Literary Arts

Literary Arts Literary Arts is a nonprofit literary center located in Portland. Our programs include Portland Arts

Programs of Literary Arts

Portland Arts & Lectures brings the world’s most celebrated writers, artists, and thinkers to our community. In addition to events that are broadcast statewide on OPB radio, the program connects readers and writers of all ages with classroom visits and workshops. Our Youth Programs inspire public high school students to write, revise, edit, publish, and perform their own

creative writing. The programs reinforce the real world importance of reading and writing in all professions, are designed to meet state and national standards for the arts and language arts, and help schools reach their goals of teaching writing across the disciplines. Oregon Book Awards & Fellowships supports, promotes, and celebrates Oregon’s writers and publishers. In addition to financial support, the program produces
the Oregon Book Awards Author Tour, which connects writers and readers throughout the state with readings, classroom visits, and workshops. Delve Readers Seminars allow readers to explore challenging books with fellow bibliophiles in discussion-based classes under the steady hand of an
experienced scholar. Wordstock: Portland’s Book Festival builds community around literature by celebrating writers and readers of all ages through author events, workshops, a book fair, and more. Save the date: November 11, 2017, at the Portland Art Museum.

The Literary Arts Bookstore & Cafe will be closed on Monday, September 7. We will reopen on Tuesday, September 8, at 8:0...
09/05/2026

The Literary Arts Bookstore & Cafe will be closed on Monday, September 7. We will reopen on Tuesday, September 8, at 8:00 a.m. for food, coffee, and more! 📚

Don’t miss the deadline! Submissions for the 2027 Oregon Book Awards are due today, Friday, September 4. Awards are ...
09/04/2026

Don’t miss the deadline! Submissions for the 2027 Oregon Book Awards are due today, Friday, September 4.

Awards are available for original work published or produced in the following categories: Poetry, Fiction, General Nonfiction, Creative Nonfiction, Children’s Literature, Middle Grade and Young Adult Literature, as well as the biennial award for Drama.

Submission guidelines are available at the link in our bio or lit-arts.org/oba_submissions.

P.S. Special Award nominations are also due today. As part of the Oregon Book Awards, Literary Arts offers three awards that recognize significant contributions to Oregon’s literary culture. Learn more about the nomination process at the link in our bio.

09/03/2026

The seasons are shifting, which means there’s only a little time left to enjoy the summer specials at the Mendoza Cafe! ☀️🍅🥕☕

Our cafe team loves to create specials that showcase seasonal flavors. All summer long, we’ve been serving up specials like the Seasonal Breakfast Toast served with fresh heirloom tomatoes, herbed cream cheese, topped with dill sunflower seeds and a perfectly poached egg.

We will also be saying goodbye to our current offering of latte syrups like the Cafe con Leche, Brown Sugar Banana…and sadly the ever-popular Carrot Cake.

Summer is slipping away. Don’t miss out! Come on down to 716 SE Grand Ave by September 30 before they are gone.
       

Swing by The Literary Arts Bookstore & Cafe for a bookish event this September. 📚☕ This month, we welcome Secret Room Pr...
09/01/2026

Swing by The Literary Arts Bookstore & Cafe for a bookish event this September. 📚☕

This month, we welcome Secret Room Press for a comics reading, and we are hosting our very first trivia night! We are also excited to host our recurring community events, like One Page Wednesday, BIPOC Reading Series, and Slamlandia, as well as a variety of readings and conversations.

🎤 9/2 – One Page Wednesday hosted by Emme Lund with featured reader Ling Ling Huang

📚 9/8– Jamie Fisher in conversation with Lydia Kiesling

📚 9/9 – James Ciano, Bobby Elliott, and Nick Martino in conversation

💌 9/10 – Do You Like Me?: A Comics Reading Event with Secret Room Press

✍️ 9/15 – September Write-In: Labor Day

🎤 9/17 – Slamlandia hosted by Julia Gaskill

⁉️ 9/22 – Literary Trivia Night

🎤 9/30 – BIPOC Reading Series, hosted by Kyle Yoshioka and Jessica Meza-Torres

Check out the link in our bio for more information or lit-arts.org/september_events.

