Kids & Family❯Under 5

Children ages birth to 6 along with their families, elders, aunties and uncles are welcome for songs and stories celebrating Native cultures and building language and literacy skills. Presented by Native library staff. Attendance is limited and available on a first come, first served basis.

Join other Indigenous families for a welcoming playtime that strengthens cultural connection, shared learning, and builds meaningful relationships. Families experience an exchange of traditions while children build social skills in a safe space where everyone can be themselves.

Multnomah County Library storytimes are supported by gifts made to The Library Foundation.

Join Sharon Gan, founder of Heart Strings Mandarin, for a program specially designed for young learners. We will sing, move, play instruments, and tell stories. We welcome all levels of Mandarin fluency from absolute beginners to native Mandarin speakers. Recommended for ages 2-5 years. Space is limited and available on a first-come basis.

欢迎参加心弦中文的中文音乐律动课。
Sharon老师会和小朋友一起唱歌，跳舞，玩乐器，说故事，度过充实的三十分钟。
本课程适合二到五岁的小朋友，各种语言程度都可以参加。
名额有限，请速报名！

This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Lake Oswego Public Library and admission is free. The Lake Oswego Public Library is located at 706 Fourth Street, Lake Oswego. For more information, contact the Children’s desk at 503-697-6580 or visit the Library’s website at www.lopl.org/kids.

Experience the joy of Shabbat with this fun and engaging service for families with kids 5 and under. Join our wonderful early childhood educators and the Shabbes Mouse, for a lively Shabbat service. Enjoy singing, dancing, storytelling, and more!

Play and learning go hand in hand. Join other Black families in a fun playtime at the library with books, toys, music, and all the room you need to learn through play in a positive, affirming environment. As Mr. Rogers said, "... for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood."

Multnomah County Library storytimes are supported by gifts made to The Library Foundation.

Rabbi Eve Posen leads this interactive home service that welcomes Shabbat through song and stories for families with children 0-10.

Click here to RSVP and receive location details.

Portland Cantonese Play + Learnonce a month on saturdays | 10:00 am - 12:00 PM | free | SCHThe mission of Portland Cantonese Play + Learn is to connect Cantonese-speaking families by providing a nurturing environment where young children can develop strong language skills and deepen their connection to Cantonese culture. Through interactive language lessons, cultural activities, and community engagement, we empower families to celebrate and preserve their heritage while fostering bilingualism in the next generation.Join us for a once-a month gathering, complete with a language activity, storytime, crafts + open play!Dates:October 18November 22

The African and Black American experience comes alive for children from birth to age 6 (with their favorite adult/family members). Have fun with books and stories, songs, and movement activities in a positive and affirming environment. Black Storytime builds language and literacy skills your child needs to be ready for kindergarten. Attendance is limited and available on a first come, first served basis.

Children ages birth to 6 along with their families and friends are welcome to enjoy Native culture through singing, movement, crafts, and stories. Everyone is welcome! Presented by Native library staff. Attendance is limited and available on a first come, first served basis.

Multnomah County Library Storytimes are supported by gifts made to The Library Foundation.

A one-clown kaleidoscope of beauty, tradition, and tyranny — where a pansori diva, a K-beauty fanatic, and a self-proclaimed dictator collide in a hilarious search for identity and power.
In Take Me to Your Leader: The Seoul of a Clown, beauty, ritual, and absurdity collide in a one-clown fever dream. From the haunting rhythms of pansori to the fluorescent glow of a K-beauty altar, Monel Chang (aka Moldy Melon) shape shifts through characters both divine and deranged: a folk diva, a skincare-obsessed disciple, and a dictator throwing themself a birthday party.

Part satire, part spiritual exorcism, and entirely clown, this genre-defying solo performance unpacks the obsessions that bind — from perfection and purity to power and control. With live sound, ritual gesture, and a face full of toner, The Seoul of a Clown invites audiences into a surreal search for identity, laughter, and liberation.

Nagala so qayb gal waqtiga sheekoyinka caruured ee labada luuqadod, Af Somali iyo Ingiris aan ku qaban dono maktabada.

Children ages birth to 6 along with their families, elders, aunties and uncles are welcome for songs and stories celebrating Native cultures and building language and literacy skills. Presented by Indigenous library staff. Attendance is limited and available on a first come, first served basis.

Stories, songs and silliness make Shabbatot with our mini mensches extra sweet!

