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Jump to: Comedy | Community | Fall & Halloween | Film | Food & Drink | Live Music | performance | Readings & Talks | Sports & Recreation | Visual Art

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COMEDY

Adam Sandler: The I Missed You Tour Past Event Like List
Your dad's favorite basketball-shorted comedian is back on the road for The I Missed You Tour, and I have questions. Aside from outliers like Punch-Drunk Love, Uncut Gems, and Funny People, Sandler's cinematic track record is well-known to skew toward the comedically questionable. What will his stand-up be like? Personally, I'm hoping it harkens back to his '90s stint on SNL, but I'm not plunking down over 100 bones to find out. You should, though, and report back to me afterward. For what it's worth, his YouTube clips seem promising. I'm rooting for you, Adam!! LC
Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Lloyd District (Sat Oct 14)

Monét X Change Past Event Like List
"Guess who's Black in the house, bitch! Yas!" Fishy spitfire, RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season four winner, and Sibling Rivalry podcast host Monét X Change will head to Portland for an evening of stand-up comedy eleganza. You probably already know Monét for her congeniality and lip-synching skills, but it should come as no surprise that she can also bring sociopolitical hilarity–she slaughtered as Maya Angelou in RPDR season 10's snatch game. (In the words of Monét as Maya, "If these hoes try to come for me, I surely will cut thee.") LC
Aladdin Theater, Brooklyn (Sun Oct 15)

COMMUNITY

FashioNXT Past Event Like List
Ranked #1 by Forbes on their list of US City Fashion Weeks, FashioNXT celebrates ten years of bringing the latest in fashion to the biggest red carpet in the PNW. Attendees can check out upcoming collections by Project Runway winners Mondo Guerra and Seth Aaron Henderson, as well as outfits by local designers like Jordan Kendrick and Gutter Girl, winner of last year's Emerging Designers development program, UpNXT. We can't wait to see what everyone wears to the after-parties. SL
Union Bank Tower, Downtown (Oct 5–7)

Portland Greek Festival Past Event Like List
Opa! Celebrate 70 years of the largest Greek festival on the West Coast by immersing yourself in all things Greek. Check out traditional folk dance and musical performances, browse goods from craft and jewelry vendors, and enjoy an array of delicious food. Stock up on sweets like loukoumades (honey-drenched deep-fried dough balls), melomakarona (an orange and cinnamon cookie dipped in honey and sprinkled with nuts), pasta flora (a butter cookie with apricot filling), and bougatsa (custard-filled phyllo dough). Savory options include souvlaki, spanakopita, and more, and everything pairs well with Greek wine, beer, or a variety of non-alcoholic options. SL
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Kerns (Oct 6–8)

Portland TextileX Month Past Event Like List
Exploring a "mixed identities" theme this year, Portland TextileX Month (PTXM) is back to examine everything from myths and rituals to migration and resistance through diverse textile exhibitions and workshops. We're tied up in knots about Salvadoran American textile artist Orquidia Violeta's Guardian Spirit Series Past Event Like List , Well Well Projects' Emotions of Home Past Event Like List , Carnation Contemporary's Wild Peninsula: Color & Sound in North Portland Past Event Like List , and costume designer Fuschia Lin's mask-making workshop Past Event Like List , but you can find a full list of the month's events here. LC
Various locations (Oct 1–31)

FALL & HALLOWEEN

Bella Organic Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maze Past Event Like List
Every fall, Bella Organic Farms makes a statement with their corn maze, and this year they're targeting gun violence with "a simple message of love from a simple farmer.” Enjoy a hot cup of apple cider over a game of trivia about the maze, and compete with your family and friends inside the maze to win a Clue-inspired game. Next, hitch a free hayride over to the pumpkin patch to pick out your own gourd for carving, painting, or simply placing on your porch for max autumnal vibes. If you're a thrill seeker, stop by after dark on Fridays and Saturdays to experience their haunted corn maze. SL
Bella Organic Pumpkin Patch & Winery, Sauvie Island (Oct 1–31)

The MAiZE at the Pumpkin Patch Past Event Like List
Join us in shouting "It's corn!!!" while exploring almost two miles of pathways through the famous MAiZE on Sauvie Island. This premier destination for fall enthusiasts pays homage to its 25th year in business with this year's design. The maze has two parts: warm up with the "easy" section before tackling the more difficult part, and don't forget your boots, it can get muddy out there. SL
The Pumpkin Patch, Sauvie Island (Oct 1–31)