09/01/2026

Congratulations to Fred Fordham for receiving the 2026 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story or Comic, announced yesterday at LAcon V, the 84th World Science Fiction Convention!

We're thrilled to see the warm critical and readers reception for Fred's beautiful adaptation, which is now available in English from Clarion Books and Walker UK, and available or forthcoming in Catalan, French, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, and Turkish editions.

The Literary Arts Bookstore & Cafe will be closed tomorrow, Wednesday, August 26, for a staff retreat. We will reopen o...
08/25/2026

The Literary Arts Bookstore & Cafe will be closed tomorrow, Wednesday, August 26, for a staff retreat. We will reopen on Thursday, August 27, at 8:00 a.m. for food, coffee, and more! 📚☕

As a bookstore browser recently observed: "How is this endcap entirely full of things I want to read?!"August is month...
08/23/2026

As a bookstore browser recently observed: "How is this endcap entirely full of things I want to read?!"

August is month and we're celebrating authors from around the world and the translators that make it possible to hear from them across language and borders.

Our booksellers are having a great time keeping this display stocked with a rotating selection of their favorite titles. See anything you've read and loved? Have a favorite translated work to shout out? Let us know in the comments.

Did you know that the All Classical Radio Station (89.9 FM Portland) broadcasts free in-studio concerts every Thursday a...
08/21/2026

Did you know that the All Classical Radio Station (89.9 FM Portland) broadcasts free in-studio concerts every Thursday at 3:00 p.m.?

This event features our festival partner organizations, Oregon Symphony & 45th Parallel Universe. The program offers an intimate live performance and conversation, celebrating the artists shaping Portland's vibrant music scene all year round.

Join All Classical Radio live in studio or on air, Thursday, November 5, for an afternoon of live music with singer and songwriter Dessa with OSO and 45th Parallel musicians.

Meet Cari Luna! Cari (.luna) is a longtime friend of Literary Arts and is an Oregon Book Awards winner for her book THE ...
08/21/2026

Meet Cari Luna! Cari (.luna) is a longtime friend of Literary Arts and is an Oregon Book Awards winner for her book THE REVOLUTION OF EVERY DAY.

Cari will be teaching TWO virtual Nine-Month Novel Intensives starting this fall! These hands-on classes are designed to guide writers through the writing process, including revisions! You’ll have the opportunity to read excerpts from established authors and workshop your writing with other writers in the class.

Spots are still available! Learn about these classes and review the syllabus at the link in bio or https://lit-arts.org/write.

As part of this year’s expanded Portland Book Festival, join our festival partners from Mississippi Studios and 45th Par...
08/19/2026

As part of this year’s expanded Portland Book Festival, join our festival partners from Mississippi Studios and 45th Parallel Universe for SIGHT READING: MUSICAL DIALECTS, a performance exploring the many languages of music.

Music is more than just an aural language—it is a multitude of communication modes and literacies. SIGHT READING features world-renowned songwriters—including Anna Tivel, Jimmie Harrod, W***y Vlautin, Black Belt Eagle Scout, Nick Jaina and Wonderly—performing alongside musicians from 45th Parallel Universe in newly created arrangements of songs by musicians who compose in a variety of ways.

📅 November 6 & 7

📍First Congregational United Church of Christ

🎟️ Tickets are available at the link in our bio or lit-arts.org/sightreading.

Address

716 SE Grand Avenue
Portland, OR
97214

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 9pm
Tuesday 10am - 9pm
Wednesday 10am - 9pm
Thursday 10am - 9pm
Friday 10am - 9pm
Saturday 10am - 9pm
Sunday 10am - 9pm

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