WEDNESDAY Jan. 31

True Stories II

It's funny because it's true. Local writers and singers, from Chelsea Cain to Marc Acito, share honest tales of humiliation. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., 288-3895. 7 pm. $10.

Star Wars: Allegiance

Check your light sabers at the door as Timothy Zahn presents yet another Star Wars book. Powell's at Cedar Hills Crossing, 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., Beaverton. 228-4631. 7 pm. Free.

THURSDAY Feb. 1

Richard Thompson

Thompson reads from his book Portland's Streetcars. Powell's at Cedar Hills Crossing, 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., Beaverton. 228-4631. 7 pm. Free.

Tim Sandlin

Sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll—what more could you want? Oh yeah, and senior citizens. Sandlin reads from his comical look into the future, Jimi Hendrix Turns Eighty. Powell's on Hawthorne, 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 228-4631. 7:30 pm. Free.

FRIDAY Feb. 2

Vickie Howell

Howell, author of Knitty Gritty Knits, shows you how to knit the perfect thong—we hope. The Yarn Garden, 1413 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 239-7950. 6:30 pm. Free.

Calvin Trillin

See review, right. Powell's City of Books. 1005 W Burnside St., 228-4631. 7:30 pm. Free.

Terry McAuliffe

He's wrestled alligators and been bitten by politicians. Former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, McAuliffe shares the best of his political memoirs with you. Powell's at Cedar Hills Crossing, 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., Beaverton. 228-4631. 7 pm. Free.

Bond, Julian Bond

He's a civil-rights activist with a license not to kill. Chairman of the NAACP since 1998, Bond gives a lecture titled "Civil Rights: In the Day, Today, and Tomorrow." Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd., 517-7935. 8 pm. Free.

SATURDAY Feb. 3

Food for Thought

Food is our most basic need and is central to our life. Essayist Diana Coogle will discuss the roles (or rolls?) food plays in our lives. Man, I hope they provide snacks. Holgate Library, 7905 SE Holgate Blvd., 988-5389. 3 pm. Free.

Neal Pollack

Irony-rich author Pollack transitions seamlessly from delightfully overblown tales of international hedonism to the world of hip dadism in Alternadad. Greasy Kids DJ dance party kicks off the talk at 3 pm. Powell's City of Books. 1005 W Burnside St., 228-4631. 4 pm. Free.

SUNDAY Feb. 4

Dead Pool

Kathleen McLaughlin examines ancient Egyptian art during her lecture "Reflections on Immortality." Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Ave., 226-0973. 2 pm. Members $5, non-members $10.

Dan Simmons

Hyperion author Simmons chalks one up for the nonfiction genre as he reads from his latest, The Terror, which centers on two ice ships that went missing in the Arctic Circle circa 1845. Powell's at Cedar Hills Crossing, 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., Beaverton. 228-4631. 7 pm. Free.

Phil Stanford

In the midst of a Film Noir marathon, local columnist Phil Stanford, author of Portland Confidential, discusses crime in the Rose City. Proper Eats Market Cafe, 8638 N Lombard Ave., 445-2007. 2:30 pm. Free.

MONDAY Feb. 5

Gabriel Thompson

Thompson will read and talk about his book There's No Jose Here, which discusses the polarizing issue of Mexican immigration. Powell's on Hawthorne, 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 228-4631. 7:30 pm. Free.

Rene Denfeld

The American dream used to be a house with a white picket fence. According to All God's Children, the new dream is a cardboard box next to a white picket fence. Portlander Denfeld relates how street teens search for community. Powell's City of Books. 1005 W Burnside St., 228-4631. 7:30 pm. Free.

TUESDAY Feb. 6

Clayton Eshleman

This event is a WW pick solely because the title of Eshleman's book of poems is An Alchemist with One Eye on Fire. Will his poetry live up to that name? Powell's City of Books. 1005 W Burnside St., 228-4631. 7:30 pm. Free.