Down valley a smoke haze
Three days heat, after five days rain   
Pitch glows on the fir-cones
Across rocks and meadows
Swarms of new flies.

I cannot remember things I once read   
A few friends, but they are in cities.   
Drinking cold snow-water from a tin cup   
Looking down for miles
Through high still air.

— Mid-August at Sourdough Mountain Lookout by Gary Snyder

Jon Raymond, Oregon Book Award winner and Portland author of Denial, The Half Life, and Freebird, will read from his new novel, God and Sex, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14, at Powell’s City of Books. Raymond’s book deals with large topics and difficult questions such as: What if God spoke to you? Would you hear Him? Would you obey His command? When Arthur Zinn, a spiritual text author, falls in love with a librarian and an environmental disaster threatens her life, Arthur’s prayers lead to an event that challenges his relationship with the universe. Raymond will be joined in conversation by Justin Taylor, author of Reboot.

Raymond will also take part in an in-depth conversation about crafting stories for screen and stage at 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8, at Literary Arts. He will talk with Mark Roberts, whose screen credits include Mike and Molly and Two and a Half Men. The authors will share video shorts and consider some of television’s most beloved characters and theater’s most memorable moments, offering insight to creators of all experience levels. The conversation will be moderated by Marisa Cohen, festival director of the Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology, and is being held in conjunction with that event, taking place Aug. 6-10 at OMSI.

WEEK 1: AUG. 1-7

Author Reading: Reba J. Parker
Presented by Bold Coffee and Books
7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1
Bold Coffee and Books
1755 S.W. Jefferson St., Portland
Free

Reba J. Parker, sociology professor and community organizer, will read from The Peace Ability Mindset. In her new book, she considers how to redefine peace for the 21st century by combining methods of peace science and personal development. She will describe and explain her Peace Equation (Safety + Well-being + Interconnectedness) in hopes of inspiring others to foster peaceful communities. Snacks and beverages will be available starting at 6:30 p.m.

Sponsor

Author Reading: Robert Macauley with Amelia Templeton
Presented by Annie Bloom’s Books
7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 4
Annie Bloom’s Books
7834 S.W. Capitol Hwy., Portland
Free

Dr. Robert Macauley, one of a few hundred board-certified hospice and palliative medicine pediatricians in the country, will read from his new book. Because I Knew You: How Some Remarkable Sick Kids Healed a Doctor’s Soul is an inspirational account about how “palliative care is more about living than dying.” In the book, he describes the moments that make his job worthwhile and uplifting stories from his career. Macaulay will be joined by Amelia Templeton, OPB health reporter and Edward R. Murrow Award recipient for her work on the Oregon Field Guide documentary Glacier Caves: Mount Hood’s Hidden World.

Ashley Yang-Thompson in Conversation With Sarah Shay Mirk
Presented by Powell’s Books
7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 5
Powell’s City of Books
1005 W. Burnside St., Portland
Free

Ashley Yang-Thompson will read from Still Worm, her “gutty, guttural, grotesque” stream-of-consciousness release. The memoir-style book features ephemera, diary entries, philosophical fragments, letters, lists, and more, offering commentary on a changing culture as it bridges Metamodernism and the undefined. Yang-Thompson will be joined in conversation by Sarah Shay Mirk, author of Guantanamo Voices.

WEEK 2: AUG. 8-14

Reading and Folk Concert: Willy Vlautin and Miriam Gershow
Presented by Tsunami Books
7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8
Tsunami Books
2585 Willamette St., Eugene
Free

Willy Vlautin, Oregon Book Award winner and author of The Motel Life, Lean on Pete, and The Horse, will celebrate the paperback release of The Horse at Tsunami Books with a book reading, signing, and folk concert. Called “unsentimental but sincere” by Esquire, The Horse is a tale of suffering and redemption, exploring loneliness, empathy, and regret. Vlautin will be joined by Miriam Gershow, Oregon Book Award finalist and author of Closer and The Local News.

WEEK 3: AUG. 15-21

The Writers Guild 2025 Writer in Residence Reception
Presented by The Writers Guild
5:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 15
Astoria Visual Arts Gallery
1000 Duane St., Astoria
Free

Sponsor

The Writers Guild in Astoria will host its 2025 Writer in Residence Reception to celebrate Marj Hogan of Portland, the 2025 writer in residence. The weeklong writing retreat, held in partnership with Astoria Visual Arts, offers a writer time and space to work on their craft in genres including novels, short stories, nonfiction, plays, memoirs, poetry, screenplays, and hybrid manuscripts. Hogan is a high school teacher who has done everything from dishwashing and farm work to case management and tutoring. Her project explores what work does to the worker, what we make of it, and what we decide to do — and not do — for employment.

