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.
Two novels explore our current moment through imagined futures: one on a moon colony populated by alien abductees, and one here on our home planet as the climate collapse accelerates. Moderated by OPB's John Notarianni.
Each year, Literary Arts’ Writers in the Schools (WITS) program publishes an anthology of exemplary student work. To the End, Through the Tunnel showcases poetry, prose, and journalism written by high school students from four Oregon school districts: Portland Public Schools, Parkrose, Gresham, and Woodburn. Students will read their work from the anthology. All proceeds from the sale of the anthologies goes back to support WITS programming.
Nina Packebush and Shelley Wong pop-up in the Portland Art Museum galleries with their original works. Packebush and Wong are paired with the artwork Open Country by Larry Poons; found in the Modern and Contemporary Art area, on the 2nd floor of the Portland Art Museum. Please reference the Portland Art Museum Map or the
In these new novels exploring the complications of family relationships, classics are reimagined and reinvigorated. Moderated by Fiona McCann, editor-in-chief of Portland Monthly
Very different books—a poetry collection, a novel—that grapple with shared questions about parenthood and childhood. Moderated by Alicia Jo Rabins, poet, musician, and author of Even God Had Bad Parenting Days.
Four amazing graphic novelists on one stage! Featuring Kat Fajardo, Gale Galligan, Christina Diaz Gonzalez, and Aron Nels Steinke.
Nicky Nicholson-Klingerman & Tashon Phoenix pop-up in the Portland Art Museum galleries. Nicholson-Klingerman and Phoenix are paired with the artwork Chief Bundle by Ka'ila Farrell-Smith; found in the Northwest Art gallery, on the 3rd floor of the Portland Art Museum. Please reference the Portland Art Museum Map or the Portland Book Festival print program to
New story collections of homeland, birthplace, and identity. Moderated by John Freeman.
Adriana Wagner is an up-and-coming trombonist and composer based in Portland, Oregon.
2022 National Book Foundation award nominees Fatimah Asghar, Tess Gunty, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, and Shelley Wong pop-up in the Portland Art Museum galleries with NBF's Ruth Dickey. The group is paired with the artwork Open Country by Larry Poons; found in the Modern & Contemporary Art, on the 2nd floor of the Portland Art Museum.
Emme Lund pops-up in the Portland Art Museum galleries with her novel, The Boy with a Bird in His Chest. Lund is paired with the artwork Off the Ground by Ka'ila Farrell-Smith; found in the Native American Art gallery, on the 3rd floor of the Portland Art Museum. Please reference the Portland Art Museum Map
Join us for the first annual Portland Book Festival Illustrator Draw-off! Picture book and middle grade illustrators face off in a live drawing competition. You'll laugh, you'll cry with laughter, you'll cheer.
“She had spoken it; but she trembled when it was done, conscious that her words were listened to, and daring not even to try to observe their effect.”-Jane Austen, from Persuasion In this workshop, we will write stories built around dialogue, around speech. Once written, we will perform the words aloud, seeing how they flow
Cindy Williams Gutiérrez & Juan Antonio Trujillo pop-up in the Portland Art Museum galleries. Williams Gutiérrez and Trujillo are paired with the artwork For the Love by Isaka Shamsud-Din; found in the Northwest Art gallery, on the 3rd floor of the Portland Art Museum. Please reference the Portland Art Museum Map or the Portland Book
Middle school novels of girls caught in the middle between friends, family, and new challenges.
Join Robin Pecknold, lead singer of Fleet Foxes, in conversation with Brandon Taylor (Filthy Animals). With an introduction by Brandon Taylor, and an afterword by Pecknold, Wading in Waist-High Water is a moving and intimate look at the art of songwriting, the joy of music-making, and what it means to produce meaningful and memorable sound. “There
One lie, two truths, and three wishes: in these YA novels, our heroes face very different mysteries to be solved. Moderated by Isabelle Ibibo.
Leila Mottley discusses her debut novel, which Oprah Winfrey called "A soul-searching portrait of survival and hope," with Mitchell S. Jackson, winner of the Pulitzer Prize.
Melissa Febos discusses her essay collection with OPB's Jenn Chávez; and New Yorker writer Hua Hsu discusses his memoir with OPB's Tiffany Camhi.
Captivating new memoirs exploring ancestry, art, and inheritance. Moderated by Sara Ortiz.
