Tonight 3-15: Smallpressapalooza at Powells City of Books

Today’s Featured Book Event:

Smallpressapalooza (Powells City of Books, @5:00pm): Powell’s hosts the third annual Smallpressapalooza, a five-hour marathon of readings from some of the best small-press writers of the Northwest and beyond. This year’s line-up includes Alex Wrekk (Brainscan zine), Shawn Granton (editor of The Zinester’s Guide to Portland), Matthew Stadler (Publication Studio), Jeff Burk (Shatnerquake), and many others. Check the Powell’s Calendar for a full schedule of readers.

Other Book Events Today:

CAFFEINATED ART # 86 (Three Friends Coffee House, @7:00pm): Erotica author Elva Maxine Beach and local poets Celestial Concubine and Dan Raphael will read from their work.  Check out Reading Local’s interview with Ms. Beach here.

Colloquium with Editor Shaye Areheart (Lewis & Clark College, Manor House, @7:00pm): Shaye Areheart, an editor at Random House and director of both Harmony Books and Shaye Areheart Books will discuss her path through the publishing world, and the state of the book, today. Areheart’s imprint publishes a range of fiction, both literary and commercial. Her list of authors includes: Chris Bohjalian, Alice Hoffman, Pauls Toutonghi, Lisa Unger, Gillian Flynn, Mary McGarry Morris, Katharine Weber, Allison Winn Scotch, Alicia Erian, and Keith Donohue. She lives in New York City.

Talking Earth Poetry featuring Cass Dalglish (KBOO 90.7 FM, @10:00pm): The first poet in history to sign a poem,  the first poet whose name has come down to us, was a Sumerian woman, Enheduanna. It was a sin to sign her name, but as she was a priest and a prince– Sumerians used no gender words for royalty, priests and gods– she  boldly transgressed.  Cass Dalglish spent five years studying ancient Sumerian cuneiform to be able to read Enheduanna in the original.  Humming the Blues, from Calyx Press, is Dalglish’s rendition of Nin-me-sar-ra,  Enheduanna’s passionate hymn addressed to the god Inanna, female deity of sexual love, fertility and war.  Nin-me-sar-ra was the most famous hymn in the ancient world, copied by scribes as a teaching device for 500 years. Dalglish will read from Humming the Blues and discuss Enheduanna, Inanna, and the jazz of cuneiform translation with Barbara LaMorticella.  (Broadcast Live on the Web)

You can find other events on your community Libraries schedule using these links: Washington County, Multnomah County, Clackamas County, and the rest of this weeks Portland book events here.

Image credit Powell’s Books.