Portland Metro Area Literary Events, October 23 – November 30, 2005
October 2005
Sunday the 23rd
FICTION: Adam Gopnik. Sunday the 23rd, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. Following his beloved memoir, Paris to the Moon, Adam Gopnik turns his talents to a fantasy novel for children and grownups that is part Madeline, part Matrix. With wonderful characters, high comedy, and a thrilling narrative, The King in the Window is an intelligent fantasy adventure embodying the battle between good and evil.
POETRY: Paul Naylor and Endi Hartigan: The poets read from their work, 7:30 p.m., Spare Room Reading event, New American Art Union, 922 SE Ankeny St., $5 suggested donation.
Monday the 24th
FICTION: First Fiction Fall Tour. Monday the 24th, 5:30PM XV. The First Fiction Fall Tour returns with three new and unforgettable debut novels: Karen Olsson's Waterloo, a bittersweet, biting portrait of a generation in search of itself; Lisa Selin Davis's Belly, a brilliantly funny novel about the masculine path and the chance for reconciliation and redemption in even the hardest-lived life; and Victoria Vinton's The Jungle Law, which tracks Rudyard Kipling's ultimately doomed attempt to establish a home in Vermont even as he begins to write his classic, The Jungle Book. Please note: this free event takes place at XV, 15 SW 2nd Ave., downtown Portland. Happy hour cocktails: 5:30pm. Readings begin at 6:30pm.
NONFICTION: Arlene Blum. 7 p.m., Bridgeport Village Borders, 7227 SW Bridgeport Road, Tigard. Defying the climbing establishment of the 1970s, Arlene Blum was the first American woman to attempt Mt. Everest. Complemented with breathtaking personal photos and detailed maps, Breaking Trail is a deeply moving account of how one woman overcame adversity to become one of the world's most famous climbers. (This reading includes a PowerPoint presentation by the author.)
FICTION: Oregon Writers Colony Presents. Monday the 24th, 7:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. C. Lill Ahrens, Oregon Writers Colony (OWC) contest director, presents the 2005 winners of the OWC Contest "Short Stories... Both True and Imagined." Hear some of the best new voices in the Oregon literary scene as winners read from their works.
FICTION: San Francisco Noir. Monday the 24th, 7:30PM Powell's Books on Hawthorne. In San Francisco Noir, edited by Peter Maravelis, virtuosos of the genre meet up with the best of the Bay Area's literary fiction community to chart a unique psycho-geography for a dark landscape. Editor Maravelis appears with contributors Robert Mailer Anderson, Kate Braverman, and Peter Plate.
Tuesday the 25th
NONFICTION: Arlene Blum. Tuesday the 25th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. Defying the climbing establishment of the 1970s, Arlene Blum was the first American woman to attempt Mt. Everest. Complemented with breathtaking personal photos and detailed maps, Breaking Trail is a deeply moving account of how one woman overcame adversity to become one of the world's most famous climbers. (This reading includes a Powerpoint presentation by the author.)
POETRY: Willa Schneberg, Biff Russ, Vern Rutsala, Penelope Schott, and Donna Prinzmetal read from their work, 7 p.m., Broadway Books, 1714 NE Broadway.
FICTION: Chris Elliott. Tuesday the 25th, 7:30PM Powell's Books on Hawthorne. The Shroud of the Thwacker is the raucous debut novel from Chris Elliott, star of Get a Life! and Cabin Boy. Set in New York City in 1882, this hilarious story chronicles the adventures of Police Chief Caleb Spencer and his cohorts, Evening Post reporter Liz Smith and Mayor Teddy Roosevelt, as they unravel the mystery of the world's first serial killer, Jack the Jolly Thwacker.
Wednesday the 26th
Write Time. Wednesday the 26th, 7:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. This writing critique group meets every other Wednesday to exchange and discuss their work. New members are always welcome.
Classics Book Group. Wednesday the 26th, 7:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. This month our classics book group meets to discuss Crime and Punishment by Feodor Dostoevsky. New members to the group are always welcome.
Edith Mirante discusses her book Down the Rat Hole, 7 p.m., In Other Words, 3734 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
Paul Collins. Wednesday the 26th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. A typical book about an American founding father doesn't start at a gay piano bar and end in a sewage ditch. But then, Thomas Paine wasn't your typical founding father. In The Trouble with Tom, Paul Collins combines wry, present-day travelogue with an odyssey down the forgotten paths of history.
CREATIVE NONFICTION: Sarah Vowell Benefit Event for Write Around Portland. Wednesday the 26th, 7:30PM First Congregational Church. Join Sarah Vowell for an evening of witty entertainment in a benefit reading and booksigning for Write Around Portland (WRAP). Vowell is probably best known for her monologues and documentaries for public radio's This American Life. She is author of the books Assassination Vacation, Partly Cloudy Patriot, and Radio On. She is also the voice of teenage superhero Violet Parr in the The Incredibles. WRAP provides free creative writing workshops, published anthologies and community readings to those who would otherwise not have access to the power of writing in community. WRAP works with women fleeing domestic violence, incarcerated adults, people suffering from AIDS, those experiencing homelessness and others facing untold obstacles. Please note: this ticketed event takes place at the First Congregational Church, 1126 SW Park, downtown Portland. Tickets available at writearound.org or any TicketWest location.
Thursday the 27th
NONFICTION: Buffalo Bill's America by Louis S. Warren. Thursday the 27th, 7:30 PM Powell's Books on Hawthorne. The most comprehensive critical biography of William Cody in more than forty years, Buffalo Bill's America is a rich and revealing biography and social history of an American icon that "manages to both entertain and instruct" (Publishers Weekly).
FICTION: Lalia Lalami. The author discusses Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits, 7:30 pm, Annie Bloom’s Books, 7834 SW Capitol Highway.
NONFICTION: H. W. Brands. Thursday the 27th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. The first single-volume, full-length biography of Jackson in decades, Andrew Jackson is a magisterial portrait of one of our greatest leaders that promises to reshape our understanding of both the man and his era.
FICTION: Davy Rothbart of Found magazine. Thursday the 27th, 8:00PM Wonder Ballroom. Davy Rothbart talks about his Found magazine empire and the Do-It-Yourself movement that he champions. Davy will also read a story from his impressive new collection of short fiction, The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas. Joining Davy is his brother, musician Peter Rothbart. This Powell's sponsored event is a benefit for the Independent Publishing Resource Center. Please note: this ticketed event takes place at the Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell St. Tickets are $9.95 and available through Ticketmaster or at the IPRC.
