It’s Raining Cupcakes (Powells Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, @2:00pm): Lisa Schroeder, the popular author of I Heart You, You Haunt Me, delivers a sweet treat for tweens in It’s Raining Cupcakes (Aladdin), a novel that’s baked to perfection.

Other Book Events Today:

NW Author Series: Write What People Remember (Wilsonville Public Library, @3:30pm, $5): Naseem Rakha presents “Writing What Works: How to Learn from What You Read and How to Write What People Remember.” Naseem Rakha is an award-winning journalist whose stories have been heard on OPB, and NPR. Her first novel, The Crying Tree, has been selected for the Barnes and Noble Discover New Writers Series and is currently a nominee for the 2010 PNBA Book Award.

Poets Brandon Downing and Macgregor Card (Powells Books on Hawthorne, @4:00pm): Local poet Rodney Koeneke introduces Brandon Downing, whose new book Lake Antiquity (Fence) is a collection of text-collages that is the culmination of more than a decade of visionary irreverance, and Macgregor Card, whose Duties of an English Foreign Secretary won the 2009 Fence Modern Poets Series with its offering of sublime nonsensical balladry.

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.

Tom Spanbauer is a critically acclaimed author and the founder of the  Dangerous Writing technique and workshops. As a writer he has explored issues of race, of sexual identity, and of how we make a family for ourselves in order to surmount the limitations of the families into which we are born.

His four published novels, including Faraway Places (Hawthorne Books), The Man Who Fell In Love With The Moon (Harper Perennial), In The City Of Shy Hunters (Grove Press), and Now is the Hour (HMH), are notable for their combination of a fresh and lyrical prose style with solid storytelling.

Q: Your books have investigated issues of racial and sexual identity, violence, and the radically compromised world in which we all have to live.  Do you think reading and writing help us navigate this world better in some ways, and if so, in what ways do they help?

A: It’s like Proust said, we only become aware by dragging our experience back over consciousness through writing.

Q: You’re a teacher with a distinctive method (Dangerous Writing) and a strong following.  Can you say a little about how you came to Dangerous Writing yourself — how the concept evolved for you, how you refined it, and how you came to believe in it as a means of drawing good work out of people?

A: It’s a long story how I got here, I’m currently writing a book about it. My best friend Peter Christopher, who just died of liver cancer, had the idea for the name, Dangerous Writing.  He and I were at Columbia together and we studied with [Gordon] Lish.

I think by going to the sad, sore secret places it naturally gives one’s writing weight. If you’re afraid to go there and still you go there, the reader will sense that the author is on a journey into the unknown and will consequently go along with.

Q: Even with a supportive writing community and a great teacher, it can be hard for new writers to find publication.  What advice do you have for writers who are feeling discouraged about the marketplace, or about their own ability to produce publishable work?

A: It’s hard to find hope these days in publishing.  But at the same time, because old structures are collapsing, in many ways publishing is like the wild wild west.  There are so many on-line zines and small literary magazines now.  It’s time to make new forms.  The corporate world can’t sustain itself much longer because it has lost its heart.

Q: Your books often examine people living near or at the margins of mainstream, white, fully enfranchised society.  Some are marginalized by their race, others by their sexuality, others by whole constellations of things beyond their control.  Terrible things happen to your characters–but at the same time, they often show resilience and flexibility in remaking themselves and carrying on.  In your opinion, what feeds that fundamental ability to survive and grow–both for your characters and for everyday people in the world around us?  What keeps people moving when times are hard?

A: I was raised german Catholic so I’m stubborn. I also have redemption in my DNA. That combo: stubbornness and hope are hard to beat.

Every Saturday we will bring you links to articles from around the web featuring members of Portland’s lit community.  Please feel free to pass along any you come across as well, by emailing us at portland@readinglocal.com, and we will include them in next week’s edition of Short Stories.

The Big Grabowski co-authors Carolyn J. Rose and Mike Nettleton are interviewed on My Shelf:

Deb: Collaborative writing presents unique challenges; how was your collaborative experience? Any hints for success?

Mike: We had some profound differences in the method of writing, and our work ethic: she has one; mine is shaky. My idea of collaborative writing came from the old Dick Van Dyke Show where Rob Petrie sat at the typewriter while his co-writers Sally and Buddy would circle the room, throwing out zingers and plot ideas for sketches. I wanted to be Sally and Buddy, while Carolyn would be Dick. So not happening. We had to work out a lot of issues before we could collaborate successfully. Hints for success? Try to get your ego out of the way. You’ve got to be objective about what’s working and what isn’t. If it doesn’t contribute to advancing the story, or illuminating a character, you need to lose it. (Actually, keep it somewhere; it may come in handy later.)

