Community❯Youth Programs

November 4, 2026

Special Concerts

The Philip Glass Ensemble returns to Portland for Powaqqatsi, an artful cinematic experience that speaks to the impact of modernization and industrialization on traditional ways of living. Seen through the lens of communities across the globe, the narrative is amplified by compositions from Philip Glass that feature native, classical, and electronic instruments. Enjoyed alone or as the second in The Qatsi Trilogy, you won’t want to miss this thought-provoking performance from The Philip Glass Ensemble and conductor Michael Riesman.

po.waq.qa.tsi (from the Hopi language, powaq sorcerer + qatsi life) n., an entity, a way of life, that consumes the life forces of other beings in order to further its own life.

• Michael Riesman Conductor
• Members of Portland State University Chamber Choir Ethan Sperry, Conductor
• The Philip Glass Ensemble
• Oregon Symphony

This concert is part of the Special Concerts series, and is eligible for the Choose Your Own Series (Portland only). Concert length is approximately 1 hour 40 minutes. No intermission.

Concert begins promptly at the time listed.

Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World (2026) Directed by Sasha Waters Freyer. 1hr 31min. Not Rated.

If poetry had a pop icon, Mary Oliver would be it. Best-selling poet and Pulitzer Prize-winner, lover of dogs and long walks in the woods, queer and out but intensely private—Oliver’s poems inspire liberals and conservatives, atheists and believers, naturalists and urbanites. She was America’s unlikely, contemporary mystic, stalking the ponds and forests of Cape Cod for nearly fifty years in order to open herself—and us, her readers—to the known and unknowable world. Sasha Waters’ beguiling portrait features poems read by Helena Bonham Carter, Steve Buscemi, Stephen Colbert, Lucy Dacus, Jesse Welles, and Oprah Winfrey.

This film is featured as part of Portland Book Festival’s Cover to Cover.

We do not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, and films exhibited don’t necessarily reflect the views of PAM CUT or the Portland Art Museum. In addition to the synopses, trailers, and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on sites like Common Sense Media, IMDb, and DoesTheDogDie.com.

James Spooner joins PAM CUT for a screening of his film Afro-Punk, followed by an author talk for his new book It Starts With Anger. Books will be available for sale on site.

It Starts With Anger is a coming-of-age graphic memoir exploring race, identity, and rebellion through James Spooner’s teenage years in 1990s New York into his young adulthood in the early 2000s. Confronted with systemic racism, microaggressions, and Nazi extremism within punk spaces, Spooner traces how reactionary anger evolved into a creative force and a path to self-determination, along the way following the founding of the Afro-Punk movement, his eventual decision to leave the company, and an ongoing raw examination of the tensions between underground culture and mainstream success.

While not a traditional graphic memoir, It Starts With Anger combines black-and-white, zine-inspired visual elements including photos, illustrations, and cartoon panels with traditional narrative in a unique package that recounts the story behind Afro-Punk. James Spooner has not talked publicly about his reasons for quitting Afro-Punk previously, and the book is a damning indictment of its corporatization. But more importantly, it also offers a look at issues of Black identity, representation, and the lack thereof in a movement that had often prided itself on allyship, while being completely myopic to all the ways it fell short in that regard as a scene that was ironically both liberating and alienating for the Black people drawn to it.

ON SCREEN: Afro-Punk

2003. Directed by James Spooner. Runtime: 1 hour 6 minutes.

This film, which many may assume is a historical punk documentary, is actually an honest and needed treatment of race and identity. Punk and Hardcore music are simply the microcosm in which it is told. First-time director, James Spooner, in telling this story, has opened new dialogues on these crucial subjects both intra- and interracially. Many times funny, sometimes sobering, a wake-up call to America. An examination of the duality of racial identity that DuBois called “double consciousness.” What could have been “The Bad Brains Story” is a story about kids, alienated by two cultures and two communities. Many of these punk and hardcore kids have never questioned their role in the punk scene or the black community until their interviews, and it’s obvious as they struggle on camera to reconcile a fragmented self.