Spirit of Halloweentown Past Event Like List
Unless you've already attended Spirit of Halloweentown, you might not know that aspects of aughts-era flicks Twilight and Halloweentown were filmed in the charming lil' city of St. Helens, where the historic Old Town area looks like something straight out of, well, a Disney Channel Original Movie. When I visited last year, throngs of families dressed in fishnets and princess costumes lingered in line for churros while a giant pumpkin cackled menacingly in the distance. Later in the evening, I grabbed a beer next to a gargantuan animatronic werewolf in jorts, then attended a parade, where I was decked in the face by a Tootsie Roll hurled from a glowy-eyed black cat float. Listen, Spirit of Halloweentown is awesome, you just have to lean into it. The city transforms into a widespread themed attraction, complete with a ceremonial pumpkin lighting, circus performers, "haunted hot rods," and special guests from Twilight, Hocus Pocus 2, and Halloweentown stopping by on select dates. The parking is surprisingly ample, too. LC
St. Helens (Oct 1–31)

Halloween Vegan Night Market Portland Past Event Like List
This annual event billing itself as the "largest vegan food festival in the Pacific Northwest" is back with a lineup of ghoulishly delicious plant-based fare for Halloween. Enjoy food, trick-or-treating, face painting, costume contests, tarot readings, tunes from DJ Retrobot, storytime, crafts, and a "potion station" with boozy and zero-proof beverages from Sarah Motter of Epif. JB
The Redd on Salmon, Buckman (Sat Oct 28)

FILM

28th Annual H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival and CthulhuCon Past Event Like List
Hold on to your Shoggoth! The 28th annual H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival and CthulhuCon will return to the Hollywood's shadowy screens with "freshly minted cinematic horrors from all the dark corners of the earth." This year’s festival will showcase more than 50 short and feature-length freak fests, including Suitable Flesh, based on Lovecraft’s “The Thing on the Doorstep” and starring Heather Graham, and the world premiere of Gods of the Deep, a deep sea submarine horror (gulp). Three days of macabre mayhem will also include author readings and Q&A sessions, appearances from guests of honor Clay McLeod Chapman and Rebekah McKendry, and a "Mall of Cthulhu." LC
Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District (Oct 6–8)

Reel Eats: Coraline Past Event Like List
"Reel Eats is a unique way to experience a film: through aroma, texture and taste. Perfect for food and film lovers alike, this quarterly series combines good food with the fun of movie night as expert chefs curate a bite-sized tasting menu tailored to specific moments in the film.
The tasting menu that accompanies the film consists of 8-12 food items with approximately 4-5 of those being of substantial size or quantity. If you would like to purchase beverages or additional food from the Empirical Café prior to the event, please plan on arriving early. The café will be open until 7:15pm should you wish to get something additional before the movie. We are unable to accommodate special dietary restrictions.
About the film: An adventurous 11-year-old girl finds another world that is a strangely idealized version of her frustrating home, but it has sinister secrets." (Promo Copy)
Empirical Theater at OMSI, Central Eastside (Tues Oct 10)

Portland Film Festival Past Event Like List
The Portland Film Festival (and its elegant grey wolf mascot, Lupe) will continue to celebrate independent cinema with a diverse lineup of films again this year. The fest will introduce an industry strike pass for WGA and SAG-AFTRA union members, and a new Talk-and-Learn film series will preview never-before-seen footage and films, followed by panel discussions with local and visiting experts on Oregon's economy, homelessness, Fentanyl, and more. Although they haven't yet released their film lineup, I'm excited to learn more about the festival's Black Stories and Indigenous film programs. LC Various locations (Oct 12–16)

Killers of the Flower Moon Past Event Like List
The calendar is inching closer to Oscar season, and with it will come a film that already rivals the chatter of this summer's Barbie and Oppenheimer, if that's even possible. Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon, which the Guardian described as an "epic of creeping, existential horror about the birth of the American century," follows the true story of quasi-genocidal serial killings that impacted Oklahoma's Osage tribal community in the '20s. The film takes a "show, don't tell" approach to illustrating the epidemic of violence against Native people in the United States. Calling it now: Based on the trailer alone, Killers of the Flower Moon blends Western sensibilities, true crime, and the macabre in an enthralling way that'll land each and every butt in a theater seat. LC
Cinema 21, Nob Hill (Opens Oct 20)

