Arts & Media❯Books❯Author Talks

Portland Book Festival welcomes Molly and Meherwan Irani, the husband-and-wife team behind Asheville’s nationally celebrated Chai Pani Restaurant Group. Their flagship restaurant, Chai Pani, was named Outstanding Restaurant by the James Beard Foundation in 2022.

This year, Molly and Meherwan each bring a new book to the table. Meherwan has written No. 1 Best Indian Cookbook in the World: At-Home Recipes from the Streets, Truck Stops, Villages, and Palaces of India. Molly’s Service Ready: A Story of Love, Restaurants, and the Power of Hospitality was published earlier this year. Together, the books offer two very different—and deeply connected—perspectives on food, restaurants, and hospitality.

In celebration of Diwali—the Hindu festival of lights, marked by food, gathering, and celebration—Molly and Meherwan will join their longtime friend Chef Troy MacLarty at Bollywood Theater on Alberta Street for a collaboration. Bollywood Theater will serve a special menu inspired by recipes from Meherwan’s book alongside its own Diwali-inspired menu. It’s a gathering of longtime friends, great food, and two books that reflect different sides of a shared life in restaurants.

Both books will be featured at Portland Book Festival, and Molly and Meherwan will be on hand at Bollywood to meet guests and sign copies.

The In Bocca books are a curious and beautiful collection of 20 Italian cookbooks, each devoted to a different region of Italy. Originally published in the 1970s, they’re filled with recipes, hand-drawn illustrations, folk art, and wonderfully wonky English translations, offering a glimpse into the food and character of Italy from region to region. Long out of print, they’ve become cult objects for collectors and lovers of Italian food.

For the past three years, Cathy Whims and the Nostrana team have cooked their way through the entire collection, creating 19 dinners: one for each book. Now, for the Portland Book Festival, that journey comes to an end with Roma in Bocca the 20th book.

For this special finale, Cathy Whims is welcoming Italia in Bocca director Robert Serrini, an expert and passionate champion of these remarkable books. Robert will mingle with guests throughout the evening and document the dinner as part of a short film about Roma in Bocca. He also dreams of one day seeing the full collection published once again, bringing these quirky, art-filled books back into the hands of a new generation.

Whether you’ve followed the series from the beginning or are discovering these peculiar books for the first time, come take one last trip Italy in Bocca with us.

Cathy Whims recently published her own culinary book: The Italian Summer Kitchen: Recipes for La Dolce Vita. During this event her book will be available for purchase and signing.

Reservations required. Limited seating available. Paid reservations sold by Nostrana nostrana.com/romabook

Join an essential lecture by the acclaimed Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath. Jared Cooney Horvath (PhD, MEd) is a neuroscientist, educator, best-selling author and expert in the field of human learning. His new book, The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kid's Learning - And How to Help Them Thrive Again, pulls back the EdTech curtain and explains the research showing how digital tools in the classroom consistently undermine learning. It also explains how parents, teachers and schools can push back with purpose.

As a leading expert in learning and technology, Jared testified before the US Senate on EdTech and is an internationally sought-after speaker.

Sponsored by the Institute for Families and Technology and OR Unplugged.

• Thursday, November 5
• The Heathman Lodge | 7801 NE Greenwood Dr., Vancouver
• Doors Open: 6:00 p.m. | Program Begins: 6:30 p.m.

Live Wire joins forces with the Portland Art Museum for an afternoon of roving performances ahead of an evening recording of the program. The event coincides with PAM's monthly Free First Thursday and the Portland Book Festival's expanded programming. Performers will include poet and rapper Dessa, bestselling children’s author Mac Barnett, Pulitzer Prize Finalist Ed Park, and Portland comedian Mx. Dahlia Belle.

Free pop-up performances will take place throughout the Museum’s galleries, giving visitors a chance to catch live performances and storytelling while moving through the PAM spaces. Completely free through PAM’s Free First Thursday general admission. Also, enjoy a fully seated, ticketed Live Wire taping hosted by Luke Burbank with announcer Elena Passarello, featuring a blend of interviews, comedy, and music performed live for the audience, then edited into an episode for broadcast to over 200 public radio stations nationwide.

Visitors can take in the afternoon gallery pop-ups, the evening show, or both.

In this stunning and compulsively readable memoir, the Oscar-winning star of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, The Goonies, and Everything Everywhere All at Once, Ke Huy Quan, tells the story of his journey from Vietnamese refugee to 80s child star to the most inspiring comeback in Hollywood history. Interviewed by OPB’s Dave Miller. Ke Huy Quan’s Hollywood adventure began when he was twelve years old, a mere five years after his family escaped Communist Northern Vietnam and settled down to a relatively peaceful life in L.A.’s Chinatown. After attending an open call audition on a whim, he was unexpectedly swept up in the wild world of filmmaking: learning to swim from Harrison Ford on the set of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, receiving trucks full of toys from Steven Spielberg and George Lucas for his birthday, meeting Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker, and making lifelong friends on the set of The Goonies.

A star of two of the most beloved movies of the ‘80s, there appeared to be no limit to Ke’s rise. But just a few years later, the roles had dried up and it seemed like Hollywood no longer had a place for him. He eventually left acting to work odd jobs behind the scenes for directors like Wong Kar Wai. His confidence was badly shaken, but his love of performing never abated. It wasn’t until decades later, when he was 49 years old, that he stepped back in front of the camera to star in a strange little indie film called Everything Everywhere All at Once, which surprised everyone with its incredible box-office and awards season success. To call Ke’s Oscar-winning performance a triumphant return would be an understatement.

In this moving, inspirational memoir, Ke paints a vivid self-portrait, telling both heart-wrenching and funny stories of his early rise, slow fall from the spotlight, the resilience that kept him going through his darkest times, and his eventual resurrection on one of the biggest stages in Hollywood. Never Say Die is the story of Ke’s extraordinary life, a love letter to the movies and people that shaped him, and a powerful testament to never giving up on your dreams.

Inspired by Davide De Pierro’s newly released novel The Letters I Never Sent, his live show blends personal storytelling, humor, and audience conversation. Throughout the night, De Pierro will deliver a monologue and read selections from the book, followed by an open Q&A with the audience. Limited meet-and-greet opportunities will also be available for those who purchase in advance. Davide is a New Jersey native that has cultivated over 3M followers on TikTok and 2.7M followers on Instagram and has been earning millions of views online. Known for his commentary on relationships, finances, and those relatable moments that capture the human experience, Davide is excited to be expanding into a fresh medium.

A special one-night Korean Americana collaboration dinner at Jeju featuring Chef Andrew Lim of Perilla (2026 Jean Banchet Nominee, 5x Michelin Bib Gourmand), Chef Peter Cho of Jeju & Han Oak (2x James Beard Finalist), and Dave & Lois Cho of Cho Wines (Oregon's first Korean American winery). Expect wood-fired cooking, Willamette Valley wine, and Korean American pride.

Authors Willy Vlautin (The Left and the Lucky) and Valeria Luiselli (Beginning Middle End) sit down to discuss their new novels and the intergenerational relationships at the center of their stories. Each story presents adult characters struggling through uncertain circumstances, but who find purpose, levity, and perspective in the children that rely on them. Moderated by Matthew Trueherz.

