The lineup for the 2025–26 season of Portland Arts & Lectures is: Elizabeth Gilbert on Thursday Oct. 16, 2025; Percival Everett on Wednesday Nov. 12, 2025; Colm Toibin on Thursday Jan. 15, 2026; Imani Perry on Thursday Feb. 12, 2026; Patrick Radden Keefe on Thursday Apr. 23, 2026. Click here to read more about the speakers.

All lectures take place at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall at 1037 SW Broadway, Portland, OR. All lectures begin at 7:30 p.m. and are approximately 1 hour long, followed by a Q&A. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Please take note of each individual lecture date below. Email reminders are sent the week before and the day of each event.

If you were a Reserved or Patron subscriber for the 2024/25 season, your seats will automatically remain the same if you renew by Friday, May 30, 2025. If your subscription has lapsed, you are not guaranteed the same seats as previous seasons; however, we will try our best to accommodate your requests. Please note: if you have a General Admission or Upper Balcony subscription, your sections are open seating, meaning seats are first-come, first-served each lecture.

For Reserved and Patron subscriptions, please make a note of any seating requests when you renew or subscribe online. We look at these requests in the order they were received, so renewing early means there is a higher chance we can accommodate the request. Please note: if you have a General Admission or Upper Balcony subscription, your sections are open seating, meaning seats are first-come, first-served in your section each lecture.

We do not give refunds for individual events within the season; however, you may donate back tickets to Literary Arts for any lectures you are unable to attend and receive a donation receipt for tax purposes. You may also transfer your tickets to a friend. We ask you to let us know if you do this so we are able to troubleshoot any ticketing issues on the night of the event.

You can also transfer your ticket for a friend to attend in your stead. Instructions on how to transfer tickets here.

The audio of our lectures are recorded, and most (depending on audio quality and copyright permissions) are released for free on our radio show and podcast The Archive Project within a few months after the event.

Portland’5 is dedicated to bringing arts performances to as many people as possible, including those who may need auditory, visual, or mobility assistance. We go beyond mere compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act to make sure all of our audience members have an exceptional experience.

Please select from the following options for more accessibility information:

For Patrons and Visitors with Mobility Disabilities

For Patrons and Visitors who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

For Patrons and Visitors who are Blind or have Low Vision

For Patrons and Visitors with Sensory Needs

For Patrons and Visitors Using a Service Animal

For additional accessibility information including parking, entrances, and seating, please click here.

Currently, most of our events in partner venues do not require proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Wearing a face mask is optional. Vaccination and masking policies may vary for all our events this season and will depend on factors such as public health mandates, venue requirements, and artist preferences, which are subject to change. We will communicate each event’s attendance requirements via their individual event page and through email reminders. The most up-to-date information about our COVID-19 policies for in-person programming can be found here. If you have questions, please email us at la@literary-arts.org.

Subscription prices will remain the same through May 30, 2025. After that date, subscription prices will be raised modestly (around 5%) across all levels. The subscription prices are until the end of May are:

Patron: $450 ($90 per lecture)
Reserved: $315 ($63 per lecture)
General Admission: $210 ($42 per lecture)
GA discount: $175 ($35 per lecture)
Upper Balcony: $115 ($23 per lecture)

After May, subscription prices will be raised to:

Patron: $470 ($94 per lecture)
Reserved: $330 ($66 per lecture)
General Admission: $220 ($44 per lecture)
GA discount: $180 ($36 per lecture)
Upper Balcony: $120 ($24 per lecture)

We are pleased to announce that by partnering with Portland’5 and their ticketing platform (Paciolan), we are now able to offer both mobile and print-at-home tickets in addition to printed tickets. You can choose your ticket delivery method when renewing your subscription. All tickets will be sent via email or mail in September of 2025.

Portland Arts & Lectures is a subscription-based series, meaning the only way to guarantee a seat for individual events is to become a subscriber. The subscription-based model allows us to present a diverse range of some of the most dynamic and talented writers and artists at work today: literary legends alongside up-and-coming names. Many subscribers report the most thought-provoking and interesting lectures come from those whose names they did not recognize in the lineup, and would not have attended those lectures if not for the subscription model.

We understand that cost can be a barrier to subscriptions, which is why we reserve seats at all of our lectures for members of the community through the Arts for All initiative, which provides tickets to low-income individuals, as well as those from backgrounds underrepresented in literary spaces. We also provide hundreds of free tickets for public high school students through our Students to the Schnitz initiative. To learn more about our community ticketing program, click here.

We offer $5 Arts for All tickets for walk-up in-person purchasing the night of event, starting at 5:30 p.m. Arts for All ticket buyers must show proof of a SNAP or Oregon Trail Card when they walk up to get tickets from the Portland’5 Box Office, and are limited to two tickets.

Portland Arts & Lectures subscriptions are non-refundable, and we do not give partial refunds for individual events missed within the series. If a lecture is cancelled, we will reschedule the event for a different date.

If you are unable to attend an individual lecture, we ask that you consider supporting Literary Arts’ continued work by turning the cost of your ticket into a tax-deductible donation. Donated tickets allow event access for students and community members who may not otherwise be able to participate. Please submit your donation request to la@literary-arts.org or call us at 503-227-2583, option 2.

We rarely cancel events due to weather except in the most severe of conditions. We will send out an email and put a note on the event page if the event is going to be canceled. Unless it is noted on our website, you can assume the event will go on. If an event is canceled due to weather, we will reschedule it for another date.