Friday the 28th
CREATIVE NONFICTION: Dava Sobel . Friday the 28th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. In The Planets, the bestselling author of Longitude and Galileo's Daughter explores the origins of the planets in our solar system, and studies their oddities through the lens of popular culture, from astrology, mythology, and science fiction to art, music, poetry, biography, and history. (Dava Sobel's reading will include a Powerpoint show.)
Saturday the 29th
Celebration of Chocolate. Saturday the 29th, 11:00AM Powell's Books for Cooks and Gardeners. Some folks believe fine chocolate is better than sex. If you would like to test that theory, come to the Celebration of Chocolate hosted by Powell's Books for Cooks and Gardeners and Pastaworks, featuring tastings and demonstrations with local chocolate makers Pix Patisserie, Bakery Bar, Sahagun Chocolate, and Cherry Country, as well as a 1pm visit with famed San Francisco chocolatier Micheal Recchiuti. In Chocolate Obsession Recchiuti, the "Picasso of chocolatiers," divulges his professional secrets and techniques, allowing home cooks to reproduce his exquisite confections in their own kitchens. With more than sixty recipes in all, this book will satisfy even the most obsessive chocolate lovers among us. All chocolate making books and supplies will be 30% off at this event.
POETRY: Dominic Albanese, Joan Maiers, John Morrison, Joseph A. Soldati, and Leah Stenson read selections from their work, 7 pm, Let’s Do Coffee, 19373 SW Willamette Drive, West Linn; donations benefit Mercy Corps.
FICTION: R. A. Salvatore. Saturday the 29th, 1:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. New York Times bestselling author R. A. Salvatore returns with the long-awaited sequel to Servant of the Shard. Promise of the Witch-King brings together a dark elf and a human assassin in an unlikely journey to the demon-haunted wastelands of the frozen north.
Sunday the 30th
CREATIVE NONFICTION: Al Franken. Sunday the 30th, 7:00PM First Congregational Church. Armed with an arsenal of facts and research (and comedy!), Al Franken is ready to take the fight to the Bush administration and their right-wing cronies. Intelligent, insightful, inspiring, and laugh-out-loud funny, The Truth (with Jokes) is poised to become the most talked about book of the year. Please note: this ticketed event takes place at the First Congregational Church, 1126 SW Park Ave., downtown Portland. Purchase a copy of Franken's new book, The Truth (with Jokes) (available October 25), at any Powell's store to get a free ticket to this special event.
Monday the 31st
NONFICTION: General Janis Karpinski. Monday the 31st, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. In One Woman's Army, General Janis Karpinski forcefully argues that the bulk of the blame for the Abu Ghraib scandal goes to the very top of the chain of command and tells why she has been made a scapegoat. Hers is a story of military leaders run amok, and a moving portrait of a woman who spent her life defying the odds in pursuit of her dream.
November 2005
Tuesday the 1st
Alan Lee's Lord of the Rings Sketchbook. Tuesday the 1st, 7:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. The Oscar-winning conceptual designer for the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy discusses his approach to depicting Tolkien's imaginary world. The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook presents more than 150 of Lee's celebrated illustrations, as well as twenty full-color plates and numerous examples of the conceptual art produced for Peter Jackson's film adaptation. Includes slideshow presentation.
A Left-Hand Turn around the World. Tuesday the 1st, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. A Left-Hand Turn around the World is a light hearted exploration into the history, psychology, science, and most of all, the culture of left-handedness. Weaving his personal experience with a blend of sharp-eyed reporting and intriguing personalities, David Wolman crafts an entertaining narrative in praise of all things southpaw.
Wednesday the 2nd
Write Time. Wednesday the 2nd, 7:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. This writing critique group meets every other Wednesday to exchange and discuss their work. New members to the group are always welcome.
Chris Kimball. Wednesday the 2nd, 7:00PM Powell's Books for Cooks and Gardeners. "America's Test Kitchen" host Chris Kimball presents The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, a comprehensive cookbook that delivers more than 1,200 foolproof recipes for classic American family fare in a clear, accessible style.
Wednesday, November 2, 2005 7:30 PM, Wlliam Robbins presents Oregon: This Storied Land. Location: Annie Bloom's. Description: Oregon is a landscape of brilliant waterfalls, towering volcanoes, productive river valleys. . .
FICTION: Amy Tan. Wednesday the 2nd, 7:30PM First Baptist Church. In Saving Fish from Drowning, the powerful new novel from the bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club, eleven Americans leave their Floating Island Resort on an ill-fated art expedition into Burma — and disappear. Please note: this free event takes place at the First Baptist Church, at the corners of 12th and Taylor St., downtown Portland. Seating is limited to first come, first served.
Thursday the 3rd
FICTION: GREG BOTTOMS, Thursday, November 3, 8 p.m., Psychology Auditorium, Room 105. Greg Bottoms’s first book, the memoir Angelhead: My Brother’s Descent into Madness, was an Esquire “Book of the Year” in 2000. Sentimental, Heartbroken Rednecks: Stories, which blurs across the genres of memoir, the essay, and fiction, was published in 2001 to wide critical acclaim. His writing has appeared in Esquire, The Oxford American, Salon, Creative Nonfiction, The North American, and elsewhere, and his criticism regularly appears in Bookforum. He is currently completing The Colorful Apocalypse, a travel narrative about his visits and interviews with three Christian fundamentalist Outsider artists in the U.S. An assistant professor of English at the University of Vermont, he now lives in northwestern New England.
Margaret Cho, Thursday the 3rd, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. A survival guide to making it through to 2008 and a hilarious, kick-ass call to arms from "comedy's most fearless superhero" (Entertainment Weekly), I Have Chosen to Stay and Fight chronicles Margaret Cho's adventures and misadventures in political activism and lays out what's right in no uncertain terms. Please note: this free event is limited to the first 250 in attendance. No reserve seating. A booksigning will follow for all interested in attending.
Friday the 4th
NONFICTION: Jung Change and Jon Halliday. Friday the 4th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. Based on a decade of research and on interviews with many of Mao's close circle in China who have never talked before, Mao: The Unknown Story, by Jung Chang (bestselling author of Wild Swans) and Jon Halliday, is the most authoritative life of Mao ever written.
Saturday the 5th
Saturday, November 5, 2005 6:30 PM, Matt Yurdana presents Public Gestures, Location: Annie Bloom's. Description: Matt Yurdana's first book, Public Gestures, explores the stories, recollections, and half-truths we ...
Monday the 7th
FICTION: Stacey Levine and Matt Briggs. Monday the 7th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. Two new novels from Clear Cut Press. Not since Ken Kesey has a long-form literary work subjected the utopian outsider traditions of the west coast to such intimate and clear-eyed scrutiny as Matt Briggs's Shoot the Buffalo. Stacey Levine's Frances Johnson is a comedy of manners in the tradition of Jane Bowles.
