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hey tiny.
it has rained most of the week. the county put out a notice on what to do when a rat comes up your toilet. heavy rain floods the sewers and pushes them up the pipes. close the lid. flush. if it is stubborn, a squirt of dish soap and flush again. if it still will not leave, keep the lid down and call pest control. multnomah county vector control is 503-988-3464.
i live down there. those are my neighbors. they are not coming for you. they are coming in out of the rain. same as you, every time you duck into a bar you did not plan on.
new behind the wall. a tiny found me on google on a wednesday night. paid four dollars to peek on friday morning. bought the whole year the next friday morning. a week and one hour later. i checked the receipts twice.
friday is the thirteenth. last week i said i was planning. i planned thirteen. a teenager's brain in a robot t-rex. a goth club and a jennifer's body party facing each other across belmont. an x-files episode nobody has written yet. a sewing class for spines. a mystery tape in seattle that nobody will name until it plays.
you made it to the other side. back here you’ll find seventy-eight more things over ten days, plus every film on a portland screen through next thursday, all forty-one of them.
a french horror movie with a mummy, a mutant and a pirate ship coming out of a cliff. a pet social with a bootblack. prints made by parking a car on them. a video game that is also a rock album. a free afternoon of washing bee cocoons. two noise shows in the same seattle convent chapel, three nights apart.
the recurring calendar got rebuilt this week for the dark months. every standing night in the city, sorted monday to sunday. it is yours now. use it on the nights this letter runs out.
X X X
[ FRIDAY THE 13TH ]
thirteen for the thirteenth. a tattoo shop's birthday at eleven in the morning. a mystery tape in seattle at ten at night. walk under a ladder on the way to one of them. live a little.
Sinking Sun Studio: 3 Year Anniversary Nov 13 at 11:00 Sinking Sun Studio | Free [ more ] six artists and more than fifty flash designs for the shop's third birthday. getting inked on friday the thirteenth is the only superstition that stays on your skin when you wake up saturday. pick from the wall and regret nothing.
SCRAP Sewing Workshop: Spine Smocking Nov 13, 12:00 to 15:00 SCRAP PDX | $15 / $20 / $25 sliding [ more ] a hands-on smocking class at the reuse center for ages sixteen and up. spine smocking is a decorative fabric stitch, not a back-alley chiropractic procedure. on this particular friday, read the syllabus twice.
Dessiller les yeux: The Complete Jean Vigo Nov 13 at 19:00 Northwest Film Forum | Free, RSVP [ more ] [ road trip ] all four films jean vigo ever made, à propos de nice, taris, zéro de conduite and l'atalante, playing in one night for free across a hundred and sixty-five minutes. an entire cinematic legacy costs you nothing but the gas to seattle.
Caskey Russell: The Eagle in the Mountain Nov 13 at 19:00 Powell's at Cedar Hills Crossing | see info [ more ] [ road trip ] the launch of the fantasy sequel to the door on the sea, featuring a raven guide and a conversation with lara messersmith-glavin. ravens never forget a face, and neither do i from up on the power lines.
Love, Shakespeare: An Improvised Elizabethan Comedy Nov 13 + 14 at 19:30 Echo Theater | $15 ($18 with fees) [ more ] portland improvisers build an unfinished shakespeare comedy from audience suggestions with zero script. shout something cursed from the back row and listen to it come back in iambic pentameter by the second act.
Dream Bill Fest Nov 13, doors 19:30 Swan Dive | $18.35 [ more ] six acts curated by black shelton, with dwelling unit, icbm, blotchouts, the sheen, and old time relijun founder arrington de dionyso throat-singing and playing bass clarinet. 21+. when he hits the low notes on that reed, the pigeons on grand take the hint and leave.
Mini Blinds / Queen Rodeo / Snakey Dublay Nov 13 Kenton Club | $10 [ more ] three local bands at the kenton dive. one sounds like a hardware store aisle, one like a county fair pageant, and one like a reptile with a record crate. buy a ticket for the lineup font alone.
Asilo! Portland Goth Club Nov 13 at 21:00 The Six | $10 [ more ] the underground goth club returns on friday the thirteenth, right on schedule. it sits directly across belmont from the next listing. i can straddle the yellow line in the middle of the street and watch two species of black eyeliner avoid making eye contact at the crosswalk.
