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 community space and bookstore at 716 SE Grand Avenue, Portland, OR, online, and at partnering venues across Portland and Oregon.
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
Generate pages and explore the finer nuances of the world of your short story or novel in this Fiction Intensive! Over the course of 12 weeks, participants will work on
In this class, we will drop all worry about being “writers.” Instead, we will simply use writing as a means of grounding our own attention. We will be prompted by
What is a ghost if not spirit energy yearning for form and expression? In our time together, we’ll explore a range of structures capable of hosting ghosts, from epistolary to
This six-week class will hold space for creative nonfiction writers to write and discuss short creative nonfiction works (memoir, essay, lyric essay). Writers at every level---from beginner to experienced---are welcome
One of the central struggles in storytelling is that human beings are, in essence, time travelers. We live in the past of our memories and the future of our hopes.
The key to any unforgettable work of prose resides in the quality of its scenes. In this class, we’ll look at some of the best scenes ever written and investigate what it takes to write a scene that keeps readers on the edges of their seats. We’ll also discuss how structuring scenes can create a
How do you describe the Oregon coast, a garden full of dahlias, or the vibe of your favorite coffee shop? How do you write about a crowd of people? A fictional fishing village? A cold office? Or break down the symbolism of your protagonist’s kitchen junk drawer? The course will help writers currently working in
We've added a second section! Have you ever wondered how to turn your brilliant idea into a captivating picture book? In this 8-week course, you’ll learn the art of crafting picture books that leave a lasting impression. We'll explore the world of children's literature, studying beloved classics and contemporary favorites, to inspire your creativity. Through
Have you ever wondered how to turn your brilliant idea into a captivating picture book? In this 8-week course, you’ll learn the art of crafting picture books that leave a lasting impression. We'll explore the world of children's literature, studying beloved classics and contemporary favorites, to inspire your creativity. Through engaging lessons and hands-on workshops,
This course is for all levels of writers and readers. We will read and discuss excerpts from contemporary authors who write the self (or write from the basis of personal experience) such as Annie Erneaux, Leslie Jamison, Kate Briggs, Emmanuel Carrere, Hilton Als, Melissa Febos, Edouard Louis and others, in addition to weekly craft essays
Writers can't decide what to do with grief. It has wrongly been called too sentimental or too cold. Too traumatic or too unoriginal. But regardless of the current writerly opinion about it, grief is going nowhere. So how do we write about it? How do we write with it? This generative class will help writers
Being alive is really a very strange endeavor. Bizarre coincidences, déjà vu, the fallibility of our own memory and perceptions, and inexplicable, seemingly magical occurrences are perhaps all more commonplace than we have the space to acknowledge while contending with our busy days. Fiction allows us to ramp this strangeness up just a notch, to
During this weekend autofiction intensive, we will take a deep dive into the unique art of autofiction. Autofiction combines the disciplines of autobiography and fiction. It can be written like memoir or like fiction, but it generally comes down to style: autofiction is often highly introspective and mainly focuses on interior life. For this course,
Sometimes we become so focused on productivity or “doing it right” that we stifle our creativity. In this class we’ll focus on one of the hardest parts of writing: writing.