FICTION: Monday, November 7, 2005 7:30 PM. Seth Kantner presents Ordinary Wolves, Location: Annie Bloom's Books. Description: In the tradition of Jack London, Seth Kantner presents an Alaska far removed from majestic clichés.
NONFICTION: Rock and Roll Archaeologist. Monday the 7th, 7:30PM Powell's Books on Hawthorne. Dubbed the "Indiana Jones of Rock 'n' Roll" by Seattle's The Rocket, Peter Blecha's story is a unique celebration of fandom taken to obsessive lengths. From haggling with Courtney Love for Kurt Cobain mementos to helping build the Experience Music Project, Rock and Roll Archaeologist reads like a music lover's dream come true.
Tuesday the 8th
NONFICTION: Fifty Places to Play Golf Before You Die. Tuesday the 8th, 7:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. Chris Santella's Fifty Places to Play Golf Before You Die presents the world's greatest golf venues, the personal favorites of renowned players, course architects, and other experts in the sport. With breathtaking color photographs of each site, this gorgeous, full-color book is a great gift for avid golfers and armchair travelers alike.
Science Fiction Book Group. Tuesday the 8th, 7:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. This month our book group meets to discuss Robert Heinlein's Podkayne of Mars. New members to our group are always welcome.
FICTION: Peter Donahue. Tuesday the 8th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. If E. L. Doctorow and Charles Dickens met on the streets of Seattle, they might have written something similar to Peter Donahue's debut novel, Madison House, which chronicles turn-of-the-century Seattle's explosive transformation from frontier outpost to major metropolis.
Wednesday the 9th
NONFICTION: Michael Brophy. Wednesday the 9th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. In his extraordinary work, Oregon painter Michael Brophy explores the intersections of history, forest ecology, and the rich tradition of landscape painting. Edited by Rock Hushka, The Romantic Vision of Michael Brophy examines Brophy's art, exploring how it reassesses the historical events and decisions that shaped the American West.
Thursday the 10th
Mystery Book Group. Thursday the 10th, 7:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. At this month's book group, author M. J. Zellnik leads us in a discussion of her new book Murder at the Portland Variety.
POETRY: DAVID BIESPIEL, Thursday, November 10, 8 p.m., Psychology Auditorium, Room 105. David Biespiel is the author of the poetry collections Wild Civility and Shattering Air. His work has appeared widely, in journals such as American Poetry Review, Parnassus, Poetry and The New Republic, and in the anthologies The New American Poets and American Poetry: The Next Generation. Biespiel, awarded a Stegner Fellowship in poetry at Stanford and a NEA Fellowship in Literature, has taught at Stanford, the University of Maryland, George Washington University, Portland State and Oregon State University. He lives in Portland, Oregon, where he is Director and Writer in Residence at The Attic, a literary studio and haven for writers.
Giuliano Hazan. Thursday the 10th, 7:00PM Powell's Books for Cooks and Gardeners. From the bestselling author of Every Night Italian comes How to Cook Italian, a new bible of Italian cooking — consistently America's favorite cuisine — for the way we cook today.
FICTION: Steven Erikson. Thursday the 10th, 7:00PM, Powell's Books in Beaverton. Marking the return of many characters from Gardens of the Moon and introducing a host of remarkable new players, Memories of Ice is both a momentous new chapter in Steven Erikson's magnificent epic fantasy and a triumph of storytelling.
FICTION: Daniel Quinn. Thursday the 10th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. Ishmael author Daniel Quinn returns with seven profound but delightfully simple tales that illuminate the world in which humans became humans. Tales of Adam, superbly illustrated by Michael McCurdy, is a book that will come to be shelved alongside The Prophet, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, and The Alchemist.
FICTION: Craig Clevenger and Will Christopher Baer, Thursday the 10th, 7:30PM Powell's Books on Hawthorne. From Craig Clevenger, the author of The Contortionist's Handbook, comes Dermaphoria, an atmospheric second novel set in the underworld of L.A. Will Christopher Baer's gritty style has been described as "Chuck Palahniuk rewriting Jim Thompson." His collected novels, Phineas Poe: Books I, II, III — are thrillers that "keep readers hooked" (Publishers Weekly).
Friday the 11th
Dan Austin. Friday the 11th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside.
Based on the nationally touring film of the same name, Dan Austin's hilarious and thoughtful True Fans details the journey Dan, his brother Jared, and best friend Clint Ewell started when they hopped aboard their bicycles and headed east from the pickup court at Venice Beach, handlebars pointed toward the NBA Hall of Fame.
Monday the 14th
Matt Skinner. Monday the 14th, 6:30PM Square Deal Wine Company.
A new wine book by the sommelier at Jamie Oliver's London restaurant, Fifteen! Packed with user-friendly information and all the tricks one could ever want, Thirsty Work celebrates wine, all that goes into making it and all who are involved in sharing it. Please note: this free event takes place at Square Deal Wine Company, 2321 NW Thurman St. Complimentary wine-tasting starts at 6:30pm, with Matt's presentation at 7pm.
Mark Crispin Miller. Monday the 14th, 7:30PM Powell's Books on Hawthorne.
In Fooled Again, Mark Crispin Miller exposes the thousands of little frauds that allowed the Republicans to win in 2004. This incendiary new book presents massive documentation that the election was stolen and describes the mind set, among both the major parties and the media, that could permit it to happen again.
How to Survive a Robot Uprising. Monday the 14th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. An inspired and hilarious look at how humans can defeat the inevitable robot rebellion — as revealed by a robotics expert. From treating laser wounds to fooling face and speech recognition, besting robot logic to engaging in hand-to-pincer combat, Daniel Wilson's How to Survive a Robot Uprising covers every possible doomsday scenario facing the newest endangered species: humans.
Tuesday the 15th
COOKING: Jerry Traunfeld. Tuesday the 15th, 7:00PM Powell's Books for Cooks and Gardeners. The secret to transforming easy dishes into extraordinary meals? Fresh herbs. In The Herbal Kitchen, IACP award-winning cookbook author and acclaimed Herbfarm Restaurant chef Jerry Traunfeld presents simple dishes using herbs straight from the market, windowsill, or garden.
FICTION: David Allan Cates. Tuesday the 15th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. X Out of Wonderland is a farce, modeled after Candide, that takes on the global free market and just about every other aspect of contemporary life. Outrageous and poignant by turns, David Allan Cates's novel is a satire with heart, and an intense and funny reading experience.
