Southeast (SE)

The Literary Arts Bookstore is pleased to welcome Kimberly Blaeser to celebrate her latest book Red Ants. Blaeser will be joined in conversation by Christopher Diaz.

About the book:

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.

A talk by Glynnis Fawkes.

How does a cartoonist go about adapting a work of history, specifically Eric H. Cline’s 1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed? In this talk Fawkes will describe the process of interpreting Cline’s text in comics, an exercise during which she repeatedly asked herself how she might tell this story visually. Through page compositions and dramatizations in which historical figures (such as Ramses III) speak, she imagined characters for whom we have no record offering commentary and opinions. To guide the narrative, she introduced two new young characters, Pel (of the Sea Peoples) and Shesha, (an Egyptian scribe) who ask the central question of the book: Why after three prosperous centuries did the civilizations of the Eastern Mediterranean Bronze Age suddenly come to an end?

Glynnis Fawkes is the co-author with Eric H Cline and illustrator of 1177 BC: A Graphic History of the Year Civilization Collapsed (Princeton University Press). She is also the author-illustrator of Charlotte Brontë before Jane Eyre (Little, Brown)and Persephone’s Garden (Secret Acres), among other books, and her comics have appeared on the website of The New Yorker. She has worked as an archaeological illustrator around the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean and teaches at the Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont.

Sponsored by the Archaeological Institute of America and Reed's department of Greek, Latin, and Ancient Mediterranean Studies. Free and open to the public.

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

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.

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.

Join us for a poetry reading from Householding with Tom Blood, Shannon Baird, and Brian Hebb.

Tom Blood is the author of the sky position which was awarded the Oregon Book Award for Poetry. Published the raccoon, dot dot, the act, if ever then always, exp, and exp3. He also performs as the lead vocalist in the bands rob walmart, Tom Blood and Jordan Dykstra and Dream Center. Tom is Published in journals in NY, SF, Portland, London, Seattle and elsewhere. He believes the only purpose in life is to communicate love.

Shannon Baird is a Portland native, real estate broker, and award-winning designer whose work reflects a longstanding appreciation for architecture, art, and the character of place. With more than 24 years in real estate and as the founder of SBaird Design, she brings a distinctive perspective to the relationship between people, homes, and the stories they hold.

Shannon conceived the idea for this collection of poetry, originally written to accompany actual real estate listings. What began as an unconventional approach to presenting homes evolved into a book celebrating the character, atmosphere, and individuality of the places we inhabit.

Working closely with book designer Fredrik Averin, Shannon guided the creative development and design of the publication. The collection features poems primarily by Tom Blood, with additional contributions from Shannon Baird and Brian Hebb. Charlotte Moore wrote the foreword and afterword, and Rory Sparks produced the foil-stamped covers.

The book reflects an appreciation for the ways poetry can reveal something beyond the physical details of a property—offering a more personal evocative perspective on the meaning of home, a subject of perennial longing.

Brian Hebb is a failed capitalist, former journalist and chronic penman for hire, furnishing other people’s ad copy and speeches with his favorite daydreams. For these sins, and others less relevant, he is at work on his first novel, The Last Days of Fake Bears, and a short story collection, Target Audience. He lives with his wife in Portland, Oregon where fleeting glimpses of their dead pets are most persistent.

One-year-olds (with a favorite adult) enjoy songs, movement activities, rhymes, books and playtime. This action-packed program engages new walkers in language-based activities. Attendance is limited and free tickets are available 15 minutes before storytime.

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

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

This fall and winter, L’École Buissonnière invites you to a monthly Café Littéraire, a French conversation class rooted in literature, seasonal culture, and thoughtful exchange.
Inspired by French cafés as places of ideas, debate, and imagination, these gatherings offer a slow, intimate approach to the French language.
Each 90-minute session opens a thematic doorway through short literary texts, guided conversation, and gentle creative practices.
The focus is not performance or fluency at all costs, but presence, curiosity, and pleasure in thinking together.
Each month highlights a seasonal cultural moment in France, including traditions that shape language and collective imagination.

Toussaint: Memory & Invisible Connections
La Toussaint : honorer les absents
Explore French traditions of remembrance, the symbolism of flowers and cemeteries, and the ways literature, photography, and seasonal rituals keep memory alive across generations.

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.

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

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.

