What better way to kill time before tonight's Frightened Rabbit show at Holocene than at a reading just down the street?

Shock of the New is organized by Future Tense publisher, occasional Mercury contributor, and all around nice guy Kevin Sampsell, and it features readings from poet Zachary Schomburg, Riley Michael Parker (whose chapbook Our Beloved 26th was just published by Future Tense), novelist Patrick deWitt, and Sarah Royal, about whom I don't know a goddamn thing.

In an email which he hopefully won't mind my quoting here, Kevin said Shock of the New is "basically an event I set up just so I could see these 4 new Portland writers read." (Kevin also organizes the salacious reading series Booty Call, going down this weekend at Disjecta, so it's a safe bet tonight's reading will be anything but stodgy.)

The reading is at the Maiden (639 SE Morrison), which felt somewhat less like a gypsy swingers club the last time I was there, and it starts at 6:30 pm, giving you plenty of time to catch everyone's favorite ridiculously named Scottish band afterward. And it's free. So you've got no excuse.

Also, this has nothing to do with the reading whatsoever, but don't forget about the Caitlin Gable rummage sale, which starts tonight at the Expo center and runs through Sunday.