Portland Book Events: September 29-October 4

From what I could find (please contact me if you have an event you would like me to add to this or future schedules), the local book events for the week of September 29, 2009 through October 4, 2009 are:

Tuesday September 29-

North Portland: From Ragtime to Our Time & Beyond (North Portland Library, @6:00pm): Lively program looking at impact of race, class, culture and progress on North Portland during era of Ragtime (1900-1917) and contemporary parallels around growth/change and community—from the Portland Realty Board’s “red-lining” to the development of the Albina Community Plan and present-day challenges. Panel discussion moderated by Judith Mowry, Office of Neighborhood Involvement’s Restorative Listening Project.  In cooperation with Portland Center Stage.

Notes From an Unlikely Author (Sellwood-Moreland Library, @6:30pm): Portlander Sami Scripter will describe her journey from writer wanna-be to full-fledged author. Sami’s book, co-authored by Sheng Yang, is titled: “Cooking from the Heart, the Hmong Kitchen in America.” It is the first mainstream book about Hmong cooking, and includes a lovely combination of Hmong recipes, photos, and beautiful stories, poems, and anecdotes about the Hmong culture in Asia and America.

Sami will talk about her 30-year involvement with the Hmong, the process of researching and writing the book, and how she found a publisher. Attendees will learn how the Hmong use herbs and vegetables in their cooking to maintain health and treat illness. There will be time for questions and samples to taste.

Rapacia: The Second Circle of Heck (Powells Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, @7:00pm): When Milton escapes from Heck in a soul balloon made of old clothes, Marlo is the only Fauster child left to take the blame in Rapacia (Random House Books for Young Readers), the second volume of Dale E. Basye’s children’s series, Heck. Bea “Elsa” Bubb, the Principal of Darkness, sends Marlo straight to Rapacia, the circle where greedy kids are tormented by glimpses of a just-out-of-reach, glittering shopper’s paradise called Mallvana.

Diane Ackerman (Powells City of Books, @7:30pm): In Dawn Light (Norton), an eye-opening sequence of personal meditations through the cycle of seasons, poet and naturalist Diane Ackerman awakens readers to the world at dawn — drawing on sources as diverse as meteorology, world religion, etymology, art history, poetry, organic farming, and beekeeping.

Karen Armstrong (First Congregational Church, @7:30pm): A significant number of people today question the value of faith or want nothing to do with God. Why has God become unbelievable? Why is it that atheists and theists alike now think and speak about God in a way that veers so profoundly from the thinking of our ancestors? In a discussion based upon her new book, The Case for God (Knopf), Armstrong answers these questions with a depth of knowledge and historical insight that has marked her as a leading voice in religious matters. She follows the lengths to which humankind has gone in order to experience a sacred reality, and argues for drawing on the insights of the past in order to build a faith that speaks to the needs of our age. Please Note: This ticketed event is presented by Literary Arts in conjuction with Powell’s Books, and takes place at the First Congregational Church, 1126 SW Park Ave. Tickets, $45 for main floor seating (includes a copy of A Case for God) or $25 for balcony seating (does not include book), are available at www.literary-arts.org.

Wednesday September 30-

Timothy Hallinan presents Breathing Water (Murder By the Book, @7:00pm): Breathing Water continues the story begun in The Fourth Watcher and A Nail Through the Heart of Poke Rafferty, an American ex-pat writer now living in Thailand. Poke has “won” in a poker game the right to pen a biography of a notorious Thai businessman, whose rise to wealth may have been through the corrupt and unsavory criminal network. Soon Poke and his family are threatened if he writes the book, then threatened if he doesn’t write the book.

Tim Hallinan lives in California, Cambodia, and Thailand. His knowledge of Southeast Asia comes from 25 years of living in and traveling throughout the region. Tim will bring his musical ability and his traveling slide show together for a multimedia presentation.

Classics Book Group (Powells Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, @7:00pm): This month we meet to discuss Orlando Furioso by Ludovico Ariosto. Join us!