This ever-popular event will be emceed by local entertainer Enrique E. Andrade, who is a member of the ensemble cast of Marigolds y Memorias, this year’s centerpiece theatrical attraction for the Milagro Central Eastside Muertos Celebration. Originally from Mexico City, Andrade is an accomplished actor and voice-over artist who has appeared in more than two dozen Milagro productions, as well as working at Portland Story Theater and 3rd Angle Music Ensemble. His screen credits include Leverage, Grimm, and The Librarians. The evening’s headline entertainer is Portland’s own Yissel Lopez, who has won over audiences with her captivating Latin pop and Mariachi fusion music.

Guests will dine on a uniquely prepared three-course dinner catered by beloved Portland restauranteur Lucy de Leon, featuring dishes from both her new downtown hotspot, Madrina Cocina Mexicana, and the Eastside La Patroncita, famous for serving up a fusion of time-honored recipes and innovative creations, lovingly prepared with the freshest ingredients and the essence of home. Wine for this special evening is provided by A to Z Wineworks, Oregon’s top-selling wine brand, which pursues its mission to offer dependable, quality wine which is accessible to all.

A guest favorite year after year, our silent auction of unique Mexican artisanal goods will again temp guests with beautiful, one-of-a-kind works of art and other cultural gems. And perhaps most important of all, a major draw of ¡Viva Milagro! is the opportunity to connect and spend time with a room full of Milagro friends and supporters!

Please note that any orders made with credit card are subject to additional processing fees.

For over 40 Seasons, Milagro has been dedicated to bringing the vibrancy of Latino theatre, culture, and art education to audiences in the Pacific Northwest and across the country. We provide a home for artists and audiences seeking authentic Latino cultural experiences. We value creativity and diversity; we welcome the risk of experimentation while respecting tradition; we empower our artists to think creatively and act collaboratively; we are often irreverent but never irrelevant.

In the coming season, we we’ll work hard to keep providing reduced ticket prices for students, to take our bilingual outreach efforts to more communities where the arts are lacking, to transform El Zócalo into a buzzing space for our community groups, and to bring talented artist residents to Milagro. However, we need your help to make this and more happen!

Sponsorships start at just $500.

For more information, please contact us!
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 503-236-7253

Broadway Books is thrilled to welcome Anthea Kreston with her debut memoir Crescendo: Chronicles of an Adventurous Violinist (Paul Dry Books, 2026). She will be joined in conversation with Ling Ling Huang, author of Natural Beauty and Immaculate Conception.

When American violinist Anthea Kreston, called “An Indomitable Spirit” by Yo-Yo Ma, is selected as the fourth member of Germany’s Artemis Quartet, it is the culmination of decades of dedication. In Crescendo, her enchanting and deeply personal memoir, Kreston writes about growing up in a well-to-do but difficult family in Chicago, leaving home at age sixteen, studying at the ultracompetitive Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia (Hilary Hahn was a classmate), then burning out and leaving it all behind for a commune in Oregon.

The In Bocca books are a curious and beautiful collection of 20 Italian cookbooks, each devoted to a different region of Italy. Originally published in the 1970s, they’re filled with recipes, hand-drawn illustrations, folk art, and wonderfully wonky English translations, offering a glimpse into the food and character of Italy from region to region. Long out of print, they’ve become cult objects for collectors and lovers of Italian food.

For the past three years, Cathy Whims and the Nostrana team have cooked their way through the entire collection, creating 19 dinners: one for each book. Now, for the Portland Book Festival, that journey comes to an end with Roma in Bocca the 20th book.

For this special finale, Cathy Whims is welcoming Italia in Bocca director Robert Serrini, an expert and passionate champion of these remarkable books. Robert will mingle with guests throughout the evening and document the dinner as part of a short film about Roma in Bocca. He also dreams of one day seeing the full collection published once again, bringing these quirky, art-filled books back into the hands of a new generation.

Whether you’ve followed the series from the beginning or are discovering these peculiar books for the first time, come take one last trip Italy in Bocca with us.

Cathy Whims recently published her own culinary book: The Italian Summer Kitchen: Recipes for La Dolce Vita. During this event her book will be available for purchase and signing.

Reservations required. Limited seating available.

Alexis Nikole Nelson, best known to millions of fans as Black Forager, invites you on an adventure to discover the delicious and wild foods hiding in plain sight. Alexis captivates people with her joyful enthusiasm and deep knowledge of foraging and inspires them to explore the bounty of their own backyards, parks, and trails, and now she does the same in her eagerly awaited first book.

Happy Snacking, Don’t Die! is a one-of-a-kind collection of recipes and foraging wisdom that teaches you how to turn common plants, flowers, and fungi into yummy, plant-based meals. This unique work is almost like two books in one—foraging plant guide and vegan cookbook—organized by season to guide you through a year of appetizing discoveries. In spring, you’ll learn to pickle Magnolia flowers and turn Japanese Knotweed into a refreshing granita. Summer is for frying up Milkweed Buds, making Juneberry Hand Pies, and crafting Rosewater Baklava. When fall arrives, you’ll be making savory mushroom dishes (a.k.a. chicken of the woods) like Maitake steak and bacon. And in winter, cozy up with Pine Shortbread Cookies and Oyster Mushroom Chowdah.

Looking for the best brunch in Portland? Treat yourself and your loved ones to a 2-hour Willamette River cruise featuring a delicious buffet of breakfast and lunch favorites. Sip on mimosas (included) while enjoying live piano music and stunning river views.

• 2-hour cruise on the Willamette River
• Views of the Historic Milwaukie Waterfront and downtown Portland
• Freshly prepared Northwest brunch buffet
• Mimosas, house sparkling wine & sparkling cider
• Coffee and tea
• Assorted miniature desserts
• Reserved table
• Live piano player
• Historical narration available on outer decks or bring headphones for your cell phone to listen via an app (instructions provided; not available on Willamette Star or Crystal Dolphin cruises)

Celebrate Friendsgiving at Tualatin Estate on Friday, November 13th from 6 pm to 8 pm. You’ll enjoy a five-course small-plate pairings dinner from Sundial Baking, paired with a flight of Oregon-grown wines. Tickets are $70 per person, or $60 for Owners and Members, and include five small-plate pairings, a wine flight and a $10 bottle credit. Space is limited and reservations are required for this exclusive event. + View Menu 2024 Sauvignon Blanc paired with Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus 2023 Dry Gewürztraminer paired with Polenta & Pork Terrine 2023 Hannah Pinot Noir paired with Apricot Bacon Crostini 2022 Signature Cuvée Pinot Noir paired with Red Wine Braised Beef & Garlic Mashed Potatoes 2022 Quinta Reserva Port-Style Pinot Noir paired with Pumpkin Cheesecake pecan crust, salted caramel sauce

Can’t get spooked enough?! DARCELLE-O-WEEN IS COMING TO BRUNCH! 🎃

Get spooky, glamorous, and a little bit wicked at Darcelle XV Showplace this coming Halloween weekend!

