I saw thousands of pumpkins last night
come floating in on the tide,
bumping up against the rocks and
rolling up on the beaches;
it must be Halloween in the sea.
— The Pumpkin Tide by Richard Brautigan
October is the perfect excuse to share a short and sweet Halloween poem — and rather than offer something spooky from Poe or Yeats, a five-liner from Brautigan holds the ideal energy for the coming month. While Halloween-themed literary events are few, this month’s calendar is packed with readings and book release celebrations courtesy of Roundabout Books, Annie Bloom’s Books, Literary Arts, and others.
In Eastern Oregon, Fishtrap kicks off the 13th season of the Fishtrap Fireside series on Oct. 3. The evening, sponsored by The Bookloft, will feature readings by Wallowa County writers Zanni Schauffler, poet and Oregon Literary Fellowship recipient; Trilby Shirley, Fishtrap member; and Eliot Treichel, Oregon Book Award winner and author of A Series of Small Maneuvers. The monthly reading series, created to celebrate the region’s diverse voices, features a range of genres, including poetry, fiction, history, humor, and memoir. For those who can’t attend in person, viewers can stream online at Fishtrap’s YouTube Channel.
Becky Ellis will read from her Oregon Book Award-nominated book, “Little Avalanches,” in Enterprise.
Fishtrap will also host the Oregon Book Awards Author Tour, presented by Literary Arts, at 7 p.m. Oct. 17, featuring creative nonfiction finalist Becky Ellis, creative nonfiction finalist tina ontiveros, and fiction finalist Charlie J. Stephens. Ellis, Write Around Portland facilitator and author of Little Avalanches, will read from her nominated book along with ontiveros, writer, teacher, bookseller, and author of Rough House; and Stephens, owner of Sea Wolf Books & Community Writing Center in Port Orford and author of A Wounded Deer Leaps Highest. Join all three authors for readings, refreshments, book signings, and conversation at the Fishtrap location in Enterprise.
Charlie J. Stephens will read from “A Wounded Deer Leaps Highest” during the Oregon Book Award Author Tour at Fishtrap.
WEEK 1: OCT. 1-7
Justin Hocking in Conversation With Erica Berry
Presented by Broadway Books
6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2
Broadway Books
1714 N.E. Broadway St., Portland
Free
Justin Hocking, author of the Oregon Book Award winning The Great Floodgates of the Wonderworld: A Memoir, will read from his new memoir, A Field Guide to the Subterranean: Reclaiming the Deep Earth and Our Deepest Selves. Originally from Colorado, Hocking explores the relationship between underground geography and healing childhood wounds that exist beneath the surface. He will be joined by Erica Berry, author of Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear.
Sponsor
First Matter Press 2025 Book Launch
Presented by Literary Arts and First Matter Press
6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4
Literary Arts
716 S.E. Grand Ave., Portland
Free
First Matter Press will celebrate the launch of their newest titles: The Dying Room by Annemarie Eayrs, recipient of the 2025 Prima Materia First Chapbook Award; bilingual poetry collection Brava by Violeta Garza; first you must destroy the world by Claudia Saleeby Savage, which draws from erasure poetry; and waling waling palpitations by nawa angel a.h., a genre-bending debut. All feature cover art by Pearlyn Tan. All authors will be at Literary Arts to read from their books.
Reading: Jewish Women’s Storytelling Collective
Presented by Annie Bloom’s Books
7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 6
Annie Bloom’s Books
7834 S.W. Capitol Hwy., Portland
Free
Four members of the Jewish Women’s Storytelling Collective — Gail Pasternack, Cassandra Sagan, Melissa Carpenter, and Rivkah Coburn — will share work from their new anthology, The Rooster Princess and Other Tales: Jewish Stories Re-Populated with Spunky Heroines, Wise Women, Brave Crones, and Powerful Prophetesses. The collection, edited by Pasternack with cover design by Sagan, features elements of folk tales, poetic language, and sacred Jewish texts.
The work of Portland author Katherine Dunn (1945-2016) will be discussed Oct. 7 in conjunction with the release of her short story collection “Near Flesh.” Photo courtesy: Katherine Dunn Archives at Lewis & Clark
Near Flesh: A Celebration of Katherine Dunn
Presented by Literary Arts
6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7
Literary Arts
716 S.E. Grand Ave., Portland
Free
Jeff VanderMeer, New York Times bestselling author of the Borne novels, and Omar El Akkad, author, journalist, and Oregon Book Award winner, will discuss the work of Katherine Dunn, writer, cult icon, and author of Geek Love. Together they will celebrate the posthumous release of Near Flesh, a previously unpublished collection of stories about motherhood, violence, and yearning.
WEEK 2: OCT. 8-14
James R. Gapinski in Conversation With Alissa Hattman
Presented by Powell’s Books
7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9
Powell’s Books on Hawthorne
3723 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd., Portland
Free
Sponsor
James R. Gapinski, author of Edge of the Known Bus Line, will read from their new book, The Museum of Future Mistakes, winner of the BOA Short Fiction Prize. The magical realism-style story considers the fragility of identity, grief and loss, relationships, love, and the physical relationships people have with their bodies. From doppelgängers and deceased brothers to ex-lovers and childhood scars, Gapinski takes the reader on a wild journey. They will be joined in conversation by Alissa Hattman, author of Sift.