Children with their families, elders, aunties and uncles are welcome for songs and stories celebrating Native cultures and building language and literacy skills. Presented by Native library staff.

Multnomah County Library storytimes are supported by gifts made to The Library Foundation.

This event repeats every week on Monday.

Join Sharon Gan, founder of Heart Strings Mandarin, for a program specially designed for young learners. We will sing, move, play instruments, and tell stories. We welcome all levels of Mandarin fluency from absolute beginners to native Mandarin speakers. Recommended for ages 2-5 years. Space is limited and available on a first-come basis.

欢迎参加心弦中文的中文音乐律动课。
Sharon老师会和小朋友一起唱歌，跳舞，玩乐器，说故事，度过充实的三十分钟。
本课程适合二到五岁的小朋友，各种语言程度都可以参加。
名额有限，请速报名！

This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Lake Oswego Public Library and admission is free. The Lake Oswego Public Library is located at 706 Fourth Street, Lake Oswego. For more information, contact the Children’s desk at 503-697-6580 or visit the Library’s website at www.lopl.org/kids.

The Buena Vista Orchestra, also known as The Buena Vista Social Orchestra and Orquesta Buena Vista, celebrates the rich tradition of Cuban music with a repertory drawn from legendary bands and artists. The ensemble includes musicians connected to The Buena Vista Social Club, AfroCuban All Stars, and the bands of Celia Cruz, Omara Portuondo, Chucho Valdés and Willie Colón. Cuban violinist Rolando Morejón Reyes leads the group, bringing experience from Orquesta de Enrique Jorrín and work with Omara Portuondo, Willie Colón, Cachao López and Oscar D’León. The lineup features trumpeter Antonio Perigo, percussionist Miguel Valdés, pianist Helder Rojas, trombonist Yosmel Garcerarn and Latin Grammy nominee Pepe Epsinosa, among others. These artists and their related projects have toured internationally, earned widespread recognition with millions of tickets and records sold, and inspired documentaries and theatrical productions, making this the most prominent Cuban music project of its kind. Presented by SSK Music Presents, the performance continues a storied musical lineage while supporting new generations in the field. This event is open to all ages.

Norman Huynh, Conductor
Steiger Butte Drum and Singers, Native American ensemble
Members of Portland State University Chamber Choir, Ethan Sperry, Conductor
Oregon Symphony

STRAVINSKY Symphonies of Wind Instruments
Michael GORDON Natural History
Grace MIEDZIAK New work (Fear No Music Emerging Composers Fellow, Oregon Symphony commission)
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21

Inspired by Crater Lake National Park, Michael Gordon’s Natural History weaves Native and symphonic music in this paean to the natural landscape. Plus, hear works by two of classical music’s most intrepid pioneers: Stravinsky’s experimental musical essay on wind and brass sounds, Symphonies of Wind Instruments, and Beethoven’s vivacious and dramatic Symphony No. 1. Native Oregonian Grace Miedziak enhances the program with a new work that celebrates the Pacific Northwest.

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.

On Sunday, November 1st, Oregon Koto-Kai, the Japanese Koto Music Society of Oregon, will present its 15th Annual Fall Concert. This year’s concert will feature traditional and modern koto ensemble pieces selected to honor the koto mastery and memory of the late Kazue Sawai. The music will be complemented by beautiful art on stage created by local artist Satoko Motouji.

Kazue Sawai cofounded the Sawai Koto Institute based in Tokyo, Japan with her husband, koto master and composer Tadao Sawai. Not only was she the instructor and mentor to our Artistic Director, Mitsuki Dazai, but her passion and innovative playing style was an inspiration to our entire group and koto players worldwide. Our program honors that legacy with traditional pieces signature to her repertoire and boundary-pushing compositions from the Sawai catalog.

The Big Trans Comedy Show is a yearly comedy show featuring only trans identified comedians, and this is the biggest one yet, featuring multiple touring and well-loved comedians, plus a handful of your local favorites! Proceeds of this show will also benefit SMYRC, whose mission is to offer vital resources to 2SLGBTQIA+ youth in Portland.

Headlining the Big Trans Comedy show are 4 of the top trans stand-up comedians in the country, including Mx. Dahlia Belle, featured on Netflix. Ren Q. Dawe, a finalist for the Queerties and founder of the Here to Pee Comedy Tour. Hayden Johnson was selected for Just for Laughs’ New Faces and Netflix is a Joke Comedy Festivals. And River Butcher, featured on Comedy Central, has written and performed in several highly acclaimed television series, and was named one of ten comedians to watch by Vanity Fair.