This program is co-presented by Literary Arts as part of the Cover-to-Cover program.

A documentary detailing the storied history of drug-addled teen punks-turned-icons.

Featuring interviews with Fat Mike, Eric Melvin, Aaron ‘El Hefe’ Abeyta, and Erik Sandin.

Doors open at 6:30 PM. Film at 7:00 PM.

• Director: James Buddy Day
• Year: 2026
• Country: United States
• Runtime: 120 minutes

Thirty-four days before she’s sent to prison, notorious Silicon Valley founder Elizabeth Holmes invites a skeptical film crew to document her every move. What begins as an intimate portrait of an enigmatic felon becomes a mind-bending three-year journey into the abyss. From boundary-pushing directors Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim comes You Can See Everything.

Black Arts PDX is a display of ephemera and an extended documentary trailer that foregrounds the history of the Black visual arts community in Northeast Portland. Curated by Dr. Kiara Hill, this rotating installation sheds light on the practices of key figures who were instrumental in shaping the perception of Black arts and culture in Portland. Whether utilitarian or decorative, these materials highlight ways Black artists sought to beautify the city and utilize their technical skills to address the needs of Black people. Black Arts PDX stems from a collaboration between Dr. Hill and Cultural Bearers Archive, Inc., on an archival project dedicated to preserving the unique lived experiences of Black artists and cultural workers in Portland.

CREATE SPACE is an interactive environment within the Black Art & Experiences (BAE) galleries that invites visitors to slow down, reflect, and respond. Designed as a rest area, reading room, art studio, and community gathering space, it supports connection, creativity, and dialogue. Through artist-led programs, hands-on activities, and quiet areas for reading or reflection, visitors can engage with the Black Art and Experiences gallery in a personal, generative way. This first year, CREATE SPACE is activated alongside Conductions: Black Imaginings II, which centers Black performance art and its archives. Both spaces emphasize process — research, writing, improvisation, and experimentation — as essential to the creative journey.

We'll read graphic novels for early readers. Pick up a grab & go bag each month to participate! While supplies last, October-April. Ages 5-7.

October 2026: Pepper & Boo: A Cat Surprise by Charise Mericle Harper

November 2026: Pip & Pals: Otter Space by Jen de Oliveira

December 2026: Owly: The Way Home by Andy Runton

January 2027: Hello, Crabby! by Jonathan Fenske

February 2027: Mimi & the Cutie Catastrophe by Shauna J. Grant

March 2027: The Faraway Forest by Debbie Fong

April 2027: Shelby & Watts: A Mountain of a Problem by Ashlyn Anstee

Welcome youth in 7th-12th grade who want to make a difference in their community through the library!

We welcome newcomers! Reach out to let us at [email protected] to let us know you’re attending.

We meet the following Thursday dates from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

• May 7
• May 21
• June 4
• June 18
• We don’t meet in July
• August 6
• August 20
• September 3
• September 17
• October 1
• October 15
• November 5
• November 19
• December 3
• December 17

Warren Miller’s “Days Off” will play at the Kiggins Theater from 7-9 p.m. Nov. 1. Host Katie Burrell will show what the pros do on their days off. Go skijoring in Banff, join Craig McMorris and friends in Whistler, and explore Alaska’s spines with Sam Kuch and Craig Murray. Watch Jess Kimura push snowboarding forward and inspire the next generation in Hokkaido, Japan. Head to Chamonix for an intense high-alpine pivot with Christina “Lusti” Lustenberger. Hit Deer Valley with Ted Ligety, Kaylin Richardson, Pep Fujas and Chuck Mumford. Get tickets ($32) at kigginstheatre.com/movie/warren-millers-day-off.

Elite ski mountaineers Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson fell deeply in love while reaching the pinnacle of their sport. Their drive sharpened into a shared dream: to climb and ski the direct North Face of Everest - the most difficult and dangerous climb on the mountain and the most coveted ski line on earth. Thousands have summited the mountain via Nepal's southeast ridge, but only a handful have ever reached the top by this route — and no one has successfully skied down. Already known for their extraordinary feats in the mountains and no strangers to loss, Morrison and Nelson stake everything on this daunting challenge.

