Wednesday January 16top

Mountain Writers Series

The Mountain Writers Series holds its first reading of the new year, featuring Stumptown poets Verlena Orr and Michael Selker. Selker—known also for his photographs and watercolors—has been featured in venues in Oregon and California. Orr lived for 19 years as an affluent housewife, then one day walked away from it all and began writing. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Press Club, 2621 SE Clinton St., 233-5656. 7:30 pm. Free. Map

Rory Freedman

In No. 1 New York Times bestseller Skinny Bitch, the authors told you what not to eat. Now in Skinny Bitch in the Kitch, they tell you what you can eat, and how to make it. If you prefer your recipes with a double portion of sass, this book is right up your alley. Come meet co-author Rory Freedman, who maintains a girlish figure while still asserting, “Life without lasagna is not worth living.” Barnes & Noble-Lloyd Center, 1317 Lloyd Center., 249-0800. 7 pm. Free. Map

Thursday January 17top

Claire Michaels Wheeler

Did you know 90 percent of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress-related reasons? Portland-based psychologist and author Claire Michaels Wheeler is willing to bet you didn't. Her new book, 10 Simple Solutions to Stress, is based in positive psychology; it outlines everything from gradual lifestyle changes to emergency stress rescue techniques. Borders-Beaverton, 2605 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., 644-6164. 7 pm. Free. Map

Tim Josephs

Tim Josephs got his start here in town: He was and is a contributing member of the Portland Fiction Project. Come find out why his literary debut, a quirky collection of short stories called A Camouflaged Fragrance of Decency, has been described as “Raymond Carver meets The Onion.” Twenty-Third Avenue Books, 1015 NW 23rd Ave., 224-5097. 7 pm. Free. Map

Friday January 18top

Audiozine Release Party

To celebrate the release of its second audiozine, the Independent Publishing Resource Center will host readings by several of its zine publishers, including Kate Haas (Miranda), Sarah Contrary (Glossolalia), Dan Hack (The Faithful), and Aria Joughin, a.k.a. Lost Rocket (Confessions of an Urban Hillbilly). Cider for free and CDs for $8. Independent Publishing Resource Center, 917 SW Oak St., No. 218., 827-0249. 7 pm. Free. Map

The Wee-Post with Kate Cavanaugh

In its weekly tip of the hat to literati with kids, the Waypost is hosting a reading of Chris Raschka's Yo! Yes?, a book that seeks to investigate the nature of friendship using pictures and only 34 words. The intriguingly named activity, to follow, is called “Make a Friend.” Does that mean sock puppets, or just getting to know someone? Says Waypost owner Michael Newman, “You'll just have to come and find out.” The Waypost, 3120 N Williams Ave., 367-3182. 1 pm. Free. Map

Saturday January 19top

Carolyn Gage

Come see the woman who successfully reimagined Joan of Arc as an anorexic teen runaway, and made it a play. Carolyn Gage—author, playwright, activist and, most importantly, Portlander—will be reading from her latest collection of stage pieces, as well as performing excerpts from Lesbian Tent Revival and Babe: An Olympic Musical. Don’t miss the woman who has been called our “lesbian national treasure.” In Other Words, 8B NE Killingsworth St., 232-6003. 2 pm. Free. Map

JobNoble13

After an absence of several years, Portland spoken-word artist Alena Vance—better known to her fans as JobNoble13—is back on the scene. In order to promote her recently self-published book of dark poetry, Noblesse Oblige, and an accompanying audio CD, she will host a performance and signing at Izogie’s. According to Vance, it’s “Sista Girl Poetry, spoken word with a hip-hop flavor." For tickets and info, contact openeyes@yahoo.com. Izogie's Fine Dining, 1301 NE Dekum St., 289-8195. 8 pm. $5. Map

Lisa Schroeder

Schroeder, a native Oregonian, fancifully compares writing to picking strawberries: If you set out with an empty crate in the morning, you're bound to have something by evening. Problematic logic aside, she seems to have picked a winner with I Heart You, You Haunt Me, a young adult novel about a 15-year-old girl whose recently deceased boyfriend returns to visit her—as a ghost. Judging by the reviews, the emotions stirred by this novel are anything but adolescent, and get this: It's in verse. Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., Beaverton., 228-4651. 1 pm. Free. Map

Sunday January 20top

Muhammad Yunus

Can't miss this one. Nobel Peace Prize winner Yunus is coming to Portland to talk about how—get this—money and a more humane world aren't mutually exclusive. Yunus, a Bangladeshi banker, is famous for his successful application of microcredit, the extension of small business loans to entrepreneurs too poor for traditional bank loans. Speaking about his new book, Creating a World Without Poverty, Yunus will outline his vision for a new business model that enlists the power of the free market in the service of goals like quality of life and sustainability. Admission includes a copy of the book. Tickets available at the Bagdad Theater box office, the Crystal Ballroom box office and ticketmaster.com. Bagdad Theater & Pub, 3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 236-9234. 4 pm. $26. Map

Monday January 21top

Michael Shermer

OK, so you went to Yunus (Sunday, Jan. 20), and you kind of understood all that stuff about microcredit. Kind of. But now you want to know, why? And Michael Shermer wants to tell you. His new book, The Mind of the Market, gives a detailed account of how evolution affects our buying and selling brains.  In the end, it's about knowing our inborn economic weaknesses, and learning to compensate for them. And unlike Yunus, it's free. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., 228-4651. 7:30 pm. Free. Map

Tuesday January 22top

Friends of William Stafford

Join the Friends of William Stafford to commemorate the birthday of a local poet with national recognition. Lewis & Clark College professor Stafford's collection Traveling Through the Dark won the National Book Award in 1963, and in 1970 he was named U.S. poet laureate. Annie Bloom's is hosting the annual event, which will include readings by Alison Apotheker, Diane Holland, Greg Simon, Judith Barrington, Ruth Gundle, and FWS board reps Sue Einowski and Ann Staley. Paula Sinclair will also be performing songs set to Stafford's poems. Annie Bloom's Books, 7834 SW Capitol Highway., 246-0053. 7:30 pm. Free. Map