Portland Book Events: February 6-12

From what we could find (please contact us if you have an event you would like us to add to this or future schedules), the local book events for the week of February 6, 2010 through February 12, 2010 are:

Saturday February 6-

Kristin Hannah (Powells Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, @2:00pm): Can a woman ever really know herself if she doesn’t know her mother? From the author of Firefly Lane comes Winter Garden (St. Martin’s Press), a powerful novel that illuminates the intricate mother-daughter bond and explores the enduring links between the present and the past. Publishers Weekly raves, “Readers will find it hard not to laugh a little and cry a little more as mother and daughters reach out to each other just in the nick of time.”

Philosophy Cafe (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: Buddhism, justice, and social action. We will be joined by James Blumenthal, a philosophy professor at OSU.

Love Your Library Silent Auction (Tualatin Public Library, @6:30pm): The Tualatin Library Foundation presents “Novel Destinations-Your Passport to Adventure” a unique silent auction extravaganza full of adventure and exploration of the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of National and International destinations. This exciting event will offer some unique items focused on travel, book and reading themes, as well as the classic auction items and some amazing surprises.  The hallmark of the fundraiser will be a Valentine package raffle that is valued at over $1000.00. A limited number of tickets are available at $20.00 per person and can be purchased from Foundation Board members or online.

The Matter Zine Release (IPRC, @7:00pm): The Matter is a literary anthology of short-form illustrated fiction, produced in Portland, Oregon, publishing collaborative comics and illustrated prose from creators the world over. To celebrate the long-awaited release of The Matter no. 2, we are proud to present a reading and dramatic enactment of select stories found therein. Prose is to be read aloud while the accompanying illustrations are projected overhead. Comics are to be projected panel-by-panel with the text removed, and the missing lines dramatically read aloud by a cast of players. Featuring stories by Jack Bracken, Gunther Goltz, Eli Lyon, Reid Psaltis, Juan Carlos Rodriguez, A.J. Ryer, Matt Strackbein, Yoni Wilson, and Frasier Ziffer.

Sunday February 7-

African American Read-In (North Portland Library, @2:30pm): Local celebrities and community leaders read from works by their favorite African American writers at the annual African American Read-In. Fiction and nonfiction for children and adults will be featured in an afternoon of good words from great works. This event is cosponsored by the Portland Council International Reading Association and Multnomah County Library.

Kaia Sand (Powell’s Books on Hawthorne, @4:00pm): Kaia Sand’s Remember to Wave (Tinfish Press) is a poetic investigation into Portland history, particularly North Portland, by way of essays, poetry, images, and maps.

Joshua Ferris (Powells City of Books, @7:30pm): The Unnamed (Reagan Arthur Books), Joshua Ferris’s follow-up to his acclaimed debut novel Then We Came to the End, tells the story of marriage, family, and the unseen forces of nature and desire that seem to threaten them both. It is the heartbreaking story of what happens when a life taken for granted is abruptly and irrevocably taken away. “Ferris manages to inject a bizarre whimsy into a devastatingly sad story…a vastly satisfying and original book,” praises Publishers Weekly (starred review).

Spare Room presents Jesse Morse & Allison Cobb (Concordia Coffee House, @7:30pm): Jesse Morse, for the time being, lives and writes out of Portland, Oregon. His work, most recently, appears in Peaches & Bats, Vanitas, and Page Boy. He curates the Smorg reading series. He’s been writing sonnets, with a revolving acrostic, for the last half year.

Allison Cobb is the author of Born2 (Chax Press) and the just-published Green-Wood (Factory School), which chronicles her experiences in Brooklyn, New York’s famous nineteenth-century Green-Wood Cemetery. She was born in Los Alamos, New Mexico, as were the first atomic bombs, and she now lives in Portland, Oregon.  Check out RLP’s interview with Allison.

Monday February 8-

Altered Books Show (Marylhurst University, Streff Gallery, @5:00pm): Streff Gallery in Shoen Library is reserved for the month of February 2010 for the Altered Books Show. What is an “altered book”? It is any book, old or new, that has been recycled by creative means into a work of art. They can be: rebound, painted, cut, burned, folded, added to, collaged in, gold-leafed, rubber-stamped, drilled, or otherwise adorned … and yes! It is legal! Pick up a book now and start making art…if worse comes to worst, read it.

Author Talk: Molly Gloss (West Linn Library, @6:30pm): Molly Gloss, author of this year’s West Linn Reads selection The Hearts of Horses, will speak at the library.

