Today I want to share some things with you that I think, if you’re in Portland, OR next week you should definitely attend. As many of you will already know, AWP, self-acclaimed as the largest literary conference in North America, will be at the Oregon Convention Center from Wednesday, March 27 to Saturday, March 30. And while I can’t speak to the size of the thing–I’ll take their word for it–there are some things I can and will talk about here. Some of our Ink Heist friends and colleagues will be attending and I wanted to put the spotlight on a few of them today.

First up, a new and treasured discovery to me is the combo punch of Meerkat Press and Portland author Keith Rosson, author of the acclaimed, The Mercy of the Tide and Smoke City, one of two Meerkat publications selected as finalists for the 2018 Foreword Indie Awards, the other being Seb Doubinsky’s Missing Signal. I have Smoke City on deck in my TBR pile and the Doubinsky title won’t be far behind, that’s always a given with his books, and I think, if you haven’t already done so, you should definitely check out the awesome things coming out of the Meerkat think tank. Keith will be attending two events that you should attend if the timing is right. They are:

Next up, our friends at Clash books will be attending two events, and I’m led to understand that if you haven’t had the Leza Cantoral reading experience, these are a couple you’re definitely going to want to attend.

First, Leza Cantoral will be hosting and reading from Trash Panda at the Clash Books AWP Offsite Reading, Details as follows:

Portland, OR 97214

Next, Portland’s own Tiffany Scandal and Kingshot Books will be hosting another reading that Leza Cantoral will be attending, reading from her story in the Scandal edited Nasty Vol. 2 along with Constance Ann Fitzgerald, Rios de la Luz, Autumn Christian, and several other rising stars in the firmament of gritty literary fiction. You’ll want to attend that one for several reasons, not least of which is Leza’s reading. Details:

When: Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 8 PM – 10 PM

Where:
My Father’s Place
523 SE Grand Ave
Portland, Oregon 97214

So, if you’re in the City of Roses next week, definitely take the time to attend these awesome events from some of the brightest gems in rough-cut jewelry box. These authors and editors are the real fucking deal, folks.