The talk addresses the deep connection between the Jewish German-language poet Paul Celan (1920–1970) and his most prolific translator, the contemporary translingual American poet Pierre Joris (1946–2025). Taking Joris's recent and final translated volume of Celan's poetry—Memory Rose into Threshold Speech (2020)—as its discursive perch, this talk constellates various key interlocutors between the two poets and examines Joris's tremendous half-century-long feat in translating the complete Celan into an American idiom. The force and lasting power of Joris's translation project lies in its rare ability to retain in English the mutilated music of Celan's umfarshtandlekh (incomprehensible) poetics, itself a form of German reimagined through a post-Holocaust expanded Yiddish.

Ariel Resnikoff is a poet, translator, editor and educator. Resnikoff’s recent works include Raisin in Every Bite (Furniture Press, 2022), A Paradise of Hearing (The Swan, 2021), and Unnatural Bird Migrator (The Operating System, 2020), which was awarded an Anne and Robert Cowan Writers Prize. His newest poetry collection, Poems with Friends and Ghosts, is forthcoming from Chax Press in 2027. With Pierre Joris, he is also the co-editor of In Between, Keep Moving: A Pierre Joris Reader (Contra Mundum, 2026). Resnikoff translates Yiddish, Hebrew and Spanish poetry and prose. His own writing has been translated into German, French, Russian, and Mandarin, among other languages. In 2019, he received his PhD in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory from the University of Pennsylvania, and in 2020 he was selected as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar. In 2025 he was a visiting writer and translator in China at Central China University in Wuhan and the University of Fudan in Shanghai. With E. Tracy Grinnell, he is the Co-Director of Litmus Press and Ether Sea Projects.

Sponsored by the departments of Russian and German and the Division of Literature & Languages. Free and open to the public.

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.

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.

Trẻ em từ 0-6 tuổi (đi kèm với người lớn) sẽ cùng nhau đọc sách, ca hát, và vui chơi với những hoạt động giúp các em phát triển kỹ năng ngôn ngữ và đọc viết.

Chỗ ngồi tham dự có giới hạn và sẵn sàng phục vụ trên cơ sở ưu tiên cho người đến trước.

Được thực hiện nhờ tài trợ gửi đến The Library Foundation.

Join us for Transformations: Wood / Metal / Stone / Sundry, from Raven Chronicles Press's celebrates the discovery of, and connection with, found objects that hide within landscapes of urban decay and nature. Objects that, when revealed, stand as testaments to time, place, and the transformative effects of nature and the elements. Editor Scott Martin, local poets dan raphael and Allison Green, plus other readers.

School’s out, come join us! Since we have so much fun partnering with Make Do Art Studio and Chef Fabi every summer, we decided to keep the party rolling! No School Day campers spend half of the day in the kitchen with Chef Fabi, and the other half of the day is spent making art with Make Do. We also have free play every day at nearby Piccolo Park. Camp is from 9 am- 3 pm and is for children in grades 1-7.

In the kitchen with Chef Fabi, we’ll be working on a cooking or baking project! Please note you will need to bring a lunch and any additional snacks your kiddo may need for the day. And a water bottle is always a good idea!

During art time, we explore the world of process art while gaining new skills and familiarity with a variety of mediums. We always read excellent books, play art games, work on collaborative pieces together, have downtime to sketch and peruse art books, and create a finished piece each day.

Our 2026-2027 No School Day camp dates are: 10/9, 10/30, 11/23, 1/18, 1/25, 2/15, and 4/9. You can sign up for just one day or all of them!

Please email us before registering if your child has any food allergies/intolerances.

Cancellation policy: Full refunds are granted up until 14 days prior to camp. No refunds will be considered after that date.

Join us for the Portland launch of Any Time But This Time (Mad Creek Books), the debut story collection from LA filmmaker and author Adam Peterson, in conversation with Portland poet, novelist, and painter Zachary Schomburg.

The human condition is dire. We knew that. But it's also always been that way–we've always craved to be sometime else, from the first human woman (Denise, stuck with neanderthals) to the final man (Keith, losing all his language but the name of his girl–that, he'll save). In between, Peterson introduces himself as a shapeshifter, voicing a semi-delinquent and moderately depressed teenage Jesus in "Jesus Does a Hero;" a convincingly polyamorous prairie romance; 1983's fiber optic saleswoman to the local government of Shanghai, Barbara Roach; and a hormonal crop of teenagers sent to fight "the Schmoopys" once their orbit arrives and their hair has gone gray.

As they'll tell you, the findings are fairly straightforward. In all of human history, we have only been one thing: lonely. Well, two things. We've been horny, too.

