Literopolis: A Weekly Look at Portland Literary Events, August 17-23

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Monday, August 17, 2015

Emily Goldman, GoLocalPDX Contributor

This week’s exciting literary event is Powell’s Books’ first ever SMART (Start Making a Reader Today) Author Fair, an event aimed at younger readers. Located at the Cedar Hill bookstore, attendees will have the chance to meet  and have books signed by over a dozen children’s, middle grade, and young adult authors, win prizes, and come home with some fantastic new books to read. Check out the Powell’s website for a list of attending authors. 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., 12-4pm, FREE

MONDAY
Wallace J. Nichols explores the science behind why water is beneficial to human health, happiness, and success (beyond its obvious necessity for survival) in his book Blue Mind, which he’ll be sharing at Annie Bloom’s Books. 7834 SW Capitol Hwy, 7-8pm, FREE

Another Read Through will be hosting Anker Frankoni, who will be reading from his book Mexican Eskimo Book 1: Exmikan, a historical, autobiographical tale mixed with magic that bends the space-time continuim. 3932 N Mississippi Ave., 7-8pm, FREE

At Powell’s at Cedar Hills, Hugo and Nebula-award winning author Jo Walton will be at Powell’s at Cedar Hills reading from her new book The Philosopher Kings, the sequel to The Just City in which the goddess Athene transports Platonists from all over time to create the Just City according to the principles and values of The Republic, one of the cornerstones for Western philosophical thought.3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., 7pm, FREE

Interested in the history of Portland’s streetcars? Historian Richard Thompson will be at Powell’s City of Books discussing the importance of the Slabtown neighborhood to the city’s budding streetcar network in the late nineteenth century, a subject further explored in his book Slabtown Streetcars. 1005 W Burnside St., 7:30pm, FREE

Craig Ryan will be at Powell’s on Hawthorne reading from his new book Sonic Wind, a biography of John Paul Stapp, the man responsible for revolutionizing car and airplane safety design, thanks to simulations in which he was a primary participant. 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 7:30pm, FREE

TUESDAY
At Broadway Books, poet Wayne Lee will be reading from his new collection Googling a Present Participle, whose poems use an intersectional lens explore the effect of technology on our daily lives. 1714 NE Broadway Ave., 7-8pm, FREE

John Scalzi, award-winning and bestselling science fiction author will be at Powell’s at Cedar Hills presenting the sixth book written in the Old Man’s War universe titled The End of All Things in which the human, space-faring Colonial Union is crumbling, multiple alien species are primed to attack, and someone is attacking both the Union and aliens for unknown reasons. 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., 7pm, FREE

Novelist Craig Lesley and Jeff Baker, book editor at the Oregonian, will be engaging in a discussion at Powell's City of Books in tribute of the recently-deceased novelist Ivan Doig and in celebration of his final novel Last Bus to Wisdom, a novel featuring the 1950s American West, an epic road trip, and a cast of colorful characters. 1005 W Burnside St., 7:30pm, FREE

WEDNESDAY
Marrow, a new all-ages creative arts workshop/teaching space, is hosting a reading organized by local author Kevin Meyer titled You Will Love Each Other. 7515 N Alma Ave., 7-9pm, FREE

William Ritter will be reading from the follow-up to his successful YA book Jackaby titled Beastly Bones, which continues the crime-solving adventures of Jackaby and his assistant Abigail Rook as they seek to unravel three connected mysteries, at Powell’s at Cedar Hills. 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., 7pm, FREE

At Powell’s City of Books, Grant McOmie will be sharing his guidebook Grant’s Getaways: Guide to Wildlife Watching in Oregon, which collects Grant’s favorite wildlife watching destinations. 1005 W Burnside St., 7:30pm, FREE

THURSDAY
Annie Bloom’s Books will be hosting four YA authors: Marni Bates (Awkwardly Ever After, a novel about the politics of prom); Livia Blackburne (author of the fantasy novel Midnight Thief); Robin Herrera (author of Hope is a Ferris Wheel about a high school outcast who starts a poetry club); and Mary Elizabeth Summer (author of Trust Me, I’m Lying about a teenage con artist on the run). 7834 SW Capitol Hwy, 7-8pm, FREE

Local author Ted Fauster will be at Another Read Through discussing his fantasy/science-fiction series World of Faerel, a world filled with demons, angels, unexplained and ancient technology, and magic. He will be reading from the second book in the series titled Hellion King of Faerel. 3932 N Mississippi Ave., 7-8pm, FREE

There’ll be a second group of YA authors convening at Powell’s at Cedar Hills in honor of the release of the horror/psychological thriller anthology Slasher Girls and Monster Boys. Present will be editor April Genevieve Tucholke contributing authors Cat Winters and McCormick Templeman. 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., 7pm, FREE

Bill Hall will be at Powell’s City of Books reading from his alternate history novel McCallandia: A Utopian Novel in which the iconic Oregon governor Tom McCall, who was President Nixon’s choice for vice president following Spiro Agnew’s resignation in 1973, takes the job and so ascends to the presidency. 1005 W Burnside St., 7:30pm, FREE

At Powell’s on Hawthorne, geoscientist Dave Tucker will be taking the audience on a journey through western Washington’s geological history with his new book Geology Underfoot in Western Washington. 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 7:30pm, FREE

Reading Frenzy is hosting Print Fancy!, a somewhat recurring zine release party event celebrating the recent releases of some of Portland’s favorite zine writers, including Zach Auburn (How to Talk to Your Cat About Evolution), Kip Manley (City of Roses #25), Mary Higgins (Girly Girls), CC Teakell (The Exercise Guide for the Hopelessly Depressed), Martha Grover & TJ Acena (Somnambulist #26), and Mo Bowstern (Are you There God? It’s Me, Menopause). Be sure to enter to win a copy of every zine being celebrated at the event. 3628 N Mississippi Ave., 7pm, FREE

FRIDAY
Jennifer Steil will be at Powell’s City of Books will be presenting her novel The Ambassador’s Wife, the story of a bohemian artist named Miranda and her marriage to the British ambassador to an Arab country where she lives in the lap of luxury but with her freedom severely curtailed, an existence that is shattered when she is kidnapped and taken hostage. 1005 W Burnside St., 7:30pm, FREE

SATURDAY
Another Read Through is hosting a fiction panel of lesbian authors writing lesbian characters, featuring Lori Lake, Karelia Stetz-Waters, Kate McLachlan, Jove Belle, and Tonie Chacon, the latter of whom is a debut author. 3932 N Mississippi ave., 1:30-3:30pm, FREE

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