Wednesday the 16th
Book Collecting Workshop. Wednesday the 16th, 7:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. From neutrons to botanicals, join us for a discussion on the printed world of science and technology as we continue our classes on book collecting. A variety of topics will be discussed, so bring your hypotheses and your questions for a lively experiment in rare book lectures.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005 7:30 PM, Ron Lansing presents Nimrod: Courts, Claims, and Killing on the Oregon Frontier, Location: Annie Bloom'sDescription: At the remarkable age of 65, Nimrod O'Kelly - loner, former blacksmith - made the arduous trek . . .
Write Time Writing Group. Wednesday the 16th, 7:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. This writing critique group meets every other Wednesday to exchange and discuss their work. New members to the group are always welcome.
FICTION: Jonathan Harr. Wednesday the 16th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. In The Lost Painting, Jonathan Harr, author of the national bestseller A Civil Action, embarks on a spellbinding journey to discover the long-lost painting known as The Taking of Christ. The fascinating details of the artist Caravaggio's strange, turbulent career and the astonishing beauty of his work come to life in these pages.
Thursday the 17th
Harmon Leon. Thursday the 17th, 7:30PM Powell's Books on Hawthorne. When the red states trumped the blue states in the 2004 presidential election, many Democrats were left wondering just what makes the conservative mind tick. In Republican Like Me, comedian and journalist Harmon Leon infiltrates a Christian wrestling extravaganza, a machine-gun shoot, an "Arnold for Governor" rally, and more, to find out how the other half lives in ways that are outrageous and hilarious, yet always illuminating.
FICTION: Thursday, November 17, 2005 7:30 PM, David Sarasohn presents Waiting for Lewis and Clark: The Bicentennial and a Changing West, Location: Annie Bloom's. Description: Across thousands of miles, Indian tribes, environmental activists, tourism promoters, and keelboat...
NONFICTION: Wilma Mankiller: Native American Women in the 21st Century, Thursday the 17th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. With opening thoughts and stories from Wilma Mankiller, Every Day is a Good Day features nineteen prominent Native American artists, educators, and activists sharing their candid and often profound thoughts on what it means to be a Native American woman in the early 21st century. Ms. Mankiller will preside over a panel including such Native American scholars and writers as Liz Woody, Kathryn Harrison, Janice Gould and more.
Friday the 18th
HISTORICAL FICTION: Michelangelo's Mountain. Friday the 18th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. With vivid writing and characterizations, Eric Scigliano dramatizes Michelangelo's life and times through his obsession with the legendary marble of Carrara and his creation of three incomparable masterpieces: the Pieta, David, and Moses. Michelangelo's Mountain is a "lively blend of art history and travelogue" (Kirkus Reviews). Slideshow presentation.
Saturday the 19th
Christina Baldwin. Saturday the 19th, 3:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. Storycatcher reveals the powerful role stories play in life, and empowers readers to examine their own to bring greater awareness and positive change. Christina Baldwin draws on examples from history and mythology to show how stories change events.
Sunday the 20th
NONFICTION: An Unreasonable Woman. Sunday the 20th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. Diane Wilson's An Unreasonable Woman "will stand as one of this nation's greatest works of nonfiction," says Rick Bass. When Wilson, a fourth-generation shrimp-boat captain and mother of five, learns that she lives in the most polluted county in the United States, she launches a campaign against a multibillion-dollar corporation that has been covering up spills, silencing workers, flouting the EPA, and dumping lethal ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride into the bays along her beloved Texas Gulf Coast. This event is co-sponsored by the Sierra Club Adam Alabarca Speaker Series.
Monday the 21st
NONFICTION: Jack Klugman. Monday the 21st, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. The close professional relationship between The Odd Couple's Jack Klugman and Tony Randall has long been famous, but the details of their friendship have never been revealed until now. Tony and Me is a touching portrait of a legendary professional relationship that, in the end, became deeply personal.
CREATIVE NONFICTION: Faith Adiele. Monday the 21st, 7:30PM Powell's Books on Hawthorne. Faith Adiele's funny and observant memoir, Meeting Faith: An Inward Odyssey presents the wry account of Adiele's journey from Harvard scholarship student to her ordination as northern Thailand's first black Buddhist nun.
Wednesday the 23rd
Festivus: The Holiday for the Rest of Us. Wednesday the 23rd, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. Looking to add a little bitterness to your holiday season? Then Festivus: The Holiday for the Rest of Us is the book you cannot do without! The event celebrated by Frank Costanza on Seinfeld has transcended television to become a worldwide phenomenon. In this side-splitting romp through the Festivus landscape, author Allen Salkin meets Miss Festivus, tastes Festivus beer, and ponders the Festivus snail, showing how anyone with a little creativity — and a dash of Costanza — can celebrate a Happy Festivus!
Monday the 28th
FICTION: Oregon Writers Colony Presents Jennie Shortridge. Monday the 28th, 7:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. Novelist Jennie Shortridge leads a discussion entitled "If I'd Known Then..." at this month's OWC event. Now a two-time novelist with a bestseller and film option under her belt, Jennie Shortridge will share tips and tricks she learned the hard way on the publishing path. OWC Presents happens the fourth Monday of every month at Powell's Books in Beaverton.
Book Collecting Workshop. Monday the 28th, 7:30PM Powell's Books on Hawthorne. Our classes on book collecting continue when Dan Haneckow dons his engineer's cap and takes the reading railroad to Powell's on Hawthorne to give a presentation on collecting train books.
Tuesday the 29th
FICTION: Brom. Tuesday the 29th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. In The Plucker, an illustrated novel, world-renowned dark fantasy artist Brom combines dramatic storytelling with his uniquely arresting images to create a work of striking imagination, set in a world where fairy-tale tradition collides with vileness and depravity, love and heroism, suffering and sacrifice.
Wednesday the 30th
Write Time Writing Group. Wednesday the 30th, 7:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. This writing critique group meets every other Wednesday to exchange and discuss their work. New members to the group are always welcome.
COOKING: Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. Wednesday the 30th, 7:00PM Powell's Books for Cooks and Gardeners. For Mangoes and Curry Leaves, a companion volume to their award-winning cookbook Hot Sour Salty Sweet, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid travel west from Southeast Asia to that vast landmass the colonial British called the Indian subcontinent. It was just twenty years ago that cooks began to understand the relationships between the multifaceted cuisines of the Mediterranean; now we can begin to do the same with the foods of the Subcontinent.
Classics Book Group. Wednesday the 30th, 7:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. This month our group discusses Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner. New members to the group are always welcome.
CREATIVE NONFICTION: J. R. Moehringer. Wednesday the 30th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. J. R. Moehringer's The Tender Bar is a moving, vividly told memoir full of heart, drama, and exquisite comic timing, about a boy striving to become a man, and his romance with a bar. Booklist calls it "Funny, honest, and insightful."
