems. The winning poet will receive ten copies of the book, a publishing contract with national distribution, publicity, and a discount on book purchases. Poet Leslie Adrienne Miller will select this year’s winning manuscript from ten finalists.
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!
Rainbow Family Storytime (Bold Coffee & Books)
Saturdays from 11:00–11:30 a.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. Attendance is limited and available on a first come, first served basis.
Robin Hood LIVE (Multnomah County Library)
Saturday, August 1 | The Judy Kafoury Center for Youth Arts,1000 SW Broadway, T-100 Portland, OR 97232 | FREE
Get ready for a wildly fun, laugh-out-loud take on everyone’s favorite outlaw. Northwest Children’s Theater presents Robin Hood live, July 18-August 2 at The Judy. Featuring NWCT alumni on stage and behind the scenes!
Summer Reading: Paletas Mexicanas / Mexican Popsicles (Multnomah County Library)
Sunday, August 2 | Troutdale Library, 2451 SW Cherry Park Road, Troutdale, OR 97060 | FREE
Cuando hace calor, no hay nada tan refrescante como una paleta. Aprenda a hacer tres paletas diferentes, dos a base de leche y una a base de agua. Una de las paletas cremosas será de fresa y la otra de mango. La tercera paleta será de agua de sandía.Cupo limitado –la asistencia será por orden de llegada.
When it’s hot out, there’s nothing more refreshing than a popsicle. Learn how to make three different Mexican-style fruit popsicles: strawberry cream, mango cream and refreshing watermelon. This program is great for families! This event is first come, first served; space is limited.
Aron Nels Steinke (Powell’s Books)
Tuesday, August 4, 7:00 p.m. | Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd. Beaverton, OR 97005 | FREE
Someone new is about to join Mr. Wolf’s class! Mr. Wolf’s class is welcoming Zora to her first day at Hazelwood Elementary. As the new kid, she wants to make a good first impression, but when her introduction goes a little too well, not everyone is happy for her. Randy is used to being the one who can make everyone laugh, and she’s not sure how to feel about sharing that spotlight with somebody else. When the competition becomes heated and feelings get hurt, Zora and Randy will have to figure out how to get along in the same class
Panels to Pages // The Art of Comics & Zines (ages 11 – 14) (Portland Art Museum)
Tuesday, August 4, 7:00 p.m. | Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd. Beaverton, OR 97005 | FREE
Someone new is about to join Mr. Wolf’s class! Mr. Wolf’s class is welcoming Zora to her first day at Hazelwood Elementary. As the new kid, she wants to make a good first impression, but when her introduction goes a little too well, not everyone is happy for her. Randy is used to being the one who can make everyone laugh, and she’s not sure how to feel about sharing that spotlight with somebody else. When the competition becomes heated and feelings get hurt, Zora and Randy will have to figure out how to get along in the same class
Heart Strings Mandarin Music & Movement for Children (Multnomah County Library)
Friday, August 7 | Central Library, 801 SW 10th Avenue Portland, OR 97205 | FREE
Sing and learn Mandarin together! Join Sharon Gan, founder of Heart Strings Mandarin for a series of thirty-minute programs for our youngest learners. We will sing, move, play instruments, and tell stories. We welcome all levels of Mandarin fluency from absolute beginners to native Mandarin speakers.
Summer Reading: Goats at your library! (Multnomah County Library)
Saturday, August 8 | Fairview-Columbia Library, 1520 NE Village Street, Fairview, OR 97024 | FREE
Come meet some adorable goats at your library! In this informal experience, Kat from Goat it! will be sharing fun goat facts. Space is limited! Tickets will be available 15 minutes before the event.
Bricolage Baubles: Trinkets with Britt Howard & Emily Counts (Multnomah County Library)
Saturday, August 15, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. | Belmont Library, 1038 SE César E. Chávez Boulevard, Portland, OR 97214 | FREE
Join the Regional Arts and Culture Council with artists Britt Howard and Emily Counts for a bricolage workshop! Celebrate new, large-scale public artworks that now adorn the second floor of Belmont Library. Meet the artists and work alongside them to create a one-of-a-kind decorative bauble keepsake to take home! This event is free and open to all.
Story and Snack time at Fresh Love (Always Here Bookstore)
Thursday, August 20, 3:30 p.m. | Fresh Love, 7434 NE Fremont St., Portland, 97220 | FREE
Bring your friends and come listen to a story at Fresh Love! Fun coloring sheets custom-made for us by Julz Clementine, and a great menu of fresh smoothies and other snacks are available for purchase.
Read to Clive the Therapy Dog (Greenbean Books)
Greenbean Books, 1600 NE Alberta Street, Portland, Oregon 97211 | FREE
Clive and his owner Anna will be taking a summer break for a few months. Enjoy the sunshine and keep practicing your great reading. We will let you know when Read to a Dog returns!
IN THE NEWS
RECOMMENDED READING
Staff Picks | (The Literary Arts Bookstore)
Disability Pride | (Multnomah County Library)
Disability Pride for Kids | (Multnomah County Library)
LGBTQIA+ History | (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!
