Bookstore
Winter Felt Ornaments & Gifts with SCRAP PDX
The Literary Arts Bookstore and Cafe is thrilled to partner with SCRAP PDX for a winter-themed crafting event. Hand-sew decorative winter plush ornaments to adorn your tree, home, bag, or
45 events found.
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 community space and bookstore at 716 SE Grand Avenue, Portland, OR, online, and at partnering venues across Portland and Oregon.
Bookstore Free Events
Literary Happy Hour
Escape from the cold with a book and a beverage at Literary Arts! Join us for a special happy hour. Spend $20 or more at the bookstore and take a
In-person Writing Classes
Ways In: Starting Your Memoir
In this 3-hour course, we’ll learn how, where, and with what to begin our memoirs. We’ll discover that our first chapter is more than just the sturdy foundation to a life recorded, it’s a guide for you, the writer—both a map and its key.
Free Events In-person
One Page Wednesday – December
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
For BIPOC Writers Free Events In-person
BIPOC Reading Series
Hosted by Kyle Yoshioka and Jessica Meza-Torres, this monthly reading series is intended to prioritize the safety, creativity, and stories of Black people, Indigenous people, and People of Color. The featured reader for
In-person Writing Classes
Poetry of Observation: Starting and Keeping a Commonplace Book
This four-week poetry class will focus on the practice of keeping a commonplace book and how that practice can lead to a more generative poetic life.
Literary Matchmaking: Speed Dating Event with Queer Cute PDX
Literary Arts with Queer Cute PDX are hosting a Literary Matchmaking Event! Queer Cute is a local organization that hosts social gatherings in the queer community. Bring your favorite book
Free Events In-person
Slamlandia
Slamlandia is a poetry open mic and slam that meets every month at Literary Arts, on the third Thursday. This mic provides a creative, fun, and welcoming space for all literary
Bookstore Free Events
November Write-In
Join us for a special harvest write-in at the Literary Arts Bookstore and Cafe! This month we’re celebrating the Three Sisters, as always with a curated playlist and drink special
Bookstore Free Events
Sarah Weinman in conversation with Sarah Marshall
Sarah Weinman, author of The Real Lolita, returns to Literary Arts with her latest release, Without Consent, a deep dive into the historic case that defined marital rape and consent
Bookstore Free Events
Chris Kraus in conversation with Lydia Kiesling
The Literary Arts Bookstore is pleased to welcome Chris Kraus to celebrate the release of her latest book, The Four Spent the Day Together! Kraus will be joined in conversation
Delve Readers Seminars In-person
Stephen Crane: Three Novellas
Stephen Crane lived a short and intense life, and wrote short and intense fiction. Regardless of the genre—he was a muckraking journalist, an author, and a poet—Crane never shied from
Ritual Dyes Crafting Circle
Literary Arts is excited to welcome Ritual Dyes into the space for their weekly crafting circle, hosted by Chin Matthews (Instagram: @chin2tog). This event is BYOC (Bring Your Own Craft).
Bookstore Free Events
Incite: Queer Writers Read – November
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
Bookstore Free Events
Cekpa by Leah Altman: Ooligan Press Launch Party
Join Ooligan Press to celebrate the launch of their latest title, Cepka by Leah Altman. About the Book For Leah Altman, growing up as an adoptee outside of her
Bookstore
Fall Hand-Sewing Social with SCRAP PDX
The Literary Arts Bookstore and Cafe is thrilled to partner with SCRAP PDX for a special event. Hand-sew decorative fall plushies and felt garlands. Grab a beverage, browse the
In-person Portland Book Festival Writing Classes
Ready, Set, Submit
In this one day class, we'll work to demystify the submission process. We’ll discuss how to find publications you’re excited to send your work to, set up personalized submission goals and to-do lists, and organize our own systems for keeping track of our submissions.
Bookstore Free Events
Shay Mirk and Eleri Harris: Making Nonfiction Comics
Join us in celebrating Shay Mirk and Eleri Harris for the debut of their new graphic novel, Making Nonfiction Comics! About the book: The definitive guide to writing, drawing, and
Bookstore Free Events In-person
One Page Wednesday: A Cover to Cover Special Event
You're invited to a special One Page Wednesday in collaboration with the Portland Book Festival's Cover to Cover program of events! ONE PAGE PRESENTS: ASK ME ANYTHING WRITERS' EDITION WITH
In-person Writing Classes
WRITING EKPHRASTIC POETRY
In this four-week class, we’ll read and discuss ekphrastic poems by a wide selection of writers, creating our own definition of ekphrasis, pushing the boundaries of what an ekphrastic poem can be. We’ll engage with several essays by poets to get us asking questions and diving deeper into our craft.