Portland’s Bicycle Culture: A Panel Discussion with David Byrne (Bagdad Theater, @7:00pm, EVENT SOLD OUT): From David Byrne, renowned musician, former Talking Heads lead singer, and visual artist, comes Bicycle Diaries (Viking Books), a behind-the-handlebars celebration of seeing the world by bike. Byrne is joined by Mia Birk (Alta Planning and Design), Jonathan Maus (BikePortland.org), and Timo Forsberg (City of Portland Transportation Options Division) for a conversation on Portland’s bike culture. Please note: This ticketed event takes place at the Bagdad Theater, 3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Tickets, $26, include admission and a copy of Bicycle Diaries, and are available at the Bagdad Theater box office, the Crystal Ballroom box office, Ticketmaster.com, and all Ticketmaster outlets.

Northwest Academy’s Arts and Lecture Series presents Brian Christopher (Blue Box Theater, @7:00pm, $5): Brian will read from his recently published collection of short stories, So Many Things that Want to Burn, $5 admission at the door. There will be autographed copies available for purchase at this time.

Sarah Baker Munro presents Timberline Lodge (Annie Bloom’s Books, @7:30pm): Timberline Lodge — the magnificent Oregon icon on Mount Hood — is one the few twentieth-century American buildings of its size constructed and furnished entirely by hand. Dedicated by Franklin D. Roosevelt in September 1937 and a National Landmark since 1977, the lodge attracts nearly 2 million visitors a year. From construction to decoration, Works Progress Administration funds employed more than 400 workers and 100 artists, including a photographer who took the forbidden photo of FDR in his wheelchair and a ski patrol who bunked in the stable. Timberline Lodge is both a museum of craft traditions and an active mountain destination. The first Magic Mile chairlift at Timberline was the second chairlift in the nation. The exterior of the lodge was used in the opening scene of The Shining, and visitors can see a piece of Room 237′s door and the axe immortalized by Jack Nicholson in the movie. Richly illustrated with historical photos and stunning new color photography, Timberline Lodge includes biographical sketches of nearly 60 artists and describes more than 250 works of art in the collection.

In Cheap We Trust (Powells City of Books, @7:30pm): From dumpster-diving and the psychology of hoarding to Americans’ thrifty responses to war and recession, Lauren Weber’s In Cheap We Trust (Little, Brown) teases out the connotations behind the word “cheap” and explores the wisdom and pleasures of not spending every last penny.

Ruth Reichl: Gourmet Today (The Nines Hotel, @7:30pm): The editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine since 1999, and a bestselling author in her own right, Ruth Reichl introduces Gourmet Today (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), a new cookbook for a new culinary world, featuring over 1,000 recipes. Please note: This ticketed event takes place at The Nines Hotel, 525 SW Morrison. A cash bar reception starts at 7:00 p.m., with presentation to begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets, $40, include admission and a copy of Gourmet Today, and are available at www.brownpapertickets.com

Thursday October 1-

Friends of the West Linn Public Library Used Book Sale (West Linn Library, @10:00am-6:00pm): It’s time for the annual Used Book Sale from the Friends of the West Linn Public Library. Cookbooks, gardening books, novels, and more!

PCPA First Thursday Reception: Boilerplate Gallery Exhibition w/ Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett (PCPA, @6:00pm): Boilerplate was a mechanical man developed by Professor Archibald Campion during the 1880s and unveiled at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.

Built in a small Chicago laboratory, Boilerplate was originally designed as a prototype soldier for use in resolving the conflicts of nations. Although it was the only such prototype, Boilerplate was eventually able to exercise its proposed function by participating in several combat actions.

In the mid-1890s, Boilerplate embarked on a series of expeditions to demonstrate its abilities, the most ambitious being a voyage to Antarctica. Boilerplate is one of history’s great ironies, a technological milestone that remains largely unknown.