CAFFEINATED ART No. 81 — “Love Outlives Us” (Three Friends Coffee House, @7:00pm): Based on texts by A. Molotkov, Bruce Greene, Shawn Austin, David Cooke and Carrie-Ann Tkaczyk, “Love Outlives Us” is a symbolic exploration of the value and meaning of a human life, the character-defining nature of human interaction, and each individual’s responsibility for the world in which they conspire to exist. The tone of this performance is balanced around a stark contrast between A. Molotkov’s mysterious and laconic verses and Bruce Greene’s real life stories, in this case his experiences as a teacher in the years following the war in Vietnam. Shawn Austin, David Cooke and Carrie-Ann Tkaczyk contribute their own unique visions to make up a whole that has a sense of unity, despite its many edges. Ragon Linde’s musical contribution and several sung compositions by A. Molotkov expand the palette. Backed up by music, words acquire a greater levity, contributing to the listener’s ability to be entranced and whisked away on an hour-long tour of self-discovery through meaning and metaphor. Several audience participation numbers allow the listeners to become part of the performance in a more tangible way than possible in a passive listening mode. “Love Outlives Us” seeks to engage the audience on all levels, to ask questions that will linger in one’s mind long after the performers have left the stage.

Matthew Dickman (University of Portland, Buckley Center @7:30pm): Dickman, a Portland native, earned his M.F.A. at the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas, Austin. His first collection, All American Poem, published in 2008, received the American Poetry Review/Honickman First Book Award and the prestigious Kate Tufts Discovery Award. Dickman has also been awarded an Oregon Literary Fellowship. He has been featured in a wide range of publications, including Poets and Writers, The New Yorker and Tin House.

Wells Tower (Powells City of Books, @7:30pm): In Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned (Picador), Wells Tower’s debut collection of stories, families fall apart and messily try to reassemble themselves in an America that is touched by the seamy splendor of the dropout, the misfit, boozy dreamers, hapless fathers, and wayward sons. Booklist calls Tower “a serious talent….[His] voice is honest and strange, humorous and insightful.”

PSU MFA Monday Night Lecture Series Features: Paul Ramirez Jonas (Portland State, Shattuck Hall Annex, @7:30pm): Paul Ramirez Jonas will lecture about his work! The public is invited (its free, tell your friends)

Tuesday February 9-

Morning Book Group (Tigard Public Library, @10:30am): The Morning Book Group invites readers to discuss John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath.  First published in 1939, The Grapes of Wrath is a landmark of American literature.  This Pulitzer Prize-winning epic of the Great Depression chronicles the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930s and tells the story of one Oklahoma farm family who is forced off their land by the “land companies” and decide to travel west to the promised land of California.

What We Learned About E-Books from the Kindle Pilot Project featuring Dr. Martin Ringle (Pacific University, Taylor Auditorium, @Noon): Reed College is one of seven institutions selected by Amazon to participate in a pilot project to evaluate the Kindle DX e-book reader in higher education.  During the fall semester (2009) roughly 40 Reed students in three upper-level courses used the DX in lieu of conventional textbooks.  This presentation will discuss the highlights of the project, including feedback provided by students and faculty and observations about the potential impact of e-book technology on college libraries, bookstores, publishing, and instruction.  Trina Marmarelli, an instructional technologist who worked closely with students and faculty during the project, will join Dr. Ringle in the discussion.

Books-to-Action (Hollywood Library, @6:00pm): Read and discuss “Where I Slept” by Transition Projects. In 2007, Portland residents of Transition Projects shelters were asked to photograph the places they slept while living on the streets. With their disposable cameras and a willingness to show us their truth, they created a discomforting book that serves as a stark reminder that we can do better. Engage in a community service project related to homelessness, organized by the Boomer Initiative at Hands On Greater Portland. Books-to-Action is a quarterly series sponsored by Multnomah County Library and Hands On Greater Portland, partners with Life by Design Northwest.

Cory Schreiber (Pastaworks-Hawthorne, @7:00pm): In Rustic Fruit Desserts (Ten Speed), James Beard Award-winning chef Cory Schreiber shares his repertoire of classic fruit desserts, including crumbles, crisps, bettys, buckles, and pies that showcases the freshest in-season fruit available.

Science Fiction Book Group (Powells Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, @7:00pm): This month we meet to discuss Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne. Join us!

Tuesday Night Nourishment Book Group (Garden Home Library, @7:00pm): February’s book group selection is “A Girl From Yamhill” a memoir by Beverly Cleary.  The book follows the popular children’s author from her childhood through high school and into young adulthood, highlighting her family life and her growing interest in writing.  Visit us in the library to get a copy of the book.  New members are always welcome.

