Portland Book Festival
PDX Jazz Presents Adriana Wagner
Adriana Wagner is an up-and-coming trombonist and composer based in Portland, Oregon.
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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.
Fiction Nonfiction Poetry Pop Up Events Portland Book Festival
Pop-up: NBF presents Fatimah Asghar, Tess Gunty, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, & Shelley Wong
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.
Fiction Pop Up Events Portland Book Festival
Pop-up: Emme Lund
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
Middle Grade Picture Book Portland Book Festival
Illustrator Draw-off!
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.
Portland Book Festival Writing Classes Young Adult Youth Events
Dialogues: The Craft of Writing Conversation (High School Workshop)
“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
Poetry Pop Up Events Portland Book Festival
Pop-up: Los Porteños presents Cindy Williams Gutiérrez & Juan Antonio Trujillo
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 Grade Portland Book Festival
Finding Your Way: Jenn Reese & Renée Watson
Middle school novels of girls caught in the middle between friends, family, and new challenges.
Nonfiction Portland Book Festival
Wading in Waist-High Water: The Lyrics of Fleet Foxes
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
Portland Book Festival Young Adult
Mysterious Strangers: April Henry & Naz Kutub
One lie, two truths, and three wishes: in these YA novels, our heroes face very different mysteries to be solved. Moderated by Isabelle Ibibo.
Fiction Portland Book Festival
Nightcrawling: Leila Mottley & Mitchell S. Jackson
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.
Nonfiction Portland Book Festival
Boys & Girls in America: Melissa Febos & Hua Hsu
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.
Nonfiction Portland Book Festival
Inheritance: Ingrid Rojas Contreras & Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe
Captivating new memoirs exploring ancestry, art, and inheritance. Moderated by Sara Ortiz.
Fiction Pop Up Events Portland Book Festival
Pop-up: Jules Ohman
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
Poetry Portland Book Festival
Designing Women: Tayi Tibble & Shelley Wong
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.
Picture Book Portland Book Festival
Making Picture Books: Cathy Camper, Nora Ericson, Sabrina Moyle, Carrie Tillotson
This event is geared toward anyone who is interested in the process of creating picture books, from readers to potential authors of all ages.
Middle Grade Portland Book Festival
Middle School Is a Horror Movie: Jonathan Hill & Colin Meloy
Anyone who has been to middle school knows it can be like a horror movie. These new novels take that idea to... extremes.
Portland Book Festival
PDX Jazz Presents Cory Limuaco
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.
Poetry Portland Book Festival
Reconstruction: Eloisa Amezcua & Courtney Faye Taylor
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.
Picture Book Portland Book Festival
Making Picture Books: Vera Ahiyya, Margaret Chiu Greanias, Dane Liu, Tammi Sauer
This event is geared toward anyone who is interested in the process of creating picture books, from readers to potential authors of all ages.
Portland Book Festival Young Adult
Unlikely Allies: Emiko Jean & Casey McQuiston
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.
Middle Grade Poetry Portland Book Festival
Think Out Loud: The Door of No Return
"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
Nonfiction Portland Book Festival
An American Martyr in Persia: Reza Aslan
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.
Fiction Poetry Portland Book Festival
Still Life: John Freeman & Meng Jin
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.
Cover to Cover Free Events
PBF Cover to Cover: This Is Portland: An Evening of Poetry & Music
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.
Cover to Cover Free Events
PBF Cover to Cover: Mapping Home: An Evening with Corporeal Writing & Autofocus Lit
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.
In-person Portland Book Festival Writing Classes
The Unique Art of Autofiction
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
In-person Portland Book Festival Writing Classes
Writing Food
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
In-person Portland Book Festival Writing Classes
“The Most Important Element”: Plot in Literary Fiction
“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
In-person Portland Book Festival Writing Classes
Kick-Start Your Picture Book
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
Cover to Cover Ticketed Events
PBF Cover to Cover: Film & Discussion: Art and Krimes by Krimes with Mitchell S. Jackson
Join us for a film screening and discussion with author, Mitchell S. Jackson.
Cover to Cover Free Events
PBF Cover to Cover: Write a Renga, Save the World
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.