Open Mic with Guest Reader Eric Tran
Presented by Up Up Books
5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16
1211 S.E. Stark St., Portland
Free

Eric Tran, author of Mouth, Sugar, and Smoke and The Gutter Spread Guide to Prayer, will read from his work as part of Up Up Books’ open mic night. The evening will be hosted by Matthew Dickman, author of Husbandry and recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship. Open mic participants can sign up for one of the 14 available slots beginning at 5 p.m. that evening. Readers have five minutes to share one page of work.

WEEK 4: AUG. 22-31

Letter Writing Social
Presented by Broadway Books and Squeezebox Press!
4:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 25
Broadway Books
1714 N.E. Broadway St., Portland
Free

Emma Swartz of Squeezebox Press!, a printing company that works on a 100-year-old press in Portland, will host a letter-writing social at Broadway Books. During the event, like-minded letter-sending enthusiasts can write letters and socialize. Attendees can use the materials provided or bring their own stationery, markers, and washi tape to create pieces to be mailed. The event is open to all writing and art levels.

Author Reading: Mariah Rigg
Presented by Literary Arts
7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 22
Literary Arts Bookstore
716 S.E. Grand Ave., Portland
Free

Mariah Rigg, a Samoan-Haole author born and raised on O‘ahu, Hawai’i, will read from her story collection, Extinction Capital of the World. The book is a portrait of Hawai’i, considering the importance of community and examining themes of family, queer love, imperialism, and environmental collapse. Through 10 stories, Rigg takes on grief and longing and uncovers a “precious biome under constant threat.”

Sponsor

Reading: Daniela Naomi Molnar with Rabbi Josh Rose
Presented by Annie Bloom’s Books
7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 25
Annie Bloom’s Books
7834 S.W. Capitol Hwy., Portland
Free

Daniela Naomi Molnar, Oregon Book Award-winning poet and author of Chorus, will read from Protocols: An Erasure. The book takes the world’s most influential antisemitic document, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and flips it to explore its language through a Jewish lens and retake power from the initially hate-filled text. Molnar will be joined in conversation by Josh Rose, founder and director of Co/Lab: Reimagine Jewish.

Karleigh Frisbie Brogan in Conversation With Chelsea Bieker
Presented by Powell’s Books
7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 26
Powell’s City of Books
1005 W. Burnside St., Portland
Free

Karleigh Frisbie Brogan will read from her memoir, Holding: A Memoir About Mothers, Drugs, and Other Comforts. The new book offers insights about adult daughter-and-mother relationships, featuring her own experiences. Brogan uncovers how at 20, she and her boyfriend hid their heroin addiction, moved in with family, and embarked on a journey that proved complex, toxic, tender, and life-changing. Brogan will be joined in conversation by Chelsea Bieker, author of Madwoman.

The Civilian Conservation Corps in Oregon: A Living Legacy by Glenn Voelz
Presented by Roundabout Books & Cafe
6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28
Roundabout Books & Cafe
900 N.W. Mt. Washington Drive, Suite 110, Bend
$5 general admission or book purchase

Glenn Voelz, U.S. Army veteran and author of three previous books on Oregon history, will read from The Civilian Conservation Corps in Oregon: A Living Legacy. The book explains how, during the Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt put unemployed Americans to work restoring public lands. In Oregon, the Civilian Conservation Corps built 50,000 miles of forest roads, 20,000 miles of trails, 3,000 acres of public campgrounds, 1,500 bridges, and hundreds of lookout towers. Voelz chronicles the CCC’s work and tells the story of how it became possible.

Poetry Reading: Peg Edera With Melody Wilson
Presented by Annie Bloom’s Books
7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28
Annie Bloom’s Books
7834 S.W. Capitol Hwy., Portland
Free

Sponsor

Peg Edera, author of Love Is Deeper Than Distance, will read from her new collection, Reclaiming the Nectar and the Hum. Her book is a love letter to all daughters and an instruction manual for navigating the chaos of today’s world. Edera will be joined by Melody Wilson, a Pushcart Prize-nominated poet, reading from Spineless: Memoir in Invertebrates. Her new book is a meditation on looking at life from the ground up and putting oneself in the shoes of someone from another perspective.