Zachary Baldus Book Signing and Art Exhibit (Floating World Comics, @6:00pm): In May we held a very special fundraiser event for the Oregon Hemophilia Treatment Center, where artists drew their rendition of Kitty Pryde from the X-Men and we auctioned the art for charity.  One of the standout pieces was by local illustrator, Zachary Baldus.  An editor at Marvel Comics was so impressed with Zachary’s work he offered him a gig drawing an upcoming issue of New Mutants.  This October 1st Thursday, Zachary will join us to celebrate the release of New Mutants #5, with an exhibit of original artwork and a book signing.

Visiting Writers Series: Marc Acito (Reed College, Psychology 105, @6:30pm): Marc Acito’s comic novel How I Paid for College: A Novel of Theft, Friendship and Musical Theater won the 2005 Ken Kesey Award for the Novel and made the American Library Association’s Teens’ Top Ten list. Its sequel, Attack of the Theater People, was published in 2008. A regular contributor to National Public Radio’s All Things Considered, Acito maintains a blog, The Gospel According to Marc. Acito also wrote a syndicated column, which ran for four years in nineteen publications. Holidazed, a twisted Christmas comedy written by Acito and C.S. Whitcomb, will be performed for a second season by Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland this fall.

Readings at Rilassi featuring John Blackard and Valentina Gnup (Rilassi Coffee House & Tea, @6:30pm): Portland poets Valentina Gnup and John Blackard read new poems and poems from their books. Free drip coffee and tea. Snacks for sale. FREE ADMISSION. Sponsored by: Buzzaroonie.com. “The booklovers place to be”

First Thursday: Rough Copy (Powells City of Books, @6:30pm): The Basil Hallward Gallery invites you to join us in celebrating the writers and artists featured in Rough Copy, an online magazine for creative writing, short stories, and artistic expression. A gallery reception will begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by a reading at 7:30. Editor Janet Freeman will be joined by contributors Molly Giles, Elizabeth McKenzie, Jacki Kane, Erin Fristad, Christina Wells, and Rachel Greer.

Jack Donovan presents Blood-Brotherhood (Counter Media, @7:00pm): Jack Donovan, author of Androphilia, will be speaking about blood-brotherhood rites, rituals and traditions and reading from his new book (written with co-author Nathan F. Miller) Blood-Brotherhood and Other Rites of Male Alliance.

The Toltec I-Ching: Ancient Wisdom for Inspired Action (New Rennaisance Bookshop, @7:00pm, $12): The Toltec I Ching is new, mysterious, and powerful—a stunning synergy of ancient Chinese and Mesoamerican divination techniques. It gives profound advice for aligning with opportunities in changing situations in ways that bring the greatest benefit in both the spiritual and material realms. William Douglas Horden is steeped in shamanic tradition from living with indigenous communities for three decades. He will show how easy this beautiful indigenous-image-based guide is to use, and will do individual sample readings, within the group setting, as time allows. William Douglas Horden has researched indigenous Chinese and Mesoamerican divination for forty years. Initially trained by I Ching Master Khigh Alx Dhiegh, he lives in Roseburg, Oregon, and Coatepec, Mexico. He is the author of The Toltec I Ching. ToltecIChing.com.

The Curse of the Labrador Duck: Glen Chilton Book Signing and Reading (Audubon Society of Portland, Heron Hall, @7:00pm): The Nature Store invites you to join us the evening of October 1st at 7:00 PM in Heron Hall when we welcome ornithologist Glen Chilton to Portland. He is the author of the newly published book The Curse of the Labrador Duck, released this September by Simon & Schuster. Filled with tales of theft, wartime atrocities, insane millionaires, intrigue in the Middle East, and skinny-dipping, Chilton’s presentation promises to be a memorable evening. Please contact us at the Nature Store (503-292-9453) if you would like to have a book reserved for you.

