Wednesday February 13top

29th Street Writers

This local writing group, which has been meeting for over two decades, will gather to read recent work. Works to be performed include those by Ellen Goldberg, Ila Suzanne, Kathleen Haley, Shirley Kishiyama, Kathleen Sadat, Elizabeth Simson, and Vanessa Timmons. Broadway Books, 1714 NE Broadway., 284-1726. 7 pm. Free. Map

Beren deMotier

It’s been a long and difficult road to basic rights for Oregon’s gay couples. In The Brides of March, Beren deMotier gives her account of the hectic days surrounding the March 2004 decision—later overturned—that allowed same-sex couples in Multnomah County to marry. She’ll be reading from her new book about the bevy of brides, their impatient children, the newspaper reporters, and the screaming protesters who attended this unusual event. St Johns Booksellers, 8622 N Lombard St., 283-0032. 7:30 pm. Free. Map

Do It Yourself Stories

Nothing makes a story come to life like telling it, live and unscripted. Come share your story, or just sit and soak them up. The theme for this evening’s event will be “Escapes & Captures: Stories about Life, Love, and (Almost) Being Caught.” Urban Grind, 911 NW 14th Ave., 546-5919. 8-10 pm. Free. Map

Greg Means (“Clutch McBastard”)

I guess if you self-publish long enough, you eventually get other-published. That’s what happened to Nicole J. Georges: The second volume of her zine anthology Invincible Summer was recently released through Microcosm and Tugboat Press. To celebrate her accomplishment, Greg Means—a.k.a. “Clutch McBastard,” the force behind Clutch—will give his first-ever live performance, reading from his zine. Clutch follows the daily life of an average man and his funny friends and co-workers. Central Library, 801 SW 10th Ave., 988-5123. 6:30-7:45 pm. Free. Map

Kristin Hannah

NYT-bestselling regional writer Kristin Hannah will be in Portland to promote her new book. Set in the Pacific Northwest, Firefly Lane traces the relationship of best friends Kate and Tully through boyfriends, husbands, careers, children, etc. To paraphrase one critic, it reads like a Lifetime Original Movie, but somehow succeeds in spite of itself. Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., Beaverton., 228-4651. 7 pm. Free. Map

Milwaukie Poetry Series: Barbara Drake

Barbara Drake has written a textbook titled Writing Poetry, and now she’s going to put her money where her mouth is. For the uninitiated, Ms. Drake is well decorated and exceedingly local. A National Endowment for the Arts fellowship recipient and former Lewis & Clark professor, she lives in the foothills of the Oregon coast range with her husband and a small flock of Romney sheep. Ledding Library, 10660 SE 21st Ave., Milwaukie., 786-7580. 7 pm. Free. Map

Oregon Book Award Authors Reading

Imagine what sparks would fly if the newly crowned Miss America were forced to perform onstage with her second and third runners-up. That’s essentially what’s happening here—authors Alison Clement (Twenty Questions), Robert Hill (When All Is Said and Done) and Monica Drake (Clown Girl) all competed for 2007’s Ken Kesey Novel Award, but only one, well, won. They’ll all be reading, in a cage match brought to you by Literary Arts and South Waterfront. No blood, no foul. , 3623 SW River Parkway., 227-2583. 7 pm. Free. Map

Thursday February 14top

Open Mic Poetry, featuring Sage Cohen

Having lived in Portland since 2003, Sage Cohen knows she doesn’t fit in. She found that out when she realized she was among the 3 percent of women who aren’t offended by the word “moist.” Her honest, offbeat writing has appeared in such publications las Poetry Flash and VoiceCatcher, and she was recently awarded a writing residency at Soapstone. , 1817 Main St., Vancouver., 360-514-0358. 7 pm. Free. Map

Paulann Petersen & Judith Montgomery

The theme for this poetry reading—humble or grandiose, depending on your point of view—is “love.” Putnam Center, Willamette University, 900 SE State St., 364-5182. 5:30-7 pm. Free. Map

Toby Barlow

Admittedly, when I first heard about Toby Barlow’s Sharp Teeth, a werewolf thriller written in free verse, I was skeptical. I mean, a book-length poem about lycanthropes running amok in L.A.? But apparently it works. An editor at WW familiar with the book claims the metrical arrangement of the prose fits perfectly with its taut, suspenseful vibe. Critics seem to agree. Come meet the man who might have written a modern Rape of the Lock. Powell's on Hawthorne, 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 228-4651. 7:30 pm. Free. Map