Bookstore Free Events
California Rewritten: John Freeman: in conversation with Deborah Miranda
Join us in welcoming John Freeman to discuss his latest book, California Rewrtitten. Freeman will be joined in conversation by Deborah Miranda. This is a Portland Book Festival Cover to
In-person Portland Book Festival Writing Classes
Starting the Short Story
At this three-hour class, we will read the beginnings of short stories, discuss their effectiveness, tone, and structure, and discuss whether they encourage us to keep reading and why.
In-person Portland Book Festival Writing Classes
Refine Your Nonfiction Book Concept: Finding the Hook
In this three hour interactive workshop, you’ll refine your nonfiction book concept and clarify what your book is really about, who it’s for, and how it stands out. Whether you’re writing a memoir, self-help, personal growth, or thought leadership book, this session will help you focus your purpose and shape your message.
Bookstore Free Events
Portland Parks Foundation presents: Green Dreams: Through the Eyes of the Elk
The David P. Thompson Elk Fountain has been a Portland icon for 125 years. Removed from its home downtown due to collateral damage from community protests in 2020, the Elk
In-person Writing Classes
Memoir Foundations: Writing the Truth Without Losing the Thread
This foundational series is for personal nonfiction writers ready to shape real-life experiences into engaging stories with intention and clarity. Over four sessions, you’ll learn how to identify your memoir’s deeper message, build a strong narrative arc, and make structural choices that serve both your story and your reader.
For BIPOC Writers Free Events In-person
BIPOC Reading Series – October
Hosted by Kyle Yoshioka and Jessica Meza-Torres, this monthly reading series is intended to prioritize the safety, creativity, and stories of Black people, Indigenous people, and People of Color. The featured reader for
Halloween Story Time: with A.A. Livingston
Join us for a very special spooky story time with local author A.A. Livingston and her book, Grizelda the Green Hates Halloween! Costumes encouraged! About the book: Told in silly, rhyming text, this is a not-so-scary Halloween tale about a grouchy old witch named Grizelda the Green who tries to destroy Halloween! Perfect for fans
Delve for Writers Delve Readers Seminars Writing Classes
Five Decades of Short Stories: The 70s thru 2010s
This six-week seminar is designed for writers interested in doing deep reads of contemporary literature from a craft perspective. We will dissect the structure and language from five very different short stories so that we can apply some of the same tools these writers use in their work to our own. Delve for Writers is an occasional series of seminars designed to help writers improve their craft through close readings of contemporary poetry and prose.
Bookstore Free Events
Ghostly Encounters: Open Mic
Join us for GHOSTLY ENCOUNTERS, a spooky storytelling event at the Literary Arts Bookstore and Cafe! There will be a sign up for the open mic where readers will have five minutes to enchant us with their ghoulish tales! Our only requirement is that these stories are true—or at least, true to you. Audience members
In-person Writing Classes
Tools for Nonfiction Narrative Writing
Learn the craft of narrative writing. Participants will learn to write perceptively – deploying their five senses and delving into feelings as they write. They will learn how to leverage narrative distance, writing between their ideas and the immediacy of their experiences to see how distance can affect the emotional weight of the work. They will learn how to use metaphors as a means of discovery, to harness verbs, and to modify sentences for focus and impact.
