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Everybody Reads 2026: Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson (SOLD OUT)

Thu, March 12 from 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm PDT
1037 SW Broadway Portland, OR 97205

SOLD OUT

Literary Arts is proud to present the culminating event of Multnomah County Library’s Everybody Reads program on March 12, 2026, with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Justice Jackson will be joined in conversation by author Renée Watson.

BAG POLICY FOR THIS EVENT:

Guests may bring clear plastic bags only, not to exceed 12” x 12” x 6.” No purses, briefcases, or large bags will be allowed inside the venue. Hand held items like wallets and phones are ok. No outside food and drink allowed. Please bring valid ID.

Exceptions to this policy include:

  • Medical bags (subject to inspection)
  • Mobility/accessibility items (subject to inspection)

Justice Jackson’s Lovely One: A Memoir is the 2026 pick for the library’s signature community reading project that promotes shared reading and discussion around a single book. Justice Jackson’s appearance will conclude months of engaging library programs and events surrounding the book and its themes such as identity, ambition, and resilience, highlighting the importance of mentorship and perseverance through professional and personal challenges.

The Library will distribute 8,000 free copies of Lovely One through libraries and high schools across Multnomah County beginning in January 2026, through the generosity of The Library Foundation (while supplies last). Discounted copies of Lovely One will be available from the Literary Arts Bookstore as well as other independent bookstores around Portland.

 

 


This event is currently sold out. Please be careful when purchasing tickets through sites other than Portland’5 and be mindful of secondary-market ticket sites. If you have not accessed purchasing tickets directly through portland5.com, you may be subject to increased ticket prices and fees, and unless the ticket is verified through Portland’5 it may not be valid for entry. 

 

Ketanji Brown Jackson

Ketanji Brown Jackson

Ketanji Brown Jackson was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Miami, Florida. She received her undergraduate and law degrees, both with honors, from Harvard University, then served as a law clerk for three federal judges, including Associate Justice Stephen G. Breyer of the Supreme Court of the United States. Jackson subsequently practiced law in the private sector, worked as an attorney, and later as Vice Chair, at the U.S. Sentencing Commission, and served as an assistant federal public defender. In 2013, President Barack Obama appointed Jackson to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Elevated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 2021, Jackson made history in 2022 when President Joseph Biden nominated her as an Associate Justice. The first Black woman ever confirmed to the Supreme Court of the United States, she took her seat on June 30, 2022.

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Renée Watson

Renée Watson

Renée Watson is a #1 New York Times bestselling author with over one million books sold. Her middle grade novel, All the Blues in the Sky, received the John Newbery Medal which is awarded to the author of “the most distinguished contributions to American literature for children.” Her award-winning novel, Piecing Me Together, received a Coretta Scott King Award and a Newbery Honor. Her poetry collection,Black Girl You Are Atlas, received a Corretta Scott King Honor and was the winner of the Walter Dean Myers Award. Her debut novel, skin & bones, was named an Amazon Best Book of the Year. Known for centering her poetry and fiction around the experiences of Black girls and women, Watson’s work explores themes of identity and the intersections of race, class, and gender. Renée grew up in Portland and splits her time between Oregon and New York.
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