This show also features Portland local favorite comedians Mack Lee, Moisés Araguaney, IMANI, and Portland’s Funniest Person of 2025 Ally J Ward.

Ages 18+

Ages 18 – 20 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Children ages birth to 6 along with their families, elders, aunties and uncles are welcome for songs and stories celebrating Native cultures and building language and literacy skills. Presented by Native library staff. Attendance is limited and available on a first come, first served basis.

Aterciopelados, Colombia's most influential rock band, is celebrating a landmark year in 2026 with the 30th anniversary of La Pipa de la Paz, the groundbreaking album that transformed Latin American rock and earned the band's first Grammy nomination. Led by Andrea Echeverri and Héctor Buitrago, the duo has spent more than three decades shaping Latin alternative music, earning 4 Latin Grammy Awards, two Grammy nominations (1998 and 2026), and releasing 10 studio albums that have made them one of the most influential bands in the Spanish-speaking world.

The La Pipa de la Paz 30th Anniversary Tour continues across the Americas and Europe, celebrating one of Latin rock's most iconic records. As part of the anniversary, Aterciopelados is releasing a commemorative EP featuring newly reimagined versions of songs from the album. The project launched with "Te Juro Que No," with additional singles and collaborations arriving throughout 2026. This year also marked the band's acclaimed NPR Tiny Desk Concert, which received widespread praise from critics and fans alike, reaffirming Aterciopelados as one of Latin America's most compelling live acts.

The African and African American experience comes alive for children from birth to age 6 (with their favorite adult/family members). Have fun with books and stories, songs, and movement activities in a positive and affirming environment. Black Storytime builds language and literacy skills your child needs to be ready for kindergarten. Attendance is limited and available on a first come, first served basis.

Join us for a lecture by Jordan Schnitzer School of Art + Art History + Design faculty member Carmen Ripollés, Professor of Art History, for a talk on her book, Josefa de Óbidos, which explores the life and work of one of the most influential artists of the Portuguese Baroque.

Drawing on years of research, Ripollés reexamines Josefa de Óbidos' remarkable career, revealing how she achieved extraordinary artistic and professional success in the 17th century while challenging traditional assumptions about women artists. The talk will offer new perspectives on Baroque art, women's history, and the enduring legacy of an artist whose work continues to reshape our understanding of the early modern Iberian world.

S. A. Cosby’s All the Sinners Bleed meets Percival Everett’s Erasure in this literary thriller following the grandson of a famous Black actress from the 1920s to the 1940s, now a filmmaker himself, who returns to his grandmother’s cabin retreat in the California mountains only to encounter the legacy of her rage born in Old Hollywood. Interviewed by Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya (Helen House).

Award-winning author Tananarive Due returns with the follow-up to the multi-award-winning The Reformatory in this generational novel of rage. With flashbacks to Johnny’s grandmother—who brushed shoulders with giants like Lena Horne, Clark Gable, and Hattie McDaniel—this novel explores three generations, beginning with Mazelle Washington’s life as a young actress. Fifty years after Mazelle’s death, Johnny will discover the secret she kept and nurtured since she was a child, when she had a dark wish come true.

A monster lurks outside Mazywood, hidden for generations, and Johnny brought his family to its hunting grounds.

Celebrating 20 years of cinema, culture, and community—a very special milestone celebrating two decades of building bridges between Latin America and Portland through film.

Over these 20 years, the stories have made audiences laugh, reflect, and feel deeply, while offering new perspectives on identity, collective memory, and cultural diversity. What began as a dream has grown into a vibrant community of filmmakers, artists, volunteers, sponsors, and audience members who believe in the power of cinema to bring the community closer together.

This year features the generous collaboration of musician and composer José Manuel Aguilera, who has authorized the use of his song "Confabulario"—from the album *Tinta negra y roja*—as the official theme for this anniversary edition. The official poster for the twentieth edition was designed by Gilberto Martínez and inspired by the work of renowned graphic artist Joel Rendón. Its visual power and rich symbolism reflect the creative spirit and cultural diversity that have defined the festival over the past two decades.