Drag. Costumes. Cocktails. Big Halloween energy. Dress spooky. Win big prizes!

Doors open at 11.30am, show is at 12.30pm. Cover $32. Ages 21+

Make your reservations now!

Portland Art Museum invites the community to join a Free First Thursday event, offering free admission to the museum for all, plus a Live Wire event as part of the Literary Arts Portland Book Festival. Visitors can take in the afternoon gallery pop-ups, the evening show, or both!

4:30 – 6 p.m. — Free, pre-show, pop-up performances will take place throughout the Museum’s galleries. Performers are poet and rapper Dessa, bestselling children’s author Mac Barnett, Pulitzer Prize Finalist Ed Park, and Portland comedian Mx. Dahlia Belle.

Free First Thursday tickets can be reserved online one week in advance and are also available at the door.

7 p.m. — Enjoy a fully seated, ticketed Live Wire taping hosted by Luke Burbank with announcer Elena Passarello, featuring a blend of interviews, comedy, and music performed live for the audience, then edited into an episode for broadcast to over 200 public radio stations nationwide. Performers are poet and rapper Dessa, bestselling children’s author Mac Barnett, Pulitzer Prize Finalist Ed Park, and Portland comedian Mx. Dahlia Belle. Doors will open at 6:30pm.

GA Tickets are $15. Preferred Seating is $40. Discounts available to Portland Book Festival passholders.

Dessa is a singer, rapper, and writer who fell in love with language as a toddler—and just never got over it. Now, she works in fields that traffic in words: she’s recorded rap bangers as part of the fiercely independent Doomtree collective, released a live album with the Grammy-winning Minnesota Orchestra; contributed to The New York Times and National Geographic Traveler; delivered a TED Talk on the intersection of romance and neuroscience that’s notched more than 4 million views; hosted 2 seasons of behavioral science podcast Deeply Human (BBC/American Public Media); and published a memoir recounting most of the above called My Own Devices (Penguin Random House).

Mac Barnett, the 2025–2026 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, is a New York Times bestselling author of stories for children. Mac’s books have won many prizes, including two Caldecott Honors, three New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Book Awards, three E. B. White Read Aloud Awards and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, as well as several international prizes. He lives in Oakland, California. His latest book, illustrated by X. Fang, is Tom Nancy: The Sheep Who Swapped Brains with a Boy. From two of the most exciting picture book makers today comes a hilarious trickster tale and Freaky Friday switcheroo story: a sneaky, cheeky sheep named Tom Nancy has a brain swap proposal for an innocent farm boy named Felix that will change both of their lives forever. Laugh-out-loud, subversive, and totally unexpected.

Ed Park is the author of the novels Personal Days and Same Bed Different Dreams. He is a founding editor of The Believer, and has worked in newspapers, book publishing, and academia. His writing appears in The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, Harper’s Magazine, The Atlantic, and elsewhere. Profound, wily, and beautifully wrought, his new book Three Tenses: A Transmission from the Nineties is a meeting of memory and myth, confession and obfuscation, coalescing to offer a singular picture of creativity in action.

The princess of Portland comedy, best known for her breakout performance on the popular Netflix special Hannah Gadsby’s Gender Agenda, Mx. Dahlia Belle has been compared to a Swiss Army knife—different tools to extract sharpness, softness, vulnerability, hope, and wicked wit. She’s been declared one of “11 Trans Comedians… Funnier Than Dave Chappelle” by Out Magazine, repeatedly featured on NPR, and has written for Cosmopolitan Magazine, The Guardian, The Stranger, and Portland Mercury. Her live performances have included NW Black Comedy Festival, Upper Left Comedy Festival, SF Sketchfest, and an awkward conversation with John Waters and Piers Morgan. In the upcoming live taping of her comedy special Affirmed at Polaris Hall on November 22nd, Mx. Dahlia Belle delivers 60 new minutes of stand-up to celebrate and affirm being human in the modern world through a combination of the wholesome and mundane, anecdotes about house cats, liscivious foibles of the LGBT community, and an unapologetic account of her personal journey with gender-affirming care, all delivered with her trademark free form wit.

Free First Thursdays at the Museum and PAM CUT’s Tomorrow Theater aligns with the revitalization of the long-standing Portland art galleries’ tradition of opening their doors for openings, receptions, and events on the first Thursday of each month. In recent months art and culture organizations have joined to bring back this popular activity, including the Pacific Northwest College of Art and the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education in the North Park Blocks.

Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.

Parallel Worlds Bookshop and the Hollywood Theatre present a special author conversation with Jane Schoenbrun and SenLinYu, celebrating the release of Jane’s debut novel, Public Access Afterworld, followed by a screening of Schoenbrun’s acclaimed film I Saw the TV Glow.

When: November 5, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Where: Hollywood Theatre 4122 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, OR 97212
Tickets: $18 sold via Hollywood Theatre
Ticket price does not include a copy of the book. Preorder Here!

A mysterious realm waits on the other side of our screens. A dark force draws victims into its static. An unlikely hero must save them, and herself, from an electric hell.

Spanning decades and realities, Public Access Afterworld follows an unforgettable ensemble of outcasts and obsessive television viewers whose lives become entangled with a surreal pirate network. At the center is Bethany Peters, a trans content moderator working the night shift at a sprawling tech corporation. When a young streamer begins appearing in her feed and calling out to Public Access Afterworld, Bethany is pulled into a conspiracy stretching across screens, timelines, and realities.

A mesmerizing collision of speculative fiction, horror, conspiracy, and queer transformation, Public Access Afterworld marks the literary debut of the celebrated filmmaker behind I Saw the TV Glow and We’re All Going to the World’s Fair.

Jane Schoenbrun is an award-winning filmmaker and writer. Their films include I Saw the TV Glow and We’re All Going to the World’s Fair. Their newest film, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, starring Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder, releases in 2026. Public Access Afterworld is their first novel.

Tickets for the screening and conversation are sold through the Hollywood Theatre. Copies of Public Access Afterworld will be available for purchase onsite from Parallel Worlds Bookshop.

Jane Schoenbrun and SenLinYu will not be signing books. Pre-ordered books or books purchased at event will be pre-signed.

Still photography is permitted. Audio and video recording are not permitted unless approved in advance.

1. Public Access Afterworld by Jane Schoenbrun - Signed Edition
   (Pub Date: October 27, 2026)
   A mysterious realm on the other side of our screens. A dark force that draws victims into its static. The unlikely hero called to save them and herself from this electric hell. Public Access Afterworld is the profound, binge-all-night, headrush of a novel by the celebrated filmmaker of I Saw the TV Glow and Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma.

2. Alchemised by Senlinyu Signed Edition (Out Now)

3. Alchemised by Senlinyu 3 Volume Deluxe Boxset(Pub Date: October 13)
   In this riveting dark fantasy debut, a woman with missing memories fights to survive a war-torn world of necromancy and alchemy—and the man tasked with unearthing the deepest secrets of her past.

Sign up for the poster session here!

