Plus: Powell's Books plans its airport return.
 
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From our friends at KGW8

 
✍️ Building the wordsmiths of tomorrow
The house of author Ursula K. Le Guin rises three stories among trees. It's painted light blue and the round second floor balcony is a deep rust color.
Urusla K. Le Guin’s house is surrounded by a lush garden. | Photo via Literary Arts
“By using words well they strengthen their souls,” Ursula K. Le Guin once said about writers. “And their words make the souls of their readers stronger, brighter, deeper.”

The esteemed Portland author remains a literary light that shines bright despite her death in 2018. Over the course of a nearly 60-year career, she wrote many of her best-known titles, including “The Dispossessed” and “The Left Hand of Darkness,” from the second-floor studio of her home in Northwest Portland.

Soon, it will become a place for others to follow in her footsteps — and forge their own paths.

Ursula K. Le Guin's writing studio is decorated with books, rocks, and little photos and artworks. There is a desktop Mac computer with to rolly charis.

Ursula’s writing room was once her children’s nursery; today, it’s still decorated with her personal collection of rocks, favorite art, and books.

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Photo via Literary Arts

The Le Guin family has donated the house to Literary Arts, where the nonprofit will oversee the upcoming Ursula K. Le Guin Writers Residency.

“Although Ursula’s reputation is international, she focused much of her energy on the local community of writers, libraries, and literary organizations,” said Theo Downes-Le Guin, literary executor and Ursula’s son. “So it’s fitting that this residency, ambitious in the breadth of writers it will reach, will be rooted in the house and city she loved and lived in for more than a half century.”

The three-story house was built in 1899 from a Sears & Roebuck catalog plan and eventually purchased by Urusla and her husband Charles in the early 1960s, when increasing numbers of artists and academics moved to the city. Her corner room boasts views of Mount St. Helens and a towering redwood tree, “a reminder of Ursula’s Northern California roots.”

Author Ursula K. Le Guin stands in front of a microphone on a dark stage. She and the paper she holds are illuminated by a spotlight.

The residency marks Oregon’s first significant permanent recognition of Le Guin’s legacy since her death.

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Photo via Literary Arts

Still in development, the residency will welcome writers from around the world (with an emphasis on those living in the western US). An advisory council will invite writers of different genders, races, ages, economic status, education and literary genres; those who are chosen will also engage with the community at events like readings and workshops. Renovations are planned to make the house more accessible.

This program is just one of several projects to be funded by the Campaign for Literary Arts.
 
Asked
 
Which real-world scientist served as Le Guin’s inspiration for Shevek, the protagonist in her book “The Dispossessed”?

A. Albert Einstein
B. Robert Oppenheimer
C. Neil deGrasse Tyson
D. Rosalind Franklin
 
 
Events
 
Tuesday, June 11
  • Bard Bingo at Wonderwood Springs | Tuesday, June 11 | 7-9 p.m. | Wonderwood Springs, 8811 N. Lombard St., Portland | Free | Hear ye, hear ye — Gerard the Bard will host a raucous night of games and chance, where each card will cost five gold pieces.
Wednesday, June 12
  • “John Malkovich in The Music Critic” at the Symphony | Wednesday, June 12 | 7:30 p.m. | Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, Portland | $36-$99 | Watch the legendary actor play an evil critic whose hot musical takes include how boring Beethoven is.
  • Leah Rudick | Wednesday, June 12-Thursday, June 13 | 8 p.m. | Helium Comedy Club, 1510 SE Ninth Ave., Portland | $27-$37 | Check out this comedian’s first stand-up special “Everything is Fine!” and then see her live.
Thursday, June 13
Friday, June 14
  • Rose City Book & Paper Fair | Friday, June 14-Saturday, June 15 | Times vary | DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Portland, 1000 NE Multnomah St., Portland | $5 | Peruse everything from underground ‘zines and quirky vintage photo albums, to antiquarian tomes and signed first editions by today’s hottest authors.
  • Delta Park Powwow | Friday, June 14-Sunday, June 16 | Times vary | Delta Park, 10737 N. Union Ct., Portland | Free | All are welcome at this celebration of Native American culture, featuring cultural demonstrations and intertribal dancing, delicious fry bread and other food, arts and craft booths, and more.
Click here to have your event featured.
 
 
News Notes
 
Read
  • Is your Kindle’s battery dead? Forgot your paperback at home? Soon, traveling bibliophiles will no longer have to fear such horrors. Powell’s Books will return to Portland International Airport in 2026, four years after closing due to difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic. (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)
Eat
  • Oregon strawberries are in season and Strawberry Shortcake Week is here (now through Sunday, June 16). You can sample the scrumptious pastry at restaurants like Lilia Comedor and Gabbiano’s, or find other seasonal dishes around town. (Eater Portland)
Outdoors
  • Did you gnome there is a trail in Vancouver dedicated to the miniature magical creatures? The whimsical section of Burnt Bridge Creek Greenway grew with community support and the city is willing to tolerate it as long as it doesn’t become a danger or cause damage. (OPB)
Plan Ahead
  • The inaugural Rockstar Energy Open will kickflip into town Aug. 23-25, bringing a weekend of skateboarding, art, and music to Portland’s waterfront. Amateurs and elite skateboarders will compete in street and park formats; organizers are currently accepting tapes from anyone interested in participating.
Community
  • The Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability will now offer curbside battery recycling for residents of a house, duplex, triplex, or fourplex. Simply place the batteries in a quart-sized bag in your glass bin. Never place batteries in your trash — they can spark fires.
Sports
  • With Oregon football experiencing so much success in the transfer portal, how does that affect the important of the team’s high school recruitment moving forward? Locked On Ducks has some thoughts.
    Finance
    • Expert tip: During economic times like these, balance transfers can really make a difference. By simply transferring your existing credit card balances to this card, you’ll give yourself 18 months to pay it off — without interest. (Bonus: Earn 2% cash back on everyday purchases while you’re at it.)*
    Wellness
    • Looking for a game-changing night of sleep? Fall asleep + wake up rested with Cornbread Hemp’s CBD Sleep Gummies. Get 30% off a $55 minimum purchase with code CBDSLEEP30.*
     
     
    Plan Ahead
     
    Grad weekend good-to-knows
    Graduates in black gowns and green stoles walk together outside on Portland State University's campus.
    Go get ‘em, Class of 2024. | Photo via Portland State University
    Alexa, play “Pomp and Circumstance.” It’s almost graduation weekend for Portland State University,, with six commencement ceremonies taking place from Fri., June 14-Sun., June 16.

    Whether you’re a visiting parent — or maybe your kid didn’t fly too far from the nest — we’ve got some tips to make the weekend slightly less chaotic. Firstly, here is the schedule.
      Students, don’t forget that before they can cheer you on, your friends and family will need tickets. If they’re unable to make it, each event will be livestreamed with a recording available afterward online.

      Congestion in downtown is a given, so attendees are encouraged to use public transportation. The Blue and Red lines have a light rail station at the Moda Center, and riders can access PSU’s south campus via the Yellow/Orange/Green lines.
       
      The Buy
       
      A cute swimsuit cover that combines the classic look of a button down shirt with extra length so everything’s covered.
       
       
      The Wrap
       
      ben-mcbee-headshot-2024.png Today’s edition by:
      Ben
      From the editor
      As far as perfect weekends in Portland go, mine was hard to beat. It started off with Zoo Brew, followed by a Reuben sandwich at Goose Hollow Inn and a Thorns win, and finally some new ink and antique shopping in Sellwood.

      Oh, and don’t forget about that weather. *Chef’s kiss.*
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