Each year, Milagro observes Día de Muertos with the premiere of a new production, altar displays, and community events with the Día de Muertos Festival. The Centerpiece event of the 31st Annual Día de los Muertos Celebration is Marigolds y Memorias, an original devised production inspired by the traveling carpa tradition, in which humor, music, and storytelling come together in a vibrant theatrical journey. Guided by an elder, a younger generation learns o build an altart, the heart of Día de Muertos, discovering the meaning behind each of its elements, from candles and marigolds to photographs, ofrendas, and cherished recuerdos. Through song, dance, and short theatrical vignettes, the altar gradually takes shape as an act of remembrance and cultural inheritance, inviting audiences to consider how traditions are taught, how memory is kept alive, and what is carried forward when we share rituals across generations.

Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a long-honored tradition with roots in Indigenous Mexican culture. Día de Muertos is observed annually in Mexican and other Latin American cultures on November 1st and 2nd as a remembrance of those who have passed. Individuals and families who honor this day set up ofrendas (altars) with offerings to their departed loved ones. Typical offerings include marigolds, calaveras, photos of the dead, and traditional food like “pan de muerto.”

Started in 1999 and organized by writer Willa Schneberg, this annual event features readings by prominent Oregon Jewish poets and writers. The writers in the 2026 program span a range of genres, including fiction, poetry, non-fiction, and essays. Each author will share selections from their work.

Join Portland Japanese Garden and experience the awe-inspiring artistry of NUNO, the iconic Japanese textile design studio. Featuring vibrant and compelling fabrics produced across eight specific regions of Japan, NUNO’s championing of small-community makers illuminates the breadth and depth of contemporary Japanese textile design. This unforgettable exhibition includes site-specific installations and a hands-on touch wall that will make you rethink your relationship to cloth.

Celebrate Día de los Muertos at M&M Marketplace with two days of culture, music, food, and family fun. Join us on Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1 from 2 PM to 7 PM for a free community celebration in Hillsboro.

Enjoy live music, traditional altars, Calenda, Calaveritas Literarias, a Concurso de Catrinas, food, shopping, and family entertainment. Bring your family and friends as we come together to honor loved ones and celebrate Día de los Muertos traditions.

Dates: Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1
Time: 2 PM to 7 PM
Location: M&M Marketplace, 346 SW Walnut St., Hillsboro, OR 97123
Admission: Free

¡Acompáñanos con toda la familia para celebrar nuestras tradiciones, recordar a nuestros seres queridos y disfrutar un fin de semana especial en comunidad!

A Tuareg singer/songwriter and guitarist who is known for his innovative and intense playing style, Mdou Moctar rose from a small village in Niger to earn viral success among West Africa's cell phone-trading network. An appearance on an American compilation in 2010 led to international recognition and further exploratory releases on the Sahel Sounds label. After starring in a Tuareg-language homage to Purple Rain, Moctar's sound continued to evolve as he pushed his musical boundaries as a multi-instrumentalist on 2017's Sousoume Tamachek. Subsequent albums like Ilana: The Creator (2019) and Afrique Victime (2021) found him infusing his African influences with wild electric psychedelia and full-blast rock and roll to widespread acclaim. 2024's scintillating Funeral for Justice saw Moctar take a stronger political stance on the injustices faced by Niger and the Tuareg people. A reimagined, all-acoustic version of the album was released in early 2025 as Tears of Injustice.

The African and African American experience comes alive for children from birth to age 6 (with their favorite adult/family members). Have fun with books and stories, songs, and movement activities in a positive and affirming environment. Black Storytime builds language and literacy skills your child needs to be ready for kindergarten. Attendance is limited and free tickets are available 15 minutes before storytime.

Choreographer Lai Hung-Chung makes dances of striking beauty and intention. “Birdy,” his captivating signature work for Hung Dance, moves between suspense and explosive energy, between the weight of tradition and the pull toward something new. Hung Dance blends traditional Chinese arts, including tai chi, Peking Opera, and classical Chinese music, with contemporary dance technique and driving electronic music, creating work that is poetic and rhythmic at once. What audiences see on stage is a world in constant transformation, where bodies bend and resist, images linger, and the tension between holding on and letting go becomes the dance itself.

TAIPEI CITY, TAIWAN

Birdy

“…a dreamy sensibility with astonishing athleticism in culturally sensitive modern dance performance.” —Charlie Smith, Pancouver

Sponsored by George & Nancy Thorn. White Bird’s Uncaged Series Sponsor: Ronni Lacroute

The Friday and Saturday performances will have pre-show talks. Come early to hear from the dancers from 6:15–6:45 PM. No ticket needed.