The 2026 Pauling Medal will be presented to Professor Wooley at the 2026 Pauling Medal Symposium on November 7, 2026, at Portland State University in Portland, OR, in recognition of her pioneering studies.

Information about the symposium is posted at the Pauling Medal web page. The symposium includes lectures by eminent scientists and the awardee, a student poster session, a reception, and an evening banquet with presentation of the Pauling Medal to Professor Wooley.

The symposium is free and open to the public. The Awards Dinner is open to the public but requires advance purchase of a banquet ticket. Please visit the Pauling Medal web page for event details and banquet tickets.

Schedule:

• 11:00am - 1:00pm: Poster Set-up Time
• 1:00 - 5:30pm: Symposium in Hoffman Hall
  Symposium speakers
  • Prof. Geoff Coates, Cornell University
  • Prof. Craig Hawker, University of California, Santa Barbara
  • Prof. Doug Keszler (emeritus), Oregon State University
  • Pauling Awardee, Prof. Karen Wooley, Texas A&M University
• 5:30 - 7:00pm: Reception and poster session in SRTC lobby
• 7:00 - 10:00pm: Banquet and award lecture in Hoffman Hall

Join a special evening with trailblazing drag artist, activist, and political candidate Marti Cummings and Portland-based constitutional law professor and author Robin Maril. Before the film, Marti and Robin will sit down for a live conversation about queer representation, civic engagement, and the power of showing up for your community. The conversation will be moderated by Kyndall Mason of Basic Rights Oregon.

Following the conversation, stick around for Queen of New York, the acclaimed documentary following Marti Cummings’ groundbreaking 2020 campaign to become one of the first openly nonbinary members of the New York City Council. This evening also celebrates the launch of Robin Maril’s new book, A Queer Guide to Saving American Democracy. Copies will be available for purchase on site.

ON SCREEN: Queen of New York

2023. Directed by Emma Fidel. Runtime: 1 hour 20 minutes.

Welcome to a different kind of drag race. As NYC emerges from the chaos of 2020, Marti Cummings (they/them), an audacious and big-hearted drag queen, goes all out in a historic bid to become a City Councilperson. It’s one of the most hotly contested Council races in years, and Marti’s strongest competitor is Shaun Abreu, a tenants’ lawyer with deep roots in the district’s Latinx community. As these first-timers race to do the most good for their Upper Manhattan neighbors, they offer very different visions for Democratic politics — one in a suit and tie, the other in combat boots and floral print. As this immersive documentary reveals, Marti’s passion inspires queer activists and allies to change the political system. Their campaign becomes a community of its own, especially for Marti’s non-binary peers who have never before seen themselves represented.

Young adult authors, Maggie Stiefvater (The Dream Thieves) and Isabel Cañas (The House of Gardenias) come together for a conversation on the hauntingly enchanted worlds in their latest releases. In the newest installment of the graphic novel iteration of The Raven Cycle, Stiefvater and adapter Sas Milledge bring the original text to life with rich illustrations and suspenseful panels. Like Stiefvater, Cañas expertly constructs a gothic world threatened by an unimaginable ancient power. Moderated by Alicia Tate, these authors discuss the mythical worlds they built and the characters that try to understand them.

The second book in Maggie Stiefvater‘s #1 NYT bestselling series The Raven Cycle, now gorgeously illustrated as a graphic novel!

Ronan Lynch is made of secrets. His longest kept one? He can pull impossible things out of dreams. It’s a secret that’s nearly killed him more than once. Waking the corpse road should have led Blue and the Raven Boys straight to Glendower, the Whelsh king rumored to be sleeping beneath the mountains of Henrietta. But instead, the forest of Cabeswater has disappeared, energy hums and sputters beneath the town, and the Raven Boys’ search is at a dead end.

Ronan’s dreams may be the key to finding Glendower, but none of the Raven Boys are prepared for what will be unleashed in Ronan’s desperate attempt to finally control his power. Reimagined as a stunning full-color graphic novel adapted and illustrated by Sas Milledge, Dream Thieves blurs the line between reality and nightmare until they are one and the same.

A debut gothic YA from the USA Today bestselling author of The Hacienda and The Possession of Alba Díaz Sixteen-year-old Minerva has endured hunger, violence, and unrest in a capital city inspired by colonial Mexico.

Determined to escape her father’s cruelty, she reinvents herself in a wealthy loyalist enclave, becoming lady’s maid to the formidable widow Encarnación del Valle.

For the first time, Minerva knows stability with regular meals, warm light powered by magical chispa, and a measure of protection. When a ruthless regime rises to power, the household withdraws to the del Valle family’s secluded estate, Casa de las Gardenias. There, amid resentful heirs and rigid social hierarchies, something far older than the nation’s turmoil waits in the shadows.

It’s a haunting, timely gothic novel that weaves Mexican history, class tension, and supernatural dread.

Gumba's first winemaker and grower dinner in their new space, featuring Jarad Hadi of Grape Ink for one night only. Guests will taste Willamette Valley wines paired with special dishes and possible surprise courses.$157 per ticket includes gratuity

Come experience one of the largest pop-up art movements to hit North America over the past decade. Celebrating over 15 years of serving free pancakes and introducing you to some of the nation's leading emerging artists. The LA-based event originated in 2009 and has since popped up more than 500 times in 35+ cities around Europe and North America.

Batter sizzles, beer foams, and canvas lines the walls from ceiling to floor as hundreds, sometimes thousands, of revelers indulge in endless pancakes.

This is no stuffy wine-and-cheese, pretentious, someone-gag-me art event. It’s an innovative reimagining of the art show concept. A welcoming vibe for up-and-coming artists to sell and strut their stuff in a free-verse, anything-goes environment.

2026 Cinnamon Bear Cruise Dates:
Saturday, 11/28
Sunday, 11/29
Saturday, 12/5
Sunday, 12/6
Saturday, 12/12
Sunday, 12/13
Saturday, 12/19
Sunday, 12/20
Monday, 12/21
Tuesday, 12/22
Wednesday, 12/23
Thursday, 12/24
Saturday, 12/26
Sunday, 12/27

Boarding: 9:00 am
Cruising: 9:30 am – 11:30 am

• 2-hour cruise on the Willamette River
• Plated hot breakfast (eggs, potatoes, bacon, fruit and pastries) for adults & youth, excludes infants
• Hot cocoa, orange juice, coffee and hot tea
• Souvenir photo with Cinnamon Bear for every child 12 and younger
• Signature Cinnamon Bear treat for youth
• Character storytelling, autograph sessions and magic show
• Reserved table
• Service gratuity

Boarding Location:
Salmon Springs Dock
1010 SW Naito Pkwy, Portland, OR 97204

Return Details: Returns to original departure point.

Tickets start at $72 for adults or $52 for children 12 and younger. Cinnamon Bear has been a holiday tradition for generations and you’re invited to make this season one your child will remember forever.

Reservations available at portlandspirit.com/cinnamonbear or by calling 503-224-3900.

BOLD is thrilled to host The Body Has Teeth: A Reading and Conversation with Amy Baskin, David Loring Nash, Anthony DiPietro, and Summer Stewart.

