THURSDAY 5/23

Jimmy McDonough
Meet and hear the writer of Neil Young's biography, called Shakey: Neil Young's Biography. Powell's Books on Hawthorne, 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd, 238-1668, 7:30 pm, free

* Silent Theft: The Plunder of Our Common Wealth
David Bollier writes about the collaboration of government and corporations to give away the collective property of America. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St, 228-4651, 7:30 pm, free

Oregon Writers Colony
Professional editors will advise people on how to present and publish their manuscripts. Powells' in Beaverton, 8725 SW Cascade Ave, 7:30 pm , free


FRIDAY 5/24

Clemens Starck and Doug Marx
PSU's spring arts festival will feature writers Starck and Marx. Marx is a poet, children's writer, and journalist, and Starck is a poet-in-residence at Willamette University, in addition to being a carpenter and a foreman, and will be followed by Eastern European dance performances. PSU, Smith Memorial Center, 1620 SW Park, 7 pm, $5 recommended


SATURDAY 5/25

* Intercourse 2002: a Sex and Gender Spoken Word Recipe for Revolution
This all-star lineup of gender activists and writers is sure to be a winner. Among others, Nomy Lamm, Thea Hillman, Emi Koyama, Jed Lin, Tre Vasquez, and Leslie Bull will be reading and giving spoken word performances about celebrating the intersex, genderqueer, sex worker, and trans communities. Plus, all the proceeds will go to some really good causes. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd., 233-5798, $8-10


TUESDAY 5/26

New Voices Reading Series
Every spring, Broadway Books has a reading which features fiction, poetry, and memoir by new writers. This year's roster includes David Ciminello, David Filer, Carolyn Moore, and Sarah Thomas. Broadway Books, 1714 NE Broadway, 284-1726, 7 pm, free


WEDNESDAY 5/27

The Backbone of the World: a Portrait of the Vanishing West
The Continental Divide is America's greatest wilderness, and luckily one insane person, Frank Clifford, actually willingly explored it. Hear about its importance when he speaks. Powell's Books on Hawthorne, 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd, 238-1668, 7:30 pm, free

Elizabeth Gilbert
Elizabeth Gilbert has written a book called The Last American Man, which places masculinity in a new cultural place, and explains why men really just want to return to the wilderness. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St, 228-4651, 7:30 pm, free

PSU Creative Writing Graduate Student Reading
Recent graduates of PSU's writing program will be reading their new stuff. Just think, you can see them before they're famous. PSU, Smith Memorial Center, 1620 SW Park, 7:30, free