Friday October 2-

Friends of the West Linn Public Library Used Book Sale (West Linn Library, @10:00am-6:00pm): It’s time for the annual Used Book Sale from the Friends of the West Linn Public Library. Cookbooks, gardening books, novels, and more!

Ink & Impact-A Letterpress Broadside Exhibition (23 Sandy Gallery, @6:00pm): Ink and Impact is a benefit broadside exhibition for Write Around Portland. The following ten artists created original work inspired by the writing of Write Around Portland workshop participants: Mare Blocker, Inge Bruggeman, Warren Buss, Clare Carpenter, Diane Chonette, Diane Jacobs, Carla Schultz, Barbara Tetenbaum, Sandy Tilcock and Shu-Ju Wang. Also opening at the gallery will be Broadsided! The Intersection of Art and Literature, a national, juried exhibition of letterpress printed broadsides.

Boilerplate: History’s Mechanical Marvel (Powells City of Books, @7:30pm): In Boilerplate (Abrams), husband-and-wife team Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett have richly imagined the world’s first robot soldier (created in 1893) and inserted him into accurate retellings of history, profusely illustrated with graphics mimicking period style.

Econvergence Poetry Reading (SEA Change Gallery, @9:30pm): A Tangent Reading Series event, admission is free.  Readers include: Jules Boykoff (Portland), Katheryn Brooks (Portland), Jake Buffy (Portland), David Buuck (Oakland), Allison Cobb (Portland), Alicia Cohen (Portland), Jen Coleman (Portland), CA Conrad (Philadelphia), Rob Halpern (San Francisco), Barbara LaMorticella (Unincorporated Multnomah County), Andrea Murray (Portland), Dan Raphael (Portland), Kaia Sand (Portland), Frank Sherlock (Philadelphia), Jonathan Skinner (Maine), Aaron Vidaver (Vancouver, BC), David Wolach (Olympia)

Saturday October 3-

A Children’s Place Bookstore 35th Anniversary Celebration (A Children’s Place Bookstore, @10:00am): ACP is thrilled to announce our 35th Anniversary! On October 3rd and 4th we are having a huge birthday bash! All weekend (Sat & Sun) we will have a “Choose Your Own Discount” anniversary sale. We are also excited to celebrate our birthday with some of our favorite local authors and illustrators. Below is a list of activities we have planned for the weekend.

Saturday:

10am Sidewalk Chalk Party w/ David Hohn

11am Storyteller Eric Kimmel

1 pm Prankster Bart King

2 pm Birthday Cake!

Friends of the West Linn Public Library Used Book Sale (West Linn Library, @12:00pm-5:00pm): It’s time for the annual Used Book Sale from the Friends of the West Linn Public Library. Cookbooks, gardening books, novels, and more!

Cafe Banned ’09-New Media, Old Media and the Future of Investigative Journalism: A Panel Discussion (Central Library, US Bank Room, @1:00pm): Please join us for Banned Books Week, an annual celebration that highlights the importance of intellectual freedom and reminds us to cherish this precious democratic right.  Join us as we discuss the challenges faced by print newspapers and media in general, and the implications for investigative journalism. Tim DuRoche of Portland Center Stage will lead a panel discussion and open forum with guests April Baer, Stephen Engelberg, David Sarasohn and Al Stavitsky.  Learn more here.

Walking with Ramona (Hollywood Library, @2:00pm): Join Portland walking author Laura O. Foster on a tour back in time, to the 1950s world of Ramona Quimby and friends. Explore the Northeast Portland landscape that inspired Beverly Cleary’s best-selling children’s books, from the 1951 “Ellen Tebbits” to the 1999 “Ramona’s World.” See the supermarket where mud claimed Ramona’s boot, the park where Henry hunts for night crawlers, and the Portland school that inspired Glenwood School. Plus lots more, including a stroll along the streets where both Ms. Cleary, Ramona and her friends lived.

The tour begins at the Hollywood Library, 4040 NE Tillamook Street. It is accessible, on flat terrain, and lasts about 1.5 hours. Families are welcome.

