Open Mic Against War
Poets Anna Decastro, David Abel, and Walt Curtis, among others, will be sounding off against kickin' the shit out of people for no good reason. Pacific Switchboard, 4637 N Albina, 236-0867, 7 pm, free
Davy Rothbart, Jon Langford, Dr. Zomb
With the creation of Found Magazine, a periodical anthology of real peoples' hilarious and poignant discards, Rothbart has become the sexiest indie publisher in America. Tonight, Rothbart, Langford (of the Mekongs), and this Zomb fellow will regale you with musical and textual treats. Stumptown Downtown, 128 SW 3rd Ave, 7 pm, $5
Jodi Picoult
Eugenics: "The study of hereditary improvement of the human race by controlled selective breeding." Or: prime subject matter for a thriller, as evidenced by Picoult's new book Second Glance. Annie Bloom's Books, 7834 SW Capitol Hwy, 246-0053, 7:30 pm, free
Bill Bryson
Humorist Bryson's new book is called A Short History of Nearly Everything, which sounds, at any rate, ambitious. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St, 228-4651, 7:30 pm, free
Annie Somerville
Legendary veggie gourmet Somerville presents her latest anthology of tasty meat-free recipes, Everyday Greens. Powell's on hawthorne, 3747 SE Hawthorne, 235-3802, 2 pm , free
Letters to a Young Activist
Back in his day, Todd Gitling walked ten miles uphill in the pouring rain just to picket a sweatshop. Learn about his travails. Powell's Books on Hawthorne, 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd, 238-1668, 7:30 pm, free
The Darwin Awards II: Unnatural Selection
Another collection of stories about people doing really, really stupid things, as presented by creator and writer of the Darwin Awards, Wendy Northcutt. Barnes & Noble (Jantzen Beach), 1720 N Jantzen Beach, 283-2800, 7:30 pm, free
Verbal Graffiti Poetry Slam Contest
A pox on you, evil nay sayers of slam poetry! In the right hands it is a captivating experience. Today there's $1000 in prize money, which means there's a good chance these slam poets will have the right hands. Literary Arts Council, at the South Park Blocks, SW 9th & Montgomery, 725-5666, 2 pm, free
Russian Debutante's Handbook
New writer wunderkind Gary Shteyngart is still making waves with this clever satire about a likable Russian immigrant searching for love in America. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St, 228-4651, 7:30 pm, free
Mary Yukari Waters
Waters presents to change all that with The Laws of Evening, a collection of short stories set in Japan before, during, and after World War II. Twenty-Third Avenue Books, 1015 NW 23rd Ave, 224-6203, 7:30 pm, free
K.C. Cole
It's sort of annoying when popular columnists just compile a bunch of their columns and call it a book. Write something new ya lazy bastards! That said, Cole's "book", Mind over Matter, is a compilation of her L.A. Times science columns. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St, 228-4651, 7:30 pm, free