Free Events In-person
Slamlandia
Slamlandia is a poetry open mic and slam that meets every month, on the third Thursday. 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 safe space for poets to read their own poetry,
Bookstore Free Events
Live Broadcast: OPB’s Think Out Loud, with Elizabeth Gilbert
Join us at the Literary Arts Bookstore for a special interview with visiting Portland Arts & Lectures author Elizabeth Gilbert, with OPB's Dave Miller, as it is broadcast live on Think Out Loud. This event is free and open to the public, however space is limited so we kindly ask you to RSVP below. FROM
Bookstore Free Events
October Write-In
Pick a card . . . or don’t! As always, our write-ins are free and open to everybody. Come share space with us as we channel some witchy October vibes with Tarot Card prompts and a special latte. Or just bring whatever it is you’re working on and hang out with us. Bonus points for
Bookstore Free Events
I Am You: Victoria Redel in conversation with Kimberly King Parsons
The Literary Arts Bookstore is pleased to welcome Victoria Redel in celebration of her latest,I Am You, in conversation with 2025 Oregon Book Award Winner Kimberly King Parsons. An unforgettable love story about sex, art, and politics in 1600s Amsterdam. At age eight, Gerta Pieters is dressed as a boy and put to work
Delve Readers Seminars In-person
ALBERT CAMUS: THE PLAGUE AND THE ABSURD HERO
Readers generally considered The Plague, published in 1947 (and a large factor in Camus receiving the Nobel Prize for literature a decade later), to be a superior metaphorical novel about life during wartime and Nazi occupation. As we learned in 2020, it was also a pretty accurate look at how humans react to life during
Bookstore Ticketed Events
Lit Mic presents: Murder in the Bookstore
The Literary Arts Bookstore and Cafe are thrilled to welcome Lit Mic for a very special immersive writing workshop! Participants will search for clues, interview witnesses, and conduct their own investigation via creative writing prompts and sharing to solve the murder. About Lit Mic: Portland Lit Mic is a community-oriented organization, dedicated to getting writers
Bookstore Free Events
What a Time to Be Alive: Jade Chang in conversation with Genevieve Hudson
Join us in celebrating Jade Chang's latest novel, What a Time to Be Alive. About the book: A deeply moving and often hilarious novel following a woman who becomes an internet folk hero in the most unexpected way, catapulting her into fame and influence just as she’s finally beginning to reckon with her complicated past Lola Treasure Gold can’t figure out her life. She’s broke, unemployed,
Bookstore Free Events
Near Flesh: A Celebration of Katherine Dunn
Join us in welcoming Omar El Akkad, Jeff VanderMeer, and Crystal Willer for a conversation on the work of Katherine Dunn, celebrating the posthumous release of her short story collection Near Flesh.
Bookstore Free Events
Banned Books Read-In
Kick off Banned Book Week with us on Sunday, October 5th , between 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.! We’ve teamed up with Libro.FM, Silent Bookclub, and over 400 bookstores nationwide to host a Read-In in protest of censorship. Bring your own book or try a recommendation from our shelves, grab a bite from our cafe, and come
In-person Writing Classes
SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT: VISUAL POETRY WORKSHOP
Visual poetry is as expansive as it is playful which can complement any writer’s practice. Over the course of this six-week workshop, writers can expect to generate four new poetry experiments, one complete visual poetry project, and leave the workshop with a working knowledge of this exciting genre.
Bookstore Free Events In-person
First Matter Press 2025 Book Launch
Join First Matter Press in celebrating the launch of their 2025 titles: The Dying Room by Annemarie Eayrs, Brava by Violeta Garza, first you must destroy the world by Claudia Saleeby Savage, and waling waling palpitations by nawa angel a.h. Covers feature art by Pearlyn Tan. Readings begin at 6:00 p.m. This event is free
Bookstore Free Events
ad tendo: with Oregon Symphony Artist in Residence Simone Porter
Join us for a solo violin performance and talk by Oregon Symphony 2025/26 Artist-in-Residence, Simone Porter. Porter’s presentation is inspired by the works of philosopher Simone Weil, and Weil’s insight that “Attention, taken to its highest degree, is the same thing as prayer... Absolutely unmixed attention is prayer.” The Latin root of the word
Bookstore Free Events In-person
One Page Wednesday – October
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. The featured reader for October is Matthew
Bookstore Free Events
Holding: Karleigh Frisbie Brogan in conversation with Jon Raymond
2024 Oregon Literary Fellow, Karleigh Frisbie Brogan, joins us to celebrate her new memoir, Holding with Jon Raymond. A stunning debut memoir about addiction, self-discovery, and the relationships between mothers and daughters, from an exciting new literary talent Brogan “ the world’s harshest truths into golden, beautiful sentences” reminiscent of the powerful writing in Wild and In the
In-person Writing Classes
To Have and Keep a Beautiful Mind: A Multigenre Writing Workshop
A generative writing workshop to create material from a variety of prompts, models, and methods. We will build community with each other, learn some revision hacks, share feedback, and come away from the weekend intensive with plenty more to think about and develop in our writing practice.
