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 May 31, 2010 through June 4, 2010 are:

Monday May 31-

Memorial Day-Thank you to all who have served!

Tuesday June 1-

Deborah Reed (Broadway Books, @7:00pm): Portland writer Deborah Reed will be here to read from her novel A Small Fortune, which she wrote under the pen name of Audrey Braun. This new book is a steamy thriller that begins in tropical Mexico, where Celia Donnelly goes for a restorative vacation to rekindle her marriage and mend fences with her difficult teenage soon. But just as she begins to relax, she meets a stranger who sparks a long-dead passion within her, and his connections lead to an unspeakable betrayal.This book is a fast-paced and sexy ride to the brink of madness that begs the question: How far will one woman go for the truth? A fun summer beach read.

Elizabeth Engstrom (The Old Church, @7:00pm): Elizabeth Engstrom will talk about “Assembling the Skeleton of Your Novel” during the Willamette Writers Portland meeting. Just as we have an internal architecture or skeleton – so buildings have frames, cars are built on a chassis; nearly every “thing” has a form over which the “thing” is overlaid – through which the “thing” functions. The stories we tell also have a skeleton. Does your story ask a question? That is one of the most important pieces of story architecture.

Christopher Farnsworth (Powells Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, @7:00pm): In Christopher Farnsworth’s Blood Oath (Putnam), Zach Barrows is an ambitious young White House staffer whose career takes an unexpected turn when he’s partnered with Nathaniel Cade, a secret agent sworn to protect the President. But Cade is no ordinary civil servant — he’s a vampire.

Zach Dundas (Powells City of Books, @7:30pm): A lifelong sports fan, Zach Dundas asks: What happened to the fun, loudmouthed, down-and-dirty sporting culture he always loved? In The Renegade Sportsman (Riverhead), Dundas scours the underground to find the games, fans, and “athletes” not highlighted in the sports pages.

Wednesday June 2-

Evelyn Searle Hess (Broadway Books, @7:00pm): Evelyn Searle Hess will be here to read from her new book, To the Woods: Sinking Roots, Living Lightly, and Finding True Home, recently published by OSU Press. In her late fifties, Evelyn Searle Hess walked away from the world of modern conveniences to build a new life with her husband on twenty acres of wild land in the foothills of Oregon’s Coast Range. This book describes her day-to-day challenges, from living in a trailer without electricity or indoor plumbing to excavating a pond to dealing with health crises. It tracks the natural history of place through the seasons, drawing on her extensive knowledge of local flora and fauna. It explores the joys of living simply, building a relationship with the natural world, and awakening to the interconnectedness of all life. Ms. Hess managed the University of Oregon’s greenhouses for ten years. She also taught native plant gardening classes, established and operated a plant nursery, and served as a gardening consultant. Since 1992, she and her husband David have been camping on their property outside of Eugene.

Oregon Literary Review presents First Wednesdays (Blackbird Wineshop, @7:00pm): Oregon Literary Review co-hosts First Wednesdays, a series of readings, performances and wine-tasting. This show is 21 and over. The readers for June 2 are Matt Love, Cheryl Strayed, and Bryan Free of Bryan Free and the Doxyhaunt.

Yoram Bauman (St. John’s Books, @7:00pm): Join us for an evening of hilarity, and learn more than you ever thought you could about economics!  The man who translated Mankiw’s 10 Principles of Economics into plain English visits St. Johns Books to present his new collaboration with artist Grady Klein: The Cartoon Introduction to Economics, volume 1.  Taking the ‘dismal’ out of the dismal science, Bauman uses humor to explain why insurance costs so darn much, how trade can make everyone worse off, and why it’s ‘efficient,’ in economist-speak, for one person to wind up with all the money!

CFI/Freethinkers Book Club (Powells Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, @7:00pm): This month’s nonfiction book group meets to discuss the first half of Primates and Philosophers by Frans de Waal.

Curious Gorge (Powells City of Books, @7:30pm): Scott Cook’s Curious Gorge is a hiking guide to the Columbia River Gorge, but with a twist. The author also includes places the typical hiking guide leaves out — the drive-to viewpoints, trail-less excursions to hidden waterfalls, places to watch salmon spawn, and gorge oddities such as the Trout Lake Ice Cave.

