All events and classes take place at Literary Arts, 716 SE Grand Ave., Portland, OR, unless otherwise noted.
How to Build a D&D Character [FREE]
Sunday, October 4, 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Learn how to bring your characters’ story to life, figure out what makes them strong, and arm them to be ready to face their first combat. Consider this Dungeons and Dragons 101; come with any amount of knowledge you might have and be ready for an adventure!
Banned Books Discussion [FREE]
Tuesday, October 6, 6:30–8:00 p.m.
Join us at The Literary Arts Bookstore for a discussion on book bans with co-leader of the Oregon chapter of Authors Against Book Bans, Cat Winters.
One Page Wednesday [FREE]
Wednesday, October 7, 6:30–8:00 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. The featured reader —–.
Andrew Barton, Ali Francis, and Lola Milholland in conversation [FREE]
Tuesday, October 13, 6:30–7:30 p.m.
Literary Arts is excited to welcome author and journalist Ali Francis to celebrate her debut book, The Curious Lives of Vegetables, a wild journey through the hidden histories of plants. Francis will be joined by Portland writers Lola Milholland (Group Living and Other Recipes) and Andrew Barton (Free Food: earth eating, The Long Loaf, The Myrtlewood Cookbook) for a conversation moderated by environmental journalist and author Devon Fredericksen (How to Camp in the Woods).
Slamlandia [FREE]
Thursday, October 15, 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 to provide a safe space for poets to read their own poetry, witness others, and participate in community.
We’ve Been Here the Whole Time!: Joey Clift [FREE]
Friday, October 16, 6:30–7:30 p.m.
The Literary Arts Bookstore is thrilled to team up with Native Arts and Cultures Foundation to welcome Joey Clift for his book, We’ve Been Here the Whole Time! Featuring a special performance from Gabe Colhoff of 1876.
Kelly Grace Thomas in conversation with Joy Sullivan [FREE]
Sunday, October 17, 6:30–7:30 p.m.
The Literary Arts Bookstore & Cafe is excited to welcome author Kelly Grace Thomas to celebrate the release of her memoir-in-verse, Future Tense. Thomas will be joined in conversation by local poet Joy Sullivan.
Dear Blind Lady: Elsa Sjunneson [FREE]
Wednesday, October 21, 6:30–7:30 p.m.
The Literary Arts Bookstore is excited to welcome author Elsa Sjunneson to celebrate her new book, Dear Blind Lady!
Literary Trivia Night: Ursula K. Le Guin Edition [$5 SUGGESTED DONATION]
Tuesday, October 20, 6:30–7:30 p.m.
Join us at The Literary Arts Bookstore & Cafe for a night of literary trivia in celebration of legendary author Ursula K. Le Guin! Play as a team or solo while competing for prizes and literary glory. Trivia will begin at 6:30 p.m. sharp, so don’t be late.
ALTA BIPOC Translators Literary Caucus Reading [FREE]
Thursday, October 22, 6:30–7:30 p.m.
Join us at The Literary Arts Bookstore & Cafe for an evening of readings featuring members of the American Literary Translators Association’s BIPOC Translators Caucus. Co-organized by Elete Nelson-Fearon and Jon Cho-Polizzi, this year’s BIPOC Caucus Reading features translations from Arabic, Chinese, German, Korean, Spanish, and more!
Ghostly Encounters: Open Mic [FREE]
Tuesday, October 27, 6:30–7:30 p.m.
Readers will have five minutes to enchant us with their ghoulish tales! Our only requirement is that these stories are true—or at least, true to you. Audience members will vote to decide who wins the title of Ghost King and brings home a special prize!
BIPOC Reading Series [FREE]
Wednesday, October 28, 6:30–8:00 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.
Lit Mic presents: Murder in the Bookstore II [FREE]
Friday, October 30, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Detective Jack Argentine is back, and this time, it’s magical. It’s nearly Halloween, and a coven of honest-to-goodness witches is hosting their Biannual Bewitchment Ball. But something has gone terribly wrong, and one of the coven members is dead! Through independent and guided writing prompts, investigation, and conversations with live witchy actors, it’s up to YOU to help Detective Argentine figure out if this is just a spell gone wrong… or a case of Halloween Homicide. But the witching hour is close at hand; if the clock strikes midnight, the witches will be gone back to their home, and this case will vanish like mist in the night. Are you up for the task?
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Writing Classes
Writing with the Seasons: Fall
Saturday, October 3, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
In these quarterly gatherings we’ll meet to be inspired by the turn of the world. From autumn leaves to springtime flowers, rain and snow and sun, we’ll consider nature’s shifts and how we can incorporate them into our writing practice.
Instructor: Miranda Schmidt
Poetry Mixtape [ONLINE VIA ZOOM]
Wednesdays, October 7 through November 25, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
In this 8 week, Wednesday morning class, we will read, explore and discuss the sequential poem in contemporary American poetry, from poets such as Lucille Clifton and Robert Hass to Sherwin Bitsui and Nam Le, and many more besides.
Instructor: Michael Dickman
Incredible Openings
Tuesdays, October 13 through November 17, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
In this six week class, students will work on several in-class writing prompts to develop both writing and research skills to render an animal presence precisely on the page.
Instructor: Michelle Kicherer
WRITING ANIMALS
Saturdays, October 24 through November 28, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
This course for dedicated writers is designed to guide you through the writing and/or revising of your novel. It runs from September through May.
Instructor: Radhika Sharma
Nature Writing
Thursdays, October 29 through December 10, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Throughout this six week course, students will look at the many ways in which humans are connected to our natural surroundings, both urban and remote. Weather, soil, plants, wildlife, changing systems, and more will all be explored. By delving into the inherent close relationship humans have with our natural world, each student’s path to writing their own stories using the natural world as scaffolding will emerge.
Instructor: Emily Strelow
Roots in Old Stories: Writing with Folklore, Mythology, and Fairy Tales
Thursdays, October 29 through December 10, 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Folkloric writing can take many forms. From the overtly fantastical to the strangely realistic, the old tales are flexible. They shift over times and tellers. Their presence in our work can move from obvious to subtle. In this course, we’ll study writing that engages with folklore in a wide variety of ways: speculative memoir that tangles with witch tales, poems that draw on botanical lore, short story fairy tale retellings, mythic poetry and fiction, and more. Through discussion, reflection, and generative writing exercises, we’ll consider how we use old stories and lore in our own work. Suitable for writers at all stages, you can use this course to start a new project or continue work on an ongoing one. Prose writers, poets, and all writers between are welcome.
Instructor: Miranda Schmidt
Readers Seminar
Nathaniel Hawthorne: Twice-Told Tales
Wednesdays, October 28 through December 9, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
This Delve seminar will focus on Hawthorne’s short stories—among the most thrilling, strange, and memorable in the American canon. We will explore his first collection of stories, Twice-Told Tales (1837, 1851) as well as a small selection of extraordinary later stories.
Guide: Bennett Gilbert, Damien Jack
Classes and Readers Seminar schedules are subject to change.
For the most up-to-date information, check out our full events calendar.