Join us November 3rd for the Hung Dance Lecture Demonstration, FREE with RSVP here .

The African and African American experience comes alive for children from birth to age 6 (with their favorite adult/family members). Have fun with books and stories, songs, and movement activities in a positive and affirming environment. Black Storytime builds language and literacy skills your child needs to be ready for kindergarten. Attendance is limited and available on a first come, first served basis.

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.

Based on the novel by Maurice Renard, this is the tale of Orlac (Conrad Veidt), a famous concert pianist, who is severely injured in a train wreck that fractures his skull and mutilates his hands. The supervising surgeon, however, decides to amputate Orlac’s ruined hands and replace them with the hands of a recently executed prisoner who was serving time for murder. Once the pianist recovers and realizes that his hands are those of a killer, he becomes too distraught to resume his career and begins to question his sanity. Who is that strange man who is shadowing him? Why do his hands seem to have a life of their own?

Limited number of discount passes to see all the films in the Weimar Germany: Queer Visions series while supplies last.

• Director: Robert Wiene
• Year: 1924
• Country: Germany, Austria
• Runtime: 92 minutes

Frybread Fest is coming back to Downtown Portland, and it’s going to be bigger than ever. Help celebrate Native American Heritage Month through food, culture, art, and community. Enjoy delicious frybread from several Indigenous chefs and explore a full day of Indigenous-led programming and experiences. Get an up-close look at traditional and cultural practices through salmon fillet, basket weaving, and hide tanning demonstrations, and take part in the celebration with a drum circle from Turquoise Pride.

The festival will also feature a variety of local vendors, giving you plenty of opportunities to shop, connect, and support Indigenous artists and makers. Miss Indian NW will join for a special meet and greet, too.

Come hungry, bring your friends and family, and spend the day celebrating Native culture, community, and tradition in the heart of Downtown Portland.

Each year, Milagro observes Día de Muertos with the premiere of a new production, altar displays, and community events with the Día de Muertos Festival.

Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a long-honored tradition with roots in Indigenous Mexican culture. Día de Muertos is observed annually in Mexican and other Latin American cultures on November 1st and 2nd as a remembrance of those who have passed. Individuals and families who honor this day set up ofrendas (altars) with offerings to their departed loved ones. Typical offerings include marigolds, calaveras, photos of the dead, and traditional food like “pan de muerto.”

Screening of Cronos, Guillermo del Toro's debut feature film, as part of the Portland Latin American Film Festival's 20th anniversary season (September 23 – November 18). $10 tickets.

Enjoy A Voice of Her Own / Una Voz Propia, an evening of music, storytelling, and film celebrating the cultures, stories, and extraordinary talents that immigrants bring to the state and communities—and standing with them when they need support the most.

The evening will feature live music and storytelling by Gemanereida Barragán-Cruz—Mariachi Singer and Storyteller, and culminate in the world premiere of a new 15-minute documentary about her extraordinary artistic journey and the power of her voice.

More than a film screening, this is an evening to gather in community, experience music and stories live, and celebrate Gemanereida and the many ways immigrant artists enrich the cultural life of our community.

Marigolds y Memorias is an original devised production inspired by the traveling carpa tradition, in which humor, music, and storytelling come together in a vibrant theatrical journey. Guided by an elder, a younger generation learns to build an altar, the heart of Día de Muertos, discovering the meaning behind each of its elements, from candles and marigolds to photographs, ofrendas, and cherished recuerdos. Through song, dance, and short theatrical vignettes, the altar gradually takes shape as an act of remembrance and cultural inheritance, inviting audiences to consider how traditions are taught, how memory is kept alive, and what is carried forward when we share rituals across generations.

Age Recommendation: All Ages
Estimated Running Time: 1 hour 30 minutes, including one intermission

Ticket Availability:

• Season Packages: Tickets may be secured now when you purchase a Milagro Season Package, offering savings of 12.5% – 20%, depending on the package specified.
  To see package options, please CLICK HERE.
• Group Sales: Groups of 10+ may book now to order.
  Please CLICK HERE to send us an email with your desired performance date/time, the number of tickets you are seeking.
  Your order will not be processed until after we have confirmed with you. Someone will respond to your email within approximately 72 hours.
• Single Tickets: On sale beginning Friday, August 21, 2026

Single Tickets:
Adults – $32
Seniors 50+ – $28
Students – $24

SHOW TIMES:

Children ages birth to 6 along with their families, elders, aunties and uncles are welcome for songs and stories celebrating Native cultures and building language and literacy skills. Presented by Native library staff. Attendance is limited and available on a first come, first served basis.