Jennifer's Body Party Nov 13, 21:00 to 01:00 Aalto Lounge | $10 [ more ] let her cook throws a party for the cult horror movie, with djs father fannie and deadpan. 21+. the goths across the street at the six can see you through the front glass. wave at them, even if they are contractually obligated not to wave back.
X-Prov: Improvised X-Files Nov 13 at 21:00 Kickstand Comedy | $15 presale / $20 door / $12 Laughs For All [ more ] a brand new x-files episode improvised around an audience case file, with tessa waring as scully and mo merrill as mulder. the truth is out there, and tonight it is winging it without a flashlight.
VHS Über Alles: Friday the 13th Mystery Tape Nov 13 at 22:00 The Beacon | $5 [ more ] [ road trip ] a secret 1991 cult film running ninety-five minutes, projected straight off a videocassette with only madness, murder, and mayhem for a clue. five dollars for a magnetic-tape mystery is the sharpest bargain in seattle.
Christine (1983) Nov 13 Hollywood Theatre [ more ] grant high movie club screens john carpenter's horror classic about a murderous plymouth fury. a car develops feelings and starts running pedestrians down. half the sedans on 82nd are already one dented fender away from this plot.
Tammy and the T-Rex (1994) Nov 13 Cinemagic [ more ] a teenager's brain gets transplanted into an animatronic tyrannosaurus so paul walker can keep dating denise richards. finally, a romantic lead on a portland screen who matches my shoe size.
[ SEEING ]
Made in PDX: An Art Show Nov 12 at 12:00 Z Collection Showroom | Free [ more ] an industry-wide celebration of art in all forms out in a showroom on nw 31st. all forms is a dangerous promise in this town. expect oil paintings, welded steel, and at least one deeply emotional pile of shipping pallets.
No Sex Last Night: Sophie Calle Night Nov 12, doors 18:30, event 19:00 Tomorrow Theater | $15 [ more ] nationale screens sophie calle and greg shephard's 1996 camcorder road-trip diary across america, followed by a talk on calle's work. two people, two cameras, one car, one country. the title is not a complaint, just the receipt.
Alex Tatarsky: Sad Boys in Harpy Land Nov 12 to 14 at 19:30 On the Boards | see info [ more ] [ road trip ] a self-described experimental clown mixes autobiography with characters lifted from goethe, dante, and seinfeld, backed by shane riley's live music, with a friday talkback and a possible 20:30 start on saturday. two of those writers mapped out the circles of hell, and the third wrote a twenty-minute bit about a soup line.
Take Me To Your Leader: The Seoul of a Clown Nov 14 at 19:00 Kickstand Comedy | $12 presale / $17 door / $9 Laughs For All [ more ] monel chang, known as moldy melon, shape-shifts between a pansori diva, a k-beauty disciple, and a dictator throwing their own birthday party with live sound and ritual gesture. bring the dictator a nice card. it is safer for everyone in the front row.
Trans Spites: Sports! Nov 20 at 19:00 Peacock PDX | $17 GA / $12 "Capitalism Got Me" / $50 pay-it-forward [ more ] the fourth annual all-trans storytelling show takes on the locker room, gym class, and that one good season, hosted by jasmine nothing and zane thomas. this one sells out, so buy your ticket now and pull a hamstring later.
Truthiness: Sterlin Harjo + Reginald Dwayne Betts Nov 21, 14:00 to 15:30 Whitsell Auditorium | Free, ticketed [ more ] the reservation dogs co-creator and the poet, both macarthur fellows, sit down to talk about truth and truthiness for pam cut's plus plus festival. when two certified geniuses talk for free, the seats vanish by lunch. grab yours now.
Boathouse Microcinema: The Last Forever Nov 21, doors 18:30, show 19:00 The Boathouse | Free [ more ] kamila kuc and scott stark build a live performance from hundreds of discarded thirty-five-millimeter family slides, paired with live music, voice, and hula hoops. i have to peer through the high windows to see somebody else's forgotten summer vacation projected on the wall.
[ LISTENING + DANCING ]
TROPITAAL! A Desi-Latine Soundclash Nov 14, 21:00 to 02:00 The Goodfoot | $13 [ more ] dj anjali and the incredible kid pit indian and latin american club music against each other all night, twenty-five years into their partnership. 21+. a quarter century of the same argument, and the dancefloor still wins every round.
Mattress 20 Nov 19, doors 19:00, show 20:00 Polaris Hall | see info [ more ] twenty years of the local crooner mattress, joined by joe von appen, thrones, dragging an ox through water, and black shelton. 21+. a real mattress gives up the ghost after eight years, so making it to twenty takes pure lounge-singer stubbornness.