Unrelenting, bold, and cynical in the way that only a child of Nebraska-gone-Hollywood could write, Any Time But This Time gifts us 300,000 years of humans destined to be alone, willing to give it all up for connection.

"As history tends to shave off the weird bumps and ridges of our past, it's exhilarating and unsteadying to read a collection that ambitiously seeks to provide a kind of bizarro reimagining of our world. Any Time But This Time is odd and hilarious and yet so tenderly human, so unafraid of cataloging all the strange desires and cruelties and moments of true connection that have somehow gotten us to this moment in time, and then it rockets beyond that to imagine an even stranger future. This is wildness of the highest order, unforgettable and highly original."
—Kevin Wilson, author of Now Is Not The Time To Panic

"The stories in Adam Peterson's Any Time But This Time are funny, but, like, really, really funny, but like, the kind of funny that make you laugh and laugh and then make you question your own soul, or whether you even have a soul, because Adam Peterson has slyly tricked you into laughing at some of the worst possible things, the most terrible of people, the most dire of situations. He has made you laugh the kind of laughter that keeps you honest, makes you see the world as it really is. This is a fabulous, unrelenting collection of stories, full of gorgeous, punchy, compulsively readable prose. Do yourself a favor: pick it up, take it home, and start reading."
—Manuel Gonzales, author of The Miniature Wife and other stories

"Deeply entertaining, the stories in this collection crackle with the spark of imagination, invention, and compassion. Peterson writes with a satisfying blend of humor and pathos, fearless in both wit and empathy. For lovers of George Saunders and Haruki Murakami, with a dash of Aimee Bender, this collection also feels somehow entirely fresh."
—Aja Gabel, author of Lightbreakers

"Each story in this collection is a window into unseen moments of history, and deftly conveys the "incomprehensible beauty, all too comprehensible horror" of the human experience. Peterson's voice carries an almost prophetic weight, masterfully balancing the lyrical, existential, heartbreaking, and humorous with a skill and style akin to writers like George Saunders and Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. From the first cave woman to identify as human, to the unraveling of language as our species dies off, I was enraptured by this book, and felt genuinely changed after reading it. Uniquely funny, profoundly moving, and innovatively written, Any Time But This Time is a rare and exciting feat of literature."
—Erin Slaughter, author of A Manual for How to Love Us and The Dead Dad Diaries

Adam Peterson is a writer and filmmaker living in Los Angeles. He's the author of the prose poetry collections My Untimely Death, The Flasher, and [SPOILER ALERT] (with Laura Eve Engel). His short fiction has appeared in Epoch, The Kenyon Review, The Southern Review, and a mess of other places. His films have played at HollyShorts, Fantasia Fest, and Just for Laughs, among many other festivals.

Zachary Schomburg has written books of poems like Wool Moon (Black Ocean, 2026)and a novel, Mammother (Featherproof, 2017). And he's a painter too. In fact, he once painted a painting owned by Adam Peterson. He lives in Portland with B and Y.

Kick off your holiday shopping by supporting local authors, independent books, and small businesses at Words & Wine at Hip Chicks do Wine!

Friday, November 28 | 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Saturday, November 29 | 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM

We're bringing together 17 talented local authors and Jan's Books for a two-day holiday book pop-up filled with stories, conversation, and unique gifts. Whether you're searching for the perfect mystery, romance, fantasy, memoir, children's book, or your next favorite read, you'll find plenty of signed books and meet the authors who wrote them.

While you browse, enjoy a tasting of our award-winning wines, sip wine by the glass, or share a bottle with friends. We'll also be serving our seasonal favorite—Holiday Mulled Wine—to keep you warm as you shop.

Register online for this free event and receive one complimentary raffle ticket when you check in!

Want more chances to win? Earn additional raffle tickets by:

• Purchasing books from one of our featured local authors

• Shopping with Jan's Books

• Making a wine purchase at Hip Chicks do Wine

We'll be giving away multiple raffle prizes each day, featuring unique packages filled with books and goodies from our participating authors, along with gift cards to local independent bookstores. Every prize package will be different, so there are plenty of reasons to enter!

You do not need to be present to win.

Make a day of it by discovering great books, supporting local creators, and checking a few names off your holiday gift list—all while enjoying a relaxing afternoon at Portland's Best Urban Winery.

Admission is free.

Support local. Shop small. Sip local. Read local. We can't wait to celebrate the start of the holiday season with you!

Are there manga we need on on our shelves? Have a great idea for a program? If you’re in grades 6-12, join us for Teen Library Group and help shape our teen space! We meet on the second Tuesday of the month for discussion, planning, and activities, fueled by plenty of snacks.