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 tudor choir
+ doug fullington

Tudor England (c1485–1603) was deeply unstable — yet monuments of its Latin sacred music survived, including the Sarum rite chant used before the Reformation. This chant formed the basis of devotional works by Taverner, Sheppard, Fayrfax, and Tye. It appears directly in several pieces on this program — among them Sheppard’s deeply moving Libera nos, whose chant melody is shown here. This music is inseparable too from the stone abbeys and cathedrals it was made to fill. These Stones Remain restores these masterworks to their spiritual home, performed by the Northwest’s own Tudor Choir.

• Sacred Masterworks from Tudor England

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

Jake Shimabukuro is a world-renowned ukulele virtuoso whose groundbreaking artistry has redefined the instrument for the 21st century. Hailed as the “Jimi Hendrix of the ukulele,” Shimabukuro has captivated audiences across the globe with his masterful technique, innovative spirit, and deeply expressive performances that seamlessly blend elements of jazz, rock, classical, blues, folk, and traditional Hawaiian music.

Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, Jake began playing the ukulele at age four, quickly developing a unique style that pushed the instrument far beyond its traditional boundaries. He first gained international recognition after his jaw-dropping rendition of George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” went viral, introducing millions to the ukulele’s untapped potential.

Over the course of his career, Shimabukuro has released numerous acclaimed albums, collaborated with an array of legendary artists—including Bette Midler, Yo-Yo Ma, Jimmy Buffett, Ziggy Marley, and Mick Fleetwood—and performed everywhere from the Sydney Opera House to the Hollywood Bowl and the Kennedy Center. His most recent projects showcase both his dazzling technical command and his growing focus on emotional storytelling through music.

Beyond the stage, Jake is a passionate advocate for music education and community outreach, frequently performing at schools and benefit concerts to inspire the next generation of musicians. Whether playing an intimate solo show or headlining with a full band, Shimabukuro continues to prove that the ukulele is an instrument of infinite possibilities—one that speaks a universal language of joy, connection, and hope.

As the trailblazers of progressive Irish dance, Trinity Irish Dance Company has spent 35 years redefining the art form through the vision of Founding Artistic Director Mark Howard. This family-friendly program, featuring live music from the company’s own folk-rock band, draws from new and classic Trinity repertoire. Highlights will include the Portland/Northwest premieres of “Pasture Bedtime, Bleating Hearts,” a whimsical work by Portland’s own Ashley Roland and Jamey Hampton of BodyVox; “Séseacht,” choreographed by renowned tap dancer Michelle Dorrance in collaboration with the company; and “The Sash,” choreographed by Mark Howard, Chelsea Hoy, and Stephanie Martinez. Trinity has sold out stages across Europe, Asia, and North America—a tradition kept restlessly alive through their distinct artistry.

Hailed by France Musique as the new face of the classical guitar, Djibouti-born French guitarist Raphaël Feuillâtre regularly delights audiences and critics worldwide with his charismatic artistry, embracing everything from Baroque-period repertoire to compositions by trailblazing contemporary composers. His jaw-dropping precision, technical mastery, and creative vision make works from all time periods sound as if they were written yesterday–alive, heartfelt, and filled with color. Don’t miss a passionate evening of Latin music, including many of Feuillâtre’s own arrangements.

Todd McGrain’s original bust of York, the enslaved man who was the only African American member of the Lewis and Clark expedition, was secretly installed on Mount Tabor Park in 2021. It was placed on the vacant pedestal where a statue of Oregonian editor Harvey Scott (1830-1910), a known racist, once stood. The surprising appearance of York, with no artist name attached to the work, is a local example of the protest art being created in the wake of political and social unrest. The unsanctioned installation of the original bust made a significant contribution to the spirited dialogues on American history, systemic inequality, and public monuments happening across the nation.

Made of mere plaster and paint, the original bust sustained damage from several acts of vandalism, inspiring McGrain to come forward and offer a bronze version of the bust to the city. This Spring, the Portland Art Museum debuted the bronze bust of York, temporarily, as a part of the 2026 Oregon Contemporary Artists’ Biennial: The Price of the Ticket. In collaboration with Oregon Contemporary and the City of Portland’s Office of Arts & Culture, Portland State University, a community survey was offered to give Portlanders the opportunity to share their thoughts on where the monument should be placed for the long term.