Foster is the author of “Portland Hill Walks,” “Portland City Walks” and the editor of Metro’s Walk There!

Philosophy Café (Powells City of Books, @4:00pm): Join philosophers and PCC instructors Brian Elliott and John Farnum for a discussion of topical issues from a philosophical perspective. This month’s topic: Adversarial versus engaged thinking. We will be joined by Professor Robert Gould, head of the conflict resolution program at PSU.

Write Around Portland presents XY&Z: Write Around Portland’s 10th Anniversary Celebration (Design Within Reach-Pearl Store, @7:30pm, $50-$250): XY&Z is a word art extravaganza. XY&Z is an interactive evening of words. XY&Z is Write Around Portland’s 10th Anniversary fundraiser and celebration.

Featuring classic word games—and some new games created just for XY&Z—in a gallery of modern furniture with great music, great drinks and great people. Silent auction of journals designed by authors, artists and lumaries, including:

Dave Eggers, Author
Beverly Stein, Former Multnomah County Chair
Cory Schreiber, Chef & Author
Rebecca Pearcy, Queen Bee Creations Founder & Designer
Storm Large & The Balls, Rock stars
John Brodie, Artist & Owner of Le Happy restaurant
Charles D’Ambrosio, Author
Nicole Georges, Zinester
Matt Love, Author & Oregon Aficionado
Charles Froelick, Froelick Gallery

…and broadsides honoring ten years of Write Around Portland’s writers created by ten amazing book artists.

All of the proceeds support Write Around Portland’s unique model of writing workshops coupled with published anthologies and community readings. Tickets at $50, $100 and $250 on sale now. For more information or to order by phone, call us at 503-796-9224.  Everyone who attends XY&Z will receive a free one-day pass to the Wordstock festival the following weekend!

Sunday October 4-

Friends of the West Linn Public Library Used Book Sale (West Linn Library, @12:00pm-5:00pm): It’s time for the annual Used Book Sale from the Friends of the West Linn Public Library. Cookbooks, gardening books, novels, and more!

A Children’s Place Bookstore 35th Anniversary Celebration (A Children’s Place Bookstore, @1:00pm): ACP is thrilled to announce our 35th Anniversary! On October 3rd and 4th we are having a huge birthday bash! All weekend (Sat & Sun) we will have a “Choose Your Own Discount” anniversary sale. We are also excited to celebrate our birthday with some of our favorite local authors and illustrators. Below is a list of activities we have planned for the weekend.

Sunday:

1-3 “Illustrator: A Day in the Life” An illustrator workshop hosted by local illustrators Lee White and David Hohn, for students ages 11+, call the store for your free ticket, space is limited.

Celebrate Oregon Through Poetry with Liz Nakazawa (Central Library, @1:00pm): How would you describe Oregon through poetry? Do you have a favorite Oregon poet? Have you written a nature poem about Oregon? Share it with us! Liz Nakazawa, editor of the anthology “Deer Drink the Moon,” will be reading from her book, which features the works of 33 esteemed poets of Oregon. She will also invite audience members to share their favorite Oregon nature poems.

Please keep readings to five minutes. We will be recording and offering these podcasts as part of the Oregon 150th celebration.

Zachary Schomburg and Andrew Michael Roberts (Powell’s Books on Hawthorne, @4:00pm): Schomburg’s Scary, No Scary (Black Ocean) is a collection of poems at once dark and playful. In Something Has to Happen Next (University of Iowa), Andrew Michael Roberts imagines how small he can go with a poem and still maintain some sort of emotional or imagistic center.

Ralph Nader (Powells City of Books, @7:30pm): In Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us! (Seven Stories), former presidential candidate Ralph Nader asks: What if America’s wealthiest individuals decided to work for the collective good?

For further events check out the links to the community calendars for Tri-County area Libraries: Washington County, Multnomah County, Clackamas County.