Put on your pajamas, grab a bedtime buddy, and join us for stories, songs and fun! Children from birth to age 6 (with a favorite adult) enjoy books highlighting LGBTQ+ families, along with songs, rhymes and movement activities building language, literacy, and community in an identity-supporting environment. Attendance is limited and free tickets are available 15 minutes before storytime.

Author of It Starts With Anger James Spooner will be visiting campus on Nov 9th as our special author visit for Fall's MRC Book Club gathering. Spooner will be giving a talk on the intersections of punk, race and creative art practice, with time for Q&A.

Reed Librarians picked this coming-of-age graphic memoir that explores race, identity, and rebellion because of how Spooner traces how their reactionary anger evolved into a creative force. Confronted with systemic racism, microaggressions, and Nazi extremism within punk spaces, Spooner follows the founding of the Afro-Punk movement all the way to their leaving of the space due to all the ways it fell short as a scene that was ironically both liberating and alienating for the Black people drawn to it.

Their zine-inspired work includes photos, illustrations, and cartoon panels with traditional narrative in a unique package that examines the tension between the conflation of underground culture and mainstream success.

All are welcome to this event. Open to the community. Free for all.

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We encourage Reed students, staff and faculty to sign up for the MRC Book Club to score a copy of Spooner's autobio. Sign up for your free copy here.

A monthly gathering for people who love to read, and want to make more time for it. Each month, we’ll take over a beautiful, cozy, or unexpected local space: a wine bar, coffee shop, bookstore, flower farm, garden, or other interesting Portland-area destination. For a few hours, settle into a comfortable chair or couch, order a drink, grab a snack, and simply read alongside other people who love books. There’s no assigned book, no required discussion, and no pressure to socialize — you can come alone, bring a friend, or meet someone new.

The setting is part of the experience. A winter evening might mean reading by a fireplace with a glass of wine; a summer gathering could be in a garden, on a patio, or surrounded by flowers. Each month offers a new place to discover, a few uninterrupted hours to read, and the simple pleasure of being in good company while doing something you love.

November Venue: Leva Studio

Leva, which means ‘To Live’ in Swedish, is a space that is perfect for your next gathering, party, or celebration. Centrally located on SE MLK and Oak Street, this is a space that makes you want to kick your shoes off but that also that feels Grand enough to celebrate life’s most precious moments in.

We're especially excited to bring our very first One More Chapter Event to this brand new event space! Imagine a cozy evening surrounded by fellow book lovers, a favorite book in hand, something delicious to sip and snack on, and the simple pleasure of spending time reading together.

Come as you are, bring whatever you're reading, and settle in for an evening of good books, good company, and the kind of unhurried moments we could all use a little more of. No assigned reading, no book club discussion - just a chance to connect with a community of readers and enjoy the simple pleasure of getting lost in a good book.

Ticket includes:

• Access to our 'book bar', curated by Kim Bissell of Broadway Books

• French inspired snacks and desserts

• Beverages, including wine, cocktails, plus a few special N/A options

• A phone check-in station for those that want to avoid distractions

• Book lights available for check out

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.

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.

Join us for a reading and celebration of Paul Maziar’s Junebug. The evening with feature musical guests Kelli Schaefer and Drew Grow.

When asked for eight words to describe Junebug, Maziar channeled Agent Cooper: “Everyday, once a day, give yourself a present.” But did he mean the present? Either way, Junebug is a gift.

Junebug situates Paul Maziar’s latest acts of listening and attending, transmission and transcription. He’s built a modular space suggestive of both the theatre and the gallery, performance and (inter)play. The aphoristic title sequence hones sharp accessibilities — we find words available to us, for our limbs and limbics to hold, hurrumph, to slap our knees and share. A mysterious dramatis personae pervades Junebug’s expanse across the mental maps Maziar graphs as he organizes streets of words and questions what their design might reference. We encounter, among others, Toulouse-Lautrec, Agnes Martin, Eva Hesse, Jack Whitten, Colette, Robert Walser. Who are all these characters in Maziar’s parade? Maybe there’s some insight in the final serial sequence, “Hives,” which states that “The real thing is inside of what everything appears as.” The real in Junebug asks us to admire the distance between the surface and the subject. We already have the right tools.

Charles North: From short poems to prose poems to the wonderful fragments collected in its title poem, Paul Maziar’s writing revels in imaginative discontinuity. Junebug is smart, witty, surprising—and inspiring—throughout.

