Literopolis: A Weekly Round-up of Portland Literary Events: Jan. 12-18

Monday, January 12, 2015

Emily Goldman, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Michael Chabon doing a signing via Wikimedia CC.

This week is going to be a doozy.

This Thursday, one of the foremost literary novelists of the past few decades, Pulitzer-winning author Michael Chabon will be speaking at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall as part of the Literary Arts’ 2014-15 series of Portland Arts and Lectures. This man responsible for penning genre-defying gems such as The Wonder Boys, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, and The Yiddish Policeman’s Union. His most recent book, Telegraph Avenue, was released in 2012. Tickets for the general public are still available, so grab one while you can! Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway Ave., 7:30 pm, $29 + service fees

Also on the docket for this week:

On Monday, two Oregon young adult authors Kate Scott and Francesca Varela will be at Annie Bloom’s Books reading from their latest respective books, The Evolution of Emily and Call of the Sun Child. 7834 SW Capitol Hwy, 7 pm, FREE

Also on Monday, two different Powell’s locations are hosting an author event. Charles Todd, a mother-and-son mystery writer duo, will be at Powell’s at Cedar Hills to present their newest mystery A Fine Summer’s Day about a series of murders in England and the race to solve them on the eve of World War One. 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., 7 pm, FREE

At Powell’s City of Books, novelist Tim Johnston will be reading from his newest book Descent about a teenage girl’s disappearance while on vacation with her family in the Rocky Mountains and that family’s subsequent spiral into pain, grief, and loneliness. 1005 W Burnside St., 7:30 pm, FREE

On Tuesday, Annie Bloom’s Books presents another Oregon author Deborah Lincoln and her historical fiction novel Agnes Canon’s War chronicling a young woman’s journey towards self-actualization through her marriage to her husband while struggling to keep their Pennsylvania community together during the Civil War. 7834 SW Capitol Hwy, 7 pm, FREE

Additionally on Tuesday, Jason Schmidt will be at Powell’s at Cedar Hills reading from his memoir A List of Things That Didn’t Kill Me, which has been described as having been written in the tradition of Jeannette Walls’ The Glass Castle. 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., 7 pm, FREE

On Wednesday, Broadway Books is getting a head start on celebrating the 100th birthday of the late poet laureate and teacher William Stafford. One of the many venues in which The Friends of William Stafford will be holding commemorative events throughout the next couple months, the bookstore’s Wednesday’s event is hosted by local author Joanna Rose with featured readings by authors Turiya Autry, Mark Pomeroy, and Harold Johnson. Audience members will have the chance to share their favorite Stafford poems following the featured readings. 1714 NE Broadway Ave., 7-8 pm, FREE

Meanwhile on Wednesday, Powell’s City of Books, debut novelist Fred Venturini will be joined in conversation with Chuck Palahniuk as the former presents The Heart Does Not Grow Back, his dark, comedic take on a superhero novel about a teenage boy who discovers he has the power to regenerate his own organs and limbs. Fred Venturini will be signing books afterward, but Chuck Palahniuk will not be, to the disappointment of any Palahniuk fans. 1005 W Burnside St., 7:30 pm, FREE

On Thursday, local author Rita Traut Kabeto will be at Another Read Through reading from her translated collection of several of Grimms Fairytales. Originally from Germany, the selections were the same ones included in a third grade German reader she herself read as a child. 3932 N Mississippi Ave., 7-8 pm, FREE

Thursday wraps up at Powell’s City of Books with a creative nonfiction account written by Matt Love, one of two chief suspects in the biggest jewelry in Portland history, Rose City Heist: A True Crime Portland Tale of Sex, Gravy, and Almost Rock and Roll. 1005 W Burnside St., 7:30 pm, FREE

On Friday, the one and only Brandon Sanderson, author of the Mistborn Trilogy and Stormlight Archives series and coauthor of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series will be at Powell’s at Cedar Hills promoting the second book in the Reckoners, his new YA series. 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., 7 pm, FREE

Also on Friday, Graeme Simsion will be at Powell’s City of Books presenting The Rosie Effect, the sequel to the NYT best-selling romantic comedy The Rosie Project, in which Rosie and Don, now happily married and are now wading their way through the trials and tribulations of pregnancy. 1005 W Burnside St., 7:30 pm, FREE

Finally on Sunday is the usual Portland Poetry Slam held at the Glyph Café. 804 NW Couch St., 5-7 pm, $5 donation