Stumptown Comics Fest

The annual Stumptown Comics Fest is one of the great events that Portland has to offer. Bringing together a slew of notable comic book creators, Stumptown focuses on the indie and artsy; you won't find many spandex-clad mutants running around, but you will find a ton of talented people who care about the storytelling possibilities of sequential art. One solid bet is checking out the "20 Years of Concrete" panel on Friday, where Paul Chadwick—creator of the beloved character Concrete—will talk about the series. Immediately thereafter, don't miss Comix Apocalypse™, a fun, fast-paced comic art competition. There'll also be other panels, Too Much Coffee Man: The Opera, and an impressive number of great indie comic creators showin' off their wares. Hit stumptowncomics.com for the complete lowdown. (Erik Henriksen) Oregon Con­vention Center, 777 NE MLK, Fri 4-8 pm, Sat 10 am-6 pm, stumptowncomics.com

THURSDAY 10/26

Kate Atkinson
Atkinson's 2005 thriller, Case Histories, was one of the most celebrated thrillers in recent memory. Now people are saying that her follow-up, One Good Turn, is even better. Go figure. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 228-4651, 7:30 pm, free

Stephen Elliott and Michelle Orange
Reading Frenzy makes our Thursday night with readings from two great young authors. Elliott's books (My Girlfriend Comes to the City and Beats Me Up, Happy Baby) are both wildly subversive and wonderfully written, and Michelle Orange's stories and essays turn up everywhere we look, from McSweeney's Mountain Man Dance Moves to the Best Sex Writing 2006. Reading Frenzy, 921 SW Oak, 274-1449, 7 pm, free

FRIDAY 10/27

Derrick Jensen
Does anybody remember a few months ago, in the Mercury's letters section, when two guys named HippieScout and UrbanScout argued endlessly about who would survive longest after the apocalypse? And who had the best recipes for squirrel stew? Well, Derrick Jensen is the official hero to dudes like this. Jensen's new book, Endgame, contains 14 premises, one of which is "Civilization is not and can never be sustainable." I think Michael Jackson invented the moonwalk specifically to slip out of the room when pronouncements like these are made. Disjecta, 230 E Burnside, 7 pm, $10

SATURDAY 10/28

R.A. Salvatore
I'm sorry, but this is too easy. From the official listings: "Road of the Patriarch, the final title in the Sellswords series from R.A. Salvatore, continues the escapades of Entreri and Jarlaxle, as they encounter the wrath of an angry paladin king in the dangerous Bloodstone Lands." Hahahahahahahahahahaha! Powell's in Beaverton, 8725 SW Cascade, 643-3131, 7 pm, free

MONDAY 10/30

Scary Stories
Local authors converge to read from their scariest stories as part of Community of Writers' Last Tuesday series. (It's not a typo, they're just doing it on a Monday this month.) Writers include Monica Drake, Joe Kurmaskie, Stephanie Snyder, Margaret Foley, Heather Larimer, and Jan Underwood. The scariest part of all is watching a bunch of authors with MFAs in creative writing trying to socialize around the vegetable platter before the reading. (I kid!) Kennedy School, 5736 NE 33rd, 249-3983, 7 pm, free

Deepak Chopra
Chopra departs from his usual meditations on New Age spirituality in his new book, Boss Hog on Candy—a novel about a homosexual gangsta rapper who kidnaps a warlock and time travels to Promontory Point, Utah, to be present for the completion of the transcontinental railroad. Just kidding. Life After Death is his new book about the big dirtnap. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 228-4651, 7:30 pm, free