Thursday 4/7: Excited for the Oregon Book Awards? So is Literary Arts—who will be hosting a reading with some of the 2016 finalists in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry, including Arthur Bradford, Kate Carroll de Gutes, Elizabeth Enslin, Valerie Geary, Molly Gloss, Nick Jaina, Jessica Johnson, and Lidia Yuknavitch. Literary Arts, 7 p.m., free.
Friday 4/8: Celebrate National Poetry Month with Resurgency, a poetry reading devoted to reclaiming colonized lands, identities, cultural (mis)representations, gender constructions, and lost connections to ancestry. Join Demian DinéYazhi, Melissa Bennett, and Manuel Arturo Abreu as part of the programming for the Dene bāhī Naabaahii Exhibition in the Center for Contemporary Native Art. Portland Art Museum, 6:30 p.m., free.
Augusten Burroughs reads from his memoir, Lust and Wonder. Powell’s City of Books, 7:30 p.m., free.
Saturday 4/9: The Peach Blossom Poetry Series invites Laura Winter to read for this week’s National Poetry Month reading. Lan Su Chinese Garden, 3 p.m., free with admission to park (prices vary).
Join Back Fence PDX for Russian Roulette—a daring night of high-stakes storytelling featuring Chris Williams, Joey Slamon, Shannon Balcom, Jason Rouse, Tyler Hughs, Kahlie Towle and Matt Brown, all hosted, curated, and produced by B. Frayn Masters and Mindy Nettifee. Disjecta, 8 p.m., $16–$20 in advance, $18 at the door.
Sunday 4/10: Local authors Michael Mirolla and Sam Roxas-Chua read from their latest work. Another Read Through, 1:30 p.m., free.
The Fragrance Poetry Series invites Zhang Er, author of five collections of poetry in Chinese, to read from her latest work. Lan Su Chinese Garden, 3 p.m., free with admission to park (prices vary).
Celebrate the release of Marc Moscato’s new book, Saddle Tramp, and bid him farewell before he heads north to Seattle. Reading Frenzy, 5 p.m., free.
The Last Chance Slam is a beloved high-stakes poetry slam tradition—the winner of the slam will be guaranteed a spot on the Portland Poetry Slam Grand Slam stage. This is regular 3 round, 3-minute per round, head-to-head slam with a free workshop, open mic, and open sign-ups to the public. Portland Center Stage, 6:30 p.m., $5 suggested donation.
Richard Fifield reads from his debut, The Flood Girls. Powell’s City of Books, 7:30 p.m., free.
Monday 4/11: Join Literary Arts’s annual celebration of the state’s most accomplished writers in the genres of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, young readers, and graphic literature. Portland’s own Heidi Durrow will be hosting the evening. The Gerding Theatre at the Armory, 7:30 p.m., tickets start at $10.
Jonathan Levi reads from his latest novel, Septimania. Powell’s on Hawthorne, 7:30 p.m., free.
Charlotte Rogan reads from her new provocative novel, Now and Again. Powell’s City of Books, 7:30 p.m., free.
Tuesday 4/12: It’s SuperThank’s second birthday, and it’s SPRING. Join them for a live storytelling event featuring stories about starting over, blooming where you’re planted, spring, and gratitude. Storytellers include Oz du Soleil, Chloe Eudaly, Serena Morones, Gina Senarighi, Joseph Fraley, and more. EastBurn, 6:30 p.m., $5 to $10 donation.
Salon Skid Row welcomes Anis Mojgani, Amie Zimmerman, and Michael Mirolla for this week’s reading. The Corner Bar, 7 p.m., free.
Sallie Tisdale reads from her collection of over thirty years of essays, Violation: Collected Essays. Powell’s City of Books, 7:30 p.m., free
Wednesday 4/13: Unchaste Readers, Women Reading Their Mind welcomes the community to an open mic hosted by Pamela K. Santos, including three featured performers, Nghia Nguyen, Andee Joyce, and Rene Denfeld. Literary Arts, 7 p.m., free.
Peter Rock reads from his first young adult novel, Klickitat. Powell’s City of Books, 7:30 p.m., free.
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If you have an event listing you’d like us to consider, please write to [email protected].
