Literary Arts

The Literary Arts Bookstore and Cafe will be closed today, Monday, June 1, for our annual inventory. We will reopen on Tuesday, June 2, at 8:00 a.m. for food, coffee, and more! 📚☕

Looking for a book? You can place an order for pickup or shipping at lit-arts.org/shop or head to the link in our bio.

Summer is almost here! Why not spend it at Literary Arts Bookstore and Cafe?☀️ 🌊 📚

In June, we will be crafting with our friends from SCRAP PDX, celebrating Portland Book Week, and hosting the 2026 Oregon Literary Fellowship recipients for a special reading. We are also excited to host community events like our monthly write-in, One Page Wednesday, the BIPOC Reading Series, and Slamlandia, as well as a variety of readings and conversations.

📚 6/2 – Rosiee Thor in conversation with Sydney Langford

🎤 6/3– [NEW START TIME: 6:30 PM] One Page Wednesday with special guest host Armin Tolentino and featured reader Evan P. Schneider

✂️ 6/4 – June Hand-Sewing Social with SCRAP PDX

✍️ 6/9 – June Write-In: Portland Book Week Edition

📚 6/10– Brianna Jett in conversation with Courtney Gould

📚 6/13 – Illuminated Cities: zehra imam in conversation with Omar El Akkad

📚 6/16 – Melissa Febos in conversation with Genevieve Hudson

🎤 6/18 – Slamlandia, hosted by Julia Gaskill

🌈 6/23 – June Write-In: Pride

🎤 6/24 – [NEW START TIME: 6:30 PM] BIPOC Reading Series, hosted by Kyle Yoshioka and Jessica Meza-Torres

📚 6/25 – Michelle St. Romain in conversation with Sandra Freels

📚 6/27 – Rowan Kingsbury: Avery and the Squirrel Delivery

🎤 6/29 – 2026 Oregon Literary Fellowships Reading

🌈 6/30 – YA and Middle-Grade Literature Pride Celebration with Ari Koontz and Sara Ryan

Check out the link in our bio for more information or lit-arts.org/june_events.

June Events & Writing Classes All events and classes take place at Literary Arts, 716 SE Grand Ave., Portland, OR, unless otherwise noted.

The Literary Arts Bookstore & Cafe will be closed today, Monday, May 25. We will reopen on Tuesday, May 26, at 8:00 a.m. for food, coffee, and more! 📚☕

Looking for a book? You can place an order for pickup or shipping at lit-arts.org/shop or head to the link in our bio.

On this week’s episode of our radio show and podcast, The Archive Project, we celebrate the life and work of award-winning author Tracy Kidder.

In this lecture from 2011, Kidder shares the journey of his career as a writer. An extraordinary story in which he reveals his mistakes, uncertainties, and vulnerabilities as much as his successes. This is a must-listen for every aspiring writer and reader who wants deeper insight into a writer’s creative process and to understand how many of the stories that have defined modern journalism were created.

Tune in to OPB on Sunday, May 24, at 7:00 p.m. to hear the episode, revisit later on our website, or subscribe to The Archive Project wherever you get your podcasts.

Today’s episode of our radio show and podcast, The Archive Project, explores the future of Portland’s monuments, looking ahead to the monuments that define the city.

This episode is the final installment of a three-part series presented in partnership with the Portland Monuments Project and support from the Mellon Foundation.

Hear from our executive director, Andrew Proctor, and local writers Mitchell S. Jackson and Renée Watson about who they think should be honored with a monument in Portland.

We’ll also hear from our community of Portlanders about the monuments they want to see and the stories they want told about their city.

Tune in to OPB Radio tonight, Sunday, May 17, at 7:00 p.m. to hear the episode, or revisit later, on our website. Subscribe to The Archive Project wherever you get your podcasts.

Slamlandia is back next Thursday, May 21st, at Literary Arts with a poetry open mic and poetry slam, plus a feature from jared Cetz. 10 slots in the open mic and 10 slots in the slam (a randomized lottery will determine the readers in each). Sign ups start at 6:30pm, show begins at 7:00pm. Free admission, show is all ages. We look forward to seeing y'all there! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/slamlandia-ft-jared-cetz-tickets-1988797151818

Literary Arts was honored to host U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on March 12, 2026, for the culminating event of Multnomah County Library’s Everybody Reads 2026 program. This is our sixteenth year partnering with the Library and The Library Foundation on this community reading project, which this year distributed 8,000 free copies of Jackson’s bestselling memoir Lovely One, and hosted musical performances, events, and exhibits exploring the themes of community, Black excellence, and resilience in the face of adversity in the months leading up to Jackson’s appearance.

Annie Lewis, Director of Libraries, says “Everybody Reads is designed to spark conversation about important issues in our community and beyond. We hope understanding another person’s perspective will help us explore our own convictions, practice compassion, and learn powerful lessons.”

During her time in Portland, Justice Jackson visited Parkrose High School to speak with students in a conversation broadcast on OPB’s Think Out Loud. Justice Jackson also visited Jefferson High School with Jefferson alumna Renée Watson, bestselling author almost twenty books including All the Blues in The Sky which won the 2026 Newbery Medal. Watson would later join the Justice onstage at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall to discuss Lovely One, in front of a sold-out audience of almost 3,000 community members.

More than 700 high school students were able to attend through our free tickets for students’ program to hear the inspiring and uplifting conversation between Justice Jackson and Renée Watson. As one audience member said, “This was my first “Everybody Reads” event. I loved hearing the students, who cheered as their schools were announced. I felt like I was seeing Portland, the real Portland, not just my little neighborhood. The positive message and feeling of that evening has stuck with me. Thank you for putting on this event!”

On this week’s episode of our radio show and podcast, The Archive Project, we explore Portland’s monuments in the present day.

This episode traces the path of a monument that went from guerilla artwork to an installation at the Portland Art Museum. Travel from the top of Mount Tabor to the mouth of the Columbia River to learn more about this monument and its subject.

This is part two of a three-part series presented in partnership with the Portland Monuments Project and support from the Mellon Foundation. Next week, we will explore the future of the city’s monuments.

Tune in to OPB Radio tonight, Sunday, May 10, at 7:00 p.m. to hear the episode or revisit later on our website or subscribe to The Archive Project wherever you get your podcasts.

DATE ADDED: As part of this collaboration, we will be hosting local nonfiction comics artist Shay Mirk for another FREE creative zine-making workshop on May 10 at The Literary Arts Bookstore and Cafe. Registration is required.

Learn more and register at the link in bio or lit-arts.org/shay_mirk_workshop_2. 🎨 ✂️

Literary Arts is seeking a Deputy Director! 🔎

We are hiring a leader with proven experience to help advance our mission and long-term vision. This is an exciting opportunity to join a collaborative team dedicated to literature, community, and storytelling.

Visit the link in our bio to learn more about the application process or lit-arts.org/deputydirector_26.