“Everest: The Other Side” is directed and produced by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, and produced by Shannon Dill, Anna Barnes, Bob Eisenhardt, Janet Yang. The executive producers are Carolyn Bernstein, Tim Horsburgh, Nina Fialkow, David Fialkow, Andrew Reiner, Elizabeth Reiner, Moudhy Al-Rashid, Sam Frohman, Kenneth A. Howery, Jason Bowden, Will Griffith, Bettina Kadoorie. The film is edited by Bob Eisenhardt, ACE, and Simona Ferrari. The directors of photography are Clair Popkin, Jimmy Chin, Christopher Murphy.

Develop your writing in a welcoming, creative environment alongside friends and local best-selling YA author Jamie Pacton. This is time to write, share ideas, ask questions, and meet other teen writers!

Ornette: Made In America (1985) Directed by Shirley Clarke. 1hr 17min. Not Rated.

Guest programmed by Rob Lewis, PAM CUT @ The Whitsell presents Ornette: Made In America (1985). This freewheeling documentary is a portrait of Ornette Coleman’s life, legacy, and evolution over three decades. Featuring William S. Burroughs, Brion Gysin, Buckminster Fuller, Don Cherry, Yoko Ono, Charlie Haden, Robert Palmer, Jayne Cortez, and John Rockwell, the film features a free-jazz approach and style, using video collage and experimental segments to tell Coleman’s story.

“I’ve always been interested in films about artists. I think because they end up being a conversation not just between filmmaker and subject in a traditional way but also between two uniquely creative people. This film is a really interesting study of that relationship and connection.” – Rob Lewis

Rob Lewis is an artist and art director living and working in Portland, Oregon with his wife Joy Alise Davis, M.A. who serves as the Executive Director of Portland based, Black advocacy organization, Imagine Black.

Co-presented by KMHD.

We do not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, and films exhibited don’t necessarily reflect the views of PAM CUT or the Portland Art Museum. In addition to the synopses, trailers, and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on sites like Common Sense Media, IMDb, and DoesTheDogDie.com.

Join us Saturday, November 7th, from 2-5 p.m. for Youth Music Project’s Fall Open House.

Meet instructors, try instruments, sing karaoke, enter to win a ukulele, and more!

Once you’ve found your sound, sign up for classes at the event two days before online registration opens!

On guard! Make your moves in a casual setting with other beginning players. Basic knowledge of the games is assumed. Grades 6-12.

Are you a teen? Do you have ideas for the library? Then come boss us around! We need your help to make sure the stuff we're doing at the library is stuff you actually want. Earn volunteer hours, eat snacks and meet other teens.

For ages 13–19

The Mt. Hood Community College Aquatic Center is pleased to announce that we will be hosting two Catholic Youth Organization Developmental Swim Meets on Sunday November 15, 2026 from 1:00- 7:00 P.M. Please feel free to reach out to the Aquatic Center directly with any questions at [email protected] or by phone at 503-491-7243.

3rd Sundays + final session: September 20 - May 16 + May 23 | 4 – 5:30 pm | Brookwood

Learning public speaking skills early builds confidence, promotes understanding and critical thinking, and can be a foundation for lifelong success – plus it’s fun! This interactive program teaches public speaking and respectful debating. For youth grades 5th – 8th.

This is a series of nine classes + a final session. By registering, you are signing up for the full series.

Rainbow Reads is a book club for LGBTQIA+ teens and their allies. We will be reading YA fiction, non-fiction, and graphic novels that feature LGBTQIA+ characters & themes, or literature written by someone from the LGBTQIA+ community.

This month’s book is The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich.

After you register for this club, pick up a copy of the book at the service desk at the Library. The book is yours to keep just for attending the discussion. This book is also available as an ebook on Libby. This service is free with your Library card.

• Registration is required for this event.
• This event is for registrants grade 6th Grade to 12th Grade.