Claudio Simonetti's Goblin with Demons Past Event Like List
The record label, film series, and "guerrilla action group" Wyrd War will drag out their cinema cauldron again for a screening of Lamberto Bava's '85 horror epic Demons just in time for All Hallows' Eve. Italian prog-rock ghouls Goblin, led by keyboardist Claudio Simonetti, will provide a live score for the lurid, bloody masterpiece. The flick is equal parts sinister, supernatural, and slick, checking off all my ideal horror film boxes, like "isolated Berlin movie theater," "Nostradamus's grave," and "getaway motorcycle." Plus, Portland-born scream queen Geretta Geretta makes an appearance in the film. Sick! Stick around after the screening for a full-length concert of haunting tunes spanning Goblin's whole catalog. LC
Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District (Oct 24–25)

FOOD & DRINK

Portland Mercury's Wing Week 2023 Past Event Like List
What, dear reader, was the greatest week of your life? Think back on that moment. Treasure its beautiful memory. Then THROW IT IN THE TRASH, because the Portland Mercury’s Portland Wing Week is about to make every other week you’ve ever experienced look like GARBAGE. That’s right: From Monday, October 2 to Sunday, October 8, the Portland Mercury’s Portland Wing Week returns withone-of-a-kind chicken wings available at some of Portland’s favorite bars and restaurants! Even better? Each order of wings will only cost you a mere $8! PORTLAND MERCURY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
Various locations (Oct 2–8)

7th Annual Kennedy School Oktoberfest Brewfest Past Event Like List
In case you missed celebrating Oktoberfest in September (or just can't get enough), head on over to the Kennedy School and polka the evening away at this McMenamins Oktoberfest bash. All ages are welcome, but only those 21-and-up will get to indulge in two dozen different German-style craft beers and ciders. Food specials include a currywurst dog, Oktoberfest plate, and Schneuben sandwich, which is basically a Reuben but with chicken schnitzel instead of corned beef (we're intrigued). SL
Kennedy School, Concordia (Sat Oct 7)

Roux Portland Past Event Like List
Centering women and non-binary luminaries in the food and beverage industry, Roux makes its return this month with a fresh slate of festivities following a COVID hibernation. Come hungry for a dumpling showcase pairing dumplings from different cuisines with drinks by Suntory Spirits, get some food for thought at a Bookish Brunch hosted by Black Feast's Salimatu Amabebe and featuring Butter Honey Pig Bread author Francesca Ekwuyasi, and learn from industry experts about products like Fishwife's tinned seafood and MìLà soup dumplings. JW
The Redd on Salmon, Buckman (Oct 13–15)

Portland Fermentation Festival Past Event Like List
Ready to get funky? Portland's annual festival dedicated to all things fermented offers a community space to swap tips and recipes with amateur and professional makers, partake in fermented food and beverage samples, and even a rooftop DJ set. Fermentation School co-founder and author Kirsten Shockey will deliver a special talk and you'll be able to peruse pickled veg, krauts, soy ferments, and lots more. JW
Ecotrust Building, Pearl District (Thurs Oct 19)

LIVE MUSIC

The Zombies: Different Game Tour Past Event Like List
If some know-it-all man asks me "Which is better, the Beatles or the Stones?" I usually respond with neither. If we're talking British all-male rock '60s rock bands, there is only one answer in my mind: the Zombies. They might only have a handful of studio albums, but their 1968 baroque-pop masterpiece Odyssey and Oracle is flawless enough to outshine all other '60s rock albums. And, in my humble opinion, frontman Colin Blunstone has the sexiest voice of all time. It's sweet, pitch-perfect, and perfectly pouty. Please treat yourself to a listen to his outrageously underrated debut solo album One Year. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. AV
Aladdin Theater, Brooklyn (Tues Oct 3)