Sunday the 23rd
FICTION: Adam Gopnik. Sunday the 23rd, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. Following his beloved memoir, Paris to the Moon, Adam Gopnik turns his talents to a fantasy novel for children and grownups that is part Madeline, part Matrix. With wonderful characters, high comedy, and a thrilling narrative, The King in the Window is an intelligent fantasy adventure embodying the battle between good and evil.
POETRY: Paul Naylor and Endi Hartigan: The poets read from their work, 7:30 p.m., Spare Room Reading event, New American Art Union, 922 SE Ankeny St., $5 suggested donation.
Monday the 24th
FICTION: First Fiction Fall Tour. Monday the 24th, 5:30PM XV. The First Fiction Fall Tour returns with three new and unforgettable debut novels: Karen Olsson's Waterloo, a bittersweet, biting portrait of a generation in search of itself; Lisa Selin Davis's Belly, a brilliantly funny novel about the masculine path and the chance for reconciliation and redemption in even the hardest-lived life; and Victoria Vinton's The Jungle Law, which tracks Rudyard Kipling's ultimately doomed attempt to establish a home in Vermont even as he begins to write his classic, The Jungle Book. Please note: this free event takes place at XV, 15 SW 2nd Ave., downtown Portland. Happy hour cocktails: 5:30pm. Readings begin at 6:30pm.
NONFICTION: Arlene Blum. 7 p.m., Bridgeport Village Borders, 7227 SW Bridgeport Road, Tigard. Defying the climbing establishment of the 1970s, Arlene Blum was the first American woman to attempt Mt. Everest. Complemented with breathtaking personal photos and detailed maps, Breaking Trail is a deeply moving account of how one woman overcame adversity to become one of the world's most famous climbers. (This reading includes a PowerPoint presentation by the author.)
FICTION: Oregon Writers Colony Presents. Monday the 24th, 7:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. C. Lill Ahrens, Oregon Writers Colony (OWC) contest director, presents the 2005 winners of the OWC Contest "Short Stories... Both True and Imagined." Hear some of the best new voices in the Oregon literary scene as winners read from their works.
FICTION: San Francisco Noir. Monday the 24th, 7:30PM Powell's Books on Hawthorne. In San Francisco Noir, edited by Peter Maravelis, virtuosos of the genre meet up with the best of the Bay Area's literary fiction community to chart a unique psycho-geography for a dark landscape. Editor Maravelis appears with contributors Robert Mailer Anderson, Kate Braverman, and Peter Plate.
Tuesday the 25th
NONFICTION: Arlene Blum. Tuesday the 25th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. Defying the climbing establishment of the 1970s, Arlene Blum was the first American woman to attempt Mt. Everest. Complemented with breathtaking personal photos and detailed maps, Breaking Trail is a deeply moving account of how one woman overcame adversity to become one of the world's most famous climbers. (This reading includes a Powerpoint presentation by the author.)
POETRY: Willa Schneberg, Biff Russ, Vern Rutsala, Penelope Schott, and Donna Prinzmetal read from their work, 7 p.m., Broadway Books, 1714 NE Broadway.
FICTION: Chris Elliott. Tuesday the 25th, 7:30PM Powell's Books on Hawthorne. The Shroud of the Thwacker is the raucous debut novel from Chris Elliott, star of Get a Life! and Cabin Boy. Set in New York City in 1882, this hilarious story chronicles the adventures of Police Chief Caleb Spencer and his cohorts, Evening Post reporter Liz Smith and Mayor Teddy Roosevelt, as they unravel the mystery of the world's first serial killer, Jack the Jolly Thwacker.
Wednesday the 26th
Write Time. Wednesday the 26th, 7:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. This writing critique group meets every other Wednesday to exchange and discuss their work. New members are always welcome.
Classics Book Group. Wednesday the 26th, 7:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. This month our classics book group meets to discuss Crime and Punishment by Feodor Dostoevsky. New members to the group are always welcome.
Edith Mirante discusses her book Down the Rat Hole, 7 p.m., In Other Words, 3734 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
Paul Collins. Wednesday the 26th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. A typical book about an American founding father doesn't start at a gay piano bar and end in a sewage ditch. But then, Thomas Paine wasn't your typical founding father. In The Trouble with Tom, Paul Collins combines wry, present-day travelogue with an odyssey down the forgotten paths of history.
CREATIVE NONFICTION: Sarah Vowell Benefit Event for Write Around Portland. Wednesday the 26th, 7:30PM First Congregational Church. Join Sarah Vowell for an evening of witty entertainment in a benefit reading and booksigning for Write Around Portland (WRAP). Vowell is probably best known for her monologues and documentaries for public radio's This American Life. She is author of the books Assassination Vacation, Partly Cloudy Patriot, and Radio On. She is also the voice of teenage superhero Violet Parr in the The Incredibles. WRAP provides free creative writing workshops, published anthologies and community readings to those who would otherwise not have access to the power of writing in community. WRAP works with women fleeing domestic violence, incarcerated adults, people suffering from AIDS, those experiencing homelessness and others facing untold obstacles. Please note: this ticketed event takes place at the First Congregational Church, 1126 SW Park, downtown Portland. Tickets available at writearound.org or any TicketWest location.
Thursday the 27th
NONFICTION: Buffalo Bill's America by Louis S. Warren. Thursday the 27th, 7:30 PM Powell's Books on Hawthorne. The most comprehensive critical biography of William Cody in more than forty years, Buffalo Bill's America is a rich and revealing biography and social history of an American icon that "manages to both entertain and instruct" (Publishers Weekly).
FICTION: Lalia Lalami. The author discusses Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits, 7:30 pm, Annie Bloom’s Books, 7834 SW Capitol Highway.
NONFICTION: H. W. Brands. Thursday the 27th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. The first single-volume, full-length biography of Jackson in decades, Andrew Jackson is a magisterial portrait of one of our greatest leaders that promises to reshape our understanding of both the man and his era.
FICTION: Davy Rothbart of Found magazine. Thursday the 27th, 8:00PM Wonder Ballroom. Davy Rothbart talks about his Found magazine empire and the Do-It-Yourself movement that he champions. Davy will also read a story from his impressive new collection of short fiction, The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas. Joining Davy is his brother, musician Peter Rothbart. This Powell's sponsored event is a benefit for the Independent Publishing Resource Center. Please note: this ticketed event takes place at the Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell St. Tickets are $9.95 and available through Ticketmaster or at the IPRC.
Friday the 28th
CREATIVE NONFICTION: Dava Sobel . Friday the 28th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. In The Planets, the bestselling author of Longitude and Galileo's Daughter explores the origins of the planets in our solar system, and studies their oddities through the lens of popular culture, from astrology, mythology, and science fiction to art, music, poetry, biography, and history. (Dava Sobel's reading will include a Powerpoint show.)