Merrill Gilfillan: These works step up in the name of Poetry and its heartwood, its ever-salvational “What’s on the river today?”

Tetra Balestri: Maziar manages to resurrect a conversation started sometime in the early to mid-20th century that cuts through the present-day pandemonium with polish and swagger. Junebug is a pair of pants worth trying on.

Simone Kearney: Reading Paul Maziar’s Junebug, I feel the tightrope walker’s high-wire balance between the forces of levity and gravity, the contexts of interior and exterior, the concocted and the perceived, thought and overheard speech. These poems make me wonder how it is that we move through the world, which is also a moving-through language.

I’m reminded that language bears a strange mystery. It’s always received and always being made at the same time; it’s a material we inherit and get to play with. In Maziar’s work, overheard phrases and sayings arrive solidified, brick-like things. The language resembles the fragments of familiar tunes — an echo, or memory of one — appearing as the freshest, strangest thing newly imagined.

I feel the intimacy and elusiveness of unspoken thought in the poems: words not yet uttered, still inside the mind. This makes me feel the dynamics of inside and outside that are part of the human drama. Am I looking at something the poet is looking at, or am I inside his head? Maziar lets us inhabit uncertainty. This is living language just being breathed, catapulted from lips, cemented into freshly-thought speech.

Junebug lets me delight in the way language can tend to trip over itself: “I’d rather stimulate than simulate”; “a certain vigor (or vinegar?).” Decontextualized, speech is absurd, funny, strangely moving: “I’m not going anywhere until I see a horse.”

What emerges is a tour de force composed of song, slogan, slip of the tongue, reverie, note, advertisement, fragment, nonsense, musing, hiccup, rupture, tidbit, epiphany. “The only faith he had was in the confusion of his experiences,” Maziar writes, suggesting that one thing we can do amid such confusion is continue to place words onto the page — in relation to ourselves, to others, to images, and to other words. And those words keep coming to meet us: flat, full, flowing, tired, zippy, and ready for more.

Kelli Schaefer's latest record, Even Still, could be the soundtrack to a modern gothic, a playlist for a trudge through a muddy forest or the accompaniment to a subconscious mantra. She demonstrates deftness in refusing to confine herself to a single genre. Schaefer excavates her past while planting herself deeper into the avant-garde, offering a fresh take on the age-old singer-songwriter trope, delivering haunting melodies over swirling woodwinds, piano, classical guitar, and upright bass.

The Pacific Northest's beloved troubadour, musician/artist Drew Grow (Slang, Modern Kin, Pastor's Wives) is back with new songs and a new stripped down method. Spotted playing solo shows around Portland this summer, he is out on his own, debuting new music and packing a wall of little guitar amps. It's new digs for the artist. Drew's solo approach, raw and exposed, is even more striking than the bands of his past. His powerful voice still ringing through as ever, magnetic and arching over the solo guitar and twisted old amps. The sound is momentous and vulnerable, seeming to come from a deeper place. What have you brought us?

A $10 ticket supports our musical guests, Kelli Schaefer and Drew Grow.

Hip Chicks do Wine is bringing together 17 talented local authors and Jan's Books for a two-day holiday book pop-up filled with stories, conversation, and unique gifts. Whether you're searching for the perfect mystery, romance, fantasy, memoir, children's book, or your next favorite read, you'll find plenty of signed books and meet the authors who wrote them.

While you browse, enjoy a tasting of our award-winning wines, sip wine by the glass, or share a bottle with friends. We'll also be serving our seasonal favorite—Holiday Mulled Wine—to keep you warm as you shop.

Register online for this free event and receive one complimentary raffle ticket when you check in!

Want more chances to win? Earn additional raffle tickets by:

• Purchasing books from one of the featured local authors
• Shopping with Jan's Books
• Making a wine purchase at Hip Chicks do Wine

Join us to celebrate the release of Exorcising the Patriarchy: Leonora Carrington’s Plays and Scenography by Abigail Susik, published by Eberhardt Press

Leonora Carrington (1917–2011) is best known as a painter associated with international surrealism, but she was also a prolific dramatist and scenographer who activated these mediums in her overarching critique of patriarchal society. Replete with production photos and Carrington's artwork, Susik's book examines two of her plays and their scenographies, "Penelope" and "Opus Siniestrus: The Story of the Last Egg". Susik uncovers extensive archival documentation and hypothesizes Carrington's talismanic approach to theater as a "concentrated transformer" of anti- and post-patriarchal horizons.

