Each month, Literary Arts staff will round up news, events, and more happening in Portland, and beyond. Let us know if you have any events or news to share.
EVENTS
Creators of Color Meetup (Books with Pictures)
Thursday, April 28 from 5:00 p.m. -7:00 p.m.
In person at 1401 SE Division St, Portland, OR 97202
These meetups are specifically for local creators of color looking to connect with each other and create a community within the PNW comics landscape. Come and chat about your passion projects! This will be a recurring event every 4th Thursday of the month from 5-7pm. This meetup has an attendee cap in an effort to keep everyone as safe as possible.
Independent Bookstore Day (Across Portland!)
Saturday, April 30 from 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Multiple bookstores across Portland
Be sure to mark your calendars for the national Independent Bookstore Day celebration on Saturday, April 30! Different indies across Portland, Oregon, and the nation as a whole are celebrating in various ways, including some unique Independent Bookstore Day products and promotions.
The Circle is Expanding: The Gift of Climate Grief (Oregon Humanities)
Wednesday, May 4 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m
Online via Zoom
This participatory workshop featuring Daniela Naomi Molnar, Thomas Doherty, and Emma Marris aims to help participants understand what climate grief is, why it’s important, and how it can be a positive force in life that motivate us all towards self-awareness, creativity, and social change. This workshop is sure to be an enlightening event!
Spring 2022 Issue (Pop-Up Magazine)
Saturday, June 4
In person at Revolution Hall
Pop-Up Magazine the acclaimed “live magazine” show, featuring original and unforgettable true stories, art, music, and performances from Oscar-winning filmmakers, New York Times bestselling authors, popular radio and podcast voices, and internationally-renowned artists—accompanied by illustration, animation, film, photography, and an original score performed onstage by their musical collaborators, Magik*Magik Orchestra. You won’t want to miss this once in a lifetime performance of the Spring 2022 Issue at Revolution Hall. Tickets on sale now!
Pickathon
Friday, August 5 to Monday, August 8
In person at Pendarvis Farms
Pickathon is the deep-cut, genre agnostic lineup Portland’s been dreaming of! With a curation focus on new movements in music, this four day outdoor festival in beautiful Pendarvis Farms is sure be an unbelievable event. Check out the full 2022 lineup on their website!
RESOURCES & OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTS AND WRITERS
First Pages Prize
Submission window: March 1–April 10 / 24
Open to unagented writers worldwide, the First Pages Prize invites writers across the globe to enter their first five pages (1,250 words) of a longer work of fiction or creative nonfiction for a chance to win cash awards, a tailored edit, and an agent consultation. The prize judge this year is author Justin Torres. In four years, this prize has awarded over $25,000 in prizes to 27 writers in seven countries.
2022 Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grant
Deadline: April 25
Recognizing that works of deeply researched and imaginatively composed nonfiction require significant time and resources, up to ten $40,000 Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grants will be awarded to eligible writers for book-length works-in-progress. The program’s chief objective is to foster original, ambitious projects that bring writing to the highest possible standard.
Emerging Writer Fellowships (Miami Book Fair)
Deadline: April 30
The Emerging Writer Fellowships program offers fellowships to four writers who will receive mentorship, gain professional experience teaching creative writing, and will receive a $41,000 stipend along with a 12 month residency in Miami, Florida. These fellowships support unpublished writers by providing them with time and space to craft their first book-length project.
2022 Short Fiction Prize (CRAFT)
Deadline: May 1
The 2022 CRAFT Short Fiction Prize, for unpublished short stories from 1,000 to 5,000 words, will be awarded in October 2022. The top three entries will be selected by Alan Heathcock. The winner will receive a $2,000 award. Runners-up will receive a $500 award and $300 award respectively for the second and third place finalists. The top three stories will be published in CRAFT, each accompanied by an introduction by the guest judge and an author’s note (craft essay) by the three winning writers.
2022 Waterston Desert Writing Prize (High Desert Museum)
Deadline: May 1
The mission of the Waterston Desert Writing Prize is to strengthen and support the literary arts and humanities in the High Desert region through recognition of literary excellence in nonfiction writing about desert landscapes, through community interaction with the winning authors of the annual prize, and presentations and programs that take place in association with the Prize. They began accepting submissions for the 2022 Waterston Desert Writing Prize on Saturday, January 1, 2022. The submission deadline is Sunday, May 1, 2022.