The Reser & Oregon Symphony Present: Stay On It - Minimalism Past, Present, & Future Past Event Like List
The Oregon Symphony will be joined by a group of young musicians for a performance of pioneering minimalist works with the intention of inspiring the next generation. Highlights of the program include Meredith Monk's voice-based, avant-garde compositions Early Morning Melody and Ellis Island and Julius Eastman's experimental baroque piece Stay On It. Other works include Shelley Washington's Middleground, selections from Steve Reich's Electric Counterpoint, Julia Wolfe's A Wild Furze, Andy Akiho's Three Shades, Foreshadows and Karakurenai, Reena Esmail's Darshan, and Sam Adams' Movements (for Us and Them). Whether you're a scholar of the innovative genre or new to it, prepare to be inspired. AV
Patricia Reser Center for the Arts, Beaverton (Fri Oct 6)

PDX Pop Now! 2023 Past Event Like List
PDX Pop Now! is your annual reminder of the vibrant music scene that exists within our city. The donation-based, all-ages festival is back for its 20th year with a week-long schedule of local musicians performing across multiple Portland venues. The lineup has yet to be announced (they're really cutting it close this year!) but considering past performers included Janet Weiss' indie rock duo Quasi, soul giant Ural Thomas & The Pain, and psych metal ensemble Blackwater Holylight, I am on the edge of my seat! AV
Various locations (Oct 6–8)

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis Past Event Like List
Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis mastered the works of classic jazz legends like Duke Ellington and John Coltrane before carving out a unique voice and becoming one of the biggest names in contemporary jazz. Marsalis will lead a 15-piece band for an unforgettable evening of music including originals as well as those definitive standards that started his career. AV
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, South Park Blocks (Sat Oct 7)

Melody's Echo Chamber Past Event Like List
Freshly minted buzz band Water From Your Eyes have accrued a fair amount of excitement with their Matador debut, Everyone's Crushed, and even if the Brooklyn duo vanish in a puff of pixel dust tomorrow, they still will have left an impressive document. On Everyone's Crushed, WFYE indulge their weirdest instincts—contrary to what you'd expect of a group making its jump to the big leagues. Nonchalantly tossing aside commercial considerations, WFYE (Rachel Brown and Nate Amos) instead frolic on the fringes where noise rock, art song, and industrial dub lock horns. Theirs is not a crowded lane. Which is odd when you listen to their earlier releases. The 2017 EP Feels a Lot Like scans as fairly standard, melodious indie rock that doesn't hint at WFYE's future quirkiness. STRANGER CONTRIBUTOR DAVE SEGAL
Revolution Hall, Buckman (Mon Oct 9)

Joji: Pandemonium Tour Past Event Like List
Joji's evolution from comedy YouTuber to a member of the Asian music collective 88rising is slightly mind-boggling at surface level, but it's a trajectory that many figures in entertainment follow these days; gain a following in some random fashion before pursuing the craft they feel aligns with their innate talent and ultimate goals. Through lo-fi jams like "Glimpse of Us," "Die For You," and "Sanctuary," Joji's emotive lyricism has won over legions of fans who have sold out iconic venues like Madison Square Garden and LA's Kia Forum. Hear his tender vocals reverberate through the Moda Center after special guests DJ/producer Kenny Beats, and rappers Lil Toe (Ammo) and Savage Realm. JW
Moda Center, Lloyd District (Sat Oct 14)

Wu-Tang Clan & Nas: NY State Of Mind Tour with De La Soul Past Event Like List
Just in time for the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, visionary hip-hop collective Wu-Tang Clan is hitting the road on a co-headlining tour with fellow NY rap legends Nas and De La Soul. "Wu-Tang Clan concluded the most important and innovative period of hip-hop that began with Run-DMC’s 1984 eponymous debut," Stranger senior staff writer Charles Mudede writes of the group. "That movement—which includes albums by Eric B. and Rakim, Public Enemy, NWA, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, and Gang Starr—closed in 1997 with Wu-Tang Clan’s "Triumph"/Wu-Tang Forever. After that, hip-hop innovation went either downhill or into the underground. If Wu-Tang Clan had appeared in the first decade of the present millennium, their commercial success would have been that of LA’s Lootpack—mad-innovative but with no mass appeal/appreciation. Wu-Tang Clan represent a moment in hip-hop when black genius was rewarded as much as black stupidity. Those days exist, sadly, only in the past." AV
Moda Center, Lloyd District (Tues Oct 17)

