Alberta Arts

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.

Climate change, especially in recent years, has escalated not only into a global environmental crisis but also into a highly intensified challenge in a time of political divides—often leaving one feeling overwhelmed and powerless. How can better conversations help move individuals, communities, and the planet toward collective solutions?

Called “one of the nation’s most effective communicators on climate change” by The New York Times, Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, chief scientist for The Nature Conservancy, has an uncanny ability to navigate all sides of the conversation on climate. With a singular balance of scientific rigor and storytelling, patience and empathy, and an abiding adherence to her faith, Hayhoe is often able to reach audiences that other climate scientists have not been able to reach — demonstrating that by finding shared values, we can better connect our unique identities to collective action.

WorldOregon welcomes Katharine Hayhoe back to Portland for this rich conversation exploring how to incorporate climate change into both our public decisions and private conversations at a moment of urgency when climate action and environmental policy are at a crossroads.

Dr. Katharine Hayhoe is an atmospheric scientist whose work bridges climate science, risks, and resilience. As Chief Scientist for The Nature Conservancy (TNC), she directs the organization’s global scientific strategy and leads a global community of more than 1,000 TNC scientists and science staff whose work underpins every aspect of TNC’s mission: from conserving lands and waters to developing scalable, science-based solutions to the biodiversity and climate crises.

🦷✨ Join us for the release of MILKTEETH, the newest release from Caitlin Starling.

We're thrilled to welcome Caitlin in conversation with Stephanie Binx for an evening of author discussion, reader Q&A and a book signing.

📚 Books available for purchase and signing at the event.

When: Tues Nov 10 @ 630pm

Girl Winter Film Tour is a collection of femme-forward and gender-nonconforming films. The tour aims to shift the narrative of ski and snowboard films seen on the big screen each fall and include new voices in the stories. Girl Winter tour stops will make you want to start planning dawn patrols and lift laps for this upcoming season right this second. Each event will feature the film program followed by a Q+A with the athletes and filmmakers who brought the films to life. Back for its second year, the Girl Winter Film Tour screenings will provide a space to continue celebrating women in snow sports. All are welcome to attend! All Ages

• Tango — Sandy Ninh (Portland)
• Kiz — Marietta Villalobos (Seattle)
• Bachata — Malik Delgado (Portland)
• Zouk — Parker Wells (Portland)
• Fusion — Grey Armstrong

• 3 days of dancing
• All workshops
• Evening socials

• $25 — Individual workshop
• $35 — Individual evening social
• $100 — Day workshop pass
• $90 — Only Dance Socials

Through guided self-inquiry, journaling, group reflection, and a guided inner child practice, you'll uncover some of the beliefs and patterns you may have learned in order to feel loved, safe, and accepted.

Join us as we are celebrating the 4th book in Chen's Kangraoo series, Kangaroo Forth Curtis will be in conversation with local SF author Jessie Kwak

Conversation, Q&A, followed by book signing

When: November 18th. 630-8pm

Bios:

Once a Silicon Valley software engineer, Curtis C. Chen (陳致宇) now writes stories near Portland, Oregon. He's the award-winning author of the bestselling KANGAROO series of funny science fiction spy thrillers and has written for the Realm original podcasts Echo Park, Ninth Step Murders, and Machina. Curtis' shorter works have appeared in Playboy Magazine; the ENNIE Award-winning Kobold Guide to Roleplaying; The Year's Best Fantasy, Volume 2; Aliens vs. Predators: Ultimate Prey; and elsewhere. His homebrew cat feeding robot was displayed in the "Worlds Beyond Here" exhibit at Seattle's Wing Luke Museum. Visit him online: https://CurtisCChen.com

Jessie Kwak is an author, storyteller, and business book ghostwriter living in Portland, Oregon. When she’s not writing, she can be found sewing, mountain biking, and exploring the Pacific Northwest (and beyond). She is the author of thriller novels, two series of space scoundrel sci-fi crime novels, and a handful of productivity books including From Chaos to Creativity and From Big Idea to Book. You can learn more about her at www.jessiekwak.com.

Ready to shake things up? This fun, in-person class is perfect for anyone wanting to learn the basics of bartending. From mixing classic cocktails to mastering the art of pouring, you'll gain hands-on experience with expert guidance. Whether you’re starting a new hobby or aiming to impress at your next party, this course has got you covered. Come meet new friends, learn some cool skills, and have a blast with She Pours Academy!