Four writers enter the dark from different doors. Anthony DiPietro’s poems move through gay love, sex, and the strange repetitions of desire. Amy Baskin gives Lilith—the first woman, cast as a demon—her fierce voice. Summer Stewart’s poems and essays expose the scripts written onto women’s bodies and lives. In David Loring Nash’s Northwoods, witchcraft, revenge, and human folly wait just beyond the treeline. Join them for a reading, followed by a conversation led by Summer Stewart.

The Portland Grief House invites you to join The Lost Table, a resilient, welcoming space to gather in community and share experiences of loss. Bring a dish, pull up a chair, and share your heart in good company. Grief can be hard to understand, and sometimes what is needed most is community, conversation, and food. During the gathering, each participant will have a few minutes to share their grief in whatever way feels right—whether it's someone who is missed, something that has changed, a loss being carried, or an experience that continues to shape. While one person shares, the rest will listen with care and presence. Save time at the end of the evening to thank one another and connect, but please refrain from interrupting or responding during the sharing portion.

Día de Muertos and the month of November invite you to reflect on and remember loved ones who have passed—a time to celebrate their lives and meet death not with fear, but with love, memory, storytelling, and even humor. Mario Mesquita will lead an opening creative activity exploring memory and the role of cuisine in honoring loved ones, building toward a collective community tribute. Participants are welcome to bring a photograph of a loved one or create an offering featuring their loved one's name.

Bea Ogden will present the Hungry Ghost tradition and make an offering for the community ofrenda, opening a cultural exchange around how different traditions honor and remember the dead. Mario and Bea will also guide participants in writing a community poem, inviting each person to contribute a line or dedication to place on the altar.

Please bring:

• A dish to share, along with any serving utensils it requires. You're welcome to bring something simple—such as a bag of chips or fresh fruit—or a favorite dish that reminds you of a loved one.
• Your own dinnerware (plate, bowl, utensils, and napkin).
• Optional: A beverage for yourself if you would like something other than water.
• Optional: A photograph of a loved one to include in our community tribute

The Portland Grief House is honored to continue this tradition, originally started by Side Yard Farm. El Centro Milagro is excited to partner with Portland Grief House to create a welcoming space for both English- and Spanish-speaking community members to gather, remember, and heal together.

Portland Grief House les invita a unirse a La Mesa Perdida, un espacio resiliente y acogedor para reunirnos en comunidad y compartir nuestras experiencias de pérdida. Traigan un platillo, acerquen una silla y compartan su corazón en buena compañía. El duelo puede ser difícil de comprender y, a veces, lo que más necesitamos es comunidad, conversación y comida. Durante el encuentro, cada participante tendrá unos minutos para compartir su duelo de la manera que le resulte más natural: alguien a quien extrañamos, algo que ha cambiado, una pérdida que llevamos con nosotros, o una experiencia que sigue marcando nuestra vida. Mientras una persona comparte, el resto escucha con atención y presencia. Guardaremos tiempo al final de la noche para agradecer y conectar, pero pedimos que los participantes se abstengan de interrumpir ni de responder durante el momento de compartir.

El Día de Muertos y el mes de noviembre nos invitan a reflexionar y recordar a nuestros seres queridos fallecidos—un tiempo para celebrar sus vidas y enfrentar la muerte no con miedo, sino con amor, memoria, relatos e incluso humor. Mario Mesquita dirigirá una actividad creativa de apertura que explora la memoria y el papel de la cocina para honrar a nuestros seres queridos, construyendo hacia un tributo colectivo. Los participantes pueden traer una fotografía de un ser querido, o crear una ofrenda con el nombre de su ser querido.

Bea Ogden presentará la tradición del Fantasma Hambriento y hará una ofrenda a nuestra ofrenda comunitaria, abriendo un intercambio cultural sobre cómo distintas tradiciones honran y recuerdan a los difuntos. Mario y Bea también guiarán a los participantes en la escritura de un poema comunitario, invitando a cada persona a aportar una línea o dedicatoria para colocar en el altar.

Por favor traigan:

• Un platillo para compartir, junto con los utensilios de servir que necesite. Algo sencillo es bienvenido—como una bolsa de papas fritas o fruta fresca—o un platillo favorito que les recuerde a un ser querido.
• Su propia vajilla (plato, tazón, cubiertos y servilleta).
• Una bebida para ustedes mismos, si desean algo más que agua.
• Una fotografía de un ser querido para incluir en nuestro tributo comunitario (opcional).

Portland Grief House se siente honrado de continuar esta tradición, iniciada originalmente por Side Yard Farm. El Centro Milagro se emociona de asociarse con Portland Grief House para crear un espacio acogedor donde los miembros de las comunidades de habla inglesa y española puedan reunirse, recordar y sanar juntos.

Book Bar is a temporary bar, café and cultural clubhouse bringing cocktails, coffee, food, live music and literary programming to downtown Portland during Portland Book Festival week. Created and produced by Fuller Events in partnership with Literary Arts and Portland Book Festival, Book Bar transforms a vacant former restaurant space into a welcoming gathering place for readers, writers, artists and the community. Stop in before or after festival events, or make Book Bar a destination in its own right.

Poets Victoria Chang (Tree of Knowledge) and Beth Piatote (distant waters) sit down for a conversation on their recent publications andtheir evocative use of nature throughout their poems. Moderated by writer and editor Alyssa Ogi, this discussion promises a rumination on our shared home, oppressive efforts of erasure, and the art and language that we use to understand our world and ourselves.

FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD

A poet watches the limbs of a eucalyptus tree get sawed off: the image persists, refracting and recurring across poems of art, language, selfhood, memory, and loss.

Joan Mitchell said, When I talk about love, I mean loving a tree. When I talk about love, I mean loving where a tree used to be.

Men assess the eucalyptus tree growing on the poet’s street; a crane arrives. The sound of a chainsaw rings in the air and branches begin to fall. This tree-cutting haunts the poet and becomes the locus from which the rest of the collection spirals. It refracts across works by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Joan Mitchell, and Hilma af Klint, whose painting series lends the collection its title and who becomes a model for engaging with the world. At the core of the collection, the long poem “Eureka” examines the violent 1885 expulsion of Chinese Americans from the eponymous California town. Roving, evocative, and intricate, Tree of Knowledge is rooted in Victoria Chang’s crystalline voice and generous, probing gaze, and by certain images —trees, a hanging figure, a branch, fingertips, a briefcase—that resurface like apparitions.

As a scholar of Native American literature and law, Beth Piatote focuses on the endangerment of Indigenous languages. As an activist, she moves against the current of English-language colonization, working to rescue and revitalize the language of her people. Language, she posits, is an expression of land, a means through which we can travel great distances.

distant water brings the reader into the language of our shared home, North America, revealing a sonic world and grammar governed by rivers, kinship, and ancestral knowledge. “In our homes and homelands,” she writes, “we share the language with the plants and animals and waters and rocks and sky.” Inventive and playful, these poems explore the sounds, structure, and wisdom of the Nez Perce language, illuminating its vitality and capacity to organize relationships to time and place. Braiding aural, linguistic, and spiritual ecologies, distant water conveys an understanding that to be in language is to be in place. To be at home.