Carolyn: When you look at the changes someone wants to make in your work, you generally have a strong visceral reaction born of the desire to protect your territory. Don’t act on that. Put the comments aside for a week and look at them again. Don’t act then. Wait another week, and you might be rational. Tell yourself that it’s a joint project. Readers won’t know or care who wrote what, so you can park your ego.

Nena Baker, author of The Body Toxic, has a new article up on Huffington Post:

Persistence is a great trait if you’re job hunting, learning to play the piano or potty training your child. But when it comes to toxic chemicals, persistence is a characteristic that spells trouble for people, animals and the environment.

Congress, as it sets about updating and reforming the outmoded laws governing chemicals in commerce, can make the job easier and straightforward by restricting all non-essential uses for persistent toxic chemicals that build up in living beings and the environment. It’s simply common sense, given what we know about the hazards of substances identified as persistent, bioaccumalative toxics or PBTs.

Also on Huffington Post is an interview with Frank Meinck, whose Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead will be released by Hawthorne Books on April 1st:

The last thing we expected from Frank Meeink was a new appreciation for hockey.

Movie buffs may know him as Derek Vinyard, Edward Norton’s neo-Nazi character in American History X. The 1998 film was loosely based on Meeink’s life.

Loosely, Meeink told us at the Reconciliation Forum in Washington, D.C. The real-life version has no cathartic moment or dramatic ending. The true story begins after the credits. Oddly enough, it involves hockey. Meeink grew up in Philadelphia watching the Flyers. The games were his escape. At home, Meeink was abused by his step-father. At school, he was beaten up for being the only white kid.

“Imagine you shook a pop bottle for 13 years,” he said. “But I could always watch the Flyers.”

But hockey wasn’t enough and the 13-year-old found another escape – a hate group.

The PBS Kids blog “It’s My Life” has an interview up with The Big Book of Gross Stuff author Bart King:

IML: In the book, you talk a little about what makes something “gross” and how Gross Stuff is pretty much the same across most cultures. But has Gross Stuff changed with the times? Is it different now than what was considered gross say, 100 years ago? Has technology introduced a whole new collection of gross things?

Bart: On one hand, we are now exposed to more “fake” gross stuff than at any time in history. Our video games, movies, and TV shows can all show the latest in gruesome special effects. And technology’s impact on gross stuff can even be seen with cell phones. Even a mini-app like iFart might make us less sensitive to how we feel about things like flatulence.

On the other hand, we’re more cut off from the world’s “real” gross stuff than ever before. Our sewage systems are so advanced that we have just the briefest encounters with our urine and poop. Most adults have never seen an animal slaughtered, much less a dead human. It wasn’t that long ago that even really young children had experiences with all of these things. (“Junior, go clean the outhouse. Then slaughter a pig and bury your Uncle Jed!”)

Sage Cohen’s article “The Life Poetic: The Art of Revision” is up on Read Write Poem:

One of the trickiest –– and most liberating –– aspects of poetry is that there is no Gold Standard against which we measure its worth. Without this standard, it can also be difficult to evaluate when a poem is finished. Because each poem is trying to accomplish something different, it is up to us to decide when the poem has arrived. This is not easy to do, even when one has been writing for decades; but it sure is satisfying to practice!

Image credit Book People.

Tangent presents: Jake Buffy, Brandon Downing, & Reg Johanson (Clinton Corner Cafe, @7:00pm): Tangent is pleased to host three exciting poets: Portland native Jake Buffy will be making his full-length reading debut; New York-based artist Brandon Downing will be screening some new film shorts; and Reg Johanson will be joining us all the way from Vancouver, BC to perform his new poetry.

Other Book Events Today:

Gala Celebration Honoring Local Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (Barnes & Noble-Clackamas, @3:00pm): Come celebrate the talents of the SCBWI-Oregon. Sixteen authors and illustrators of children’s and teen’s books will be here to present and sign their books, including Emily Whitman, Carmen Bernier-Grand, Lisa Schroeder, Dale Basye and Nancy Coffelt.

Mini-Sledgehammer Writing Contest (Sweet Pea Baking Co., @3:00pm): Indigo Editing & Publications presents a miniature version of their popular Sledgehammer Writing Contest. After a reading by Alan Dubinsky—the winner of the last year’s contest—the audience will receive prompts and will have 36 minutes to write their own short stories. All entries will be judged on the spot and winners will take home prizes. The Mini-Sledgehammer Contest is free and open to the public.