Cypress Hill with the Oregon Symphony Past Event Like List
Not only does 2023 mark the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, but it also marks the 30th anniversary of Cypress Hill's iconic sophomore album Black Sunday. In honor of the album, the rap trio will be joined by the Oregon Symphony for orchestral renditions of the classic stoner bops. While this might not seem like an obvious pairing, imagine the guitar sample on "I Wanna Get High" played pizzicato on a cello. Making sense? Plus, I'm eager to hear which classical instrument will mimic the bubbling sounds on "Hits from the Bong." AV
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, South Park Blocks (Wed Oct 18)

Lil Yachty: The Field Trip Tour Past Event Like List
On his fifth album, Let's Start Here, Lil Yachty trades his bubblegum trap sound for krautrock-inspired synths, electric guitars, and whispery psych-rock vocals. The result is cinematic, delightfully proggy, and reminiscent of Ishmael Butler's mind-bending hip-hop project Shabazz Palaces. It is very exciting to see Butler's spacey, free jazz-inspired sound carry into the mainstream. And, to Yachty and Ish: if you're reading this, we'd love to see a collaboration someday. Lil Yachty will support the album backed by a live band after an opening set from psychedelic soul wiz Nick Hakim. AV
Crystal Ballroom, West End (Sun Oct 22)

Angel Olsen Past Event Like List
While it's often hard for me to emotionally connect with contemporary indie rock, Angel Olsen's heartwrenching vocals bring me to tears almost every time I hear them. Her voice, which has been compared to artists like Emmylou Harris and Mildred Bailey, seesaws from deep restraint to free-flowing belts, sometimes in a single breath. Olsen will return to Portland for two nights with tracks from her new stripped-down EP Forever Means and country-tinged 2022 album Big Time. Don't miss opening sets from acclaimed folk artist/poet Kara Jackson (night one) and singer-songwriter Allegra Krieger (night two). AV
Revolution Hall, Buckman (Oct 24–25)

Kim Petras: Feed The Beast World Tour Past Event Like List
Kim Petras is the pop girlie for all of us who grew up idolizing Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie on The Simple Life. Her 2022 single "Coconuts" is something you could imagine Malibu Barbie listening to in her hot pink convertible, except for sexually explicit and not appropriate for children whatsoever lyrics ("Look at these margarit-ta-tas"). Her music evokes sticky lip gloss, bedazzled thongs, and Juicy Couture tracksuits with shades of Y2K Eurodance. She's been making music for a while now (I first heard her featured on the Charli XCX banger "Unlock It"), but she really blew up with Sam Smith's viral smash "Unholy," which won her a Grammy earlier this year. Riding this wave of success, Petras will kick off your Halloweekend with songs from her debut album, Feed the Beast. AV
Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Lloyd District (Fri Oct 27)

PERFORMANCE

HAIR Past Event Like List
If you're in search of a genre-defining musical, look no further than HAIR, which served to radicalize a whole generation when it hit Broadway in 1968. It's got drugs, nudity, free love, and notes of psychedelia, but beyond all the far-out energy, its songs also became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War movement. This fresh production serves as a reminder that history repeats itself, and we can still use art as a force for change. What could be groovier than that? LC
Portland Center Stage, Pearl District (Oct 4–Nov 5)

Roald Dahl's Matilda: The Musical Past Event Like List
If Danny DeVito's '96 fantastical comedy Matilda is one of your core childhood memories (or maybe you're slightly more old school and prefer the '88 Roald Dahl book—I'll go to bat for either), levitate yourself over to Portland Playhouse for this musical adaptation. You know the story already: a big-brained, precocious misfit who's stuck with an anti-intellectual family and a straight-up psychotic principal, Miss Trunchbull, learns to navigate the mess with her teacher, Miss Honey, and a certain magical ability on her side. I'm hoping to see chalk fly through the air. LC
Portland Playhouse, King (Oct 4–Nov 5)

Stage Fright Festival Past Event Like List
Come for the macabre cabaret, stay for the homoerotic Goosebumps: Returning for its second year, this festival of oddball theatrics includes a rotating spectacle of "demonic theater occultists" delivering surreal, creepy, and hilarious horror hijinks across two weekends. Expect scary storytelling, vaudeville acts, and clownery; the antics include a community creepy story open mic and an appearance by Seattle's "psychedelic multidimensionalist" Queen Shmooquan. If you want to get even scarier with it, look no further than Orlando's own Bruce Ryan Costella, whose queer horror variety fantasia Spooky & Gay is "like Goosebumps, only gayer." As it should be. LC
21ten Theater, Hosford-Abernethy (Oct 5–15)

