Literopolis: A Weekly Look at Portland Literary Events, September 14-20

Monday, September 14, 2015

Emily Goldman, GoLocalPDX Contributor

This weekend is heralded by the arrival of none other than Rose City Comic-Con, Portland’s locally organized comics convention where both industry professionals, indie creators, and fans of all types and backgrounds come together to meet and geek out over a shared love of all things comic-related. Needless to say, there will be a bunch of local comics writers and artists attending such as Kelly Sue DeConnick, Matt Fraction, Emi Lenox, and Lucy Bellwood, not to mention guest celebrities that include none other than Nichelle Nichols and Carrie Fisher. You can still purchase day and weekend passes on the convention website. Hope to see you there this weekend! Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE MLK Jr. Blvd., Saturday and Sunday, $25-50

MONDAY
The Oregon Historical Society will be celebrating the book launch of Marie Equi: Radical Politics and Outlaw Passions by Michael Helquist, which examines the life of late-nineteenth century Oregon pioneer Marie Equi, an acclaimed doctor, radical political activist who fought for women and laborers’ writes, and lesbian who lived with her partner with whom she raised a daughter for over a decade. 1200 SW Park Ave., 7-8:30pm, FREE

Naomi J. Williams will be at Powell’s at Cedar Hills reading from her debut novel Landfall, a historical fiction retelling of the Lapérouse expedition in which two hundred Frenchmen of the Enlightenment set out on a voyage to circumnavigate the globe, told from the perspectives of the voyagers, the loved ones they left behind, and the people they encountered along the way. 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., 7pm, FREE

At Powell’s City of Books, Jonathan Evison will be presenting his novel This Is Your Life, Harriet Chance!, a heartfelt story in which, following the death of her husband, 78-year-old Harriet Chance embarks on an Alaskan cruise, where she will have plenty of time and opportunity to take a long, hard look at the past sixty of her life and marriage. 1005 W Burnside St., 7:30pm, FREE

Summer Brennan will be sharing his book The Oyster War, a look at the making of environmental law and policy, centered on the story of a small San Francisco oyster farm accused of harming the environment and its new owner who refused to accept the National Park’s refusal to renew the farm’s lease, at Powell’s on Hawthorne. 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 7:30pm, FREE

TUESDAY
The Oregon Historical Society will be celebrating another book launch for A Man of All Seasons: Monroe Sweetland and the Liberal Paradox by Dr. William G. Robbins. In his biography of Monroe Sweetland, a prominent Oregon political figure , Robbins explores his career, which spans three decades, and provides insight into regional, state, and national politics. 1200 SW Park Ave., 7-8:30pm, FREE

Annie Bloom’s Books will be hosting Stephen Kiernan, author of The Hummingbird, the story of a nurse, her husband who’s returned home from this third deployment in Iraq, and her patient who’s a World War II veteran as they seek to understand, recover, and make peace with their wounds. 7834 SW Capitol Hwy, 7-8pm, FREE

Poet Harold Johnson will be at Broadway Books presenting his new novel The Fort Showalter Blues about a young trumpet player named Joseph Birdsong who came into his identity as a Black man living in an all-white Washington town and Portland, Oregon, and is drafted into the U.S. army prior to the escalation of the Vietnam war and sent to Fort Showalter in Texas where he meets individuals who help broaden his understanding of himself and his place in the world. 1714 NE Broadway Ave., 7-8pm, FREE

At Powell’s City of Books, Patrick deWitt will be sharing his new comedy of manners Undermajordomo Minor, the follow-up to his Man Booker shortlisted novel The Sisters Brothers and the story of Lucy Minor’s acceptance of employment assiting the majordomo at Castle Aux, a forbidding place filled with secrets and a colorful cast of characters. 1005 W Burnside St., 7:30pm, FREE

At Powell’s at Cedar Hills, Jane Kirkpatrick will be presenting her latest novel The Memory Weaver, a nineteenth-century story in which a woman named Eliza, dreading the prospect of moving further west with her husband, seeks solace in her mother’s journal, revisiting both of their pasts in the pages as she reads her mother’s reactions to Eliza’s capture by the Cayuse Indians when she was 10 years old. 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., 7pm, FREE

WEDNESDAY
Acclaimed Oregonian writer Molly Gloss will be giving two readings as part of the Mountain Writers Series. In the afternoon she will be reading at Concordia University. Later in the evening, and a bit closer to home, she will be reading at Vie de Bohéme. George R. White Library and Learning Center - GRW 108, Concordia University, 2800 NE Liberty St., 12pm, FREE; 1530 SE 7th Ave., 7:30pm, $5 suggested donation