We strive to ensure our events are accessible to everyone. If you require special accommodations to join us, please call 360.834.4692 or email [email protected] at least two weeks before the event.

Clark College welcomes award-winning journalist Abby Martin of the Empire Files for a screening of her documentary film, “Earth’s Greatest Enemy,” 6-9:30 p.m. Nov. 19 in Foster Hall. This free community event is sponsored by the Clark College ASCC Student Life Philosophy Program. This film reveals a truth behind the climate crisis: the role of the U.S. military as the world’s largest institutional polluter, tracing the link between war, empire and ecological destruction. Drawing on powerful testimonies from veterans, scientists and frontline communities, it uncovers how military operations poison ecosystems, accelerate global warming and sacrifice the future for expansion.

We'll read books nominated for the Beverly Cleary Children's Choice Award. Join us the 1st Tuesday of the month, 4-4:45pm, October-April, in the Community Room. Ages 7-9.

October 6, 2026: Welcome to Woofmore by Donna Gephart

November 3, 2026: Poetry Comics by Grant Snider

December 1, 2026: My Antarctica by G. Neri

January 5, 2027: Detective Beans and the Case of the Missing Hat by Li Chen

February 2, 2027: Dragon on the Loose by Marty Chan

March 2, 2027: Murray the Knight by Adam Stower

April 6, 2027: Voting party!

To learn more about the Beverly Cleary Children's Choice Award, visit https://ola.memberclicks.net/bccca-home.

Tickets available at the door Fundraiser for Snowday’s Foundation; raffle ticket included! LIFEFORM broadcasts the exploits of 10 riders on the vangaurd of gritty, urban riding as they seek out spots, stack shots, and travel the globe in order to bring their regimen of style and progression to screens everywhere. Directed by Justin Meyer.

Do you know a young strategist, who's itching to learn the arcane arts? Look no further than Magic Academy - a series of supervised, sealed Magic: The Gathering leagues for kids ages 10-17.

One of our counselors will guide Planeswalkers as they collect cards and build decks that can summon creatures and create mystical effects, all while learning what it means to be a good sport.

Players with all levels of experience are welcome.

Tweens and teens in 6th, 7th and 8th grade, you are invited to talk about graphic novels, craft and eat snacks! All supplies provided and it’s FREE! A limited number of books are available for pick up at the library.

Join us for a fun and imaginative LEGO building session. We'll provide the building blocks, you bring the creativity! Ideal for grades K-5, but younger and older siblings are welcome.

In observance of Veterans' Day, Garden Home Community Library will be closed today, and LEGO Club is cancelled this month. LEGO Club will meet again in December!

Picture a Sunday night with family and friends around watching a movie and playing games. Come to our Soulful Sundays at Albina! Play Spades, Dominos, Uno and more! Happening every 1st and 2nd Sunday of the month through November! All ages are welcome.

Featured Film: MARY LOU WILLIAMS: THE LADY WHO SWINGS THE BAND (running time 1Hr 10min)

Tomorrow Theater is teaming up with MUBI for this screening of Eleanor Coppola’s Making Marie Antoinette, a lush, intimate documentary about Sofia Coppola creating Marie Antoinette. The mother-daughter duo began creating this documentary at the beginning of the COVID lockdown, and Sofia finished the film after her mother passed in 2024.

In 2005, Sofia Coppola shot her third feature film, Marie Antoinette, starring Kirsten Dunst and Jason Schwartzman, at the Palace of Versailles, securing unprecedented filming permission that had never before been granted to any production. Her mother, acclaimed documentarian Eleanor Coppola, accompanied her on set, capturing approximately eighty hours of footage chronicling her daughter’s journey throughout the making of the film. This year, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the release of Marie Antoinette and in fulfilment of her mother’s wish, Sofia Coppola reviewed that previously unseen material. Making Marie Antoinette explores the craftsmanship and care that brought the film to life, follows legendary costume designer Milena Canonero at work, and offers a glimpse into what it meant to be a young female director at that time. The result is a fascinating look at the creative process behind a landmark film and, at the same time, a surprisingly intimate family portrait.