You can find other events on your community Libraries schedule using these links: Washington County, Multnomah County, Clackamas County.

Image credit PhillySound.

Dark Horse Comics – The wonderful and whimsical and always generous DHC has donated over $300 worth of materials in kind to our prize raffle.

Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, behind the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals, Dark Horse Comics has grown to become the third-largest comics publisher in the United States and is acclaimed internationally for the quality and diversity of its line. By attracting the top talent in the comics field, Dark Horse continues to change the shape of the industry and grow its brand throughout the world. In conjunction with its sister company Dark Horse Entertainment, Dark Horse has over 350 properties currently represented under the Dark Horse banner, serving as the jumping-off point for comics, books, films, television, electronic games, toys, and collectibles. In 2008, Dark Horse distributes its characters and concepts into more than fifty countries, continuing its mission of content creation and distribution in all of its forms throughout the world.

Beach took time out of her sexy schedule to answer a few questions for Reading Local. See her in person on Monday, March 15, at Three Friends Coffeehouse.

Q: A couple of years ago you returned to St. Louis , where you had lived when you were younger. How has this return home affected your writing life?

A: One good thing about St. Louis is it is supportive of its artists. Yes, it’s a working class town, and yes, it’s a bit provincial, but the city has a tradition of celebrating and embracing the arts. Tennessee Williams, Kate Chopin, Maya Angelou all St. Louisians.

So, I’ve managed to find like minds, other writers and artists, who are willing to collaborate and inspire. I’m working on a two-woman show right now with a talented comedian, I’m working with a non-profit, Words on Purpose, that raises money for local charities through readings at an anarchist bakery (you read that right, yes), and I’m discovering pockets of people who support and encourage the literary arts.

I must admit, though, living in Austin was like living with endless inspiration. I felt freer in Austin to write my truly smutty stuff, because I didn’t feel judged or threatened. St. Louis is conservative, so I do feel a bit hampered. The tone of my writing is changing. Yes. Place does effect content.

Q: Tell us about your teaching. What courses do you like to teach? How does teaching inform your writing?

A: Teaching is the best job I’ve ever had, and I’ve had plenty of jobs. How many people get to spend their days lecturing on their favorite topics and being paid for it? I’m blessed.

Lately, my favorite classes to teach are Literature classes. I teach mostly contemporary and feminist lit, and honestly don’t feel appropriately trained to teach these classes. I didn’t pursue English in school. I studied film and video making, then creative writing. So, perhaps I’m digging literature classes because I’m learning as I teach.

But, I learn when I teach my fiction writing and composition classes, too. I usually learn something new from my students each semester, whether it’s new slang, or information that is outside my realm of interests, or new insights into human behavior. And all of this informs my writing in one way or another. BUT, sometimes after hours of grading poorly written prose, I lose my voice and start writing poorly, too. It’s scary, but at least I notice this.

Q: Some writers publish their erotic projects under a pen name. How has it been for you as a writer, teacher and private citizen to become known for writing erotic fiction? Any interesting experiences promoting Neurotica?

A: The reaction I get to my erotica writing is a mixed bag. Women often praise me and tell me I’m courageous (my erotica goes a bit beyond the sexual and deals with some ugly aspects of our sexual freedom). Students have told me I inspire them to not be afraid of their own demons and shadows. But, I have trouble with men now. They’re afraid I’ll write stories about them. Or, they’re afraid I’ll cheat on them, because hey, I write about sex, so that must mean I’m incapable of real relationship. The whole Madonna/Whore thing, you know. My family wishes I would use a pen name. And, I’m often anxious that some school administrator or parent is going to run across my work and start a fuss.

I tell people that I’m not courageous. I’m oblivious. It’s true. I write about what most interests me, and this is sex and how sexual freedom is confusing and dangerous for women, but also how it is liberating. I don’t think about the repercussions of my work (until it’s too late).

It’s been a blast promoting Neurotica. I’ve met some amazing writers and lovers of literature. I’ve visited towns I wouldn’t normally visit. I’ve put on some wild shows, too, and in doing so I’ve worked with burlesque dancers, opera singers, trendy indie kids, visual artists…it’s a blast collaborating with other artists.

At the end of the day, though, I’m just a hard working writing teacher who needs to write more and who thinks about things like going to the grocery store and plucking peri-menopausal whiskers from my chin.