Will Rawls: [siccer] Past Event Like List
You might've seen Will Rawls's work recently—the New York-based artist has popped up with installations and exhibitions at Adams and Ollman and the Henry Art Gallery in Seattle over the last few years. As a choreographer, performance artist, curator, and writer, Rawls's work is wide-reaching, and [siccer] is no exception. It's part-live performance, part-stop-motion animation, and its title references the Latin adverb sic (you typically see it used in brackets to denote an “error” when quoting someone, underscoring the perceived inaccuracy of their speech). To Rawls, "[sic] is a useful metaphor for how the language and gestures of Black bodies are captured, quoted or misquoted, and circulated to appear strange in various media." As a writer, I'm excited to see how Rawls interrogates the limits of citation. LC
PICA, Eliot (Oct 6–8)

Swan Lake Past Event Like List
Chances are good that you're already familiar with this ethereal story of love, agency, and good versus evil. Swan Lake is a must-see for the uninitiated, and a graceful reminder of ballet's power for die-hard fans. Crafted with precision, Christopher Stowell’s "highly acclaimed" adaptation of the wing-flapping masterpiece envelops viewers in the tale of Prince Siegfried and Odette, Queen of the Swans by incorporating previously unused sections of Tchaikovsky’s original score. LC
Keller Auditorium, Downtown (Oct 6–14)

Allie Hankins and Hannah Krafcik: By My Own Hand, Part 3: THE ACHE Past Event Like List
"The dancers’ gradual creeping motions feel unnatural, like expressions in reverse. Their movements are almost recognizable, but not quite, and I sense a logical disruption. It’s as though I’m watching a dream begin." I was deeply moved by Hannah Krafcik and Emily Jones's performance apogee at the 2021 Time-Based Arts Festival, so I'm excited to see Krafcik partner with local dance heroine Allie Hankins for the third installment of her five-part performance series, By My Own Hand. Part-video exhibition, part-publication, and part-art-making workshop series, THE ACHE will take shape with contributions from local artists dee bustos, Muffie Delgado-Connelly, Midori Hirose, and Ralph Pugay. The installment looks closely at "creative acts of self-determination," inspired by Hankins's desire to create more crossover between "artistic field-based microcosms." LC
PICA, Eliot (Oct 10–Nov 10)

READINGS & TALKS

Ross Gay Past Event Like List
How often are you delighted? Occasionally? Never?! Sounds like a job for Ross Gay. The spirit lifter, lauded poet, and author of The Book of Delights, will visit Portland on the heels of a new publication—The Book of (More) Delights. The fresh collection of genre-defying pieces, written over the course of a single year, is a sweet addition to the writer's feel-good oeuvre; he chats all things delightful, from tiny dogs to fig trees to nostalgic song-blasting to rejecting scannable QR code menus. It's only corny if you say it is. We say: Get into it. LC
Powell's City of Books, Pearl District (Sun Oct 8)

Amy Schneider in Conversation With Deb Hatcher Past Event Like List
Amy Schneider's knowledge base is no joke: She won 40 games of Jeopardy!, walked away with over a million dollars, and blazed a trail for other openly queer and transgender smarties. As the most successful woman and most successful transgender contestant ever to compete on the show, I'm hoping Schneider answers some important queries in her new memoir, In the Form of a Question—namely, how'd she answer Daily Doubles about Benazir Bhutto and The Man in the Iron Mask off the cuff?! Schneider will be joined in conversation by Deb Hatcher, co-founder of A to Z Wineworks. LC
Powell's City of Books, Pearl District (Wed Oct 11)

Barbara Kingsolver Past Event Like List
If there's such a thing as a household-name author, Barbara Kingsolver might be one example—she's been famous ever since the '98 release of the epistolary novel The Poisonwood Bible. Her latest work, 2022's Demon Copperhead, an angry, compassionate retelling of David Copperfield set in the midst of the Appalachian opioid epidemic, won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It's a bestseller (natch), was named one of the top 10 books of the year by the New York Times and the Washington Post, and serves as a reminder that Kingsolver's talent hasn't diminished one bit. LC
Keller Auditorium, Downtown (Tues Oct 17)