Saturday the 29th
Celebration of Chocolate. Saturday the 29th, 11:00AM Powell's Books for Cooks and Gardeners. Some folks believe fine chocolate is better than sex. If you would like to test that theory, come to the Celebration of Chocolate hosted by Powell's Books for Cooks and Gardeners and Pastaworks, featuring tastings and demonstrations with local chocolate makers Pix Patisserie, Bakery Bar, Sahagun Chocolate, and Cherry Country, as well as a 1pm visit with famed San Francisco chocolatier Micheal Recchiuti. In Chocolate Obsession Recchiuti, the "Picasso of chocolatiers," divulges his professional secrets and techniques, allowing home cooks to reproduce his exquisite confections in their own kitchens. With more than sixty recipes in all, this book will satisfy even the most obsessive chocolate lovers among us. All chocolate making books and supplies will be 30% off at this event.
POETRY: Dominic Albanese, Joan Maiers, John Morrison, Joseph A. Soldati, and Leah Stenson read selections from their work, 7 pm, Let’s Do Coffee, 19373 SW Willamette Drive, West Linn; donations benefit Mercy Corps.
FICTION: R. A. Salvatore. Saturday the 29th, 1:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. New York Times bestselling author R. A. Salvatore returns with the long-awaited sequel to Servant of the Shard. Promise of the Witch-King brings together a dark elf and a human assassin in an unlikely journey to the demon-haunted wastelands of the frozen north.
Sunday the 30th
CREATIVE NONFICTION: Al Franken. Sunday the 30th, 7:00PM First Congregational Church. Armed with an arsenal of facts and research (and comedy!), Al Franken is ready to take the fight to the Bush administration and their right-wing cronies. Intelligent, insightful, inspiring, and laugh-out-loud funny, The Truth (with Jokes) is poised to become the most talked about book of the year. Please note: this ticketed event takes place at the First Congregational Church, 1126 SW Park Ave., downtown Portland. Purchase a copy of Franken's new book, The Truth (with Jokes) (available October 25), at any Powell's store to get a free ticket to this special event.
Monday the 31st
NONFICTION: General Janis Karpinski. Monday the 31st, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. In One Woman's Army, General Janis Karpinski forcefully argues that the bulk of the blame for the Abu Ghraib scandal goes to the very top of the chain of command and tells why she has been made a scapegoat. Hers is a story of military leaders run amok, and a moving portrait of a woman who spent her life defying the odds in pursuit of her dream.
November 2005
Tuesday the 1st
Alan Lee's Lord of the Rings Sketchbook. Tuesday the 1st, 7:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. The Oscar-winning conceptual designer for the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy discusses his approach to depicting Tolkien's imaginary world. The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook presents more than 150 of Lee's celebrated illustrations, as well as twenty full-color plates and numerous examples of the conceptual art produced for Peter Jackson's film adaptation. Includes slideshow presentation.
A Left-Hand Turn around the World. Tuesday the 1st, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. A Left-Hand Turn around the World is a light hearted exploration into the history, psychology, science, and most of all, the culture of left-handedness. Weaving his personal experience with a blend of sharp-eyed reporting and intriguing personalities, David Wolman crafts an entertaining narrative in praise of all things southpaw.
Wednesday the 2nd
Write Time. Wednesday the 2nd, 7:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. This writing critique group meets every other Wednesday to exchange and discuss their work. New members to the group are always welcome.
Chris Kimball. Wednesday the 2nd, 7:00PM Powell's Books for Cooks and Gardeners. "America's Test Kitchen" host Chris Kimball presents The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, a comprehensive cookbook that delivers more than 1,200 foolproof recipes for classic American family fare in a clear, accessible style.
Wednesday, November 2, 2005 7:30 PM, Wlliam Robbins presents Oregon: This Storied Land. Location: Annie Bloom's. Description: Oregon is a landscape of brilliant waterfalls, towering volcanoes, productive river valleys. . .
FICTION: Amy Tan. Wednesday the 2nd, 7:30PM First Baptist Church. In Saving Fish from Drowning, the powerful new novel from the bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club, eleven Americans leave their Floating Island Resort on an ill-fated art expedition into Burma — and disappear. Please note: this free event takes place at the First Baptist Church, at the corners of 12th and Taylor St., downtown Portland. Seating is limited to first come, first served.
Thursday the 3rd
FICTION: GREG BOTTOMS, Thursday, November 3, 8 p.m., Psychology Auditorium, Room 105. Greg Bottoms’s first book, the memoir Angelhead: My Brother’s Descent into Madness, was an Esquire “Book of the Year” in 2000. Sentimental, Heartbroken Rednecks: Stories, which blurs across the genres of memoir, the essay, and fiction, was published in 2001 to wide critical acclaim. His writing has appeared in Esquire, The Oxford American, Salon, Creative Nonfiction, The North American, and elsewhere, and his criticism regularly appears in Bookforum. He is currently completing The Colorful Apocalypse, a travel narrative about his visits and interviews with three Christian fundamentalist Outsider artists in the U.S. An assistant professor of English at the University of Vermont, he now lives in northwestern New England.
Margaret Cho, Thursday the 3rd, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. A survival guide to making it through to 2008 and a hilarious, kick-ass call to arms from "comedy's most fearless superhero" (Entertainment Weekly), I Have Chosen to Stay and Fight chronicles Margaret Cho's adventures and misadventures in political activism and lays out what's right in no uncertain terms. Please note: this free event is limited to the first 250 in attendance. No reserve seating. A booksigning will follow for all interested in attending.
Friday the 4th
NONFICTION: Jung Change and Jon Halliday. Friday the 4th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. Based on a decade of research and on interviews with many of Mao's close circle in China who have never talked before, Mao: The Unknown Story, by Jung Chang (bestselling author of Wild Swans) and Jon Halliday, is the most authoritative life of Mao ever written.
Saturday the 5th
Saturday, November 5, 2005 6:30 PM, Matt Yurdana presents Public Gestures, Location: Annie Bloom's. Description: Matt Yurdana's first book, Public Gestures, explores the stories, recollections, and half-truths we ...
Monday the 7th
FICTION: Stacey Levine and Matt Briggs. Monday the 7th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. Two new novels from Clear Cut Press. Not since Ken Kesey has a long-form literary work subjected the utopian outsider traditions of the west coast to such intimate and clear-eyed scrutiny as Matt Briggs's Shoot the Buffalo. Stacey Levine's Frances Johnson is a comedy of manners in the tradition of Jane Bowles.
