The Archive Project

Literary Arts

In partnership with Oregon Public Broadcasting, Literary Arts is building a retrospective of some of the most engaging talks from the world’s best writers over the first 30 years of Portland Arts & Lectures in Portland. read less

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Caryl Phillips (REBROADCAST)

Caryl Phillips (REBROADCAST)

Celebrated author Caryl Phillips discusses the life and impact of singer-songwriter Marvin Gaye in this lecture from 1999.

Episodes

Caryl Phillips (REBROADCAST)

Caryl Phillips (REBROADCAST)

Celebrated author Caryl Phillips discusses the life and impact of singer-songwriter Marvin Gaye in this lecture from 1999.

Michael Lewis: Going Infinite (REBROADCAST)

Michael Lewis: Going Infinite (REBROADCAST)

In the wake of the Sam Bankman-Fried trial, Michael Lewis discusses Going Infinite, his book exploring the rise and fall of Bankman-Fried’s cryptocurrency hedge fund and exchange.

Tracy K. Smith, in Conversation with Major Jackson (REBROADCAST)

Tracy K. Smith, in Conversation with Major Jackson (REBROADCAST)

Tracy K. Smith discusses her latest poetry collection, To Free the Captives, in this conversation with fellow poet, Major Jackson.

David Grann (REBROADCAST)

David Grann (REBROADCAST)

Literary journalist David Grann talks about writing adventure and true crime stories, including The Wager and Killers of the Flower Moon.

Tom Hanks, in Conversation with Jon Raymond (REBROADCAST)

Tom Hanks, in Conversation with Jon Raymond (REBROADCAST)

Legendary actor Tom Hanks shares his debut novel, as well as anecdotes from his storied career, in this conversation with screenwriter Jon Raymond.

Ann Patchett (REBROADCAST)

Ann Patchett (REBROADCAST)

Ann Patchett discusses her latest best-selling novel, Tom Lake, with Cheryl Strayed in this conversation recorded in Portland, Oregon.

Zadie Smith, in conversation with Parul Sehgal (REBROADCAST)

Zadie Smith, in conversation with Parul Sehgal (REBROADCAST)

Zadie Smith, joined by Parul Sehgal, sparkles with humor and insight in this conversation about her latest novel, The Fraud.

A Tribute to Barry Lopez

A Tribute to Barry Lopez

John Freeman, Jane Hirshfield, and Debra Gwartney honor Barry Lopez as part of 2023 Portland Book Festival Cover to Cover event series with Broadway Books Year of Reading Barry Lopez.

Tommy Orange (REBROADCAST)

Tommy Orange (REBROADCAST)

Tommy Orange shares his non-linear journey to becoming a writer and the inspiration behind his award-winning debut novel, There There.

Oregon Humanities Consider This: Eli Saslow

Oregon Humanities Consider This: Eli Saslow

Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Eli Saslow, discusses the impact of major national issues on individual lives with Oregon Humanities executive director, Adam Davis.

With his signature humor, author Charles Yu deconstructs the “lecture” genre and by doing so reveals profound insights into what it means to be human.

Erica Berry & Sabrina Imbler

Erica Berry & Sabrina Imbler

From the 2023 Portland Book Festival on the relationships between humans and animals, and on our ideas about the meaning of animals.

Aimee Nezhukumatathil

Aimee Nezhukumatathil

In celebration of National Poetry Month, this episode features poet and essayist Aimee Nezhukumatathil at Portland Arts & Lectures.

Verselandia! 2023

Verselandia! 2023

Dive into Verselandia! Portland’s annual youth poetry slam championship, with performances from 2023’s event and interviews with this year’s hopefuls.

Jane Hirshfield & Major Jackson

Jane Hirshfield & Major Jackson

This week, we continue to celebrate National Poetry Month with a conversation from the 2023 Portland Book Festival featuring Jane Hirshfield and Major Jackson with moderator Matthew Zapruder.

National Poetry Month 2024

National Poetry Month 2024

April is National Poetry Month, and we are celebrating with a collection of some of our favorite poetry moments over the years at Literary Arts.

Karen Armstrong (REBROADCAST)

Karen Armstrong (REBROADCAST)

Former nun Karen Armstrong makes a deeply felt argument rooted in history, and a lifetime of learning, and drawing on religions from all over the world.

Kesha Ajose Fisher, Anis Mojgani, Ashley Toliver (Rebroadcast)

Kesha Ajose Fisher, Anis Mojgani, Ashley Toliver (Rebroadcast)

Oregon Poet Laureate Anis Mojgani leads a conversation between 2020 Oregon Book Award winners Kesha Ajose Fisher and Ashley Toliver.

Everybody Reads: Ruth Ozeki

Everybody Reads: Ruth Ozeki

Ruth Ozeki, the featured author for Everybody Reads 2023, speaks about reading, writing, and the power of storytelling in her metafictional novel A Tale for the Time Being.

The Future: Naomi Alderman

The Future: Naomi Alderman

Naomi Alderman discusses her novel The Future, about friends who plot a daring heist to save the world from the tech billionaires threatening it.