The Camas Public Library hosts Page Turners book club for kids in fourth through sixth graders and their adults. The club meets from 6-7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month. To attend, register at CamasPL.org/pageturners or call 360-834-4692, then pick up the book at the library. After the meeting, keep the book for free.

A special screening of Jem Cohen’s (Museum Hours) 2015 documentary with a live score by award-winning jazz pianist Todd Marston & Micah Hummel’s Advancing Composers Ensemble.

In fifteen linked chapters shot in locations ranging from Moscow to New York to Istanbul, Counting merges city symphony, diary film, and personal/political essay to create a vivid portrait of contemporary life. Perhaps the most personal of Cohen’s films, Counting measures street life, light and time, noting not only surveillance and over development but resistance and its phantoms as manifested in music, animals and everyday magic

• Director: Jem Cohen
• Year: 2015
• Country: United States
• Runtime: 111 minutes

Meet monthly to discuss books nominated for the Oregon Reader's Choice Award (ORCA), Upper Elementary Division. First Thursdays at 4:30pm in the Meeting Room, with snacks! Ages 9 & up.

October 1, 2026: Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate

November 5, 2026: A Hero’s Guide to Summer Vacation by Pablo Cartaya

December 3, 2026: One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome

January 7, 2027: Dream On by Shannon Hale AND Xolo by Donna Barba Higuera

February 4, 2027: The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman

March 4, 2027: Benny on the Case by Wesley King

April 1, 2027: The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon by Grace Lin AND VOTING! Vote for your favorite book from this list to help choose the 2027 ORCA winner!

To learn more about the award, visit https://sites.google.com/oasl.olaweb.org/orca

Roadless follows three adventurers as they set out on foot through the Alaskan wilderness with a goal: to follow the entire 211-mile length of the proposed Ambler Mining Road. 160 miles north of the Arctic Circle, the team crosses vast tundra, wild rivers, and pristine forests, bringing audiences directly into one of the most remote and ecologically intact landscapes in North America.

As the miles accumulate, so do the challenges — injuries, exhaustion, hunger, relentless mosquitoes, and the harsh reality of traveling difficult terrain without roads or trails. But the expedition also reveals a landscape few people will ever experience firsthand. Encounters with wildlife, 24-hour sunlight, and the vast Arctic ecosystem offer a glimpse into a remarkable environment that has remained largely untouched by human development.

Roadless is an adventure film about endurance and natural beauty, while exploring what could be lost if the Ambler Road is built.

62 minutes | 2026 | Rated G

The p:ear Kitchen and Food Program was developed to provide homeless young people with the opportunity to eat fresh, sustaining meals in a community setting ensuring kids can participate in p:ear's other programs and other aspects of their lives well-nourished. Join p:ear for a morning / early afternoon in support of this great program and community space. Half of the volunteers will roll their sleeves up to help spruce up the kitchen and common rooms to make them shine. The other half will pop into the kitchen to cook or prep food to freeze, which will prepare our staff for future meals. P:ear will provide the tools, ingredients, and recipes... you provide the expertise and love! Volunteers must wear closed toe shoes and are encouraged to bring an apron (if desired). These opportunities are scheduled for Mondays11am - 3pm for up to 10 volunteers per day. We're on the corner of 6th and Flanders. Please knock our door to be let in! PARKING Street parking available around North Park Blocks for $2.00/hr AND a pay parking lot kitty-corner from the park. $5.00 day rate. TRANSIT Streetcar stops at 10th & Glisan northbound, 11th & Glisan southbound. -MAX stops at Greyhound Depot on 5th & 6th (Yellow, Green and Orange Lines) -Buses: #17 from Downtown or NE, #77 from NE or NW -Or use TriMet’s Trip Planner https://trimet.org/#/planner Questions? Contact Violet at [email protected] or 503-228-6677 MISSION p:ear builds positive relationships with homeless and transitional youth, ages 15-25, through education, art and recreation to affirm personal worth and create more meaningful, healthy lives. Each year our programs serve more than 700 homeless and transitional young people. p:ear staff and volunteers serve as mentors, friends, and role models, while p:ear's unique programs create opportunities for young people to grow intellectually, express themselves constructively, communicate in positive ways and engage in meaningful interactions with the larger community of Portland. Project Requirements: Volunteers must be 16 years of age or older to attend this project. All volunteers under 16 are required to bring a Youth Volunteer Release Form and must attend with a parent or legal guardian. Please download, complete, and bring this waiver with you on the day of the project. If you plan to bring guests you MUST reserve slots for them. The best way to do this is to create a Volunteer Team, then sign up your team for this project. Remember to reserve slots for your children, as well as yourself. IMPORTANT NOTE: You are responsible for ensuring that everyone signed up through your team attends - only sign up team members who have confirmed their availability. Teams that repeatedly sign up, but do not show up or show up with fewer volunteers than they signed up, may be removed. To add or remove team members from a project, click on "My Account" and then "My Teams," above. Click "Sign Up" below to reserve your spot! Need help signing up? Call 503-200-3355.