Writing the Unloved: A Hands-On Literary Exploration of Great Basin Reptiles (PLAYA)
July 21–25
Lead by author and biologist Tom Titus, this 5-day guided residency will provide a hands-on opportunity to experience the biology of Summer Lake reptiles and learn to write deeply about your relationship with reptiles, as well as expand this literary exploration to the “others” that lie outside our zone of comfortable familiarity. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination, or certified medical exemption with negative COVID-19 test, will be required to participate in all 2022 programming at PLAYA.
Artist Registry (Oregon Arts Commission)
As a tool for sharing funding opportunities, the Oregon Arts Commission partnered with The Ford Family Foundation to create the Oregon Artist Registry. Professional artists are strongly encouraged to sign up for the registry by completing a brief survey about themselves and their artistic practice.The goal is to reach and connect with as many Oregon artists as possible, including those who haven’t previously accessed funding programs. Read the full release.
Call for Guest Speakers (Salem Art Association + Bush Barn Art Center)
Reviewed on a rolling basis
In honor of their centennial year, Salem Art Association and the Bush Barn Art Center introduce a new event called “Arts in Our Lives”—a series of presentations promoting an appreciation for creativity in the visual, literary, and performing arts. “Arts in Our Lives” is accepting applications for individual or group presentations. An academic degree is not necessary and there are no age restrictions. Stipends are available. Email David Wilson, Gallery Director, at david@SalemArt.org with a letter of introduction, a one-page proposal on your topic, a resume or CV, and a list of three references.
FOR KIDS/ TEENS
Anthology Contest (Voyage YA)
Deadline: May 1
Voyage YA is excited to offer writers a chance to have their young adult writing published in their inaugural Anthology. The editors will select eight pieces of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction to include in the collection. The selected writers will be compensated.
Applications open for The High School Journalism Institute
Deadline: May 20
The eight-day, no-cost High School Journalism Institute runs during summers at the Oregon State University campus in Corvallis and is a unique opportunity to get hands-on experience in journalism. Students stay in residence halls on campus; work with journalism professionals from The Oregonian/OregonLive and other Oregon media outlets; and use Orange Media Network’s state-of-the-art facilities. They also earn a college credit. With guidance from their professional mentors, participants use real journalism skills to report and photograph a 32-page newspaper, as well as blog and produce multimedia pieces for The Oregonian’s website, OregonLive.com. Students also will get a chance to explore the campus and meet members of the award-winning university newspaper, The Daily Barometer.
I Matter Poetry Contest (National Youth Foundation)
Deadline: July 23, 2022
Students in grade K–12 are invited to submit original poetry or art creation on the topic of Black Lives Matter. The contest is open to residents of the United States, as well as to international students. The winning entry will be posted on their social media pages by September 2022 (@NYFUSA).
Makerspace Minikits Available at All Multnomah County Libraries
Through Summer 2022
Makerspace minikits are STEAM-based activities in a bag, free to pick up at any Multnomah County library beginning Dec. 11. The minikits are designed for teens but are appropriate for ages 8+ with assistance. Kits will be available through Summer 2022. Makerspace programming is made possible by gifts to The Library Foundation.
IN THE NEWS
High School Journalism Institute returns after hiatus; summer 2022 applications now open (The Oregonian)
A free journalism institute for high school students in Oregon!
Literary Arts Announces 2022 Oregon Book Award Finalists (Portland Monthly)
Coverage of our announcement of the Finalists for the 2022 Oregon Book Awards.
My view: What if Portland is possible? (Portland Tribune)
Portland Tribune has a piece on the potential positive future of Portland, opened by an anecdote of attending Literary Arts Council Member (and Oregon Poet Laureate) Anis Mojgani.
Oregon’s rural libraries have persevered amid geographic, funding and other challenges (The Oregonian)
This piece on rural Oregon libraries is written by Literary Arts council member Kathi Inman Berens!’
Untethered by pandemic, Oregon’s poet laureate seeks new ways for poetry to foster joy and connection (OPB)
We’re extremely lucky to count Oregon’s Poet Laureate Anis Mojgani as a member of multiple Literary Arts Councils, including being the chair of the Programs for Writers Advisory Council!
RECOMMENDED READING
26 Most Exciting Spring Titles (Powell’s Books)
12 Must-See BIPOC Portland Family Artists (PDX Parent)
8 Portland Restaurants, Bars, and Cafes for Book Lovers (Eater)
Catch up with these 10 picture books by Oregon authors and illustrators (The Oregonian)
The Moth Presents How to Tell A Story
The definitive guide to telling an unforgettable story in any setting, drawing on twenty-five years of experience from the storytelling experts at The Moth.