Groove: Are You Feelin' It? Nov 20, doors 19:30, show 20:00 Swan Dive | $15 [ more ] euphoria throws a tribute party to the 2000 rave movie groove, featuring dj forest green from the actual film alongside jackpott, tarot, free fruit, and free glowsticks. 21+. dig your widest jncos out of the closet and eat a banana in the dark like it is two thousand again.
Process Club Night: Juliana Huxtable Nov 21, 22:00 to 03:00 Process PDX | $11.05 trans + BIPOC tier / $17.70 to $33.15 [ more ] the new york artist, poet, and dj plays a late club set inside a room with a very finite capacity. 21+. tickets for a bill like this evaporate while you are still thinking about it, so do not be the tiny begging at the door at midnight.
Global Based x Rebound Kiki Ball: 4 Year Anniversary Nov 21, 22:00 to 02:00 The Get Down | $20 to $25 [ more ] ballroom and vogue house pioneer mikeq headlines the kiki ball's fourth birthday with global based, peligrosa, and dj honey wong 007, plus performer of the year trophies at midnight. 18+. bring your tens and stay out of the runway's blast radius.
[ MAKING + DOING ]
Branching Out: A Rose Haven Open House Nov 12, 17:30 to 19:30 1740 NW Glisan St | Free [ more ] rose haven opens its doors and asks you to rsvp and bring a friend who believes in compassion, individual worth, reconciliation, community, and love in action. they printed the values in capital letters on the flyer, so bring a friend who means business.
Tarot + Flow Nov 14 at 11:00 Full Bodied Yoga | $27 to $42 [ more ] journeydance comes first to shake the week's static out of your joints, followed by tarot and somatic movement to interpret whatever cards hit the mat. pull the tower card and do a somersault about it.
Menopunks Podcast Live Nov 14, 16:00 to 17:30 Albina Library | Free [ more ] alicia j. rose tapes her menopause podcast live inside a public library with punk pioneer alice bag, lidia yuknavitch, and lasara firefox allen. if anybody tries to shush alice bag between the book stacks, i am not stepping in to save them.
Pub Sing with the Portland Revels Nov 17, 21:00 to 23:00 Rose City Book Pub | see info [ more ] the revels cast walks straight over from midwinter rehearsal once a year to lead the whole bar in harmony. the chorus spills out onto fremont and i hum the low part from the next block over. you will know more verses than you expect and fewer than you claim after two pints.
Patch Pocket Party Nov 19, 12:00 to 15:00 SCRAP PDX | $5 / $7 / $10 sliding [ more ] sew patch pockets onto totes, pants, dresses, and skirts for ages sixteen and up using scrap's templates, fabric, machines, and sergers. a pocket is just a square of cloth that finally got a job.
[ ROAMING ]
Climate Resilience Workshop + Free Yard Trees Nov 14, 10:00 to 12:00, tree pickup 12:00 to 13:00 Leach Botanical Garden | Free, register [ more ] [ ~ outdoors ~ ] learn what shifting weather is doing to local soil, water, and roots, then haul home up to three free yard trees from urban forestry if you pre-register with a portland yard. they look like broccoli florets in my palms, and i can only carry so many home for you.
Ride to World Day of Remembrance Nov 15, meet 10:00, ride 10:15 behind the fire museum, SE 35th + Belmont | Free [ more ] [ + all ages ] bikeloud rides to the places where simon williamson and jacob jones were killed while walking this year, then joins the world day of remembrance gathering at waterfront park. ride slow. say their names.
Cinema Cartopia Thanksgiving Special Nov 21 at 17:00 Cartopia | Free [ more ] [ ~ outdoors ~ ] a free outdoor double feature at the hawthorne food carts pairing a charlie brown thanksgiving with good will hunting. buttered toast and pretzels in the first half, south boston math problems in the second. bring a heavy blanket and a fork.
[ EATING + SHOPPING ]
AYCO Annual Fundraiser + Grand Reopening Nov 12, 16:00 to 19:00 AYCO | see info [ more ] the african immigrant- and refugee-led nonprofit opens its new home on 82nd, built as the region's first culturally specific community resilience hub, with music, local food vendors, and a year in review. the drywall is brand new and the mission is seasoned. eat well and open your wallet.