Q: Any new projects in the works?

A: As I mentioned, I’m working on a two-woman show with this fabulous comedian. We’re examining the procreation/non-creation dichotomy women struggle with. Do I have children? And if I do, what does this do to my life and my essential self-image? It sounds serious, but so far what we’ve written is her-larious!

Also, I am drafting another short story cycle, about growing up in the 70’s. Drugs, sex, rock and roll. All that goofball stuff.

Q: I know you’ve been to Portland at least once before. What do you like about Portland? Anything you hope to do while visiting our city?

A: My favorite thing about Portland when I last visited (besides its natural beauty) was that chicks in glasses were celebrated. I loved walking around and seeing all these gorgeous, natural women with hoodies and glasses. Oh, and Portland’s bookstore, Powell’s — Man, oh man, that place rocks!

Image credit Elva Maxine Beach.

Saturday March 13-

Gala Celebration Honoring Local Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (Barnes & Noble-Clackamas, @3:00pm): Come celebrate the talents of the SCBWI-Oregon. Sixteen authors and illustrators of children’s and teen’s books will be here to present and sign their books, including Emily Whitman, Carmen Bernier-Grand, Lisa Schroeder, Dale Basye and Nancy Coffelt.

Mini-Sledgehammer Writing Contest (Sweet Pea Baking Co., @3:00pm): Indigo Editing & Publications presents a miniature version of their popular Sledgehammer Writing Contest. After a reading by Alan Dubinsky—the winner of the last year’s contest—the audience will receive prompts and will have 36 minutes to write their own short stories. All entries will be judged on the spot and winners will take home prizes. The Mini-Sledgehammer Contest is free and open to the public.

Tangent presents: Jake Buffy, Brandon Downing, & Reg Johanson (Clinton Corner Cafe, @7:00pm): Tangent is pleased to host three exciting poets: Portland native Jake Buffy will be making his full-length reading debut; New York-based artist Brandon Downing will be screening some new film shorts; and Reg Johanson will be joining us all the way from Vancouver, BC to perform his new poetry.

Sunday March 14-

It’s Raining Cupcakes (Powells Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, @2:00pm): Lisa Schroeder, the popular author of I Heart You, You Haunt Me, delivers a sweet treat for tweens in It’s Raining Cupcakes (Aladdin), a novel that’s baked to perfection.

NW Author Series: Write What People Remember (Wilsonville Public Library, @3:30pm, $5): Naseem Rakha presents “Writing What Works: How to Learn from What You Read and How to Write What People Remember.” Naseem Rakha is an award-winning journalist whose stories have been heard on OPB, and NPR. Her first novel, The Crying Tree, has been selected for the Barnes and Noble Discover New Writers Series and is currently a nominee for the 2010 PNBA Book Award.

Poets Brandon Downing and Macgregor Card (Powells Books on Hawthorne, @4:00pm): Local poet Rodney Koeneke introduces Brandon Downing, whose new book Lake Antiquity (Fence) is a collection of text-collages that is the culmination of more than a decade of visionary irreverance, and Macgregor Card, whose Duties of an English Foreign Secretary won the 2009 Fence Modern Poets Series with its offering of sublime nonsensical balladry.

Monday March 15-

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.

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.

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)

Tuesday March 16-

Read to Rebuild-A Haiti Benefit Reading (The Writers’ Dojo, @7:00pm, $10 Suggested Donation): Reading Local’s first event!  Come hear from some of Portland’s finest including Ariel Gore, Margaret Malone, Laura Moulton, Ben Parzybok, Kevin Sampsell, and Tom Spanbauer.  Music provided by Sweeter Than Later, and free wine courtesy of Cameron Hughes Wine.  Also featuring a raffle with gift cards and other prizes up for grabs!  All proceeds benefit Mercy Corps in their ongoing efforts to assist the disaster relief in Haiti.  See our event page for further details.

Elizabeth Eslami (Broadway Books, @7:00pm): Veneta resident Elizabeth Eslami will be here to read from her new novel, Bone Worship (Pegasus Books). This is a rich and soul-searching novel about an Iranian-American girl whose enigmatic father has decided to arrange her marriage. Jasmine Fahroodhi’s story begins just as she is flunking out of college, getting over a failed romance, and moving back in with her parents – her prim American mother and her mysterious Iranian father. Confused and furious, yet intrigued by her father’s plan to marry her off within one year, Jasmine meets many suitors and learns much about familial and romantic love, and the truth about her evasive father.

