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Literary & Cultural Events
The events below take place at Portland State University. Admission is free; seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Other Oregon Trail:
A Conversation with Lauren Kessler
Not all of Oregon's hardworking, trailblazing pioneers came west across the Oregon Trail. Some, like the thousands of Japanese who settled in the state in the early years of the 20th century, came east across the Pacific — traveling the other Oregon trail. Learn more about the lives of these Oregon pioneers, and about the challenging experience — one we all share — of being a stranger in a strange land. Author Lauren Kessler reads passages from her award-winning book, Stubborn Twig, discusses the writing process and answers your questions. Presented in conjunction with Oregon Reads 2009.
Thursday, January 15, 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Smith Memorial Center Ballroom
1825 S.W. Broadway
To Cry Down Injustice? Oregonians and Japanese American Removal During WWII
Ellen Eisenberg, professor of history at Willamette University and author of The First to Cry Down Injustice: Western Jews and Japanese Removal during WWII, will compare the public responses of Oregonians to Japanese internment with responses in other West Coast cities.
Thursday, January 29, 7 p.m.
Smith Memorial Center
Room 238/Browsing Lounge
1825 S.W. Broadway
The Thirteen Club: How Narrative Nonfiction Brings the Past Alive
What is narrative nonfiction? How does it differ from other literature? How do writers use it to bring history alive? Beginning with the literary recreation of a Victorian-era Friday the 13th club, award-winning author Paul Collins discusses how various authors use narrative nonfiction to animate works like Stubborn Twig. Collins, a professor at Portland State University, is the author of five books and regularly appears on NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday as the program's "literary detective."
Friday, February 13, 11 a.m.
Smith Memorial Center, Room 333, 1825 S.W. Broadway
The History of Racism in Oregon
Join us on the National Day of Remembrance of Executive Order 9066, which authorized the internment of Japanese American citizens during World War II. Explore Oregon's complicated historical relationship to racial and cultural difference with Patti Sakurai, professor of ethnic studies at Oregon State University; Darrell Millner, professor of black studies at Portland State University; and Randy Blazak, professor of sociology at Portland State University. Oregon historical artifacts provided by local collector Kevin Thomas.
Thursday, February 19, 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Smith Memorial Center, Room 294, 1825 S.W. Broadway