Some real-life experiences are too bizarre, too painful, too otherworldly, to write about in a straight forward manner. What happens when you can’t or refuse to work from point A
Have you ever wondered how to turn your brilliant idea into a captivating picture book? In this 8-week course, you’ll learn the art of crafting picture books that leave a
Ideal for those who have completed "From Idea to Manuscript" or have a foundational understanding of picture book creation. Take your picture book projects to the next level. This class
Summer is the season for sizzling flings with short forms. This generative class will offer prompts linked to weekly themes—road trips, mix tapes, romances, adventures in nature—mashed up with a
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
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
This course is for all levels of writers and readers. We will read and discuss excerpts from contemporary authors who write the self (or write from the basis of personal
Do you have a short story that is just not feeling right? You’re not sure what it’s missing or how to fix it? Or maybe you’ve got just the start
In this generative and meditative six-week class, participants will examine and strengthen their individual creative process through a combination of generative writing exercises and craft-process readings. We will review the
This course for dedicated writers is designed to guide you through the writing and/or revising of your novel. It runs from September through May. You’ll read excerpts from published novels
This course for dedicated writers is designed to guide you through the writing and/or revising of your novel. It runs from September through May. You’ll read excerpts from published novels
How do we process, reflect, embody grief in our writing? We will consider how lyric, narrative, discursive writing, research, fragmentation and silence play different roles in lyric essays, memoir, and
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
This writing class will briefly examine how race and racism has been used to oppress the lives of Black, Indigenous and other racialized peoples. Participants will also explore how the
In this experimental writing class, we will wrench as many possibilities as possible out of one piece of writing, seeing what our various changes – subtle, extreme, and chance-based –
Ready to dive deeper into your picture book writing journey? In this course, designed for continuing students who have taken “Crafting Your Picture Book,” we’ll spark your creativity with unique prompts each week, along with template suggestions to help structure your stories. As we progress, you’ll have the chance to workshop what you’ve been writing, receiving feedback to refine and polish your work. This course is perfect for those looking to push their storytelling further and bring their picture book ideas closer to completion.
This will be a generative writing lab where we will read poems together and then write poems together. Be prepared to write and have fun and experiment in new ways.We will go from one set of poems and writing exercises to the next with some time at the end to share what we’ve written. Come to this workshop with a big imagination, an open mind, a laptop and/or a notebook.
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
Explore the necessary elements of writing a nonfiction book proposal from outline to “comp titles”, how to use them effectively, and where you can let your personal style shine through. In nonfiction, most books are sold “on proposal” which means writers connect with an agent and publisher for a book deal before writing the entire
Learn new techniques for maintaining inspiration, overcoming self-doubt, and establishing sustainable writing habits, and stay focused and motivated on your writing goals.Explore the tools and mindset needed to persevere through challenges.
In this workshop, we will explore an expansive approach to the multi-voice novel. Taking inspiration from recently published works, we will consider how to decide which of your novel’s characters get to tell a story, and the manner in which they do so, and forms of narration that utilize the supernatural.
Instructor: Amy Minato Grades 9-12 In this workshop, we’ll discover parallels between visual and written art drawing inspiration from pieces in the museum collection. We’ll practice imagery, form, metaphor, and perspective to engage in conversation with actual paintings in a supportive writing community. No previous writing experience necessary! Just bring your imagination and good vibes.
Instructor: Damien Miles-Paulson (Grades 9-12) Write about your life … as a zombie! In this workshop, you’ll take a normal day and turn it into an imaginative story where you face the challenges of being undead. We’ll explore how twisting real-life moments with wild, fictional elements helps you see them in a totally new way.
Let’s play at the intersection of language and visual art! In this pop-up class, we’ll capture the image as it appears and disappears through ekphrastic writing and erasure.
The goal with stories, usually, is to keep us immersed in the plot line. So how do we make funny little tangents smoothly, without distracting the reader? This session will look at some examples of great transitions and practice making great little tangents of your own.
Instructor: Nicky Nicholson-Klingerman Grades 9–12 This workshop will explore the healing and performative aspects of spoken word poetry. Students will engage with spoken word poets from Gwendolyn Brooks to Brandon Leake, with time to write and perform their own spoken word poetry and share space and community with other young poets.
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
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
Sometimes we become so focused on productivity or “doing it right” that we stifle our creativity. In this class we’ll focus on one of the hardest parts of writing: writing.
Each week we’ll use new prompts and guided activities to inspire new creation. We’ll look at the work of writers we admire and ask: how’d they do that? As they say, writing is a muscle, and no matter what your experience level, you have to continually exercise that muscle and practice new tools to keep your writing nimble and moving.
Through a variety of prompts, we’ll create new work every week and practice tools for expanding existing projects and unblocking writer’s block.
In this six-week class, we will enter the zone of play with our writing as we work on personal essays. We will explore different forms and structures that can give our writing lift, and also play with constraints that can lead to new discoveries.
Literary Arts, Inc. is a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Tax ID# 93-0909494
Copyright © 2025 Literary Arts
Made by Needmore Designs
Literary Arts appreciates the continuing support of…
