Thursday 5/15: Celebrate the May issue of PQ Monthly at their release party, complete with drinks and tunes. West Café, 5 p.m., free.
Celebrate Portland’s bike culture with the launch of local bike enthusiast Todd Roll’s Pedal Portland: 25 Easy Rides for Exploring the City (April 2014). Pedal Bike Tours, 5:30 p.m., free.
Enjoy a discussion with Ursula K. Le Guin, Cheryl Strayed, and Lidia Yuknavitch, three of Portland’s most talented authors. Panel discussion to be moderated by editor-in-chief of Bitch Media, Kjerstin Johnson. Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, 7 p.m., free.
Stacey D’Erasmo reads from her breakout novel on stardom, rock music, and heartbreak, Wonderland (May 2014). Powell’s City of Books, 7:30 p.m., free.
Roger Roffman shares his layered lifelong relationship and scholarship on marijuana from his latest book, Marijuana Nation (April 2014). Powell’s Books on Hawthorne, 7:30 p.m., free.
Friday 5/16: The Portland Women of Color Zine Collective celebrates with an end of the academic year potluck and networking party. Women of color are encouraged to bring food, zines to trade, music, and any literary connections they may have to share with others. Women’s Resource Center, 5:30, free.
To help kick off this weekend’s Disability Pride Art and Culture festival, Lambda Literary award-winning poet Leah Lakshmi Peipzna-Samarasinah reads from Love Cake (September 2011). In Other Words, 7 p.m., free.
Author, activist, and chef Bryant Terry talks about social justice and his Afro-vegan cooking style that blends African, Caribbean, and Southern flavors. Local Chef Bradley of Po’shines will be serving up tastings from Afro-Vegan (April 2014) throughout the reading. Celebration Tabernacle, 7 p.m., $10.
Rick Atkinson reads from his Pulitzer prize-winning epic, The Guns Last Light (May 2012), now available in paperback. Powell’s City of Books, 7:30 p.m., free.
Saturday 5/17: The Oregon Writers Colony welcomes award-winning poet Willa Schneberg as she hosts a four-hour workshop, The Poet’s Palate, for poets and their palates. TaborSpace, 1 p.m., $60 with membership, $100 for non-members.
The Willamette Writers welcome best-selling author Bob Dugoni to lead his workshop, Creating Plots for Page Turners. DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Portland, general meeting at 1:15 ($10 non-members, free to members), workshop at 2:30 p.m. ($86 non-members, $50 members, $18 students with valid student ID).
New York Times bestselling author Craig Johnson reads from his latest mystery thriller, Any Other Name (May 2014). Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, 2 p.m., free.
Sunday 5/18: The Peregrine Literary Series invites you to join authors from VoiceCatcher: A Journal of Women’s Voices and Visions for an evening reading of poetry and prose. Featuring Wendy Thompson, Michelle Fredette, Marylynne Diggs, and M. Holy Names Heritage Center, 7 p.m., free.
The Ink Noise Review reading series brings three new writers to welcome into the community to read with headlining writers. Headlining this reading are Britta Ameel and Justin Rigamonti, with opening poet Christian Patterson. New acts include Liz Mehl, Veronica Martin, Erika Stevens, Geoff Wallace, and Chris Cottrell. Jade Lounge, 7 p.m., free.
Monday 5/19: Join the Portland Center for Public Humanities as they welcome Rob Latham and his lecture on utopian science fiction, “Beatniks in Outer Space: Science Fiction and Postwar Countercultures.” Neuberger Hall, 6 p..m., free.
William Dietrich reads from his new Napoleonic-war era thriller, The Three Emperors (May 2014). Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, 7 p.m., free.
Oregon poets Marjorie Powers and David Pickering read some of their latest work. Glyph, 7 p.m., free.
Rachel Weaver reads from her debut psychological thriller set in coastal Alaska, Point of Direction (May 2014). Powell’s Books on Hawthorne, 7:30 p.m., free.
Peter Heller, author of the bestseller The Dog Stars (May 2013), reads from his long-awaited second book, The Painter (May 2014). Powell’s City of Books, 7:30 p.m., free.
The Attic Institute hosts two readers for their Poets on Broadway series, Katrina Roberts and Wendy Willis. Antoinette Hatfield Rotunda, 8 p.m., free.
Tuesday 5/20: Steven Galloway reads from his tale of magic and memory, The Confabulist (May 2014). Powell’s City of Books, 7:30 p.m., free.
Ariel Gore reads from her new memoir, The End of Eve (March 2014) as part of the Jenny Forrester’s Unchaste Readers series. She is joined by fellow writers Nina Rockwell, Emily Newberry, Jenny Hayes, Moe Bowstern, Dena Rash Guzman, Wendy Chin-Tanner, and Margaret Elysia Garica. The Jack London Bar, 7 p.m., free.
Wednesday 5/21: Moira Young, author of the ever-popular YA series Dust Lands, reads from her latest, Raging Star (May 2014). Barnes & Noble, 6 p.m., free.
Blogger Danielle Krysa collected insights from 50 successful artists on how they conquer self-doubt and get their creative juices flowing in her book, Creative Block: Get Unstuck, Discover New Ideas (February 2014). Join her as she shares these secrets. Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, 7 p.m., free.
Literary Arts welcomes Grant High School students as they read from work completed through the Writers in the Schools program. Broadway Books, 7 p.m., free.
Poets Kelli Russell Agodon and Susan Rich read as part of the Mountain Writers reading series. The Press Club, 7:30 p.m., $5 suggested donation.
Sam Chaltain reads from his latest book on the triumphs and challenges of the American public school system, Our School: Searching For Community in the Era of Choices (April 2014). Powell’s City of Books, 7:30 p.m., free.