West Coast independent literary press McSweeney’s Poetry Editor Jesse Nathan will be reading from his first chapbook of poems Cloud 9, published by Dikembe Press, at Glyph Cafe. Other readers include Allan Peterson, Carl Adamshick, Hajara Quinn, and Sarah Bartlett. 804 NW Couch St., 7-9pm, FREE

Rachel Hills will be at In Other Words celebrating the release of her new book The Sex Myth: Between Our Fantasies and Reality, which explores a new attitude towards sexuality that says, instead of people being wrong for having sex in the first place, people are now wrong for not having sex enough. 14 NE Killingsworth St., 6-9pm, FREE

Ever wanted to eat the foods the characters were lucky enough to feast on in your favorite books? Blogger, bucher, former pastry chef, and book lover Cara Nicoletti does just that in her book Voracious: A Hungry Reader Cooks Her Way through Great Books, filled both with essays on various food scenes in beloved books and original recipes based off each scene. She will be discussing the book at Powell’s at Cedar Hills. 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., 7pm, FREE

Powell’s City of Books will be hosting Andrés Neuman, who will be sharing his mind-bending short story collection The Things We Don’t Do, whose writing has drawn comparisons Jorge Luis Borges, Roberto Bolaňo, and Julio Cortázar. 1005 W Burnside St., 7:30pm, FREE

THURSDAY
At Annie Bloom’s Books, Warren Easley will be reading from his third book in the Cal Claxton mystery series titled Never Look Down about an ex-LA prosecutor turned Portland private eye looking to help a teenage tagger and murder witness on the run from the murderer who saw her watching. 7834 SW Capitol Hwy, 7-8pm, FREE

If you missed the book launch event at the Oregon Historical Society on Monday, Michael Helquist will also be at Broadway Books presenting his biography of the extraordinary doctor, radical activist, and lesbian Marie Equi titled Marie Equi: Radical Politics and Outlaw Passions. 1714 NE Broadway Ave., 7-8pm, FREE

Judy Schnachner will be reading her new children’s book novel Dewy Bob, the story of a hoarding racoon who learns how hard it can be to make and keep friends, at Powell’s at Cedar Hills. 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., 7pm, FREE

Bucky Sinister will be at Powell’s on Hawthorne presenting his novel Black Hole about a forty-three year old drug addict living in San Francisco who finds the one drug—which doesn’t even have a name yet—that messes up his life—literally—when he starts feeling as though chunks of time are disappearing and rearranging themselves. 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 7:30pm, FREE

At Powell’s City of Books, celebrated author Erica Jong returns with a new novel Fear of Dying, about elderly actress Venass Wonderman who, watching her parents age, her daughter grow more pregnant, and her husband die in the hospital, seeks to regain the feeling of youth by placing an ad in zipless.com looking for no-strings-attached sex. 1005 W Burnside St., 7:30pm, FREE

FRIDAY
Heidi Schulz will be at Powell’s at Cedar Hills sharing the second book in her middle grade series chronicling the adventures of Captain Hook’s daughter titled The Pirate Code, in which Jocelyn Hook sets out to find her father’s famous fortune, only to end up having to seek help from Peter Pan—but in a roundabout, wicked way. 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., 7pm, FREE

At Powell’s City of Books, Joe S. Whitworth will be sharing his book Quantified: Redefining Conservation for the Next Economy, which puts forth his arguments for how environmental organizations from learn from modern, tech-savvy companies like Google, Amazon, and Uber to reconceptualize how environmental organizations can successfully achieve their intended goals in today’s economy, using an approach known as quantified conservation. 1005 W Burnside St., 7:30pm, FREE

SUNDAY
Adam and Jackie Sappington, owners of The Country Cat, a Portland staple in the restaurant world for Midwestern comfort food, will be at Powell’s City of Books sharing their new cookbook Heartlandia: Heritage Recipes from Portland’s the Country Cat. 1005 W Burnside St., 4pm, FREE

Later that evening at Powell’s City of Books, Bill Clegg will be reading from his debut novel Did You Ever Have a Family, the story of a woman named June who, following the death of her entire family on the eve of daughter’s wedding, drives across the country amidst the other people left behind who come together around June to support her and each other in their grief and share their stories. He will be joined in conversation by Amanda Coplin, author of The Orchardist. 1005 W Burnside St., 7:30pm, FREE