Literopolis: A Weekly Look at Portland Literary Events, March 30-April 5

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Monday, March 30, 2015

Emily Goldman, GoLocalPDX Contributor

It’s the first week of April (or the first half-week of April), which means the Oregon Book Awards Ceremony is drawing ever closer. For those keeping track (as well as for those who aren’t), the Ceremony will be on Sunday April 13 at the Gerding Theater at the Armory.

One way to prepare yourselves for the ceremony this week on Thursday is to attend a reading of the Oregon Book Award poetry finalists at Literary Arts. Wendy Chin Tanner, Endi Hartigan, and Dawn Diez Williams will be reading a selection of poetry from their nominated collections. Poems by finalists Emily Kendal Frey and Zachary Schomburg will also be read at the event. 925 SW Washington St., 7pm, FREE

And on to the rest of the week.

On Monday at Powell’s City of Books, travel writer and adventurer Daniel Arnold will be reading from his debut story collection titled Snowblind: Stories of Alpine Obsession, a series of tales about mountain climbing from the individual perspectives of a diverse group of characters. 1005 W Burnside St., 7:30pm, FREE

Also on Monday, debut novelist Quan Barry will be at Powell’s on Hawthorne presenting her novel She Weeps Each Time You’re Born, a magical novel about a young girl named Rabbit who is born at the height of the Vietnamese war with the ability to hear the voices of the dead. Through her ability, the novel reconstructs a narrative of Vietnamese history prior to and following the Vietnam War just as Rabbit tries to understand her place in her country and its history and carve a space for herself within it. 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 7:30pm, FREE

On Tuesday, Broadway Books presents a night dedicated to one of the world’s most famous pubs right here in Portland. Local author Robert Wright will be discussing his new book titled The Brass – It’s a Bit of England where Good Companionship is the Order of the Day. This book documents the history of the Horse Brass Pub, the epicenter of Portland’s craft beer revolution, its founder Don Younger, and the many people who frequented it. 1714 NE Broadway Ave., 7-8pm, FREE

Next on Tuesday at Glyph Café, poets Samiya Bashir and Cindy Williams Gutiérrez will engage in conversation with each other through the words of their poetry, both old and new, in an event titled Alabanza: Return to Joy. 804 NW Couch St., 5-7pm, FREE

Also on Tuesday at Powell’s at Cedar Hills, fantasy author Peter Brett will be presenting the fourth novel in his Demon Cycle series called The Skull Throne, following his host of protagonists as they battle elemental demons who come out at night to attack humans who can only stopped through the use of powerful wards. 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., 7pm, FREE

Finally on Tuesday at Powell’s City of Books, scientist and sex educator Emily Nagoski will be presenting her new book Come As You Are, an in-depth exploration of the science behind women’s sexuality, how and why women’s bodies respond in sexual contexts, and why a female version of Viagra cannot work and will not exist. 1005 W Burnside St., 7:30pm, FREE

On Wednesday, Powell’s City of Books celebrates National Poetry Month with three poets—Jim Moore, Lisa Fishman, and Clementine von Radics—who will each be reading poems from their most recent collections. 1005 W Burnside St., 7:30pm, FREE

First on Thursday, Another Read Through is hosting a literary fundraiser for the Pride Foundation, a regional organization dedicated to supporting LGBTQ people throughout the Northwest. Local authors Christopher Lord, Kate Gray, and Carter Sickels will be in attendance reading from their respective works and discussing the foundation. 3932 N Mississippi Ave., 7-9pm, donations encouraged

Also on Thursday, coastal poet Melissa Madenski will be reading from her new chapbook titled Endurance at Broadway Books. 1714 NE Broadway Ave., 7-8pm, FREE

Next on Thursday, Brandon Mull will be at Powell’s at Cedar Hills with his newest book Crystal Keepers, the third book in the Five Kingdoms series of books for middle grade readers about a young boy in search of his lost friends in a magical universe called The Outskirts. 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., 7pm, FREE

At Powell’s on Hawthorne on Thursday, Jessica Hagy will be presenting a visually revamped version of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War titled The Art of War Visualized, complete with diagrams, charts, and other visual arrangements of Sun Tzu’s original text and ideas. 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 7:30pm, FREE

Finally on Thursday, Reed College presents the last of this school year’s guests in their Visiting Writers series. Award-winning poet, short story writer, essayist, and translator Randa Jarr will be reading poetry inspired and influenced by her Arab heritage. Eliot Chapel, 3202 SE Woodstock Blvd., 6:30pm, FREE

On Friday, the IPRC is hosting a Show & Tell of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and comics created by students of the IPRC’s various 2015 Certificate writing and drawing programs. 1001 SE Division St., 7pm, FREE

Also on Friday at Powell’s City of Books, J.C. Hallman, author of U and I—an autobiographical exploration of his relationship with John Updike— will be presenting his newest book titled B and Me, in which Hallman similary explores his literary relationship to Nicholson Baker and how examining in an in-depth manner his relationship to authors and their literature has led to a greater understanding of his own self as a writer. Hallman will be joined in conversation by Mary Szybist, National Book Award-winning poet and author of Incarnadine. 1005 W Burnside St., 7:30pm, FREE

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