THURSDAY 9/20
Mark Andersen & Mark Jenkins
Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation’s Capital. Bad Brains, Fugazi, Henry Rollins, Bikini Kill–this book puts together a comprehensive overview, an analytical look, a first hand account. Powell’s Books on Hawthorne, 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd, 238-1668, 7:30 pm
Iain Sinclair
One of England’s biggest, here to read for us! Landor’s Tower. Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St, 228-4651, 7:30 pm
Peter Rock
A newcomer to Portland’s literary landscape and a welcome voice. Rock is the author of This is the Place, Carnival Wolves, and the soon to be released, The Ambidextrist. Reed College, Psychology Auditorium, 3203 SE Woodstock, 777-7591, 8 pm
FRIDAY 9/21
Latina Voices: Mujeras Bravas
Oregon Latina literary group reads from work in progress. Borders Books and Music, 708 SW 3rd Ave, 220-5911, 7 pm
Joyce Weatherford
Heart of the Beast. Weatherford tells the story of ranching life in the 20th century west. Land, debt, Nez Perce, lawsuits, and family history. Set in Oregon. Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St, 228-4651, 7:30 pm
SATURDAY 9/22
Michael Jay Goldberg’s Disco Party
Come in your favorite polyester, join the fashion contest, and get down with author Goldberg. It looks like the ’70s, but feels more like the ’80s, ’90s, and now, since the real emphasis is on collecting and how much money you can get for that old Hendrix poster. It’s a price guide. Barnes & Noble, 1720 N Jantzen Beach, 283-2800, 1 pm
Bilbo & Frodo Baggin’s Birthday Party
Come dressed as your favorite character from The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings, and maybe win a prize. Barnes & Noble Northeast (Lloyd Center), 1231 NE Broadway, 335-0201, 7 pm
MONDAY 9/24
Book Discussion: Geshe Kelsang Gyatso’s Transform Your Life.
Borders Books and Music, 708 SW 3rd Ave, 220-5911, 7 pm
Latina Voices: Mujueras Bravas
An Oregon Latina literary group reads from work in progress. Borders-Gresham, 687 NW 12th, Gresham, 674-3917, 7 pm
* Joan Didion
Didion’s early work helped revise the role of nonfiction, bringing the personal and political into an arena of cool, intellectualized emotion with brilliant collections such as The White Album and Slouching Towards Bethlehem. Her fiction is sharp, stylized, and informed. Now her latest book of essays, Political Fictions, continues her hard observations of this country, offering the insights of one who may have come to learn too much, if that’s possible. First Congregational Church, 1126 SW Park Ave, 228-4651, 7:30 pm, $10
* Douglas Coupland
All Families are Psychotic. Coupland creates a larger than life family of mishaps and attachment, showing the “lie that tells the truth truer,” of tangled family ways. Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St, 228-4651, 7:30 pm
TUESDAY 9/25
Craig Danner
Himalayan Dhaba, a self-published book that keeps winning fans. People love it. Annie Bloom’s Books, 7834 SW Capitol Hwy, 246-0053, 5 pm
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book Group
The Demon Spirit, by R. A. Salvatore. Barnes & Noble, 1720 N Jantzen Beach, 283-2800, 7 pm
Marilyn Sewell
Resurrecting Grace: Remembering Catholic Childhoods. An anthology, with contributions from Tobias Wolff, Simone de Beauvoir, and others. Broadway Books, 1714 NE Broadway, 284-1726,
* Duff Wilson
Fateful Harvest. The unfortunately true story of corporate greed and negligence: Corporations dump toxic waste into the soil by calling it “fertilizer,” creating a lot of shitty food and crappy soil. Kids, adults, and animals start dying of cancer in great numbers. Way to live? Don’t CEO’s eat too? What’s the thinking behind such appallingly bad decisions? This is the kind of story we need to hear more of, because there’s no reason such an organized nightmare should be kept secret. Buy the book. Powell’s Books on Hawthorne, 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd, 238-1668, 7:30 pm
WEDNESDAY 9/26
Open Mic Poetry
A new venue, an enthusiastic organizer, another opportunity to find a community of like-minded poets. Get up and read. Andiamo Espresso, 6014 NE Glisan, 233-1953, 8 pm
Classic Book Group
The Misanthrope, by Moliere. Borders-Beaverton, 2605 SW Cedar Hills, 644-1498, 7 pm