SPORTS & RECREATION

2023 Portland Marathon Past Event Like List
Portlanders looking to slap a "26.2" or "13.1" sticker on the back of their vehicles will rise and shine on the first day of October to run or walk the Portland Marathon. The full and half marathons will take participants on a scenic course that hugs the Willamette River. The forecast looks nice and clear for the endeavor, so fingers crossed it doesn't rain unexpectedly! JW
Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Downtown (Sun Oct 1)

Trail Blazers Fan's Fest Past Event Like List
The Portland Trail Blazers return for their first preseason game on October 10, but if you're anything like us, you can't wait that long for basketball. Head to the Fan's Fest two days before  to see our rookies debut, check out the new basketball court, and lament Dame's departure with fellow fans. There will be Rip City merch, games, giveaways, food, and player appearances. Best of all, it's totally free! SL
Moda Center, Lloyd District (Sun Oct 8)

West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta 2023 Past Event Like List
Nothing says Portland quite like watching costumed characters paddling inside giant hollowed-out gourds in a series of races. Now in its 20th year, this long-standing local tradition is just a part of a fun-filled weekend featuring the 5K Regatta Run, pumpkin bowling, pumpkin golf, live entertainment, children's activities, and a giant vegetable weigh-off at Stickmen Brewery. SL
Tualatin Commons, Tualatin (Oct 21–22)

VISUAL ART

Black Artists of Oregon Past Event Like List
The first of its kind to "consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon," PAM's fresh exhibition will showcase Black artists in and outside its collection, with special attention paid to underrepresented regional artists. Black Artists of Oregon thinks carefully about the African American experience in the Pacific Northwest, with pieces spanning the last 100 years by heavy hitters like Carrie Mae Weems and professional puppeteer Ralph Chessé. I'm particularly stoked for the exhibition because it was guest curated by Portland-based artist Intisar Abioto, whose own practice fills gaps in our region's history with critical context on lived Black experience. LC
Portland Art Museum, South Park Blocks (Oct 1, 2023–Mar 17, 2024)

Converge 45 Contemporary Arts Biennial Past Event Like List
The free, citywide art exhibition Converge 45 is in full swing, with artists showcased across over 15 venues in Portland, including college campuses, the Portland Japanese Garden, and Pioneer Square. The biennial's theme, Social Forms: Art as Global Citizenship, takes on topics of Amazon deforestation, indigeneity, citizenship, and immigration, and aims to amplify the voices and experiences of people of color, so you're bound to find a cause you can get behind. I'm looking forward to local textile legend and Seneca Nation member Marie Watt's Chords to Other Chords (Relative) and Yishai Jusidman's history-driven cyanotypes in Prussian Blue. LC
Various locations (Oct 1–Dec 31)

The Rose Past Event Like List
If you'd asked me to name some subversive feminist acts before reading about The Rose, "collaging" wouldn't have topped my list. But curator Justine Kurland's new group exhibition (housed in lumber room's airy space) has effectively changed my mind—collage is badass, representing all things transformative and revitalizing. So get into it! A lush garden of artists featured in The Rose seems to agree with me. The show features over 40 creators, including local recognizables like Jessica Jackson Hutchins and Bean Gilsdorf alongside major art stars Ruth Asawa, Wendy Red Star, and Francesca Woodman. LC
lumber room, Pearl District (Oct 6–28)

Throughlines: Connections in the Collection Remind Like List
Pulling directly from the museum's collections, Throughlines: Connections in the Collection explores "a range of artistic innovation" from across different geographies, cultures, and time periods. Sound vague? Maybe a little bit! But PAM's curators have arranged the exhibition's artworks into playful process- and material-based groupings organized under a few loose themes: portraiture and representation, views of the land and environment, and unexpected uses of imagery, ephemeral materials, and color. The format should serve as a jumping-off point for some fun convos about the artistic process. I'm excited to see Dinh Q. Lê's high-definition chromogenic prints and a rare sculpture from Kehinde Wiley's The World Stage series. The exhibition should also get visitors jazzed for the museum's forthcoming Mark Rothko Pavilion, which will offer "an elegant and fluid connection between [the museum's] two buildings." (They’re currently connected underground via stairs and elevators.) The multi-year expansion and renovation project will make the museum more accessible and inclusive. Cool! LC
Portland Art Museum, South Park Blocks (Oct 28, 2023–Nov 1, 2024)