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Author and Artist as Activist (10-November-2011)

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Author and Artist as Activist (Image by Matt Bors)Author and Artist as Activist, a presentation at the PNCA‘s Swigert Commons (1241 NW Johnson), takes place Thursday, November 11, 2011.

To be a creative person with a political awareness and in fragile ecological times raises a range of concerns while also forging paths of opportunity.

With this in mind, Matt Bors, editorial cartoonist; Monica Drake, novelist, essayist; Mark Russell, author; Shannon Wheeler, cartoonist; and Lidia Yuknavitch, author and activist, sit down with moderator Nora Robertson to dig into how art can lead to political action. Join us for a community discussion.

Doors open at 6:30 pm, presentation begins at 7:00 pm. This event is free and open to the public.

Stumptown Stories: Tom Burns: the Most Arrested Man in Portland (8-November-2011)

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Stumptown Stories: Tom Burns: the Most Arrested Man in PortlandThe Stumptown Stories series, geared to everyone who loves this city we live in, takes place most Tuesdays at Jack London bar (basement of the Rialto, SW 4th and Alder). Free to get in, but must be 21 or over – there’s a full bar!

This week reporter Peter Sleeth presents Tom Burns: the Most Arrested Man in Portland.

The watch shop and bookery on SW Fourth and Ankeny, just off Burnside in downtown Portland, was a popular gathering place for the city’s more radical residents during the early 20th century. Its proprietor, Tom Burns, held meetings in the basement for his friends and fellow Socialists, reacting against the economic inequalities that plagued the country. Tom Burns walked his talk: he wrote pamphlets, letters, and newspaper articles; held speeches, strikes, and rallies; and was regularly arrested for his efforts, leading to his title: the Most Arrested Man in Portland. Reporter Peter Sleeth, whose family knew Burns, brings insight to this dynamic and largely unremembered Portland radical.

Doors open at 5pm for this free event (21 and over only). Presentation begins at 7:30pm.

Occupy Bagdad: A benefit for Occupy Portland (8-November-2011)

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The People SpeakOccupy Bagdad, a benefit for Occupy Portland, takes place Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at the Bagdad Theater (3702 SE Hawthorne).

The evening begins with a silent auction at 6pm. At 8pm enjoy stand up comedy by Arlo Stone, Auggie Smith, Dwight Slade, Nato Green, and other special guests.

A screening of The People Speak, an award winning documentary based on A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn, starts at 10pm.

This film weaves archival footage and interviews with performances by actors and artists such as Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Kerry Washington, Viggo Mortensen, Danny Glover, Marisa Tomei, Bruce Springsteen, and John Legend.

The performers’ commitment to Howard Zinn’s message makes this a labor of love. “Change doesn’t come from the top, but rather from the bottom,” Damon observes. “Without everyday citizens pushing to make a difference, there would be no America.” It is Damon who reads the Declaration of Independence, surely one of the great protest documents in history.

Advance $10 tickets are available online. Proceeds benefit Occupy Portland.

November 6, 1984: Oregon Voters Approve State Lottery Measures

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Oregonian headline, 7 November 1984
On November 6, 1984 Oregon voters approved two ballot measures establishing the Oregon Lottery (The Oregonian, 7 November 1984)

Measure 4, which amends the Oregon Constitution to allow a lottery, and measure 5, which specifies how the lottery would operate, won strong approval.

The lottery measures require profits from the state-operated games to be used for economic development and allow the lottery to start 105 days after the state Senate confirms at least three lottery commisioners and a director.

The first scratch tickets were issued on April 25, 1985.

Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women (5-November-2011)

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Louisa May AlcottJoin Century of Action and the Multnomah County Library this Saturday, November 5, 2011 for a special presentation of Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women.

Louisa May Alcott supported equal rights for women and organized them to vote 40 years before the 19th Amendment was passed in 1920. While Alcott was working hard on the east coast, Oregon women began a 42-year campaign for full voting rights, which they won 8 years before the rest of the nation. Join Kimberly Jensen and the Oregon Suffrage Players in exploring the fascinating history of woman suffrage in Oregon. Turn-of-the-century attire strongly encouraged. Refreshments will be served.

The free presentation begins at 3pm at the U.S. Bank Room in the Central Library (801 SW 10th). Turn-of-the-century attire is encouraged, and refreshments will be served.

Visit the Multnomah County Library website for more information on this, and other Louisa May Alcott programs this month.