"'Exorcising the Patriarchy' sheds timely light on Leonora Carrington’s theatrical practice, revealing it as a process of exorcising patriarchal violence. Through its exploration of archival material related to the revolutionary plays 'Penelope' and 'Opus Siniestrus: The Story of the Last Egg', as well as their scenographies, Susik delivers a thought-provoking study that deepens our understanding of Carrington’s use of consciousness as a weapon."
—Karla Segura Pantoja, translator and editor of "Leonora Carrington’s L’Œuvre écrit: Théâtre, vol 3" (Fage, 2022)

Abigail Susik

About the author: Abigail Susik is an art historian based in Portland, Oregon. Her book "Surrealist Sabotage and the War on Work" was published by Manchester University Press in 2021, and she has edited several volumes on international surrealism and antiauthoritarianism.

Play and learning go hand in hand. While our storytimes are on break, join other families for a fun playtime (for ages birth - 1) with board books, toys, music, and all the room your baby needs to learn through play. As Mr. Rogers said, "... for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood."

Toddlers (with a favorite adult) enjoy interactive stories, songs and games that encourage their emerging language skills. Attendance is limited and free tickets are available 15 minutes before storytime.

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

See full details at tomorrowtheater.org.

One-year-olds (with a favorite adult) enjoy songs, movement activities, rhymes, books and playtime. This action-packed program engages new walkers in language-based activities. Attendance is limited and free tickets are available 15 minutes before storytime.

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

Improve your reading skills and make a new friend by reading aloud to a therapy dog, Tater Tot!

See full details at tomorrowtheater.org.

Babies from birth to 12 months (with a favorite adult) enjoy songs, action rhymes, and playtime, with bonus socialization for babies and the adults. Attendance is limited and free tickets are available 15 minutes before storytime.

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

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. Email Holgate Teen Librarian Maggie at [email protected] if you are interested in attending.

Kick off your holiday shopping by supporting local authors, independent books, and small businesses at Words & Wine at Hip Chicks do Wine!

Friday, November 28 | 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Saturday, November 29 | 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM

We're bringing together 17 talented local authors and Jan's Books for a two-day holiday book pop-up filled with stories, conversation, and unique gifts. Whether you're searching for the perfect mystery, romance, fantasy, memoir, children's book, or your next favorite read, you'll find plenty of signed books and meet the authors who wrote them.

While you browse, enjoy a tasting of our award-winning wines, sip wine by the glass, or share a bottle with friends. We'll also be serving our seasonal favorite—Holiday Mulled Wine—to keep you warm as you shop.

🎁 Holiday Raffle
Register online for this free event and receive one complimentary raffle ticket when you check in!

Want more chances to win? Earn additional raffle tickets by:

Purchasing books from one of our featured local authors

Shopping with Jan's Books

Making a wine purchase at Hip Chicks do Wine

We'll be giving away multiple raffle prizes each day, featuring unique packages filled with books and goodies from our participating authors, along with gift cards to local independent bookstores. Every prize package will be different, so there are plenty of reasons to enter!

You do not need to be present to win.

Make a day of it by discovering great books, supporting local creators, and checking a few names off your holiday gift list—all while enjoying a relaxing afternoon at Portland's Best Urban Winery.

Admission is free.

Support local. Shop small. Sip local. Read local. We can't wait to celebrate the start of the holiday season with you!

Improve your reading skills and make a new friend by reading aloud to a therapy dog. For kids and teens. Call 503.988.5123 to register.

Play and learning go hand in hand. While our storytimes are on break, join other families for a fun playtime (for ages 1-2) with books, toys, music, and all the room you need to learn through play. As Mr. Rogers said, "... for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood."

Children from birth to age 6 (with a favorite adult) enjoy books highlighting LGBTQ+ families, along with songs, rhymes and movement activities building language, literacy, and community in an identity-supporting environment.

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

One-year-olds (with a favorite adult) enjoy songs, movement activities, rhymes, books and playtime. This action-packed program engages new walkers in language-based activities. 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.

Play and learning go hand in hand. While our storytimes are on break, join other families for a fun playtime (for ages 2-3) with books, toys, music, and all the room you need to learn through play. As Mr. Rogers said, "... for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood."

Read to our furry friend - Naya! Naya is trained to listen to children’s reading without judgement or correction. Beginning to advanced readers are welcome! Visit the Reference Desk for details.

Children from birth to age 6 (with a favorite adult) enjoy books, songs, rhymes and movement activities while building language and literacy skills. Attendance is limited and free tickets are available 15 minutes before storytime.

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