FICTION: Monday, November 7, 2005 7:30 PM. Seth Kantner presents Ordinary Wolves, Location: Annie Bloom's Books. Description: In the tradition of Jack London, Seth Kantner presents an Alaska far removed from majestic clichés.
NONFICTION: Rock and Roll Archaeologist. Monday the 7th, 7:30PM Powell's Books on Hawthorne. Dubbed the "Indiana Jones of Rock 'n' Roll" by Seattle's The Rocket, Peter Blecha's story is a unique celebration of fandom taken to obsessive lengths. From haggling with Courtney Love for Kurt Cobain mementos to helping build the Experience Music Project, Rock and Roll Archaeologist reads like a music lover's dream come true.
Tuesday the 8th
NONFICTION: Fifty Places to Play Golf Before You Die. Tuesday the 8th, 7:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. Chris Santella's Fifty Places to Play Golf Before You Die presents the world's greatest golf venues, the personal favorites of renowned players, course architects, and other experts in the sport. With breathtaking color photographs of each site, this gorgeous, full-color book is a great gift for avid golfers and armchair travelers alike.
Science Fiction Book Group. Tuesday the 8th, 7:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. This month our book group meets to discuss Robert Heinlein's Podkayne of Mars. New members to our group are always welcome.
FICTION: Peter Donahue. Tuesday the 8th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. If E. L. Doctorow and Charles Dickens met on the streets of Seattle, they might have written something similar to Peter Donahue's debut novel, Madison House, which chronicles turn-of-the-century Seattle's explosive transformation from frontier outpost to major metropolis.
Wednesday the 9th
NONFICTION: Michael Brophy. Wednesday the 9th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. In his extraordinary work, Oregon painter Michael Brophy explores the intersections of history, forest ecology, and the rich tradition of landscape painting. Edited by Rock Hushka, The Romantic Vision of Michael Brophy examines Brophy's art, exploring how it reassesses the historical events and decisions that shaped the American West.
Thursday the 10th
Mystery Book Group. Thursday the 10th, 7:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. At this month's book group, author M. J. Zellnik leads us in a discussion of her new book Murder at the Portland Variety.
POETRY: DAVID BIESPIEL, Thursday, November 10, 8 p.m., Psychology Auditorium, Room 105. David Biespiel is the author of the poetry collections Wild Civility and Shattering Air. His work has appeared widely, in journals such as American Poetry Review, Parnassus, Poetry and The New Republic, and in the anthologies The New American Poets and American Poetry: The Next Generation. Biespiel, awarded a Stegner Fellowship in poetry at Stanford and a NEA Fellowship in Literature, has taught at Stanford, the University of Maryland, George Washington University, Portland State and Oregon State University. He lives in Portland, Oregon, where he is Director and Writer in Residence at The Attic, a literary studio and haven for writers.
Giuliano Hazan. Thursday the 10th, 7:00PM Powell's Books for Cooks and Gardeners. From the bestselling author of Every Night Italian comes How to Cook Italian, a new bible of Italian cooking — consistently America's favorite cuisine — for the way we cook today.
FICTION: Steven Erikson. Thursday the 10th, 7:00PM, Powell's Books in Beaverton. Marking the return of many characters from Gardens of the Moon and introducing a host of remarkable new players, Memories of Ice is both a momentous new chapter in Steven Erikson's magnificent epic fantasy and a triumph of storytelling.
FICTION: Daniel Quinn. Thursday the 10th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. Ishmael author Daniel Quinn returns with seven profound but delightfully simple tales that illuminate the world in which humans became humans. Tales of Adam, superbly illustrated by Michael McCurdy, is a book that will come to be shelved alongside The Prophet, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, and The Alchemist.
FICTION: Craig Clevenger and Will Christopher Baer, Thursday the 10th, 7:30PM Powell's Books on Hawthorne. From Craig Clevenger, the author of The Contortionist's Handbook, comes Dermaphoria, an atmospheric second novel set in the underworld of L.A. Will Christopher Baer's gritty style has been described as "Chuck Palahniuk rewriting Jim Thompson." His collected novels, Phineas Poe: Books I, II, III — are thrillers that "keep readers hooked" (Publishers Weekly).
Friday the 11th
Dan Austin. Friday the 11th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside.
Based on the nationally touring film of the same name, Dan Austin's hilarious and thoughtful True Fans details the journey Dan, his brother Jared, and best friend Clint Ewell started when they hopped aboard their bicycles and headed east from the pickup court at Venice Beach, handlebars pointed toward the NBA Hall of Fame.
Monday the 14th
Matt Skinner. Monday the 14th, 6:30PM Square Deal Wine Company.
A new wine book by the sommelier at Jamie Oliver's London restaurant, Fifteen! Packed with user-friendly information and all the tricks one could ever want, Thirsty Work celebrates wine, all that goes into making it and all who are involved in sharing it. Please note: this free event takes place at Square Deal Wine Company, 2321 NW Thurman St. Complimentary wine-tasting starts at 6:30pm, with Matt's presentation at 7pm.
Mark Crispin Miller. Monday the 14th, 7:30PM Powell's Books on Hawthorne.
In Fooled Again, Mark Crispin Miller exposes the thousands of little frauds that allowed the Republicans to win in 2004. This incendiary new book presents massive documentation that the election was stolen and describes the mind set, among both the major parties and the media, that could permit it to happen again.
How to Survive a Robot Uprising. Monday the 14th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. An inspired and hilarious look at how humans can defeat the inevitable robot rebellion — as revealed by a robotics expert. From treating laser wounds to fooling face and speech recognition, besting robot logic to engaging in hand-to-pincer combat, Daniel Wilson's How to Survive a Robot Uprising covers every possible doomsday scenario facing the newest endangered species: humans.
Tuesday the 15th
COOKING: Jerry Traunfeld. Tuesday the 15th, 7:00PM Powell's Books for Cooks and Gardeners. The secret to transforming easy dishes into extraordinary meals? Fresh herbs. In The Herbal Kitchen, IACP award-winning cookbook author and acclaimed Herbfarm Restaurant chef Jerry Traunfeld presents simple dishes using herbs straight from the market, windowsill, or garden.
FICTION: David Allan Cates. Tuesday the 15th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. X Out of Wonderland is a farce, modeled after Candide, that takes on the global free market and just about every other aspect of contemporary life. Outrageous and poignant by turns, David Allan Cates's novel is a satire with heart, and an intense and funny reading experience.
Wednesday the 16th
Book Collecting Workshop. Wednesday the 16th, 7:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. From neutrons to botanicals, join us for a discussion on the printed world of science and technology as we continue our classes on book collecting. A variety of topics will be discussed, so bring your hypotheses and your questions for a lively experiment in rare book lectures.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005 7:30 PM, Ron Lansing presents Nimrod: Courts, Claims, and Killing on the Oregon Frontier, Location: Annie Bloom'sDescription: At the remarkable age of 65, Nimrod O'Kelly - loner, former blacksmith - made the arduous trek . . .