Chris Bohjalian (Powells City of Books, @7:30pm): From the bestselling author of The Double Bind and Midwives comes a novel of shattered faith, intimate secrets, and the delicate nature of sacrifice. Secrets of Eden (Shaye Areheart) is both a haunting literary thriller and a deeply evocative testament to the inner complexities that mark all of our lives. “A masterfully human and compassionate tale,” raves Publishers Weekly (starred review). This event co-sponsored by Bradley Angle.

Wednesday February 10-

Simple Handmade Books (Gregory Heights Library, @6:30pm): Artist Dawn Grunwald will show you how to bind your own books using the ancient technique of Japanese stab binding. Each student will make sample journals from reclaimed paper to practice several styles.

Night of a Thousand Stars: A Portrait of Life in Iraq (Wilsonville Public Library, @6:30pm): Photojournalist Joel Preston Smith traveled in central and northern Iraq for four months in 2003, living with Iraqis and Kurds and patrolling with U.S. soldiers. This slide show and conversation offer a comprehensive portrait of Iraqi society before and after the U.S. invasion in 2003, as seen from the perspectives of both Iraqis and U.S. soldiers. Smith will lead audiences in a conversation about the ethics of war, media bias, and American perceptions of Iraqis and Middle Easterners.

Writing That Makes a Difference (Barnes & Noble-Vancouver, @7:00pm): Barnes & Noble Vancouver is honored to host Francis Payne Adler, editor of Fire & Ink:  An Anthology of Social Action Writing for our 2nd Wednesdays Poetry Group.  This is beautiful, heartfelt writing that makes a difference, featuring writers like William Stafford, Naomi Shihab Nye, Adrienne Rich, Li-Young Lee and Rafael Campo.  Adler will be reading from Fire & Ink, which will be followed by an open mic.

Milwaukie Poetry Series featuring Penelope Scambly Schott (Milwaukie Ledding Library, @7:00pm): Penelope Scambly Schott has worked as a donut maker in a cider mill, a home health aide, an artist’s model and through it all a professor of English at Rutgers University. After many years in rural New Jersey, Ms. Schott moved to Portland where she writes, paints, hikes and spoils her husband and her current dog – more, she says, than it would have been safe to spoil her children. She has published a novel, four chapbooks, and four books of poetry — Penelope: the Story of the Half-Scalped Woman and the Pest Maiden are both verse narratives. The Perfect Mother and Baiting the Void are collections of poems. Ms. Schott’s poetry has received glowing reviews. Kathryn Stripling Byer, the Poet Laureate of North Carolina wrote that  “Schott’s poems give her readers what feels like the first welcome taste of strong coffee in the morning, waking us up to that amazing light pouring through the window.”

Heather Brewer (Powells City of Books, @7:30pm): The latest volume in Heather Brewer’s Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series, hailed by Publishers Weekly as “something fresh in the vampire lit genre,” Eleventh Grade Burns (Dutton) combines doomed love, failing friendships, and psycho-sadistic vampires in a tale that’s perfect for anyone tired of hearing about Edward and Bella.

Thursday February 11-

Morning Book Group (Hillsboro Main Library, @10:00am): Join us for a lively discussion of a variety of fiction and non-fiction books. Title for February is Madam Bovary by Gustave Flaubert.

Visiting Writers Series: Ross Gay (Reed College, Psychology 105, @6:30pm): Ross Gay’s book, Against Which, was a finalist for ForeWord magazine’s poetry book of the year. His poems have appeared in American Poetry Review, Harvard Review, Margie: The American Journal of Poetry, among other journals. He is an assistant professor of poetry at Indiana University in Bloomington, and also teaches in Drew University’s low-residency MFA program in poetry. Ross Gay will also lead a colloquium, “Syntax, some questions about; or, Questions about some syntax; or, Some questions about syntax,” at 6:10 p.m., Tuesday, February 9, in GCC–D.

Second Thursday Open Mic featuring Laura Winter (Cover to Cover Books-Vancouver, @7:00pm): Laura Winter’s new book, Coming Here to Be Alone, is a bilingual English-German edition focused on the High Desert and Great Basin. The western landscape with all its hoo doos, headlands, basin and range, whitewater and rain are the foundation from which she works. Winter’s love for improvised music also informs how she approaches using the English language. Laura has written for and performed with jazz musicians and improvisers in the US and Europe. Her work has been widely published, translated, and set to music for an art song series. She currently publishes the occasional TAKE OUT, a bag-a-zine of art, writing and music that features powerful voices from around the globe. Sleeping Leaves will also be available for $8. Everyone who purchases a book at this event will receive a free broadside.