11th Annual Holiday Craft Fair Nov 14, 09:00 to 15:00 Oregon Buddhist Temple | Free [ more ] [ + all ages ] handmade clothes, ornaments, ceramics, woven baskets, miso, temple-kitchen lunches, and a dharma school bake sale, with a kitchen coupon for the first thirty tinies through the door. enlightenment takes lifetimes, while the bake sale line is shortest at nine.
26th Annual Pretty Kitty Holiday Bazaar Nov 14, 10:00 to 16:00 Taborspace | see info [ more ] house of dreams, the all-volunteer no-kill cat shelter, fills the church hall with handmade gifts for humans and pets with every dollar going to the cats. twenty-six years of fundraising and not a single cat has sent a thank-you note, which is how you know they run the building.
Analog Fest Nov 14, 11:00 to 16:00 While On Earth | Free [ more ] records, cassettes, vhs tapes, books, prints, and photos from passenger seat records, container corps, seltzer press, and a room full of tables. an entire afternoon dedicated to media that requires a shelf. the algorithm cannot touch you here.
Portland Puppet Museum Holiday Bazaar Nov 19 to 22, 14:00 to 20:00 Portland Puppet Museum | Free to browse [ more ] [ + all ages ] ping pong's holiday bazaar sells puppets, antique ornaments, elaborate dollhouses, and tiny holiday outfits to keep the sellwood museum's lights on. i press my eye to the front window and fifty wooden faces stare right back. buy a marionette before it picks you first.
Made & Found Market, 5th Annual Nov 21 + 22, 10:00 to 16:00 Lovett Deconstruction | Free [ more ] the deconstruction crew opens its salvage warehouse to thirty-plus vendors of secondhand, upcycled, and heirloom goods alongside food carts. somebody unbolted an entire house by hand so you could buy its brass doorknob. respect the hardware.
[ BULLETIN BOARD ]
Missed Connection: The Lime Garden Fart Bandit 11/10 [ more ] tuesday's lime garden show had a phantom crop-duster working the floor every two minutes while the band begged the crowd to dance. now the band knows why nobody in the front three rows dared to inhale.
Organic Red Garlic until sold [ more ] twenty pounds of garlic at fourteen dollars a pound in kerns. the belmont goths from friday's listings should stay clear of the zip code, and everyone else can season pasta until spring.
Rajneeshpuram Time Capsule in a 1960 Airstream until sold [ more ] sixty-five thousand dollars in cornelius buys a 1960 silver trailer stuffed with artifacts from the wasco county commune. the compound folded in four years, while the aluminum trailer outlived the guru. bring a heavy hitch and a subpoena.
Two 1940s Wire Clowns with Blown Plastic Heads until sold [ more ] sixty dollars in colton for a pair of wire-frame clowns who have been grinning without blinking since the truman administration. they are sold only as a pair, because separating them violates the ancient pact.
Don't Shoot PDX + Volumes: We Need Your Art nov 21 [ more ] last call for this round of the open-source protest archive at pnca. the next deadline is january sixteenth. bring your posters, fliers, and street art so history gets the spelling right.
about a hundred posts are pinned up now. one is a hand-painted wooden cowboy brooch with a wire lasso, five dollars, in vancouver. he is very small and very ready.
[ read the board ]
[ SCREENINGS ]
forty-one films are on a portland screen between now and next thursday. three of them only happen once. the rest are behind the wall.
Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama (1988) Nov 14 Hollywood Theatre [ more ] college pledges break into a bowling alley and accidentally release an imp from a trophy, with stars linnea quigley and andras jones live in the theater. the title is the entire screenplay, and the actors are in the room to defend it.
Supersonic Man (1979) Nov 17 at 19:30 Hollywood Theatre [ more ] repressed cinema runs a rare sixteen-millimeter print of a spanish superman knockoff starring cameron mitchell against a wooden bulldozer, with vintage trailers and underground comics in the lobby. the plywood construction equipment deserves top billing.
The Night Turkey (1973) Nov 19, lobby market from 17:30 Academy Theater [ more ] video hoarder gives william malone's long-lost shot-on-video kolchak parody its first theatrical screening in history, complete with a giant were-turkey, early rick baker effects, a recorded intro from malone, and a vhs market in the lobby. one week before thanksgiving, the poultry strikes first.
come behind the wall.
once you're down here you can never say "there's nothing to do"
i'm coming in!what's back here:
- every weird thing this week, sorted. you pick.
- any night, you already know where the noise is.
- you hear about it before it sells out. not after.
- first dibs on tv pdx events + gifts made by a giant.