Join us for a thoughtful discussion around McGrain’s act of protest and York as a historical figure significant to the history of Portland and the wider nation. Led by biennial curator and historian TK Smith, the panelists will include: Todd McGrain, artist of the York portrait; Intisar Abioto, artist and curator who recently curated Black Artists of Oregon at the Portland Art Museum; Eric Fredericksen, the public art administrator of the City of Portland; and Zachary Stocks, historian and executive director of Oregon Black Pioneers.

TK Smith is an award-winning writer, curator, and cultural historian. He has over ten years of experience as an independent curator. Most recently, he served as Curator, Arts of Africa and the African Diaspora, Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University. Previously, Smith served as Assistant Curator: Art of the African Diaspora at the Barnes Foundation. Smith’s writing has been published in exhibition catalogues, academic journals, and periodicals, including Art Papers where he is a contributing editor. He has been a visiting lecturer at numerous academic and cultural institutions, including Cornell University. Smith is a doctoral candidate in the History of American Civilization program at the University of Delaware, where he is completing his dissertation entitled, “Granite, Power, and Piss: The Transformation of a Confederate Symbol.”

Intisar Abioto, born in Memphis, TN, is an explorer-artist working in dance, writing, photography, and curation. In long-form projects encompassing the visual, folkloric, documentary, and performing arts, her works consider the breath/ breadth of people of African descent against the expanse of their storied, imaginative, and geographic landscapes. She has produced The People Could Fly Project and The Black Portlanders, among others. In 2017 she began original research on the history and presence of Black artists in Oregon which led to the curation of the 2023 Black Artists of Oregon exhibition at the Portland Art Museum. Black Artists of Oregon: Continuum, an accompanying exhibition catalogue is forthcoming in 2026.

Eric Fredericksen is the public art administrator of the City of Portland, where he oversees the management of the City’s 1,700-piece collection and guides the Percent for Art program. From 2017 to 2025 he led the public art program at the City of Vancouver, BC, with a focus on artist-led approaches to public art: extending open invitations for artists to propose ideas outside the limits of a predetermined site, theme, or medium. He also worked with public and private partners to dramatically increase the visibility and voice of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations on their unceded territories through art commissions in traditional and contemporary forms. He was previously the Waterfront Art Program Manager for the City of Seattle, where he commissioned significant public artworks by Ann Hamilton, Qwalsius – Shaun Peterson, Norie Sato, Buster Simpson, Oscar Tuazon, and Stephen Vitiello. As the founding director of Western Bridge, Seattle, he organized exhibitions and commissions from 2004 to 2012, and he began his career as a writer and editor at Architecture magazine and The Stranger. As an independent curator, he has curated exhibitions at the Contemporary Art Gallery, Or Gallery, and Artspeak, all in Vancouver; the Noorderzon Festival, Groningen, the Netherlands; and Open Satellite, Bellevue, Washington.

Born in 1961, artist Todd McGrain’s early career as a sculptor involved apprenticing in bronze casting facilities, where he gained hands-on experience assisting prominent sculptors of the previous generation. In 1996, McGrain received a Guggenheim Fellowship, enabling him to study major art collections across the United States and Europe, with a focus on Italian Renaissance art. In 2000, his focus shifted to creating public memorials for bird species that have become extinct in the modern era, permanently installed at sites of historical significance to each species. This ongoing project has been widely exhibited at art centers, galleries, and public gardens, including the Smithsonian Institution, Cornell University, and Stanford University.

Zachary Stocks is a public historian, interpreter, and the Executive Director of Oregon Black Pioneers. Zachary previously served as Program Director of Historical Seaport and Visitor Services Manager of Northwest African American Museum. He is a former intern of Colonial Williamsburg and Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, and a former seasonal Park Ranger at Lewis & Clark National Historical Park. He holds a BA in History from the College of William & Mary with a certificate in Public History from the National Institute for American History and Democracy, and an MA in Museology from the University of Washington. Zachary is a 2025 graduate of the prestigious History Leadership Institute, sponsored by the American Association of State and Local History. Zachary lives in Astoria.

• Exhibitions Todd McGrain: Debut of York General accessibility

  Mar 31, 2026 – Jan 31, 2027

  1219 SW Park Ave