Cover to Cover Free Events Ticketed Events
PBF Cover to Cover: Voices Like Thunder: An afternoon of poetry with the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation
Join us for the release of NACF’s first published anthology "The Larger Voice - Celebrating Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Literature Fellows."
Cover to Cover Free Events
PBF Cover to Cover: Tin House Autumn Workshop Showcase
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.
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!
Cover to Cover Ticketed Events
PBF Cover to Cover: SPEKTRUM Tea Service
The live presentation of the book "SPEKTRUM" is a tea service that occurs in small rooms across the country.
online class Writing Classes
Recharge Your Writing Life: Experiments & Strategies
Equal parts strategy, community, generative writing, and experiment, this class will help writers spark curiosity and deepen self-knowledge while crafting artistic habits that nourish. A good fit for writers who want to reimagine their creative life. We’ll discuss methods for working through blocks and rejection, rituals that refill the well, and ways to make time
Free Events In-person
Incite: Queer Writers Read – November
Featured
Incite: Queer Writers Read is a curated, bimonthly reading series for Queer writers. Incite’s hope is to create conversation, connection, and greater understanding both within the Queer community and with other communities. Hosted by Vinnie Kinsella and Jennifer Perrine. The theme for November is "Afterglow." This event will take place in-person at Literary Arts' downtown center.
For BIPOC writers Free Events In-person
Oregon BIPOC Publishing Event: Pitching, Submitting, & Proposing
Literary Arts, Ooligan Press, and Portland State University’s English Department partner to present the Oregon BIPOC Writers Publishing Event. This event is designed for writers who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color to connect to the publishers and authors seeking to hear their voices. Pitching, Submitting, & Proposing: How to Make Money as a
online class Poetry Writing Classes
Advanced Poetry Workshop
Poesis,” in ancient Greek, means “making.” What would it mean to make poetry a daily part of your life? How might this re-make your understanding of poetry, your life, and your self? This class will offer you the opportunity to explore these questions and consider poetry as a time-based art, a place-based art, and a
Free Events In-person
Slamlandia
Slamlandia is a poetry open mic and slam that meets every month. This mic provides a creative, fun, and welcoming space for all literary communities in Portland. We encourage poets new and old to come share their work. We strive towards a safer space for poets to read their own poetry, witness others, and participate
Portland Arts & Lectures
Portland Arts & Lectures 2022/23: Anthony Doerr
This event is part of our 38th season of Portland Arts & Lectures. Four-part subscriptions to the lecture series are on sale now. We will not be selling single tickets to this event. All lectures will be held in person at The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in downtown Portland, OR. For more information on the
BIPOC writers Writing Classes
BIPOC Writing Workshop: November
Searching for a space to create new work with fellow BIPOC writers? This two-hour workshop meets on Zoom. A variety of prompts will be presented as avenues for generating and sharing new work in an informal setting. Open to BIPOC writers at all levels writing in poetry, fiction, or nonfiction. Access Program We want our
For BIPOC writers Free Events
Oregon BIPOC Publishing Event: What to Expect When You’re Expecting (a Book!)
Literary Arts, Ooligan Press, and Portland State University’s English Department partner to present the Oregon BIPOC Writers Publishing Event. This event is designed for writers who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color to connect to the publishers and authors seeking to hear their voices. What to Expect When You’re Expecting (a Book!) Ever wonder
Free Events Writing Classes
The Break with Kaveh Akbar
In partnership with Alano Club of Portland, "The Break is a monthly virtual gathering of writers and artists lead by Kaveh Akbar, celebrating amongness, collaboration, and interdisciplinary creative experimentation. Though many of the activities and discussions orbit or are inflected by recovery themes (Akbar has been in active recovery for eight years), participants are not
online class Writing Classes
Writing Dynamic Dialogue
Dialogue is like music: on the page it may look great, but what it’s like when you hear it aloud? This workshop will examine what dialogue does, how to write it – and when to use it. We’ll practice shaping and creating dialogues we can share. Access Program We want our writing classes and Delves
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Portland, Oregon 97205
- 503.227.2583
- 503.241.4256 fax
- la@literary-arts.org
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