When Toni Morrison declares that she “can't wait for the ultimate liberation theory to imagine its practice and do its work,” she raises an issue at the heart of modern democratic life: What does freedom mean in the shadow of racial slavery and colonialism? While Morrison's literary achievements are widely celebrated, her contributions as a “revolutionary political thinker” remain underappreciated. Lawrie Balfour approaches Morrison’s political thought through her account of “word-work,” or the creative use of language, as a practice of freedom. First, Balfour considers Morrison’s defense of the necessity of writers to the flourishing of democracy and her reflections on the political implications of her own literary practice. Second, Balfour examines Morrison’s use of the language of “sovereignty” to convey what writers do, when they create worlds out of words. Third, she asks what Morrison might say about the part her novel Beloved played in the 2021 governor’s race in Virginia and concludes with some thoughts about the political urgency of Morrison’s word-work today.

Lawrie Balfour is James Hart Professor of Politics and a member of the American Studies faculty at the University of Virginia, where she offers courses on race, gender, democracy, and literature. She is the author of Toni Morrison: Imagining Freedom; Democracy’s Reconstruction: Thinking Politically with W. E. B. Du Bois; and The Evidence of Things Not Said: James Baldwin and the Promise of American Democracy. Lawrie’s current projects include a series of essays on reparations for slavery and a study of the Black feminist visions of the journal Freedomways (1961-1985).

Free and open to the public.

Please join us at the 23rd Annual Ray Warren Symposium on Race and Ethnic Studies for “Creating Collective Liberation: How to Come Together in Frightening and Isolating Times to Create Real Community and Lasting Change,” a keynote presentation by Ijeoma Oluo.

Ijeoma Oluo is a Seattle-based writer, speaker, and internet yeller whose books include Be a Revolution and the NYT bestseller So You Want to Talk About Race.

No registration is required. ASL interpretation will be provided. Free and open to the public.

After the talk, please join us for a reception and book signing in the Beth Miller Lounge. Books by the keynote speaker will be available for purchase.

Taberna Flamenca offers the best of Southern Spain in SE Portland. Enjoy authentic Spanish Tapas, a delicious selection of sangria and Spanish wines, and an exhilarating live flamenco performance featuring special guest dancer Amelia Moore of Oleaje Flamenco (Seattle, WA).

• Reserved seats include tapas and dessert from Bar Botellón.
• Dinner (bento) available for purchase by Bamboo Grove Hawaiian Grille.
• Offering special sangria cocktails and Spanish wine.

Featuring:

• Amelia Moore - Dance
• Nela McGuire - Dance
• Yeshe Wingerd - Vocals
• Brenna McDonald - Guitar

Authors Priyanka Mattoo (How to Be Less Useful) and Emily Nemens (Clutch) sit down to discuss their latest books that explore the pleasures and challenges of midlife. Whether in the fictional world of Clutch, or the personal stories in How to Be Less Useful, both authors question our professional prioritiesand the joy that really matters most. Moderated by author Maris Kreizman.

A delightful book about reclaiming pleasure in mid-life—a potent mix of self-help and memoir, from one of today’s wittiest, wisest voices.

“I have done everything right, and I have missed everything.”

When did our lives become entirely about efficiency and optimization? Especially as office workers, as parents, as consumers, as exercisers and healthy eaters. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all be less useful?

With self-deprecating humor, devastating insight, and bracing honesty, Priyanka Mattoo shares her own journey toward being a less useful human, to investigate why pleasure gets back-burnered in American culture.

Think about what we choose to systematically cut out or overlook as we mature: Solo travel. Dessert. Sweaty dancing. “Pointless” hangs with friends. And then there are the activities that used to be fun and have somehow lost their luster, usually in the decade between 30 and 40: Cooking (ruined by exhaustion). Bad tv (the algorithm). Other humans (bandwidth). Eating at restaurants (Instagram).

Mattoo takes on the zeitgeist, delivering invaluable, laugh-out-loud entertaining life lessons without an ounce of preachiness or pressure. She looks at where pleasure begins, what it serves, how we learn to repress it—in families, in friendships and romantic relationships, in jobs. And she shows us a way back: to identify and accept the things that give us pleasure, then to welcome them into our lives. What if, instead of being useful, we could all learn how to be happier, lighter, more present, more engaged? How to Be Less Useful is refreshing, funny, sparklingly astute, unignorable–a book for the current moment.

A close-knit group of women navigate mid-life’s biggest challenges—marriage, career, addiction—in what Lynn Steger Strong calls a “sharp, funny, utterly engrossing” novel.

“White Lotus with more sincerity and heart.” —Los Angeles Times

Named a Best Book by The New York Times Book Review, People, Los Angeles Times, Alta Journal, Bustle, and more

Bagichaa Indian Restaurant & Pizza celebrates its grand opening in Hillsboro with a lunch buffet showcasing Indian favorites, Indo-Chinese selections, Indian style pizzas, desserts and mango lassi. The buffet features dishes such as chole bhature, butter chicken, dum biryani and pani puri, along with a variety of Indo-Chinese options and fresh pizzas from the kitchen. Pricing is $19.99 for adults, $15.99 for seniors and for guests 15 and under, $12.99 for children 9 and under, and free for children 3 and under.

Welcome in the beginning of maple pulling season, for a one-of-a-kind culinary experience set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Pacific Northwest at Camp Colton. Collaborating with Stelo and the Oregon Maple Project for the Fourth Annual Big Leaf Maple Dinner, to present an intimate family-style dinner, where each course includes the maple syrup harvested from the maple trees at Camp Colton.

This thoughtfully curated evening is designed for those who value a deeper connection to nature, are curious about local food sources, and desire a connection to community. Begin your journey with a tour of the Sugar Shack, where you'll learn about the magic of maple sugaring and enjoy the rare treat of tasting fresh, homegrown Oregon maple syrup.

Use this as an opportunity to invite a friend, escape the ordinary and deepen your appreciation for Oregon's natural and culinary treasures, all while supporting the stewardship of this land and the mission of the Oregon Maple Project.

Join Erath and The Malarkey for a special evening that brings together two Oregon Originals. Hosted at chef Brian Malarkey’s downtown Portland restaurant, this winemaker dinner pairs seasonal cuisine with Erath wines for a one-night-only experience celebrating Oregon's flavors and spirit.

Throughout the evening, guests will enjoy a multi-course menu created by The Malarkey culinary team, thoughtfully paired with Erath wines selected to highlight the flavors, stories, and sense of place that define Oregon. Along the way, you’ll hear from Erath’s Head Winemaker Leah Adint and discover how a shared passion for hospitality, craftsmanship, and creativity continues to inspire both brands.

With limited seating, this is a rare opportunity to gather around the table for an unforgettable evening of food, wine, and Oregon tradition.

The Portland Princess Ball returns bigger, more enchanting, and more unforgettable than ever! Explore three magical ballrooms and meet nine beloved princesses as they bring their stories to life through special interactions, live performances, photos, and dancing.

