Cooler weather calls for ducking inside, whether it’s to catch a film at the cinema, see your favorite artist light up the stage in a dark venue, take in a lecture, or peruse an art show. To keep you supplied with a steady dose of culture, we’ve rounded up the most noteworthy arts events this season, from Cypress Hill with the Oregon Symphony to the QDoc Film Festival, and from the Portland Book Festival to Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really.
READINGS & TALKS
Zadie Smith
Even if you haven’t read any of Zadie Smith’s books, you’ve probably seen her name splashed in gigantic letters across some of their brightly hued covers. She’s one of those authors who can hawk a tome based on her name alone, and it’s for good reason—her debut novel White Teeth won several awards, and she’s since cemented herself as a major literary voice with a snappy, eccentric, and game-changing treatment of race, religion, and cultural identity. Smith’s also a tenured creative writing professor at NYU and has twice been named one of Granta‘s 20 Best of Young British Novelists, so, ya know, maybe us lit nerds should listen to her. Her sixth novel, The Fraud, was released on September 5; I’m excited to hear more about the “kaleidoscopic work” based on a historic trial that divided Victorian England. LC
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (Thurs Sept 21)