Jules Ohman pops-up in the Portland Art Museum galleries with her debut novel, Body Grammar. Ohman is paired with the artwork The Sea in Me by Mary Josephson; found in the Northwestern Art gallery, on the 3rd floor of the Portland Art Museum. Please reference the Portland Art Museum Map or the Portland Book Festival
Celebrate two exciting debut poetry collections. Poem by poem, Tayi Tibble carves out a bold new way of engaging history, of straddling modernity and ancestry, desire and exploitation. Shelley Wong celebrates queer and Asian identity in "shape-shifting poems of becoming and knowing, seeing and being seen" (Electric Lit). Moderated by Alyssa Ogi.
This event is geared toward anyone who is interested in the process of creating picture books, from readers to potential authors of all ages.
Anyone who has been to middle school knows it can be like a horror movie. These new novels take that idea to... extremes.
Cory Limuacoe throws his full self into every performance, whether that’s working in the cosmic realm of Mae.Sun, blending neo-soul and fusion as a member of greaterkind, backing up superstar rapper Aminé, or deconstructing jazz and pop favorites with his own ensemble.
These two poetry collections use visual form and experimentation in language to explore very different subjects: boxing and marriage, racial violence and Black womanhood. Moderated by Anis Mojgani, Oregon poet laureate.
This event is geared toward anyone who is interested in the process of creating picture books, from readers to potential authors of all ages.
Two superstars of both adult and young adult fiction on stage together! From a royal wedding to prom and graduation, our heroines team up with unlikely allies as they seek to make things right in Tokyo and small-town Alabama, respectively. Moderated by Jules Ohman.
"Absolutely spellbinding: Kwame Alexander weaves together storytelling, poetry, music and history like no one else can. An unforgettable journey to be treasured and shared across generations.”—Rick Riordan, NYT bestselling author of the Percy Jackson series
Reza Aslan share the story of Howard Baskerville, whose story is widely known in Iran but mostly unknown in the United States. Aslan will be interviewed by Andrew Proctor.
Poet John Freeman and short story writer Meng Jin explore the isolation and search for connection of the past few years. Moderated by Mindy Nettifee.
This is Portland brings together creativity across medium, making for a multi-genre experiential performance. Words will be the backbone, with multiple local writers taking the mic to share short-form work.
The live presentation of the book "SPEKTRUM" is a tea service that occurs in small rooms across the country.
Join Corporeal Writing and Autofocus Lit for an inspiring evening of reading! Featuring performances from Yashwina Canter, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Marissa Korbel, Ryan Rivas, Marisa Siegel, and Kristen Millares Young. Hosted by Genevieve Hudson.
The live presentation of the book "SPEKTRUM" is a tea service that occurs in small rooms across the country.
This is a three-hour, one-day intensive discussion on the unique genre of autofiction. This course will provide insight into the many nuances of autofiction, or autobiographical fiction. This “genre” involves writing that is based on real life experiences, but also utilizes fictional literary devices, makingit a very unique form. I will provide craft essays and
Explore the role of food in storytelling, and how it can shape, define, and give insight into our characters’ deeper desires. Particpants will examine the language of food, and talk about how hunger translates across unsaid emotions. Drawing upon sensory texts about snacking, groceries, and meals both extravagant and humble, we’ll learn new ways to
“Plot-driven” has become a code word for commercial (aka “lesser”) fiction. But plot has always been what defines a good story. In this workshop, we will examine the centrality of plot in narrative, from Aristotle down to contemporary literary fiction. We will also explore the essential characteristics of a great plot and the rewards of
This class will take you from idea to rough draft in four hours. Picture books are so much more than stories with short text for young readers. We’ll study the picture book form, then construct stories in picturebook form, playing with powerful tools such as repetition, suspenseful page turns, and the rule of threes. You
Join us for a film screening and discussion with author, Mitchell S. Jackson.
Renga is a form of collaborative Japanese poetry whereby multiple poets create and respond in turn. Join our group of poets from Portland and abroad for an afternoon of renga writing that examines some of today's most pressing concerns - bodily autonomy, religious extremism, and imminent environmental ruin.
Join us for the release of NACF’s first published anthology "The Larger Voice - Celebrating Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Literature Fellows."
Join Tin House as they celebrate their Autumn Workshop faculty with an evening of readings and merriment. Featured readers will include Carolina De Robertis, Lydia Kiesling, Kimberly King Parsons, and Morgan Talty. Please note that masks will be required.
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!
The live presentation of the book "SPEKTRUM" is a tea service that occurs in small rooms across the country.
The live presentation of the book "SPEKTRUM" is a tea service that occurs in small rooms across the country.
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