I Am You: Victoria Redel in Conversation With Kimberly King Parsons
Presented by Literary Arts
6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14
Literary Arts
716 S.E. Grand Ave., Portland
Free
Victoria Redel, author of Paradise and Before Everything, will read from her new release, I Am You. The novel tells the story of love, arts, sex, and politics through the eyes of Gerta Pieters, a rambunctious and rebellious young woman in 1600s Amsterdam. Redel will be in conversation by Kimberly King Parsons, 2025 Oregon Book Award winner and author of We Were the Universe.
Poetry Reading: Kathleen Flenniken, Jessica E. Johnson, and Adie Steckel
Presented by Up Up Books
7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16
Up Up Books
1211 S.E. Stark St., Portland
Free
Join Up Up Books for a night of poetry featuring three readers with unique voices. Kathleen Flenniken, former Washington State Poet Laureate, will read from her newest collection, Dressing in the Dark. She will be joined by Jessica E. Johnson, instructor and contributor to Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry, reading from her book-length poem Metabolics, as well as Adie Steckel, Portland-area editor and author.
Besides writing short stories, Micheal Keefe is a bookseller and publicist at Annie Bloom’s Books, where he will read from his new collection on Oct. 14.
Reading: Michael Keefe With Joe Wilkins
Presented by Annie Bloom’s Books
7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14
Annie Bloom’s Books
7834 S.W. Capitol Hwy., Portland
Free
Michael Keefe will read from his new short fiction collection, Western Terminus: Stories and a Novella. The collection explores the lives of characters caught between a place of destruction and self-discovery as they strive to find their true selves. Keefe will be joined by Joe Wilkins, author of novels The Entire Sky and Fall Back Down When I Die, in addition to five books of poetry.
Sponsor
WEEK 3: OCT. 15-21
Educator and author Daniel Pollack-Pelzner will read from his new book about the life and career of “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Reading: Daniel Pollack-Pelzner’s Lin-Manuel Miranda Biography
Presented by Annie Bloom’s Books
7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21
Annie Bloom’s Books
7834 S.W. Capitol Hwy., Portland
Free
Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, theater and contemporary culture writer for The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and The New York Times, and educator at Portland State University, will read from his new book, Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist. Pollack-Pelzner (ArtsWatch interview) explores the life and career of the Broadway star and award-winning writer through interviews with friends, family members, and colleagues as well as conversations with Miranda. He will be joined by writer, musician, and Torah teacher Alicia Jo Rabins.
Fall 2025 Timberline Review Showcase
Presented by Broadway Books and Willamette Writers
6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21
Broadway Books
1714 N.E. Broadway St., Portland
Free
John Holloran, editor-in-chief of The Timberline Review, will host a reading from Issue 14 of the literary journal produced by Willamette Writers. The celebration will feature Randy Bynum, author of Tulips Talking Behind My Back; Scott Bigger, poet and fiction author; and Brian Rohr, poet, writer, and author of Shaken to My Bones: A Poetic Midrash on the Torah, all reading poetry, essays, and short fiction.
WEEK 4: OCT. 22-31
Reading: Undammed by Tara Lohan
Presented by Roundabout Books
6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23
Roundabout Books & Café
900 N.W. Mt. Washington Drive, Suite 110, Bend
$5 admission or book purchase
Tara Lohan, environmental journalist and editor of two books about the global water crisis, will read from Undammed: Freeing Rivers and Bringing Communities to Life. In her book, Lohan describes the largest dam-removal and river-restoration project in the world — the removal of four dams on the Klamath River. She chronicles the impact of dam building, the difficulties of restoration, and argues that protecting rivers can benefit communities for generations to come.
Dr. Rebecca N. Thompson will read from
“Held Together: A Shared Memoir of Motherhood, Medicine, and Imperfect Love.”
Reading: Rebecca N. Thompson With Dafna S. Lohr
Presented by Annie Bloom’s Books
7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27
Annie Bloom’s Books
7834 SW Capitol Hwy., Portland
Free
Sponsor
Dr. Rebecca N. Thompson will read from her new book, Held Together: A Shared Memoir of Motherhood, Medicine, and Imperfect Love. She will be joined in conversation by Dr. Dafna S. Lohr, who was Thompson’s physician during the difficult pregnancy described in the book. Thompson and Lohr will engage in a conversation about reproductive health care, particularly while pregnant and parenting, and consider what can be done to aid others facing similar challenges.
Reading: Dede Montgomery and Maura Doherty
Presented by Annie Bloom’s Books
7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30
Annie Bloom’s Books
7834 S.W. Capitol Hwy., Portland
Free
Dede Montgomery will read from her new novel, A Map of Her Own. Set in Astoria, the story features Celia, a 37-year-old woman who must come to terms with unfamiliarity, change, and uncertainty through a series of strange events — eventually gaining the courage to redefine her life. Montgomery will be joined by Maura Doherty, Portland storyteller and author of the memoir She Blooms.
A Larger Reality: Ursula K. Le Guin
Presented by Oregon Contemporary
Opens Friday, Oct. 31
Oregon Contemporary
8371 N. Interstate Ave., Portland
Free
Oregon Contemporary presents an exhibition on Ursula K. Le Guin, celebrated Oregon author. Curated by her son, Theo Downes-Le Guin, the exhibit will contain texts, images, photographs, ephemera, video, and other media showcasing the works and talents of a regional treasure. A first Saturday opening reception will take place at 5 p.m. Nov. 1, and the PAM CUT Tomorrow Theater will showcase Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin with director Arwen Curry at 7 p.m. Nov. 2, as part of the programming.