Friday February 15top

Sander Hicks

When an unauthorized, unflattering biography of George W. Bush got yanked from shelves, Sander Hicks stepped in to reprint it himself. Featured in the documentary Horns and Halos, this self-styled “punk of publishing” has also been the lead singer in a punk band, owned a coffee house in Brooklyn, and run against Hillary Clinton for the U.S. Senate in New York. No stranger to controversy, he will be discussing the murder of Dr. David Graham, an FDA scientist whose testimony before a Senate committee exposed shocking public health consequences stemming from a legalized conflict of interest. Friends Meeting House, 4312 SE Stark St., 740-6776. 7-9:30 pm. Free. Map

Saturday February 16top

James Turrell

In this lecture, MacArthur genius grant winner James Turrell will discuss his ideas and art. He is best known for his work with space and light, creating corridors that softly glow in green, red or blue. He is also working on an open-air observatory in a crater outside Flagstaff, Ariz. PNCA, 1241 NW Johnson St., 226-4391. 4 pm. Free. Map

Relational Cultural Theory Workshop

Do you feel like you’re not getting good reception in your relationships? That something’s not quite coming through, that there’s always a little destructive static there? For the past year, Jenna Goldin and Karen Hixson, founders of the Connect collective, have been working on just that, assisting individuals and groups in building mutually empowering relationships. Bring your own personal experiences and concerns for this workshop on disconnection in relationships and community building. In Other Words, 8 NE Killingsworth St., 232-6003. 2 pm. Free. Map

Sunday February 17top

Dance Talks

Sometimes it’s tough to discuss dance without knowing the lingo, but here’s your chance to get a leg-up (no pun intended). Oregon Ballet Theatre artistic director Christopher Stowell will lead audience members and a panel of nationally recognized guests in a discussion of the French sensibility as it finds an expressive home in ballet. The talk will be delivered in connection with OBT’s upcoming production France, which features French-inspired dance pieces by Jerome Robbins, Nicolo Fonte and Christopher Stowell. Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Ave., 227-0977. 2 pm. Free. (Reservations Required). Map

Howard Mandel & Lloyd Peterson

For many people, jazz is like the Tao: You can’t teach it, and it’s tough to talk about. Fortunately, the days of unknowable, unspeakable jazz are over. Cats of all stripes can join authors Howard Mandel (Miles, Ornette, Cecil) and Lloyd Peterson (Music and the Creative Spirit) to discuss their books and the work of contemporary musicians. Jazz has inspired talents as diverse as Leonard Bernstein, Robert Rauschenberg and Thomas Pynchon—why not add your name to that list? Portland Borders, 708 SW 3rd Ave., 220-5911. 12 pm. Free. Map

Monday February 18top

Charles Bock

Las Vegas, it seems, devours children, and authors can’t get enough of it. Bock’s book Beautiful Children joins Joel McGinniss’s recent release, The Delivery Man, in this rapidly expanding genre. When 12-year-old Newell Ewing (what a name, right?) goes out with a friend and doesn’t come home, his alliterative parents Lincoln and Lorraine embark on a search that takes them on a descent into the Vegas underworld of runaway teenagers, pawn brokers and sex workers. Powell's on Hawthorne, 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 228-4651. 7:30 pm. Free. Map

Tuesday February 19top

James McBride

After receiving a nasty head wound, a young slave in antebellum Maryland begins to see the future. And what a future! In James McBride’s new Song Yet Sung, Liz Spocott dreams of Martin Luther King and hip-hop, all the while evading slave-catchers as she struggles for freedom. A critical darling and NYT-bestselling author of The Color of Water, McBride seems to have done it again, juxtaposing the horror of slavery with hope for redemption. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., 228-4651. 7:30 pm. Free. Map

The Hidden Meaning of Fairy Tales

Ever think about stories told at bedtime when you were a kid? How some of them seemed so cruel, so impossibly wonderful, or just so…true? Join historian Curtis Yehnert to explore the deep-rooted wishes and needs expressed in fairy tales, from the Brothers Grimm to present-day efforts in Hollywood. Freud would have had a field day with this one. Glenn & Viola Walters Cultural Arts Center, 527 E Main St., Hillsboro., 615-3485. 7 pm. Free. Map