• May 16, 2024
          Slamlandia
          May 21, 2024
          Oregon Literary Fellowship Reading
          June 5, 2024
          One Page Wednesday: June
          June 13, 2024
          Bigfoot Regional Poetry Slam (Prelims)
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  1. Events
  2. Free Events

Events, Classes, and Seminars

Our events, classes, and seminars bring the community together to hear, learn, and discuss the most compelling issues and ideas of our day. We hope you will join us in our downtown Literary Arts space, online, and at partnering venues across Portland and Oregon.

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Saturday

Nov 5

The logo for the Portland Book Festival Cover to Cover program, featuring an umbrella and an open book.
Saturday

Nov 5

The logo for the Portland Book Festival Cover to Cover program, featuring an umbrella and an open book.
Sunday

Nov 6

The logo for the Portland Book Festival Cover to Cover program, featuring an umbrella and an open book.
Sunday

Nov 6

The logo for the Portland Book Festival Cover to Cover program, featuring an umbrella and an open book.
Sunday

Nov 6

The logo for the Portland Book Festival Cover to Cover program, featuring an umbrella and an open book.
Sunday

Nov 6

The logo for the Portland Book Festival Cover to Cover program, featuring an umbrella and an open book.
Cover to Cover   Free Events  

PBF Cover to Cover: Lit-Mondo

Lit-Mondo is an improv comedy show inspired by prose, poetry, and other writing by local and traveling authors. A team of experienced improv comedians listen to short readings by authors and pull from the themes and ideas in their work to create hilarious original comedy scenes on the spot! 

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Saturday

Nov 12

Saturday

Nov 19

Wednesday

Dec 7

Thursday

Dec 8

Wednesday

Jan 4

Friday

Jan 13

Tuesday

Jan 24

Tuesday

Jan 24

Thursday

Feb 2

Wednesday

Mar 1

Free Events   In-person  

One Page Wednesday- March

One Page Wednesday is back in-person at our downtown center! 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

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Friday

Mar 3

Free Events   In-person  

Mary Szybist & Laurel Nakanishi

Join poets Mary Szybist and Laurel Nakanishi for an interactive evening of poetry that will consider the concept of place. After a discussion and reading, the audience will be invited to write in response to a series of poetry-inspired prompts. Bring a journal and pen for a generative evening of writing. Everyone welcome!

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Wednesday

Mar 15

Free Events   In-person  

A Discussion with Kamala Sankaram & Susan Yankowitz

In partnership with the Portland Opera, join us for a discussion with Thumbprint composer Kamala Sankaram and librettist Susan Yankowitz, moderated by Portland Opera Artistic Director Priti Gandhi. This event is free and open to the public. Thumbprint is inspired by the true story of Mukhtar Mai—a trailblazing Pakistani activist whose fight for justice and safety reminds

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Saturday

Mar 18

Monday

Mar 20

Thursday

Mar 23

Friday

Mar 24

Saturday

Mar 25

Saturday

Mar 25

Wednesday

Mar 29

Wednesday

Apr 5

Free Events   In-person  

One Page Wednesday- April

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. Our featured reader is

Find out more
Saturday

Apr 8

Wednesday

Apr 12

Free Events   In-person   Oregon Literary Fellowships  

Oregon Literary Fellowship Reading

A reading featuring some of the 2023 Oregon Literary Fellowship recipients: Trevino Brings Plenty Elanor Broker Grace Chao Matthew Dickman Dustin Hendrick Margaret Malone Deb Miller Landau Sofia Molimbi Julie Morris Stephan Nance Emily Shetler Kim Thompson Cecily Wong and Takahiro Yamamoto reading a piece from berm magazine, one of the publishing fellowship recipients.

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Saturday

Apr 15

Free Events   In-person   Oregon Book Awards & Fellowships   Oregon Book Awards Author Tour  

Springfield Celebrates Authors: John Larison and Deb Vanasse

Join two Oregon Book Award authors for a talk and reading at the Springfield Public Library. John Larison's most recent novel, Whiskey When We’re Dry, was a Los Angeles Times and Seattle Times bestseller, an Indie Next Pick, and a finalist for the Ken Kesey Award and winner of the Will Rodgers Medallion. It was

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Wednesday

Apr 26

Free Events   In-person  

Lit from Below: An Evening of Poetry & Prose from Portland’s Underground

Eight Portland authors come together for a night of poetry and prose in celebration of the vibrant indie-lit scene thriving in the City of Roses. Crossing, fusing, and demolishing genres, these writers and performers will demonstrate the amazing variation and complexity that is literature in the Portland underground. Authors will have books for sale and

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Friday

Apr 28

Wednesday

May 3

Free Events   In-person  

One Page Wednesday- May

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. Our featured reader is

Find out more
Friday

May 12

Tuesday

May 23

Friday

Jun 2

Saturday

Jun 3

Wednesday

Jun 7

Friday

Jun 9

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