A nonprofit literary center in Portland, OR dedicated to engaging readers, supporting writers, & inspiring the next generation with great literature.
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Slamlandia
Slamlandia is a poetry open mic and slam that meets every month, on the third Thursday. This mic provides a creative, fun, and welcoming space for all literary…
Slamlandia
Slamlandia is a poetry open mic and slam that meets every month, on the third Thursday. This mic provides a creative, fun, and welcoming space for all literary…
Where Is Your Mother? Family Relationships Missing from Your Memoir
Memoir-writing challenges us to interrogate ourselves. Transcribing those memories can be difficult, but even more difficult is ensuring we are honest about…
Literary Trivia Night
Join us at The Literary Arts Bookstore & Cafe for an evening of literary-themed trivia. Play as a team or solo while competing for prizes and literary glory.…
Craft-Focused Workshop: Personalized Feedback on Work in Progress
This craft-focused workshop is built around personalized feedback on work in progress. Each session, the group reads and discusses four writers’ submissions,…
Portland Arts & Lectures 2026–27: George Saunders
Literary Arts is pleased to present George Saunders as the first speaker of the 2026-27 Portland Arts & Lectures series. Please note: a subscription to the…
Independent Bookstore Day 2026
Join us for a day of giveaways, free workshops, food and drink specials, and more as we celebrate indie bookstores! Saturday, April 25, is Independent…
Fundamental Scenes: A Speculative Writing Workshop
Every writer has moments that seem larger than themselves: a night sky, a death, a first encounter with art, a dream, a sentence in a book, a city seen from…
Fyodor Dostoevsky: The Brothers Karamazov
It is not an exaggeration to say The Brothers Karamazov is one of the most influential novels ever written. It is a novel that has a history of dividing…
The Art of the Short Story
This class will provide practical insights and techniques to craft short stories that captivate and create an emotional resonance with readers. We will explore…
Extra/Ordinary: Writing the Uncommon in the Everyday
Close reading is a practice of attention: an antidote to speed and frictionless swipability. It helps us appreciate literature more deeply and shapes us into…
BIPOC Reading Series – September
This monthly reading series is intended to prioritize the safety, creativity, and stories of Black people, Indigenous people, and People of Color. Come listen…
A Writing and Feedback Lab
Give your writing the space it needs to grow. This six-week lab helps you make meaningful progress while receiving immediate, actionable feedback. Through…
How to Build a D&D Character
Join us at The Literary Arts Bookstore & Cafe to learn how to bring a new Dungeons and Dragons character to life! Learn how to bring your characters’ story to…
Poetry Mixtape
In this 8 week, Wednesday morning class, we will read, explore and discuss the sequential poem in contemporary American poetry, from poets such as Lucille…
Min Jin Lee in conversation with Mitchell S. Jackson
Literary Arts and The Reser are thrilled to present Min Jin Lee, author of the beloved novels Pachinko (an international bestseller and National Book Award…
Incredible Openings
What about any story makes you want to keep reading? In this class, we’ll look at the openings of several short stories and creative nonfiction pieces with a…
Writing Spirals: Multicultural Contemplations on Beginnings, Endings, and Cycles
The spiral holds great meaning for cultures all over the world and has captivated our attention throughout ancient and modern time. Whether of metaphysical and…
Slamlandia – September
Slamlandia is a poetry open mic and slam that meets every month at Literary Arts, on the third Thursday. This mic provides a creative, fun, and welcoming space…
Portland Arts & Lectures 2026–27: Ayad Akhtar
Literary Arts is pleased to present Ayad Akhtar as part of the 2026-27 Portland Arts & Lectures series. Please note: a subscription to the entire 2026-27…
WRITING ANIMALS
Writing animals in fiction is a complex, rewarding and rejuvenating process. From “Animal Farm” to “Mink River”, several authors have gravitated to the form to…
Nathaniel Hawthorne: Twice-Told Tales
When Henry James came to write his short classic book on his predecessor Nathaniel Hawthorne (who was an important influence on James), he wrote, with tongue…
Nature Writing
Throughout this six week course, students will look at the many ways in which humans are connected to our natural surroundings, both urban and remote. Weather,…
Roots in Old Stories: Writing with Folklore, Mythology, and Fairy Tales
Folkloric writing can take many forms. From the overtly fantastical to the strangely realistic, the old tales are flexible. They shift over times and tellers.…