Help your librarian choose the best books, movies, comics, programs and events for you and your friends. Have fun working on special projects, making new friends, and creating the perfect library for you! This is a volunteer position and snacks will be provided. For kids ages 9-12.

Designed especially for readers just beginning to read independently. For grades K-2.

Registration required for this Zoom book club.

You may pick up your own copy of the book to keep after we process your registration.

** Registration opens 45 days before each book club and registration closes a week before each session **

Late-Night basketball returns every Friday and Saturday night through June 30 2027!

This program is open to middle school and high school players of all skill levels and will be led by Michael Holton Inc. Players should bring a water bottle, basketball shoes, and comfortable athletic clothing.

• Middle-school session: 6:00-8:00 pm
• High-school session: 8:00-10:00 pm

Register

Michael Holton was an All-American at Pasadena High School before becoming a four-year varsity letterman at UCLA. He started in the national championship game as a freshman in 1980 and later played six seasons in the NBA. Holton also served eight years as an assistant coach at the University of Portland, Oregon State, and UCLA, followed by five years as the Division I head coach at the University of Portland.

The Michael Holton Basketball Academy reports 20 years of experience working with middle-school students, including programming at HB Lee Middle School, Oliver Middle School, and the Salvation Army.

Late-Night Basketball is a City of Gresham-sponsored recreational activity for youth.

Email [email protected].

Join our new Pokémon™ Club to learn, play, and connect through the Pokémon™ Trading Card Game (TCG). Whether you’re new or experienced, this inclusive space is all about casual play, learning, and having fun—no competition required.

La Center Community Library

Wednesday, September 23, 4:00pm–5:00pm

Wednesday, October 28, 4:00pm–5:00pm

Wednesday, November 25, 4:00pm–5:00pm

Pacific University and the Indigenous Student Alliance is partnering with OPB to bring the film “First Descent: Kayaking the Klamath” to the Forest Grove Campus on Thursday, Nov. 5

Registration Required

Join us for book discussion, trivia questions, and crafting centered around the Grades 3-5 OBOB books! Registration opens for each session 45 days prior.

Use this link to see the titles for each meeting

Kids in grades 4-5 are invited to talk about graphic novels and eat snacks! Every meeting includes a short activity related to this month's book. A limited number of books are available for pick up at the library.

When three American doctors—Palestinian, Jewish, and Zoroastrian—enter Gaza to save lives, they find themselves caught between medicine and politics, risking everything to expose the truth.

• Director: Poh Si Teng
• Year: 2026
• Country: United States, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Malaysia, Qatar, Denmark
• Runtime: 91 minutes

JUST BRING IT

Ballroom training ground

Queer BIPOC Youth and Young Adult focused

Immerse yourself in a world of excitement! Create a character and take on challenges with a team of other players in this interactive story. Whether you want to learn or are an experienced player, come play Dungeons & Dragons.

Please fill out the Character Creation Form, so we can have your pre-generated character ready for your first session. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].

For ages 9–19