Dick Weissman (Powells Books on Hawthorne, @7:30pm): Unprecedented in its approach, Dick Weissman’s Talkin’ ‘Bout a Revolution (Backbeat Books) is a comprehensive guide to the relationship between American music and politics, offering a multidisciplinary discussion that illuminates how social events impact music as well as how music impacts social events.

Thursday June 3-

Poetic Excursions (Director Park-Art Canopy, @6:00pm): This summer, the Literary Arts program of the Multnomah Arts Center will inaugurate Writing Places, a series of one-day writing “excursions” in changing locations, led by local writers. The Poetic Excursions reading highlights some of the teaching artists of Multnomah Arts Center’s literary arts program. Kaia Sand, Allison Cobb, Joseph Bradshaw, and David Abel will read from their work, and briefly discuss the excursions that they will lead in this summer’s series. They will be joined by special guests Lawson Inada and Chris Daniels.

Farel Dalrymple (Floating World Comics, @6:00pm): We are proud to present the work of Farel Dalrymple, creator of the award winning Pop Gun War series and artist of Omega The Unknown by Jonathan Lethem.  The original Pop Gun War series was collected and published by Dark Horse Comics in 2003.  In the past two years, Farel has been self publishing the sequel, Pop Gun War: Chain Letter as limited edition books with silkscreen and letterpress covers.  We will have the brand new second issue and a new printing of the sold out first issue.

Lori D. (Reading Frenzy, @6:00pm): This show is a serious in-depth investigation in rural luxury living. Lori D. has created hand-painted portraits of your country kin in their finest form and natural habitat. Lori D. uses her hands to make paintings, animations, zines, films, quilts, gardens, miniature sweaters, and pies. She collected a BA in film/video from UCSD and an MFA in Experimental Animation from CalArts. Lori D. currently works as a freelance illustrator & animator in addition to directing the Animation Department at the California State Summer School for the Arts. Show runs through June. Free beer from Ninkasi.

Richard Russo (Powells Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, @7:00pm): Following Pulitzer Prize-winner Richard Russo’s national bestseller Bridge of Sighs, That Old Cape Magic (Vintage) presents the story of a marriage and of all the other ties that bind, from parents and in-laws to children and the promises of youth.

Robert Moss (Powells Books on Hawthorne, @7:30pm): In Dreamgates (New World Library), Robert Moss, a world-renowned authority on the history, uses, and power of dreaming, guides neophyte and experienced adventurers alike to open their own “dreamgates” to otherwise inaccessible realms of reality as well as to soul remembering.

Live Wire Radio (Aladdin Theater, @7:30pm, $15): Guest Include: Michael Curry – Internationally recognized master of puppetry and kinetic theatrical design. He has created iconic and moving performance experiences for Walt Disney, Cirque Du Soleil, The Olympics and others; Richard Russo – Pulitzer Prize winning novelist for his book Empire Falls. Author of several other books including Mohawk, The Risk Pool, Bridge of Sighs, Nobody’s Fool (for which a movie was made with Paul Newman) and others; Too Much Coffee Man Opera – Shannon Wheeler created this satirical comic strip which then was adapted into what was called “the world’s first comic-book-to-opera adaptation.”  Shannon describes this as “more than an opera but less than a hernia operation.”  You be the judge; Plate and Pitchfork – turns farms into dining rooms and classrooms for nearly a dozen nights a year. This dinner series creators pair award-winning chefs with farmers and ranchers to serve up a locavore’s paradise. The organizers will be joined by James Beard award winner Chef Vitaly Paley and will discuss the benefits of knowing where your food comes from. Musical guests: John Roderick – frontman for Seattle’s The Long Winters; and Dirty Mittens – Indie pop complete with horns section.

Friday June 4-

Great Northwest Bookstore Benefit Book Sale (3025 SW 1st Ave, @10:00am-6:00pm): Benefit to help Phil Wikelund pay for demolition on the site where Great Northwest Books burned down earlier this month. 1000s of books, 75 cents – $3, $5/bag on Sunday. Donations welcome. Full details at GNWBookSale.com.

Robin Oliveira (Powells City of Books, @7:30pm): In My Name Is Mary Sutter (Viking), Robin Oliveira’s debut novel, Mary Sutter is a brilliant, headstrong midwife who dreams of becoming a surgeon in 19th-century America. Determined to overcome the prejudices against women in medicine, Mary leaves home and travels to Washington, D.C., to pursue her medical career.

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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.

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