Sarah Gottesdiener and Dexter Flowers Zine Release (In Other Words Women’s Books & Resources, @7:00pm, $2): Sarah Gottesdiener and Dexter Flowers present an art book opening. Flowers and Gottesdiener have created a limited edition art book/zine. The two have been close friends and collaborators for years, and both are trying something new–writing for Gottesdiener, and art/ for Flowers, together, in one book. Dexter Flowers is a Portland Writer. Her work has been published in Baby, Remember My Name, It’s so You, Portland Queer, and she has toured the U.S.A. with Sister Spit. Sarah Gottesdiener is an artist, musician, and designer. A recent series of work, “Yoko & Moon”, was published by Publication Studio in 2009. Featuring readings by celebrated local writers Wayne Bund and Hope Hitchcock. (all are invited to karaoke after!)

Gregg Olsen (Murder by the Book, @7:00pm): Washington author Gregg Olsen returns to M.B.T.B. with his latest thriller, Victim Six. Gregg tells the chilling story of a husband and wife with an extraordinarily evil hobby and the two women who try to stop them.

Deadly Diversions Mystery Book Group (Powells Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, @7:00pm): This month we meet to discuss In the Woods by Tana French. Join us!

Myrlin Hermes (Powells City of Books, @7:30pm): The Lunatic, the Lover, and the Poet (Harper) is Myrlin Hermes’s witty and wise reimagining of Hamlet. Laced with quotes, references, bed tricks, and a bisexual love-triangle inspired by Shakespeare’s own sonnets, this novel will upend everything readers think they know about the Danish prince.

The Manual of Detection (Powell’s Books on Hawthorne, @7:30pm): In Jedediah Berry’s tightly plotted debut novel, The Manual of Detection (Penguin Books), an unlikely detective, armed only with an umbrella and a singular handbook, must untangle a string of crimes committed in and through people’s dreams. The Boston Globe calls it “meticulously written and plotted,” while the New Yorker dubs it “the kind of mannered fantasy that might result if Wes Anderson were to adapt Kafka.”

Friday February 12-

Collaborative Valentines: Reading and Printmaking (Atelier Meridian, @6:00pm): Make art with your sweetheart! Ink-Filled Page is the featured guest at Atelier Meridian’s February printmaking social. Authors Claire Rudy Foster, Andrew S. Fuller, and Cecilie Scott will read their stories and then the audience is invited to make valentines! It’ll be an exquisite corpse of sorts, with the Atelier crew helping you print your valentine with viscosity monotypes on the etching press. Signup starts at 5:30 p.m., reading gets going at 6. We’ll start rolling up your plates at 7! We hope to pull between 20 and 40 monotypes in the space of three hours, no art experience required. Bring your sweetie! The event is FREE. You can take your print home for $5, and for that you will receive $5 off a book.

Dirty Queer Open Mic (In Other Words Women’s Books & Resources, @6:30pm, $1-5 suggested donation): Dirty Queer is an X rated open mic: a place to celebrate sexuality and strut your creative stuff! Hosted by renegade writer and poet Sossity Chiricuzio, Dirty Queer is proven itself to be a thought provoking evening of excitement, laughter and full body shivers. We’re looking for queer erotic entertainers of all sorts: dancers, jugglers, singers, musicians, comics, poets, storytellers, magicians, gender performers … if you can do it in 5-10 minutes or less (w/ minimal props/equip), this open mic’s for you! It’s highly recommended to bring your own folding chairs if you can, as we average 85 people/month. Everyone who attends has a chance to win door prizes from local businesses! IOW asks for a donation of $1-$5/person for this event, and more donations are always welcome. Caveats: 18+, consent is key, no hate speech.

Lecture: Gabor Maté “Understanding Addiction and Advocating for Reform” (Reed College, Vollum Lecture Hall, @7:00pm): Gabor Maté, staff physician at Portland Hotel Society—a residential harm reduction facility in Vancouver, Canada, and North America’s only supervised safe-injection site, provides a bold synthesis of his clinical experience, discussing cutting edge scientific findings in neurophysiology, brain development, and psychology, which go beyond simplistic and distorted nature vs. nurture debates. He proposes drug policy and treatment reform measures that take into account an understanding of brain physiology and interactive psychology of addiction. Maté is the author of In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction. Co-sponsored by Reed chapter of Students for a Sensible Drug Policy.

Hold Me Tight and Tango Me Home (Powells City of Books, @7:30pm): Maria Finn’s husband was cheating. First she threw him out. Then she cried. Then she signed up for tango lessons. As exhilarating as the dance itself, Hold Me Tight and Tango Me Home (Algonquin) whirls us into the center of the ballroom dancing craze and imparts surprising insights about how to get on with life after you’ve lost in love. Booklist dubs it “a lively debut memoir, brimming with tango history and lore.” This event coincides with Portland ValenTango XIII.

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

Image credit Zorger.