Meet the royal team. These queens and princesses are kind, sweet, and gentle, with hearts full of love for children. They embody grace and warmth, ensuring every moment is magical. Many of the performers are professional dancers, actors, and singers, bringing their talents and charisma to life with every wave of the wand. Of course, they’re always true to character, making each experience unforgettable.

The princess roster:

• Ice Queen
• Ice Princess
• Cinderella
• The Island Princess
• Little Mermaid
• Beauty
• The Arabian Princess
• Snow White
• The Frog Princess

* Princess appearances are subject to change in case of illness, emergency, or circumstances beyond control.

Event Highlights:

• Nine enchanting princesses
• Famous princess songs performed live on stage
• Special princess interactions, photos, and dancing
• Three uniquely themed ballrooms
• Tea sandwiches, royal desserts, and princess tea
• Freshly scooped ice cream
• Two photo booths
• Two bouncy castles
• Glitter tattoos
• Princess crafts

L’Ecole No. 41, one of Washington’s most iconic wineries, and Bethany's Table are partnering in an incredible evening of wine and food. You'll taste 12 distinctive wines, paired with a delicious progression of small bites and substantial dishes crafted to complement every pour.

Discover what makes L’Ecole’s wines so special, meet fellow wine lovers, and settle in for a night of great food, great wine, and even better company.

Come hungry. Leave inspired.

Presented by Veganizer, World Vegan Month is back for its fourth year. Enjoy delicious food and drink specials at 35 participating businesses, from restaurants and bakeries to food carts and pop-ups. Enjoy vegan specials for a cause all month long. Collect stamps to complete a stamp card for a chance to win gift cards.

A portion of sales from each special will be donated to a cause chosen by that business. Together, we will support a variety of causes, including humanitarian, cultural, environmental, animal, equity and justice organizations.

World Vegan Month was founded in November 1994 to mark The Vegan Society's 50th anniversary. Today, World Vegan Month is celebrated worldwide to recognize the vegan movement and vegan communities everywhere. The World Vegan Month program is a way to celebrate in Portland while highlighting local businesses and raising awareness of important causes.

Jeff VanderMeer's internationally bestselling, critically acclaimed Southern Reach series has been translated into over 37 languages. The first novel, Annihilation, won the Nebula and Shirley Jackson awards, and was made into a movie by Alex Garland in 2018. Called "the weird Thoreau" by The New Yorker, VanderMeer’s nonfiction has appeared in Time, The Nation, the Los Angeles Times, and Esquire, among other publications.

A.L. Goldfuss writes speculative fiction which reviewers have called “rich,” “intense,” “complex,” and “rather grim.” Recent work has won the Brave New Weird award and appeared in The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy. Goldfuss lives in the Pacific Northwest with stacks of tea and carnivorous plants.

The Fall Author Series is co-sponsored by Spoke & Word Books. Special thanks to the Friends of the Ledding Library for providing the funding that makes this program possible.

Join acclaimed historian Lord Andrew Roberts for a fascinating look at the men who helped build — and ultimately unravel — Napoleon Bonaparte’s empire. In his new book, Napoleon and His Marshals, Roberts brings to life the extraordinary generals who served at Napoleon’s side, from the courageous Ney and flamboyant Murat to the tenacious Masséna, iron-willed Davout, and meticulous Berthier.

In 1804, Napoleon created the Marshalate, the highest military honor of the French Empire, and over the next decade elevated 26 of his most accomplished generals to the rank. Roberts explores their personalities, ambitions, rivalries, and complex relationships with their emperor, revealing how Napoleon’s leadership both inspired fierce loyalty and fueled destructive competition among his marshals. Ultimately, only two of the 26 would ride beside him at Waterloo.

Drawing on years of scholarship on Napoleon and his era, Roberts offers a dramatic and richly detailed portrait of the men whose military brilliance helped create Napoleon’s extraordinary empire — and whose rivalries helped bring it down.

This event is a co-production with The Chartwell Society of Oregon, a chapter of the International Churchill Society.

Join Mary Miller Doyle and friends for a presentation of Wonder Is a Lovely Place to Be: 365 Days of Wit, Wisdom, and Irrepressible Imagination by Brian Doyle and Mary Miller Doyle. Drawing from both beloved and previously unpublished Brian Doyle works, this collection of essays, poems and sketches invites readers to notice holiness woven through ordinary, everyday moments.

Mary Miller Doyle and John and Cindy McPhee will read passages from Wonder is a Lovely Place to Be and retired Lake Oswego Public Library director Bill Baars will host. We'll also be serving apple and marionberry pie, Brian's favorite flavors.

Brian Doyle (1956-2017) was the author of many books, including the novels Mink River and The Plover; The Grail, his account of a year in a pinot noir vineyard in Oregon; and The Wet Engine, a memoir about his infant son’s heart surgery and the young doctor who saved his life. He edited Portland Magazine at the University of Portland.

This program is supported by the Friends of the Lake Oswego Public Library. Participation is free, and no registration is required. Please note, seating is limited due to the size of the space. Seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.A livestream will be available.

Lake Oswego Public Library is located at 706 Fourth Street, Lake Oswego. For more information, contact Alicia Yokoyama at 503-534-4228 or [email protected]

(link sends e-mail)

Join Dandelion Teahouse & Melba’s Vegan Bakery for a special tea party in celebration of Halloween! Costumes are encouraged, so come wearing your best spooky outfit!

✨November 1, 2026

✨10:30am

✨109 W 7th Street Vancouver, WA 98660

Attendees will enjoy a flight of 4 different teas and a selection of baked goods, with the option of enjoying our special tea & pastry pairings or creating your own tea flight. After you have finished your flight, you will have the option of enjoying a full cup of your favorite tea to finish off the experience.

Menu:

Sweet Pastries:

2 Mini Apple Cider Donuts

Maple Chai Scone

"Vampire Bite" Chocolate Strawberry Bundt Cake

Savory Pastries:

Cheddar Garlic Scone

Recommended Tea Flights:

Option 1:

Masala Chai, Apple Pie, Earl Grey Creme, Creme Brulee

Option 2:

Holy Basil Chai, Pumpkin Pie, Caramelized Pear, Witch's Brew

Wildwood is the first book in the New York Times best-selling fantasy series full of magic, wonder, and danger from Colin Meloy, lead singer of the highly celebrated band the Decemberists, and Carson Ellis, the award-winning illustrator of Du Iz Tak and Home. Soon to be a major motion picture from LAIKA, the studio behind Coraline. Look for it on October 23, 2026! Moderated by Andrew Proctor.

Prue McKeel’s life is ordinary. She lives in Portland, Oregon, where it rains a lot. She has a mother and a father and a baby brother. Ordinary. At least until her brother is abducted by a flock of crows. And then things get really weird.

You see, on every map of Portland there is a big splotch of green in the center of the city labeled “I.W.” This stands for “Impassable Wilderness.” No one’s ever gone in — or at least returned to tell of it.

And this is where the crows take her brother.

So begins an adventure that will take Prue and her friend Curtis deep into the Impassable Wilderness. There they uncover a secret world in the midst of violent upheaval, a world full of warring creatures, peaceable mystics and powerful figures with the darkest intentions. And what begins as a rescue mission becomes something much bigger as the two friends find themselves entwined in a struggle for the very freedom of this wilderness.

