Wednesday Mar 26top

Chitra Divakaruni

The problem with epic texts is that they’re usually (hell, always) patricentric—written by guys, about guys. The Epic of Gilgamesh, the Odyssey, The Patriot…So it’s a welcome change when one of these testosterone-charged tomes is retold from a feminist perspective. That’s what Chitra Divakaruni has done with her latest novel, The Palace of Illusions. In it, she retells the Hindu epic The Mahabharat, from the perspective of Princess Panchaali, who was married to five men at once, but fell in love with a sixth. Go fig. Annie Bloom's Books, 7834 SW Capitol Highway., 246-0053. 7:30 pm. Free. Map

Thursday Mar 27top

Bloody Thursday

Wanna write mysteries? Join five—count ’em, five—authors whose debut mystery novels were published in the past year, as they discuss the rocky road to bookdom. Authors include Ashna Graves (Death Pans Out), Bob Napier (Love, Death, and the Toyman), Doc Macomber (Wolf’s Remedy), Gregg Olsen (A Wicked Snow) and Bill Cameron (Lost Dog). Good Samaritan Medical Center, 1040 NW 22nd Ave., 232-3690. 7 pm. Free. Map

Dr. Date

It’s tough to meet someone in Portland, right? Wrong. According to author Paulette Kouffman Sherman, alias “Dr. Date,” the problem is you. Join Dr. Date and learn how to stop reinforcing your fears and dangerous dating stereotypes. Hadn’t you heard? Love doesn’t have to be a disease-ridden, hellbound roller coaster—it can be a “transformative journey,” full of nice things like “self-discovery quizzes” and “a dating journal.” Cynical? You don’t stand a chance against Dr. Date. , 71 SW 2nd Ave., 222-2155. 6:30 pm. Free. Map

Gene Bauer

Wouldn’t it be nice if we were all vegan? Farm Sanctuary scribe Gene Bauer thinks so. Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton St., 238-8899. 7 pm. Free. Map

Rebar

San Francisco-based urban design collective Rebar is most famous for its Park(ing) project. Basically, they feed the meter at a public parking space, unroll grass sod, bring a park bench and a small tree and…voila! Park. Passersby sit, read and talk, and when the meter runs out, Rebar packs up the park and leaves. In their first visit to Portland, they’ll discuss issues facing this city’s built environment, as well as ways to energize public space. , 403 NW 11th Ave., 223-8757. 6:30 pm. Free. Map

Why Shamanism Now?

Imagine having the following dream: A spider appears, tells you that you need an “ego death,” and then rips you to shreds. You might think that was a bad thing. You’d be wrong. If you look up “spiders,” “ego death” and “dismemberment” in your handy-dandy Encyclopedia of Shamanism, you’ll discover that, shamanically speaking, this dream is in fact a powerful gift from the Spirit. Intrigued? Come join shaman author Christina Pratt for a book signing and a discussion titled “Why Shamanism Now?” Elephants Delicatessen, 115 NW 22nd Ave., 299-6304. 7 pm. Free. Map

Friday Mar 28top

Alison Larkin

If Larkin’s insights into closed adoption and biological family don’t get you interested, there’s always the old standby: Aren’t British people different from Americans? Isn’t that awfully funny? Larkin grew up with British foster parents in Africa, England, and Washington, D.C. Then, at age 21, she met her birth mother: an American woman from Bald Mountain, Tenn. Already an actress, Larkin parlayed that life-changing moment into a career of writing and stand-up comedy. She’ll be signing copies of her pseudo-autobiographical novel, The English American. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., 228-0540. 7:30 pm. Free. Map