Richard H. Engeman (Lake Oswego Library, @7:00pm): The Lake Oswego Library is pleased to present local author Richard H. Engeman as part of the Library’s Third Tuesday Author Series. Richard H. Engeman is a historian and archivist with wide research and writing experience in Pacific Northwest history. Engeman has specialized in working with historical photographs, maps, architectural plans and drawings, and paper ephemera, and his writing has appeared in a variety of publications. He is the author of a recent award-winning unit of the Oregon Historical Society’s online Oregon History Project, Wooden Beams and Railroad Ties: the History of Oregon’s Built Environment. In 2009, Timber Press released The Oregon Companion: an Historical Gazetteer of the Useful, the Curious and the Arcane, and White House Grocery Press issued his Eating It Up in Eden: the Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Cookbook.

Chang-rae Lee (Powells City of Books, @7:30pm): Combining the complex themes of identity in his novels Native Speaker and A Gesture Life with the broad range, energy, and pure storytelling of Aloft, Chang-rae Lee has delivered his most ambitious work yet with The Surrendered (Riverhead). “A harrowing tale: bleak, haunting, often heartbreaking — and not to be missed,” proclaims Publishers Weekly (starred review).

The Uncanny Physics of Superhero Comic Books (Lewis & Clark College, Templeton Campus Center, @7:30pm): James Kakalios, a physics professor at the University of Minnesota, is this year’s Robert B. Pamplin Jr. Society of Fellows Distinguished Visiting Scholar. In his lecture, Kakalios will explore the applications of physics on superheroes, the subject of a course he teaches at the University of Minnesota. This class covers everything from Isaac Newton to the transistor, using only examples from superhero comic books. Kalakios says superhero comic books get their science right more often than one might expect. So, anyone who has wondered how strong you would have to be to “leap a tall building in a single bound” should attend the lecture.

Wednesday March 17-

Poetry Reading featuring John Morrison and Scot Siegel (100th Monkey Studio, @7:00pm): Join us for our two featured readers, some open mic time, and a green surprise or two. Hosted by Steve Williams and Constance Hall.

John Morrison’s book, Heaven of the Moment, won the 2006 Rhea & Seymour Gorsline Poetry Competition and was a finalist for the 2008 Oregon Book Award in poetry. His poems have appeared in numerous national literary journals, including the Cimarron Review, Poetry East, Southern Poetry Review, and Poet Lore. He is currently a Writer-in-Residence for Literary Arts’ Writers in the Schools program in Portland, Oregon.

Scot Siegel is the author of three volumes of poetry, Some Weather (Plain View Press 2008), the chapbook Untitled Country (Pudding House Publications 2009), and a second chapbook, Skeleton Says, forthcoming from Finishing Line Press. In celebration of Oregon’s Sesquicentennial, Poetry Northwest and the Oregon State Library selected Some Weather as one of 150 Outstanding Oregon Poetry Books, one for each year of statehood. Siegel was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2009.

Wisdom: From Philosophy to Neuroscience (Powells City of Books, @7:30pm): A compelling investigation into one of the most coveted and cherished ideals, Stephen S. Hall’s Wisdom (Knopf) also chronicles the efforts of modern science to penetrate the mysterious nature of this timeless virtue. This event co-sponsored by the OHSU Brain Institute.

Thursday March 18-

Hip Haikus and Raucous Rhymes (Belmont Library, @1:30pm): Have you ever written a collective poem? Composed a lyrical ode to your favorite food? Saluted that certain-somebody with a silly sonnet? In the spirit of Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein, and Hip Hop artists such as Blackalicious, find rhythm in the everyday. In this workshop we will explore a range of poetry styles through hands-on writing exercises.

Historic Photos of Oregon (Broadway Books, @7:00pm): Historian William C. Stack will join us to present his new book, Historic Photos of Oregon (Turner Publishing). This book offers a collection of nearly 200 images that present a compelling look at the history of our intriguing and picturesque state. Photographers represented in the collection include Edward S. Curtis and Dorothea Lange. The author’s captions and commentary combine with the photos to make an entertaining visual record of life in the Beaver State.

Open Mic Poetry featuring Jim Martin (Paper Tiger Coffee House-Vancouver, @7:00pm): The third installment of Paper Tiger’s open mic reading series features Jim Martin.  Jim Martin is a retired biologist and teacher, who spends his time with family, volunteering at animal shelters, advising and board work in science inquiry education, doing tap and ballet, writing and reading poetry at open mikes, and doing and exhibiting photography. Much of his poetry is influenced by his experiences in biology and teaching.