A wilderness the locals call Wildwood.

WILDWOOD is a spellbinding tale full of wonder, danger, and magic that juxtaposes the thrill of a secret world and modern city life. Original and fresh yet steeped in classic fantasy, this is a novel that could have only come from the imagination of Colin Meloy, celebrated for his inventive and fantastic storytelling as the lead singer of the Decemberists. With dozens of intricate and beautiful illustrations by award-winning artist Carson Ellis, WILDWOOD is truly a new classic for the twenty-first century.

Technology has always shaped the way we’ve stayed informed, expressed ourselves, and stayed connected as communities. What lessons do earlier technologies, like print, hold for us today in the age of AI and digital overload? And why, despite the speed and convenience of newer technologies, is print more popular than ever?

At the end of the talk, audiences will get the chance to try printing on a portable press.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Geoffrey Turnovsky is professor of French at the University of Washington. His teaching and research focus on the cultural history of early modern France and Europe, and the history of print, books, authorship, and reading. He is the author of Reading Typographically: Immersed in Print in Early Modern France.

Geoffrey lives in Seattle.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”turquoise” border_width=”2″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1793313188911{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Reservations are now open!

Admission is FREE, but reservations are required due to limited seating.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”RESERVE A SEAT” color=”warning” size=”lg” css=”” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fthehistorictrust.rezdy.com%2F781920%2Fpermanent-ink-why-we-still-love-print-in-the-digital-age%3F_gl%3D1*zutbgg*_gcl_au*MTA5ODE3MTY3MS4xNzkwMjg5MTQzLjY2NDI0MTc5MS4xNzkwMjg5MTQ2LjE3OTAyODkxOTkuODQzMTY1ODM2LjE3OTAyODkxNDYuMTc5MDI4OTE5OQ..*_ga*MTM2NDc5Mzk1NS4xNzczODQ4NTkw*_ga_J7SXS0R0D6*czE3OTAzNTA1OTIkbzEyNSRnMSR0MTc5MDM3NTAyMSRqMzckbDAkaDY0Njc2MjQ1MQ..”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”10px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”turquoise” border_width=”2″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1791842995682{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]The Historic Trust Fall Speakers Series is Presented by University Village

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Few foods inspire the kind of irrational devotion like a good hot dog. Chef Farideh Sadeghin is bringing The Hot Dog Cookbook: 50 Recipes for the World’s Best Food to life with a special afternoon collaboration featuring some of the Rose City’s favorite chefs. Farideh will be joined by Peter Cho of Han Oak, Mika Paredes of L’Echelle, and Chef Sam Smith, each creating their own take on the hot dog inspired by recipes from The Hot Dog Cookbook.

Guests will enjoy samples of one hot dog from each chef, and a welcome cocktail.

Hang out and meet Farideh, Mika, Peter, and Sam. Bring your copy of the book or purchase one onsite to have it signed.

Ticket includes:

• Tasting of three chef-created hot dogs
• One cocktail (additional cocktails will be available for purchase)
• Meet-and-greet with Farideh Sadeghin, Peter Cho, Sam Smith, and Mika Paredes
• Book-signing opportunity with Farideh Sadeghin

Annam's 3-year anniversary dinner featuring a collaborative kitchen takeover with uncle Peter from @havl.noodles (Hà VL). The evening includes deep-cut à la carte Việt food, cognac, live jazz by Brian's Blade (featuring @chochu_local members @cmlgsn, @Aidan.jacobs._, and grateful_marcus), and a custom jade jewelry pop-up by Le Petit Hoa. Menu to be announced closer to the date; available until sold out.

The Portland Soup Showdown brings together Portland chefs and culinary teams for an afternoon of incredible soup, friendly competition, and community impact at Midtown Beer Garden. Taste your way through soups from Han Oak, Magna Kusina, Fabrika: Kachka’s Distillery and Zakuski Bar, Jacqueline, Olympia Provisions, Alma, Obon Shokudo, Norah, Tartuca, and more, then cast your vote for the People’s Choice winner.

A Chef’s Choice panel featuring Lisa Schroeder of Mother’s Bistro, Javier Canteras of Urdaneta, and chef and food industry professional Arielle Clark will crown its own winner.

Hosted by Quesa D’ Mondays, the afternoon will also feature raffle prizes, drinks, and plenty of friendly competition. Proceeds benefit Stone Soup PDX’s culinary workforce training and Community Meals programs, which prepare more than 2,100 meals each week for Portland-area community partners.

Portland Book Festival welcomes Molly and Meherwan Irani, the husband-and-wife team behind Asheville’s nationally celebrated Chai Pani Restaurant Group. Their flagship restaurant, Chai Pani, was named Outstanding Restaurant by the James Beard Foundation in 2022.

This year, Molly and Meherwan each bring a new book to the table. Meherwan has written No. 1 Best Indian Cookbook in the World: At-Home Recipes from the Streets, Truck Stops, Villages, and Palaces of India, releasing September 22. Molly’s Service Ready: A Story of Love, Restaurants, and the Power of Hospitality was published earlier this year. Together, the books offer two very different—and deeply connected—perspectives on food, restaurants, and hospitality.

In celebration of Diwali—the Hindu festival of lights, marked by food, gathering, and celebration—Molly and Meherwan will join their longtime friend Chef Troy MacLarty at Bollywood Theater on Alberta Street for a collaboration.

Bollywood Theater will serve a special menu inspired by recipes from Meherwan’s book alongside its own Diwali-inspired menu. It’s a gathering of longtime friends, great food, and two books that reflect different sides of a shared life in restaurants.

Both books will be featured at Portland Book Festival, and Molly and Meherwan will be on hand at Bollywood to meet guests and sign copies.

Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Less, showcases his wit, sophistication, and deep knowledge of focaccia in this tale of a young man who takes an unspecified job with a charismatic elderly Baronessa at her crumbling villa in the Tuscan hills. Interviewed by Lucy Feldman (TIME).

An aspiring archivist determined to begin a “serious” life after an undistinguished undergraduate career takes up residence in the Italian countryside. Here, he becomes the all-purpose assistant to the Baronessa, known to her friends as Coco, a defiantly youthful and naturally flamboyant woman of ninety-two. Amid a chaotic and colorful milieu of gin-swilling princesses, incomprehensible handymen, roaming boarhunters, nuns, and other local wildlife, our young man does his best to catalog the villa’s extensive collection of art and antiques—although he notices that things seem to go missing from right under his nose.

Despite himself, he tumbles into an affair with a married man, complicating his future plans considerably. And when the Baronessa loses someone close to her, he becomes an unwitting accomplice in the acceleration of Coco’s great and final plan: to locate the love of her life and be reunited before it’s too late. Told with the signature wit, charm, and humanity that made Less an international phenomenon, Villa Coco is a dazzling, sun-soaked ode to life itself, a meditation on how seriously we ought to take ourselves, and a bawdy Mediterranean ballad about becoming who we’ve always wanted to be.