Literopolis: A Weekly Round-up Of Portland Literary Events

Monday, October 27, 2014

GoLocalPDX Arts Team

Photo credit: iStock

Rain, wind, rain. ‘Tis the season to curl up with a good book and a hot toddy. But if you can brave the crazy weather, there is plenty afoot for lovers of all thins literary this week. So get your raincoats on, dear readers, and get ready for some citywide book delights.

Monday kicks things off nicely with Canadian-British blogger Cory Doctorow at Powell’s, reading from his latest book Information Doesn’t Want to Be Free (McSweeney’s). This latest book “takes on the state of copyright and creative success in the digital age” according to the author’s website. FREE 7.30pm, 1005 W Burnside St

Portland’s own Lois Leveen will be reading at Broadway Books on Tuesday from her latest novel, Juliet’s Nurse (Atria Books). It’s an imagining of the life of the famous character in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, identified in the play as Nurse to Juliet. FREE 7pm, 1714 NE Broadway St.

Fantasy writer and major bestseller Patrick Rothfuss is in town on Tuesday for an event at the Newmark Theater. The author of The Kingkiller Chronicle will be reading from his new novella, The Slow Regard of Silent Things, a story about one of the series’ characters, Auri. Tickets are $28.95 but include a copy of the book. 7.30 pm, 111 SW Broadway

Former covert CIA operations officer Valerie Plame, who went on to co-write the Vanessa Pierson novels, will be in Powell’s at Cedar Hills Crossing to read from the latest Pierson book, Burned (Blue Rider Press). She’ll be joined in conversation by Tanya Selvaratnam, author of The Big Lie: Motherhood, Feminism, and the Reality of the Biological Clock. FREE 7pm Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd.

Also on Tuesday, local author Molly Gloss reads from her new book Falling from Horses (Houghton Mifflin), a tale about a young cowboy who becomes a stunt rider in Hollywood. FREE 7.30 pm 1005 W Burnside

If you miss Gloss on Tuesday, you get a second chance on Wednesday as she hits Annie Bloom’s books for another reading. FREE 7pm 7834 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland, Oregon 97219

The third episode of The Archive Project, Literary Arts’ audio retrospective celebrating 30 years of their Arts & Lectures series in partnership with OPB, hits the airwaves on Wednesday at 9pm. This week, it’s a lecture from October 21, 2010 featuring the Pulitzer-winning poet Natasha Trethewey, during which she explains her obsession with examining black history in the South, from the days of slavery to the Hurricane Katrina disaster in Mississippi.

Author of sci-fi futurism (and the man who coined the term “cyberspace”) William Gibson is at Powell’s on Wednesday to read from his new book The Peripheral. FREE 7.30 pm, 1005 W Burnside.

Wednesday sees some kitchen-inspired conversation between Dana Cowin, longtime editor-in-chief of Food & Wine and Liz Crain, author of Food Lover’s Guide to Portland. Cowin is in town to promote her new book, Mastering My Mistakes in the Kitchen (Ecco). The two will be in conversation at Powell’s at Cedar Hills Crossing. FREE 7pm, 3415 Cedar Hills Blvd.

More food-meets-books fun from Karen Page, who will be at Powell’s downtown on Thursday to promote her new book, The Vegetarian Flavor Bible (Little, Brown). FREE 7.30 pm, 1005 W Burnside.

Local author David Shafer reads from his debut novel Whiskey Tango Foxtrot – which the New York Times dubbed “the book of the summer” on its release earlier this year, at Annie Bloom’s Books on Thursday. FREE 7pm 7834 Capitol Hwy.

Also on Thursday, Literary Arts is hosting a Book release party and reading for Winged: New Writing on Bees, a new collection of literary writing on the relationship between humans and honey bees. 7pm, 925 SW Washington Street.

Friday brings Cuban novelist, Leonardo Padura, to Glyph Café & Arts Space for a reading in Spanish, with simultaneous English translation. Padura is the author of detective novels and three historical novels, including the acclaimed The Man Who Loved Dogs, on Trotsky and his assassin. FREE 5.30 pm 804 NW Couch

More cookbook delights at Powell’s on Sunday, with Dan Pashman, creator of food podcast The Sporkful, who reads from Eat More Better: How to Make Every Bite More Delicious (Simon & Schuster) FREE 7.30 pm, 1005 W Burnside

And at Glyph Cafe & Art Space, Portland Poetry Slam presents their weekly Sunday open-mic night. See Facebook for further details 7pm, 804 NW Couch St. $5 suggested donation

Banner Photo Credit: iStock