Write Time Writing Group. Wednesday the 16th, 7:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. This writing critique group meets every other Wednesday to exchange and discuss their work. New members to the group are always welcome.
FICTION: Jonathan Harr. Wednesday the 16th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. In The Lost Painting, Jonathan Harr, author of the national bestseller A Civil Action, embarks on a spellbinding journey to discover the long-lost painting known as The Taking of Christ. The fascinating details of the artist Caravaggio's strange, turbulent career and the astonishing beauty of his work come to life in these pages.
Thursday the 17th
Harmon Leon. Thursday the 17th, 7:30PM Powell's Books on Hawthorne. When the red states trumped the blue states in the 2004 presidential election, many Democrats were left wondering just what makes the conservative mind tick. In Republican Like Me, comedian and journalist Harmon Leon infiltrates a Christian wrestling extravaganza, a machine-gun shoot, an "Arnold for Governor" rally, and more, to find out how the other half lives in ways that are outrageous and hilarious, yet always illuminating.
FICTION: Thursday, November 17, 2005 7:30 PM, David Sarasohn presents Waiting for Lewis and Clark: The Bicentennial and a Changing West, Location: Annie Bloom's. Description: Across thousands of miles, Indian tribes, environmental activists, tourism promoters, and keelboat...
NONFICTION: Wilma Mankiller: Native American Women in the 21st Century, Thursday the 17th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. With opening thoughts and stories from Wilma Mankiller, Every Day is a Good Day features nineteen prominent Native American artists, educators, and activists sharing their candid and often profound thoughts on what it means to be a Native American woman in the early 21st century. Ms. Mankiller will preside over a panel including such Native American scholars and writers as Liz Woody, Kathryn Harrison, Janice Gould and more.
Friday the 18th
HISTORICAL FICTION: Michelangelo's Mountain. Friday the 18th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. With vivid writing and characterizations, Eric Scigliano dramatizes Michelangelo's life and times through his obsession with the legendary marble of Carrara and his creation of three incomparable masterpieces: the Pieta, David, and Moses. Michelangelo's Mountain is a "lively blend of art history and travelogue" (Kirkus Reviews). Slideshow presentation.
Saturday the 19th
Christina Baldwin. Saturday the 19th, 3:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. Storycatcher reveals the powerful role stories play in life, and empowers readers to examine their own to bring greater awareness and positive change. Christina Baldwin draws on examples from history and mythology to show how stories change events.
Sunday the 20th
NONFICTION: An Unreasonable Woman. Sunday the 20th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. Diane Wilson's An Unreasonable Woman "will stand as one of this nation's greatest works of nonfiction," says Rick Bass. When Wilson, a fourth-generation shrimp-boat captain and mother of five, learns that she lives in the most polluted county in the United States, she launches a campaign against a multibillion-dollar corporation that has been covering up spills, silencing workers, flouting the EPA, and dumping lethal ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride into the bays along her beloved Texas Gulf Coast. This event is co-sponsored by the Sierra Club Adam Alabarca Speaker Series.
Monday the 21st
NONFICTION: Jack Klugman. Monday the 21st, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. The close professional relationship between The Odd Couple's Jack Klugman and Tony Randall has long been famous, but the details of their friendship have never been revealed until now. Tony and Me is a touching portrait of a legendary professional relationship that, in the end, became deeply personal.
CREATIVE NONFICTION: Faith Adiele. Monday the 21st, 7:30PM Powell's Books on Hawthorne. Faith Adiele's funny and observant memoir, Meeting Faith: An Inward Odyssey presents the wry account of Adiele's journey from Harvard scholarship student to her ordination as northern Thailand's first black Buddhist nun.
Wednesday the 23rd
Festivus: The Holiday for the Rest of Us. Wednesday the 23rd, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. Looking to add a little bitterness to your holiday season? Then Festivus: The Holiday for the Rest of Us is the book you cannot do without! The event celebrated by Frank Costanza on Seinfeld has transcended television to become a worldwide phenomenon. In this side-splitting romp through the Festivus landscape, author Allen Salkin meets Miss Festivus, tastes Festivus beer, and ponders the Festivus snail, showing how anyone with a little creativity — and a dash of Costanza — can celebrate a Happy Festivus!
Monday the 28th
FICTION: Oregon Writers Colony Presents Jennie Shortridge. Monday the 28th, 7:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. Novelist Jennie Shortridge leads a discussion entitled "If I'd Known Then..." at this month's OWC event. Now a two-time novelist with a bestseller and film option under her belt, Jennie Shortridge will share tips and tricks she learned the hard way on the publishing path. OWC Presents happens the fourth Monday of every month at Powell's Books in Beaverton.
Book Collecting Workshop. Monday the 28th, 7:30PM Powell's Books on Hawthorne. Our classes on book collecting continue when Dan Haneckow dons his engineer's cap and takes the reading railroad to Powell's on Hawthorne to give a presentation on collecting train books.
Tuesday the 29th
FICTION: Brom. Tuesday the 29th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. In The Plucker, an illustrated novel, world-renowned dark fantasy artist Brom combines dramatic storytelling with his uniquely arresting images to create a work of striking imagination, set in a world where fairy-tale tradition collides with vileness and depravity, love and heroism, suffering and sacrifice.
Wednesday the 30th
Write Time Writing Group. Wednesday the 30th, 7:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. This writing critique group meets every other Wednesday to exchange and discuss their work. New members to the group are always welcome.
COOKING: Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. Wednesday the 30th, 7:00PM Powell's Books for Cooks and Gardeners. For Mangoes and Curry Leaves, a companion volume to their award-winning cookbook Hot Sour Salty Sweet, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid travel west from Southeast Asia to that vast landmass the colonial British called the Indian subcontinent. It was just twenty years ago that cooks began to understand the relationships between the multifaceted cuisines of the Mediterranean; now we can begin to do the same with the foods of the Subcontinent.
Classics Book Group. Wednesday the 30th, 7:00PM Powell's Books in Beaverton. This month our group discusses Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner. New members to the group are always welcome.
CREATIVE NONFICTION: J. R. Moehringer. Wednesday the 30th, 7:30PM Powell's City of Books on Burnside. J. R. Moehringer's The Tender Bar is a moving, vividly told memoir full of heart, drama, and exquisite comic timing, about a boy striving to become a man, and his romance with a bar. Booklist calls it "Funny, honest, and insightful."
posted by J. Grabill at 6:25 PM
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