Few conservation behaviors have captured the public’s interest as much as recycling. But sorting your trash and placing it at the curb isn’t recycling . . . it’s just the start of a long and somewhat surprising journey for your empty milk cartons and back issues of Cat Fancy.

• Where do those materials go once in the bin?
• How do they get sorted out? And where do they go from there?
• What about those rumors that recycling trucks just deliver materials to the landfill, or dump them in the ocean?
• How can recycling even deliver environmental benefit, given all of the trucks and machinery involved?
• What’s the deal with plastic, anyway?

After pioneering recycling policy in the late 1980s, Oregon is now implementing the first “extended producer responsibility” law for packaging in the U.S. The Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act, adopted in 2021, was launched July 1, 2025 and is designed to provide residents and businesses a recycling system that can be trusted to deliver the environmental benefits that recycling has long promised. But even a fully modernized recycling system has limited potential to stem the tide of unsustainable levels of production and consumption. Explore how recycling is simultaneously necessary and insufficient, how recycling needs to be improved, and what else Oregon could be doing to use materials sustainably.

David Allaway and Justin Gast work at the OR Department of Environmental Quality, and between them have over 57 years of experience with recycling systems. In addition to his time at DEQ, Justin has worked at the local and national levels for the likes of Resource Recycling magazine, the Washington County (OR) Solid Waste & Recycling Program and The Recycling Partnership. David has testified before Congress and co-chaired Oregon’s Recycling Steering Committee, and his work has been featured in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, the National Law Review, Time, Sierra and PBS Frontline.

Price: $150 per couple. Join us for an in-person, 2-hour immersive couples workshop rooted in the principles of the Gottman Method.

🌿 Psychedelics for All: We’re committed to accessibility. If cost is a barrier, click here to request a discounted ticket.Come curious. Leave with something to think about. And perhaps a whole new way of looking at getting older.

Review our venue FAQ here

Join Portland Psychedelic Society for a fun and witty conversation about the intersection of psychedelics and aging. Minors ok with parent/guardian

Participants will experiment with botanical forms, textures, and color placement to create their own silk bandana and silk eye cover.

Few conservation behaviors have captured the public’s interest as much as recycling. But sorting your trash and placing it at the curb isn’t recycling . . . it’s just the start of a long and somewhat surprising journey for your empty milk cartons and back issues of Cat Fancy.

• Where do those materials go once in the bin?
• How do they get sorted out? And where do they go from there?
• What about those rumors that recycling trucks just deliver materials to the landfill, or dump them in the ocean?
• How can recycling even deliver environmental benefit, given all of the trucks and machinery involved?
• What’s the deal with plastic, anyway?

You have questions, and we have answers!

After pioneering recycling policy in the late 1980s, Oregon is now implementing the first “extended producer responsibility” law for packaging in the U.S. The Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act, adopted in 2021, was launched July 1, 2025 and is designed to provide residents and businesses a recycling system that can be trusted to deliver the environmental benefits that recycling has long promised. But even a fully modernized recycling system has limited potential to stem the tide of unsustainable levels of production and consumption.

Explore how recycling is simultaneously necessary and insufficient, how recycling needs to be improved, and what else Oregon could be doing to use materials sustainably.

David Allaway and Justin Gast work at the OR Department of Environmental Quality, and between them have over 57 years of experience with recycling systems. In addition to his time at DEQ, Justin has worked at the local and national levels for the likes of Resource Recycling magazine, the Washington County (OR) Solid Waste & Recycling Program and The Recycling Partnership. David has testified before Congress and co-chaired Oregon’s Recycling Steering Committee, and his work has been featured in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, the National Law Review, Time, Sierra and PBS Frontline.

Minors ok when accompanied by a parent or guardian

In this 90-minute workshop, you’ll explore what’s happening in your body, uncover potential root causes of period irregularities and fertility struggles, and leave with practical first steps to support your hormonal health.

Gathered Light is a free community event featuring wellness leaders sharing insights, practices, and inspiration for caring for yourself through the changing seasons.

A monthly strength-training workshop focused on building confidence, refining technique, and helping you train safely and effectively in the weight room.

Our 75-minute Myofascial Release + Recovery workshop will focus on mobility, foam rolling, and recovery tools to help you move with ease.