History of the Black Panther Party in Oregon (Architectural Heritage Center, @7:00pm): The Northwest History Network presents: “‘We’re going to defend ourselves’: The Portland Chapter of the Black Panther Party & Local Media Response.” A presentation by Jules Boykoff & Martha Gies, with special guests Kent Ford & Percy Hampton, original members of the Portland chapter, Black Panther Party. Light refreshments provided. Martha Gies is the author of Up All Night (2004), and many short stories, essays and articles. Jules Boykoff is the associate professor of political science at Pacific University. The Northwest History Network is a non- profit consortium of regional history, archives, library, and other professionals.

Jimmy McDonough (Powells Books on Hawthorne, @7:30pm): In Tammy Wynette: Tragic Country Queen (Viking), the first full-scale biography of the enduring first lady of country music, bestselling biographer Jimmy McDonough tells the story of the small-town girl whose meteoric rise led to a decades-long career full of tragedy and triumph.

James Greer and Mark Gluth (Powells City of Books, @7:30pm): James Greer’s The Failure (Akashic Books) is a picaresque novel, set in Los Angeles, about two guys who conceive and badly execute a plan to rob a Korean check-cashing store in order to finance the prototype for an impossibly ridiculous Internet application. Mark Gluth’s The Late Work of Margaret Kroftis (Akashic Books) is a groundbreaking debut that creates a world in which a woman’s life is refracted through dreamlike logic.

Friday March 19-

Chelsea Handler Booksigning (Powells City of Books, @3:00pm): In the hilarious new book from Chelsea Handler, author of Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea, the comedian mines the wealth of material that is her family, her sex life, and her distinctively outrageous worldview. Life doesn’t get more hilarious than when Handler takes aim with her irreverent wit. With Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang (Grand Central), Handler delivers one laugh-out-loud moment after another as she sets her sights on the ridiculous side of childhood, adulthood, and daughterhood. Please note: This is a booksigning only. The author will not read from her work.

Cheeky Pages Romance Book Group (Powells Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, @2:00pm): This month we meet to discuss Lessons in French by Laura Kinsale. Join us!

The Butcher and the Vegetarian (Powells City of Books, @7:30pm): In The Butcher and the Vegetarian (Rodale), Tara Austen Weaver puts a chick-lit spin on Michael Pollan as she chronicles her transformation from lifelong vegetarian to cautious meat-eater. Weaver explores whether it’s possible to be an ethical meat eater, which lifestyle is better for the environment, and whether there’s any chance of going back once you’ve tried bacon.

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.

Margaret Malone’s writing has appeared in The Missouri Review, Swink, The Wordstock Ten Anthology, as well as on latimes.com, Rhapsoidia, Tablet, Too Much Coffee Man and elsewhere. She is a graduate of Humboldt State University with a B.A. in Philosophy and now lives with her husband, film-maker Brian Padian, in Portland, Oregon. A volunteer facilitator with Write Around Portland and a co-host of the impossible-to-describe SHARE, Margaret can be found most Thursday nights at the northeast corner of the Dangerous Writers table in Tom Spanbauer’s basement.

Q: Hi!  Well, kicking off with the latest big news–you just won the Friends of the Lake Oswego Library William Stafford Fellowship from Literary Arts.  Congratulations!  What does the fellowship entail, and do you have any particular plans for it?

Hawthorne Books - They’ve donated a large stack of SIGNED copies of their titles including Tom Spanbauer’s Faraway Places

Hawthorne Books is committed to independent publishing. While our interest in American literary fiction and narrative nonfiction shapes our catalog, one of our goals is to discover more international titles and books in translation. All of our titles are published as affordable original trade paperbacks but feature details not typically found even in case bound titles from bigger houses: acid-free papers; sewn bindings that will not crack; heavy, laminated covers with double-scored French flaps that function as built-in bookmarks.

Keep your eyes open for their newest title available this April.

Second Glance Books - We are grateful for your pledge of a $20 Gift Certificate to your store. I can’t think of a better way to spend my time than in your store finding books I can’t do without. Thank You!

Second Glance Books is a bricks & mortar bookstore located in Portland’s Hollywood district. Our specialties are fiction & literature, mystery , science fiction, romance, children’s books and cookbooks. We offer a wide selection of general nonfiction including history, metaphysics, health, sociology, biography, etc. We welcome inquiries and special orders. Second Glance Books is a member of the Portland Area Used Bookseller Association.

Our Literary Community is Mighty!