Saturday Mar 29top

2008 PNBA Book Awards

A PNBA Book Award doesn't just mean a $1,000 grant—winners also get a swanky dinner at the Heathman. Common folk can come too, but unlike the award winners, they have to pay. Tickets come with complimentary wine and hors d'oeuvres before the ceremony, at which each of the honorees will say a few words. Regional authors to be present include Sherman Alexie (The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian), Denis Johnson (Tree of Smoke), Lauren Kessler (Dancing with Rose), Jim Harrison (Returning to Earth), Aryn Kyle (The God of Animals) and Matt Ruff (Bad Monkeys). Heathman Hotel, 1001 SW Broadway., 241-4100. 4 pm. $30. Map

Sunday Mar 30top

Jen Currin

The release of Vancouver, B.C., poet Jen Currin’s new collection, Hagiography, forms the centerpiece of this multisensory celebration. Currin, who will give a reading, is a creative writing professor at Vancouver Film School whose work has appeared in Fiddlehead, Carousel and the Massachusetts Review. Other performances include poetry by Christine Leclerc and William Stobb, performance art by Mary Rose, and music by Love Perestroika, Pelican Ossman, The Formless and DJ Noshamebeat. Worksound Art Gallery, 820 SE Alder St., . 7 pm. Free. Map

Jenene Nagy

Nagy’s work has a lot to do with candy-colored latex house paint, which, in her hands, has a life of its own. It creeps across walls in organic constellations; it leaps outward in oblique planes; it creates sinister dribbles that look an awful lot like dripping wounds. To find out what all the paint is about, join Nagy for a discussion of her current APEX installation. Topics will include the blurring boundaries between built and natural environments, as well as between painting and sculpture. Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Ave., 226-0973. 2 pm. Free with museum admission. Map

Monday Mar 31top

Lisa Lutz

It’s been a rocky road to published bliss for author Lisa Lutz. After her chosen career in screenwriting failed miserably (the one script she ever sold—the straight-to-DVD Plan B—has been described as “a major stinker”), Lutz threw in the towel and turned to temping. Fortunately for her future readers, one of her temp jobs was with a wacky family-owned private investigation firm, which provided ample material for her smash-hit breakout novel, The Spellman Files. Now she’s back with a sequel, Curse of the Spellmans. Specious moral of the story? The money’s in novels, not screenplays. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., 228-0540. 7:30 pm. Free. Map

Nic & David Sheff

See Hotseat, page TK. Barnes and Noble, Clackamas Town Center, 12000 SE 82nd Ave., 786-3464. 7 pm. Free. Map

Tuesday Apr 1top

John Glenn

Haven’t heard of John Glenn? Born in a barn? Suffice it to say, he is one of few Americans to have seen Earth—small, round and blue—through a windshield. The recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor and a former U.S. senator from Ohio, Glenn will speak at PSU’s annual Benson Awards Dinner, which recognizes two Oregon philanthropists. This year’s honorees are Sam Wheeler and the Gwen Burns family. But be warned—awards dinners for philanthropists aren’t cheap. Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 235-7575. 6 pm. $250-$5,000. Map

Judith Massee

Poet John Wain once said, “Poetry is to prose as dancing is to walking.” With that in mind, come hear acclaimed poet Judith Massee, the former director of Reed’s Dance Department, give pointers on how to make your words dance on the page. This seminar is intended for writers of poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction. The Old Church, 1422 SW 11th Ave., 310-1290. 6:30 pm. $10. Map

Muhammad Jaradat & Eitan Bronstein

As Israel celebrates its 60th birthday, it’s easy to forget the 9 million Palestinians who were expelled or dispossessed when that country was created. At this event, a Jewish Israeli and a Palestinian Arab discuss the importance of remembering and recognizing these Palestinian refugees, as well as their continuing struggle for the right to return home. Muhammad Jaradat is the cofounder of Badil Resource Center, which seeks durable legal solutions to the problem of the Palestinian diaspora. Eitan Bronstein represents Zochrot, a Tel Aviv-based advocacy group dedicated to raising awareness about the expulsion of Palestinians among Israelis. Presented by Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights and American Friends Service Committee. Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd., 771-1112. 6:30 pm. Free. Map